Every week, one member of the Hillcrest Farms team will choose a quote to write on the whiteboard in our office for all to see. The quotes can range from Bible verses, inspirational quotes, or even just a thought. It can be anything that benefits the mindset of the farm crew. For instance, last week’s quote was, “There is no better example of faith than a man planting a seed in a field.”
There are some hard weeks on the farm throughout the year, that’s for sure. During those weeks, we feel like the days are never ending. It may be one thing after another: losing a member of the herd, equipment breaking down, getting called in to work several nights throughout the week . . . I could name hundreds of reasons.
The point is, we’ve all been there. I remember having one of those weeks recently. I was walking into the office and just so happened to look up and see a quote on the whiteboard that cracked my foul mood. It shifted my outlook toward the tasks ahead of me the rest of the week.
It is easy to let a hard day or week get us down, but the way I handle my “hard day” can also shift the morale of the farm crew. That is why it is important not to get discouraged.
Putting an uplifting quote up for all to see is just one of the small ways we can stay positive. Or, you could also have a dad like mine who is always walking around telling good old-fashioned corny jokes that you can’t help but laugh at. Either way, sometimes just a few inspirational words or a good joke will positively impact the farm crew while carrying out the farm’s tasks.
This week, the quote in our office is as follows:
“When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” — George Washington Carver
Mark and Caitlin Rodgers are dairy farmers in Dearing, Georgia. Their “Father and Daughter Dairy Together” column appears every other Thursday on HD Notebook. The Rodgers have a 400-cow dairy that averages 32,000 pounds of milk. Follow their family farm on Facebook at Hillcrest Farms Inc.
Joins us on April 8, 2019, for our webinar: "Milking evaluation reveals costly problems"
presented by Michigan State University Extension's Phil Durst and Stan Moore
Milking is so routine that we sometimes fail to adequately analyze it. Using milk vacuum recorders, researchers found two common problems: biphasic milking and overmilking. The presentation will discuss the causes and impacts of these issues.
