It’s so easy to forget why we love something when times are hard. We wonder if it’s worth the pain, the sorrow, the grind.
Then we have “the perfect day.” Where everything goes right. Where the sun is shining, and our family is out on the farm with us. A day where we’re reminded why we love what we do. Those days may be few and far between. But they’re there — reminding us why we love this industry so much. We have one of the most rewarding yet challenging jobs — we feed and clothe the world.
Harsh challenges have been pummeling the agriculture industry lately. Mother nature (the historic drought that we have seen in West Texas to even the unfortunate hurricanes our brethren in the Southeast are experiencing); economic hardship; commodity prices falling; inflation and interest rates staying at record-level highs; etc. The pain is real and the fear, doubt and constant worry about staying in business is wearisome.
That being said, we’re not out yet. We haven’t lost, yet.
If the noise is getting too loud and drowning out your purpose, remember your “perfect day.” Your “why” for working in the cotton industry.
Coincidentally, October is both the month for the Major League Baseball World Series and cotton harvest in the largest area of the U.S. As a young professional, baseball enthusiast and movie watcher, I would argue that one of the best baseball movies to date is “For Love of the Game.” Featuring Kevin Costner who plays Billy Chapel — a professional pitcher for the Detroit Tigers dealing with pressures of a losing season and life changes. In the movie, he pitches a perfect game against the New York Yankees to cement his legacy as he retires from baseball.
My favorite quote from the movie is, “clear the mechanism.” Chapel says it repeatedly to help him stay laser focused despite all odds stacked against him. Clear out all the noise and just focus on the pitch. It’s a good concept for us as we fight hard to protect the cotton industry and preserve it for the generations after us.
“ Clear the mechanism.”
Against all odds, we will fight for this way of life.
“Clear the mechanism.” We continue to fight for a farm bill by the end of 2024.
“ Clear the mechanism.” We fight for economic assistance for our cotton producers to stop the financial hemorrhaging in the agriculture community.
“Clear the mechanism.” We fight for our infrastructure segments to have opportunities for more adequate risk management tools to preserve our industry for future generations to come.
“Clear the mechanism.” We fight for cotton. And we will pitch a perfect game to end 2024.
When the noise gets loud. When the crowd jeers. When neighbors say it can’t be done.
When the coffee shop talk says no one is looking after agriculture.
When news outlets say Congress won’t get it done.
Clear. The. Mechanism.