I was recently in Iowa and learned a whole lot about farming from a brilliantly eloquent 70-year-old farmer named Kathy. Previous to my trip, I regret to say that I truly didn’t understand the complexity of the farming industry. Kathy enlightened me on how she and her hard-working husband make a living doing the practically impossible.
Farming is, and this is a vast understatement, extremely difficult. Farmers must adjust all plans based on the fickle fate of weather. They are subject to the constantly fluctuating prices of corn, soybeans, and whatever else they’re growing that are influenced heavily by a volatile global market. And, if you didn’t know, many pieces of farming equipment cost more than an entry level Lamborghini.
Still, these hard-working people somehow make their livings in an unpredictable environment - where any one thing can impact an entire year’s income. I learned a lot from Kathy in Iowa, but most of all, I learned about gracious resilience in the face of overwhelming and unexpected adversity.
And you all probably know by now that I love to apply pretty much every lesson I learn to pragmatic productivity. So, without further ado, here are three ways to prepare for the unexpected from the wisdom of a lifetime farmer.
Build a team
Okay, first of all, there’s a thing called a derecho. It is a hurricane on land. Yes, you read that correctly. A hurricane. On land. (Global warming, anyone?) When this terrifying thing appeared in Iowa, it threatened the tall corn stalks all over the state. And yes, corn in Iowa, as in Oklahoma, is “as high as an elephant’s eye.”
Kathy showed me photos of the twisted and bent stalks post-derecho which, to a lay person’s eye, looked veritably un-harvestable. But she had assembled a good team ahead of time. The person she hired harvested the corn in the opposite direction of the bent stalks to maximize the yield.
I learned that farming is not, by any stretch of the imagination a solo affair. Neither are most occupations or endeavors. A team can help you circumnavigate practically any unexpected event. The key, though is, to build it ahead of time.
A good friend likes to use the phrase, “The time to fix the roof is not when it’s raining.” It’s extremely difficult to build a team at the moment you need it. Prepare for the unexpected by assembling your Rol-o-dex (I love those things) ahead of time.
I have four babysitters in my phone in case of a last-minute cancellation. I have three friends who are pretty much always willing to edit my work. And I have at least four companies for whom I have worked in the past who would be willing to hire me back if I need a job. This is the tip of the iceberg of my ICE (in case of emergency) team.
If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to put together the list of people you might need to call upon when the unexpected happens. And work to maintain you relationship with them (they’re people – not computers). So, when a derecho or a zombie apocalypse happens, you can get yourself a harvester or a babysitter.
Never run on empty
Kathy’s farm stores up corn and waits until the best price comes along to sell it. With fluctuating markets, again, this is a very unpredictable business. I also have a friend in Los Angeles that never lets the gas tank in her car go below half of a tank. She (rightfully) hypothesizes that if there’s an emergency in LA, half the city will be stuck waiting in long gas lines so they can GTFO.
These two things strike me as very similar. Preparing for the unexpected, be it a high price of corn or a natural disaster on the west coast, requires having extra of whatever you might need. This might be extra money in your checking account, extra toilet paper under the sink, or extra cash in your underwear drawer.
This principle also applies to work situations, though, too. I send an email every Monday to my Substack readers. One weekend, I was in two cities in three days and literally had not a minute to myself to write. I had been knee-deep in other endeavors the week before, and on Sunday night, I realized I had nothing to send to my 500 favorite people. Luckily, I had thought to prepare for the unexpected by keeping a few articles for an emergency. I simply cut and pasted and voila!
The key to never running on empty is that if you use your resources, publish your articles, or use all your gas, you’ll need to replenish your stores as soon as possible. Harvest all the corn you can in October, write a few extra articles when you’re feeling creative, and put some cash in your underwear drawer when you get a bonus. Because, again, you never know when something unexpected will pop up.
Set your priorities
Kathy looked me square in the eye. “Faith first. Then family. Then your own desires. In that order.” I nodded. I had no question that when faced with an unanticipated circumstance, she would stick to that set of priorities. I realized I should probably set some of my own as well.
One of the things that happens in a stressful unexpected situation is that people in their response, do the “fight, flight, freeze, or fawn” thing. Most of us, in my completely unverified opinion, freeze. Mostly because, I believe, we haven’t set our priorities ahead of time.
This is why Navy Seals run drill after drill. When faced with the unexpected, they have already prepared and rehearsed. When the Seals respond to an emergency situation, there is no question what they will do. Because they set it ahead of time. In practically everything, the more automatic our response to a situation (the more practiced we have become in it), the less likely we are to freeze.
Family first. Two words and a powerful meaning. From those two words only, I could anticipate what Kathy would do in practically any unexpected circumstance. Family first.
Order of events in any unexpected situation can mean success or failure. What we choose to do, how we respond to external stimuli, can shape our productivity and our futures. What are your priorities? Don’t know? Well, you might want to set them now. Patch the roof when it’s sunny, not in a derecho.
Final thoughts
First of all, I am grateful to my gracious Iowa hosts, Kathy included, who taught me about farming and welcoming kindness. Second, I believe we can learn so much from other industries. If you get the chance to pick someone’s brain about practically anything, do not pass go and do not collect $200. Wisdom comes from unexpected places.
If you want to prepare for the unexpected, I highly recommend building your team, never running on empty, and setting your priorities ahead of time. And if you ever meet a farmer, tell them thank you.