Environmental Resource Management

A New Toxicant Tool Decreases Feral Hog Populations in Texas

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 02:23:34 GMT

Explosive numbers , deadly destruction , devastating economic impact . Is it possible to control the spiraling feral hog population in Texas?

A new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service study shows a warfarin-based toxicant could help slow the out-of-control feral hog numbers by serving as an effective option for landowners and to help minimize damage on their property.

“Texas A&M AgriLife experts are the leading authorities on feral hog control in the nation, and we are the first to test this in a real-world application and to show that this warfarin-based toxicant can be effective for reducing these pests,” explains John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. “Unabated feral hog populations threaten our natural resources, our livelihoods and our quality of life, and our goal, as a land-grant institution, is to provide safe, effective, science-backed solutions for all Texans.”

The two-year study took place on 23 sites in 10 counties across the various regions of the state. Conducted by Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management associate professor and AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist John Tomeček, and Michael Bodenchuk, director of Texas Wildlife Services, the teams were able to effectively and efficiently reduce feral hog numbers with diligent application of the product, according to a release .

“Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service was tasked with evaluating the product’s ability to reduce feral hog numbers and damage in regions across the state and seasons of the year,” Tomeček says. “We found that it can be highly effective when utilized correctly and saw no access to the toxicant by non-target species when all feeder devices functioned properly.”

This study is an important step in the fight to curb the economic and environmental impact of feral hogs in Texas and across the nation, Sharp says. With more than 3 million feral hogs causing more than $500 million in damage to agriculture and private property throughout Texas each year , feral hogs are a burden that also destroy native wildlife and disturb native ecosystems.

Toxicant as a Tool

Researchers conducted field evaluations of a low-dose warfarin-based toxicant to determine its efficacy in various regions of the state and to assess the product’s ability to help landowners prevent property damage and economic harm from feral hogs. AgriLife Extension specialists worked with private landowners on recommended application methodologies to provide real-world testing conditions for the product and the suggested best practices, the release explains.

Bait that included warfarin was placed in specially designed dispensers that prevent access by non-target species, Tomeček says. Feral hogs were conditioned to access the bait before the product was applied. Once the product was applied, feral hogs consumed lethal doses within five days of consistent access to the bait.

Tomeček points out that the product is not considered acutely toxic to non-target animals in the event some might gain limited access to the bait. It’s also not found at lethal levels within the tissue of deceased feral hogs.

The key is to “correctly and consistently” use the warfarin-based toxicant.

After a trial period of close supervision and instruction, landowners in the study applied and managed the bait themselves. During the project, the Texas A&M AgriLife team made several discoveries that will help increase efficacy of the product when applied, the release said.

Landowners who checked the feeder for mechanical issues and replaced bait consistently as part of their regular maintenance schedule reported sharp declines in feral hog numbers and damage levels over the seasons of the year.
Landowners who did not adhere to instruction reported mixed to low success in curbing feral hog numbers on their property. These results were true, regardless of the season of the year or the region of the state where the trial was being conducted.

With threats of African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases getting closer to the U.S., wild hog control is becoming an even more critical topic as wild hogs serve as vectors of disease.

Read More About Feral Hogs:

Feral Swine: USDA Monitors World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species

A Sport Utility Vehicle for Disease: Wild Pigs Wreak Havoc in Louisiana

Missouri’s Feral Hog Problem Turns a Corner

Texas Pork Producers Face Uphill Battle with Wild Pigs

Is Aerial Gunning the Answer for Uptick of Wild Hogs?

Is Missouri’s Feral Hog Population on the Decline?

Feral Swine Eradication Program Should Be Permanent, Senators Urge

Destructive, Formidable, Invasive: How is the U.S. Managing the Feral Hog Population?

Feral Swine Test Positive for Pseudorabies at Colorado Farm

Denmark Will Be First to Impose Carbon Dioxide Tax on Livestock Emissions

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 18:40:06 GMT

Major pork and dairy exporter Denmark plans to introduce a tax on livestock carbon dioxide emissions from 2030. This would make Denmark the first to initiate a CO2 tax on agriculture. Reuters reports the government said it hopes to inspire others to follow.

The tax, first proposed in February by government-commissioned experts, is supposed to help Denmark reach a legally binding 2030 target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels, the article said.

Late on Monday, the government reached a compromise with farmers, industry, labor unions and environmental groups on policy linked to farming, the country’s largest source of CO2 emissions.

Reuters reports that Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus of the centre-left Social Democrats said, “We will be the first country in the world to introduce a real CO2 tax on agriculture. Other countries will be inspired by this.”

Political experts expect a bill to pass following the broad-based consensus, but it is still subject to approval by parliament.

The deal proposes a tax on farmers of 300 Danish crowns ($43.16) per metric ton of CO2 in 2030, increasing to 750 crowns by 2035.

In return, farmers will be entitled to an income tax deduction of 60%, meaning the actual cost per metric ton will start at 120 crowns and increase to 300 crowns by 2035, Reuters reports. Subsidies will be made available to support adjustments in farm operations.

Danish farmers had expressed concerns that the climate goals could force them to lower production and cut jobs, but Reuters said the farmers said the compromise makes it possible to maintain their business.

Earlier this month, New Zealand dismissed plans to introduce a similar tax after facing pushback from farmers.

How to Calculate Your Personal Inflation Rate

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:30:45 GMT

See how rising costs impact you and your family

Yes, inflation is at a 40-year high, but you might not be feeling its sharp bite. It all depends on where you spend your money.

The Consumer Price Index is a basket of thousands of goods and services. In March, it marked a nearly 8.5% jump from a year ago. Categories such as gasoline, food and housing are the biggest contributors to the increase.

To analyze inflation’s threat to your farm and family, calculate your personal inflation rate.

Determine your monthly expenses for the following categories: food and beverages, housing, clothing, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, communication and other goods and services. Include big-ticket items you pay once or twice a year, such as home insurance.
Subtract your monthly spending a year ago from your current monthly spending.
Divide that sum by your monthly spending from a year ago.

For instance, if your spending last month was $4,500, and a year ago it was $4,250, the difference is $250. Divide $250 by $4,250 and you land at a personal inflation rate of 5.9%.

MINIMIZE INFLATION IMPACTS

Inflation is a growing risk for your farm and family. “It is also largely out of your control,” says Brent Gloy, economist at Agriculture Economic Insights. “What you can do is recognize prices are heading up and plan for it.”

This inflation calculation can be an eye opener about your family living expenses. If tracking your expenses is intimidating, start small, encourages Alex White, farm and financial management instructor at Virginia Tech University. For one month, track all personal expenses on paper or with an electronic tool.

Once you have current data, he says, you can see if you need to reduce expenses or set some financial goals.

You Are What You Spend

Some products and services have seen dramatic jumps in price. Luckily, a 13% jump in cracker prices isn’t felt as sharply as the nearly 40% increase in gas prices. Here are inflation levels for a few categories.

(Farm Journal)

Read More

How to Anchor Your Farm’s Profits From Inflation’s Pull

John Phipps: The Inflation We Expect

3 Economic Forces to Watch that Will Impact Agriculture

Adios to the Ag Dollar: A Farmer’s Story on Inflation and Inputs

Is the Fed Behind the Curve in Battling Inflation?

By Her Own Hand: A Farm Girl’s Miraculous Journey from Death to Hope

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 21:46:16 GMT

Maddison Caldwell woke up on Dec. 19, 2019, with a plan for the ultimate act of finality. Death by her own hand.

For those who know Maddison, it’s difficult to understand why she attempted suicide. But a young girl with limited vision could see no other options.

“Nobody else planted that seed,” Maddison says. “It’s an illness. It happened all within my head. I could probably read about it and do research on it all day long, and I’ll still never understand why I made that choice.”

The Anxiety Monster

As the oldest child in the Caldwell family, Maddison believed she needed to have it all together, work the hardest, earn straight As and make people proud. She grew up on a show cattle operation in Elmwood, Ill., and exhibited cattle and pigs at shows across the country. She learned many great life lessons from showing livestock, but admits she also felt tremendous pressure to win and succeed.

(Farm Journal)

Growing up, Maddison’s favorite place to be was in the barn working with her pigs. Photo by Taylor Gevelinger.

“Looking back, I see how I struggled with anxiety for a very long time and didn’t know it,” she says. “Maybe it’s an oldest child thing, but I felt like I was up on a pedestal at times. Things had to be a certain way. I had to be perfect. It was exhausting.”

The red flags began appearing during Maddison’s freshman year of college in the fall of 2016 when she took a mandatory psychology class. For the first time in her life, she started learning about mental health.

“A lot of the things my teacher talked about resonated with me and with things that were going on in my life,” she says. “One day I talked to my teacher after class and she told me it was normal to have feelings of anxiety, but that counseling may be helpful.”

Appointments and prescriptions followed. Maddison knew something was missing, though, and before she knew it, she was maxed out on medication.

“I remember leaving the doctor’s office thinking, ‘what if things get bad again?’ My doctor basically gave me no other options,” Maddison recalls after that appointment in August of 2019. “I didn’t know where I would turn next.”

In September, Maddison’s family celebrated the one-year anniversary of her grandma’s heart transplant. And that’s when the dominoes began to fall.

“I’ve always been really sensitive to death,” she says. “I don’t handle grief well. I remember thinking here we were, living our best lives with Grandma and her new heart. Meanwhile someone is grieving the loss of their daughter or mom today. We were celebrating a year of life and they were grieving a year of death. That was hard for me to grasp.”

(Farm Journal)

The one-year anniversary of her grandmother’s heart transplant brought out complicated emotions for Maddison to process. (L to R Maddison’s sister Olivia, Grandma Connie and Maddison) Photo by Kim Caldwell.

Depression set in for the first time in her life. Suicide crossed her mind, but she didn’t tell anyone. She just put a smile on her face and went on about life. But inside, the questions got bigger, and the hurt took up more space in her heart.

By Dec. 18, her meds weren’t enough. Her feelings were all-consuming.

A Paper Gown

The next morning Maddison grabbed a handful of pills collected from around the house, tossed out false claims of a migraine to her mother, Kim Caldwell, and crawled back into bed, determined to cross the darkest line of no return.

“I remember feeling so relieved in that moment, like, ‘Wow. It’s over,” she recalls. “At the same time, I remember thinking that was the last time I’ll see my mom and sit down to breakfast with my family. They had no idea what was going on in my mind that day. I hadn’t even discussed my depression.”

Maddison fell asleep and was subsequently found approximately four hours later—alive, but in a fading stupor. At the hospital, she was denied a stomach pump procedure due to her consecutive hours of sleep.

“I know from a medical standpoint, she should not be here,” says Kim, a registered nurse. “The number of pills she took, the four hours before we knew, she should have never woken up. I can tell you that with 25 years of nursing knowledge.”

Miraculously, Maddison lived.

She was committed to a psychiatric unit per Illinois law because she attempted suicide. It took three long days to be placed into a unit. During this time, Maddison’s anger grew.

“I was so mad I was still alive,” she says. “Looking back, I can’t even believe the way I behaved. I didn’t even tell my family goodbye when I finally left the hospital.”

They took her by police car to a psychiatric unit where she was only allowed to bring shampoo, conditioner and a toothbrush. She was stripped down and searched before being given paper scrubs to wear.

“It sure wasn’t like the movies where you are greeted and welcomed in,” she says. “I was on my own. About 90% of the people in this facility were there for drug abuse. I didn’t fit in, and it was not helpful for me to be there.”

She was released on Christmas morning after doing everything in her power to prove she was ready to go back home. During her stay in the facility, she was put on five or six medications morning, noon and night.

“That was it,” she says. “I wasn’t given any therapy while I was there.”

Maddison returned home feeling like she had nowhere else to turn, with full intentions of finishing what she started.

Dangerous Deception

The next three months went by quickly. Maddison didn’t return to college in person but chose to go virtual her final semester from home. For Todd Caldwell, Maddison’s father, it was hard to understand how his daughter was feeling.

“The first time it happened, I kept scratching my head thinking, ‘How?’ In the livestock industry, there are ups and downs. The ups are really, really good and the downs are really, really bad. But I can honestly say, no matter how bad things have gotten, that has never been an option to me.”

Although he can’t pinpoint anything that would make him think his daughter would attempt suicide again, he says he didn’t see anything in her that made him think she wouldn’t.

“She was so damn good at hiding how she was feeling. All I could think was, ‘How can you look like she looks? Have a brain like she’s got? Have the success she’s had in whatever she chose to at this point?” Todd says. “Then I am thinking, ‘Dang Maddie, don’t you have any backbone? You are going through a bad stage. Your life has not gone exactly as you planned it to this point. But that’s just life.”

He knows those thoughts won’t win him a popularity contest. But as a father, he admits those hard, conflicting feelings ran rampant in his mind as he tried to understand what his daughter was experiencing.

Perhaps it was fear and those conflicting feelings that never allowed him to feel at ease.

(Farm Journal)

The Caldwell farm located near Elmwood, Ill. Photo provided by Kim Caldwell.

On April 1, 2020, Maddison called Todd to see if he wanted her to grab lunch for him, her grandpa and her brother who were out working on the farm. Todd vividly remembers lots of laughing and joking while they ate lunch together.

“Never in a million years did I think she was in a bad place mentally that day,” Todd says.

A few hours later, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize, but he answered the phone. She had tried again.

No Going Back

Maddison did not want anyone to know what she was thinking. “I really thought everyone would be better off without me,” she says.

Determined to finish what she had started, Maddison went to the special drawer she was forbidden to open and took out a cattle drug she knew was dangerous for humans. She thought it would kill her quickly. After having lunch with her dad, she drove out to a hill at one of their farms and injected 2 ccs of this livestock antibiotic in each of her thighs.

“I thought it would be fairly instant,” Maddison recalls. “I sat in my car waiting and waiting.”

Time passed so slowly. She considered a few options of what to do next when the medication didn’t kill her. She ended up driving to her best friend’s house and called her friend’s mom to come outside and sit with her.

“She had no idea what I had done or how dangerous that medication was,” Maddison says. “She called my dad immediately.”

All Todd could think about on his drive was that there was no way his daughter was going to be alive when he got there. But she was clinging on.

It took the ambulance 25 minutes to arrive. As Maddison was being put into the ambulance, she remembers looking out the door and seeing her dad standing in the middle of the road.

“I remember thinking, ‘What have I done?’ as I saw my dad standing there so helpless and angry,” she says. “He kept yelling, ‘What did you do? Why have you done this?’”

Maddison heard her dad telling the paramedic about his 250-pound friend who got residue from that medication on his finger, put some chewing tobacco into his mouth, and minutes later, had to be rushed to the hospital.

“‘She’s gone,’ my dad said to the paramedics. ‘You guys can drive as fast as you want, but there’s no going back,’” Maddison recalls.

Todd was scared and furious. That’s not going to be popular either, he says, but it was his truth in that moment.

“I was so mad at her,” Todd says as he watched helplessly. “I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. I said, ‘Why didn’t you talk to me? You just ate lunch with me.’ She was dozing in and out and wasn’t listening to me anyway. The town policeman was there, and he finally grabbed me and hugged me and said, ‘You have to stop.’”

Due to COVID-19, they wouldn’t let Todd ride in the ambulance. He called Kim, who was working that day, and told her Maddison wasn’t going to make it.

During the 30-minute drive to the hospital, Maddison had three seizures.

Read on to learn what happened next in Maddison’s journey.

Come On In: The Ocean Temperatures Are Hot

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 14:59:37 GMT

Last year was hot. It was so hot, 2021 now holds the record for the hottest ocean temperatures ever. That’s according to an annual study published in “ Advances in Atmospheric Sciences .”

Earth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2021 was 1.51 degrees °F (0.84 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average, according to officials at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

(Farm Journal)

2021 was the 45th consecutive year since 1977 in which global temperatures ranked higher than the 20th-century average, per NOAA , providing yet another indication of the effect of climate change on the planet. High ocean-heat content can contribute to sea-level rise.

Researchers blame human activity for rising water temperature, because oceans absorb heat from the atmosphere.

“The increase in carbon emissions will lead to more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” says Matt Yarosewick, AgDay meteorologist. “If we have more of these, they almost act as a blanket. Some of the solar radiation from the sun will get reflected back into space, but the radiation that makes it to the ground will then have to deal with the greenhouse gases on the way back out.”

When the sun heats the ground, he says, the ground heats the air. The solar radiation is absorbed by the ground and is then released in the form of heat into our atmosphere.

“Some of that heat is allowed to escape through the atmosphere and back into space, while some is held in by the greenhouse gases,” Yarosewick says. “This will then cause a warming effect over time of our overall global temperature.”

Water will absorb any heat and if the global temperatures go up, then the ocean temperatures should follow that same pattern, he explains. This also causes stronger storms.

“The warmer the water, the more moisture will be allowed to evaporate and increase not only rain rates and heavy precipitation but also the ‘fuel’ for the storms increases,” Yarosewick says.

Additional NOAA weather findings for 2021 :

The average annual sea ice cover in the Arctic was approximately 4.08-million square miles — the ninth-smallest annual average cover recorded between 1979 and 2021. The last seven years (2015-2021) had an annual sea ice extent that ranked among the 10 smallest on record, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Centeroffsite link.
There was an above-average number of tropical cyclones around the world in 2021, with a total of 94 named storms. This value ties with 1994 as the 10th-highest number of named storms in the 41-year record.
December’s average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.49 degrees °F (0.83 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average. This value was tied with 2016 as Earth’s fifth-warmest December in 142 years

Alltech Unveils 2020 Sustainability Report

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 14:46:27 GMT

Today’s farmers and producers are striving to provide a rising population with higher-quality nutrition while maintaining the utmost regard for environmental and animal welfare. Agriculture has the greatest potential not only to meet the global demand but to positively impact the future of our planet, Alltech says. The company released it’s vision for “Working Together for a Planet of Plenty” in its 2020 Alltech Sustainability Report.

“This dawning of a new age in agri-food will require us to continue working together across geographies and industries to create a more sustainable future,” Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, said in a release. “Agriculture has made extraordinary strides in sustainable production, but the next few decades will be crucial. Our sustainability report demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing smarter, more sustainable solutions for producers while harnessing the power of collaboration and human ingenuity to create a more promising future.”

In 1989, Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons committed to a guiding Animal, the Consumer and the Environment (ACE) principle, requiring that the company’s endeavors prioritize the safety and well-being of the animal, consumer and environment. Alltech’s vision for a Planet of Plenty propels its founding ACE principle into a new world of possibility, the company says.

In 2019, Alltech became a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and committed to nine of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, climate action, life below the water, life on land and partnerships for the goals. In the 2020 Alltech Sustainability Report, each of the company’s contributions is accompanied by the corresponding UNGC principles and SDG goals.

“We compiled our report with input from our teams across the globe,” David Butler, head of sustainability at Alltech, said in a release. “I am excited by the level of energy and enthusiasm shown by our colleagues as they explore the positive impact of their work. Their determination reveals that sustainability is reflected not only in our core business but also within our culture. That purpose-driven engagement will help guide our success for years to come.”

The report details how Alltech’s partnerships are creating opportunities for advancing the implementation of science-led sustainable practices that improve profitability and animal and environmental welfare.

“This year has affirmed the vital importance of collaboration, trusting our scientific experts and welcoming diverse perspectives,” Lyons said in a release. “Together, instead of leaving a footprint, we can leave a legacy.”

Click here to read the 2020 Alltech Sustainability Report.

Read More:

PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Mark Lyons

C-Suite: Focus On Collaboration, Not Credit

UN Food Systems Summit Surprises U.S. Animal Ag Groups

Demand Uncertainty, Rising Costs Will Hinder Growth in Pork Market

Help Your Business with Good Work-Life Balance

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 14:24:18 GMT

As you aim to retain employees, a good work-life balance helps everyone thrive in their personal lives and in the business.

When employees have a good balance between work and life, they feel a greater sense of control and ownership over their own lives. They tend to have better relationships with management and co-workers. On the other hand, when employees don’t have the right balance between work and life, they suffer from unhappiness, burnout and frustration.

Employees who are not happy give less effort and teamwork. They may even consider changing jobs. According to a MetLife 2019 Study, over 92% of workers are willing to change industries.

The power dynamic has changed! As a result, employers must do everything possible to invest in their employees’ enrichment, not only at work but also in their personal lives.

A good work-life balance can fuel employees with:
• Improved health due to less stress
• More significant commitment to their job and their teams
• Improved engagement at work
• Less work-related conflicts
• Greater loyalty to your business

Fortunately, there are initiatives you can implement to improve the work-life balance for your employees. These benefits will not only improve morale but also help you retain your good employees.

Lead by Example
Create your own work-life balance that employees can resonate with.

Provide an open-door policy, allowing employees to communicate with you openly. It is remarkable how many issues can be worked out if your staff feels free to have open discussions.

Allow limited carry-over of PTO. As employers, we want our workers to take time off to rest and enjoy themselves with family or friends.

Attempt to create a mix of duties that includes both inside and outside work

Offer flexible hours. The workday is no longer one-size-fits-all. Your employees want to attend their kid’s soccer games occasionally.

Provide the benefits they want and need. Not everyone needs health insurance, or many won’t take it. Consider alternatives such as gift cards for gas and oil changes or a beef steer/pay for processing, accounting or tax services.

Provide wellness initiatives. Free or partial membership to a health club or develop a wellness challenge like weight loss.

Organize team-building activities.

Encourage employee training and education.

Incorporate stay interviews yearly to learn what your employees like about the job and what could be improved.

Create a safe and healthy working environment.

Recognize employee’s hard work.

In a world where job opportunities are endless, take the necessary steps to develop areas of work-life balance within your teams. Then, not only will you retain your current employees, but your business will have a reputation for encouraging a solid work-life balance making you more attractive to future new hires.

How to change the face of agriculture

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 16:57:11 GMT

It’s no wonder Michael Smith wasn’t comfortable with pursuing a career in agriculture when he started college at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.

He wasn’t aware of all opportunities in this broad field, and, as a young African American man growing up in Chicago, it wasn’t something anyone he knew was doing.

But while in college, Smith discovered the local chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS), and learned that he could make an impact and pursue a meaningful career in food and agricultural sciences. Now, Smith is a senior, an agriculture major and president of the school’s MANRRS chapter.

“Agriculture was a major I wasn’t real comfortable with, but when I joined MANRRS, it was like family. And it wasn’t just one ethnicity. It was black, it was white, it was a good mixing pot,” Smith said. “I appreciated that because it had the feeling of inclusion. MANRRS offers that, but people have to be open to being included.”

This is the kind of broader awareness and change advocates for minorities in agriculture are seeking.

With those goals in mind, Aug. 22-28 has been declared Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Week by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. The proclamations, which coincide with the KC Animal Health Corridor’s Digital Animal Health Summit beginning Aug. 24, are to help change perceptions of agricultural careers and encourage greater inclusion of minority-represented populations to build a more prosperous, creative and innovative industry.

It’s needed: The ratio of professionals in the agriculture industry is not representative of the American population.

Of the 3.4 million farmers nationwide, about 7% are minorities — including Hispanic, American Indian, African American and Asian. That ratio that has remained relatively flat in recent years, according to a 2019 Western Growers Association article .

Almost 62% of the U.S. population identify as white alone, so that means 38% of the population identifies as another race or ethnicity, either alone or in combination with white or other groups, according to the 2020 U.S. Census .

To recruit more minorities in agriculture sciences and related food industries, the young people need to be aware of these fields and what they involve, before college and during college, according to a 1997 Journal of Agricultural Education article by Zelia Wiley, assistant dean and director of diversity programs at the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University.

Minority populations need exposure to these fields of study, and then, once they gain that knowledge, their perceptions and attitudes can shift, which ultimately leads to behavior change.

“Our goal is to change the face of agriculture. We know we can do it, one day at a time,” Wiley said. “Most ethnic groups that are underserved, most have a negative view of agriculture.”

For instance, many African Americans think of slavery when they think of agriculture, so changing that perception requires a lot of outreach and education.

Today, Wiley has been a member of MANRRS for more than 30 years, is the Kansas State University MANRRS chapter advisor and president of the national society of MANRRS. In 2003, she was the first black woman hired with a doctorate degree in agriculture and extension education at Kansas State’s agriculture college.

Of course, there’s the FFA and the 4H, where all people are invited to join, “but all students don’t feel included or embraced. It’s all about having an informed choice,” she said.

Everybody is part of an ethnic group, Wiley said.

“I’m doing this for everyone. We want to get more individuals knowledgeable. The only way we can work together, is that we all have to be informed of each other. Diversity and inclusion are the way,” Wiley said.

The MANRRS chapters hold outreach events, fundraisers, take students on farm tours and hold trainings in professional etiquette, such as in interviews, Zoom calls and on social media. The organization also connects students with large agriculture companies, serving as an empowering networking resource.

To succeed at retaining young professionals in agriculture, employers need to make people like Smith feel like part of the team, offer chances for them to have a voice, and provide motivation for what they’re doing, he said.

Many students — especially those who are the first generation in their family to go to university — don’t know what to do when they get there, Smith said.

“MANRRS helped me find where I needed to go and helped put me in the direction that, even though it was scary and it was unknown, I was willing to take a chance,” he said. “How are we ever going to integrate, how are we ever going to be one, if we don’t try?”

When Your Plate Is Too Full: Delegate More to Stress Less

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:48:20 GMT

Think about the tasks and duties that fill your day. Do you continually put some off? Do some not match your talents? Are there ones you just don’t like?

If so, it’s time to delegate. This business best practice is helpful to any leader and can you feel less overwhelmed, overloaded and scattered, says Marlene Eick, a leadership coach from Wooster, Ohio.

Taking more off your plate starts with shifting your mindset and asking the hard questions, Eick says. It also requires a willingness to share the workload.

“Most of us struggle with letting go of work we’ve done habitually for years,” adds Mark Faust, president of Echelon Management. “But delegating just part of the lowest priorities immediately frees time you can spend on the top priorities and makes a mighty impact.”

Eick and Faust recommend farm leaders ask these questions to delegate better spend their time.

1. What can someone else do?

Take an inventory of everything on your plate. Consider what tasks could be shared or outsourced to someone else. Eick says it is important to consider your personal tasks, too.

“We can often lighten the load of all the things we have to do by thinking what about what we can delegate in our personal life to make space for those professional tasks or projects we have going on,” she says.

2. Who can do it?

Think about to whom you should delegate, encourages Faust. His advice: Don’t overload one person.

Based on the tasks at hand, who are you looking for? Someone who has entry-level skills? A high schooler? A new college graduate? Or do you need a talented contractor to come in and help with a project?

“Being very clear about what you need is critical,” Eick says. “Make sure you train or instruct them accordingly.”

3. How can you get work to them?

Determine a process to share tasks easily. This could be via a daily e-mail, morning phone call or consistent meetings.

“Find the right way to regularly communicate because no one can read your mind,” Eick says. “They want to help you, but they can’t know what you need unless you are communicating that to them.”

As you assign duties, explain why these tasks are important, Faust says. “Provide context about how a project or task fits into the big picture.”

4. How will you hold the person accountable?

You want to be available to your team but not micromanage.

“Some of my CEO clients find a daily five-minute update to be beneficial for keeping themselves and direct reports on track,” Faust says. “At the least, it is good to check once every few days.”

Grade Your Management IQ

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 15:00:30 GMT

Your veterinary business can be moving forward, but still falling behind.

“Management is more than just being smart and using your head,” says Danny Klinefelter, Texas A&M University professor emeritus. “Strategic management is about anticipating, adapting to, driving and capitalizing on change.”

Grade yourself in the following areas (i.e. with an A, B or C), Klinefelter suggests. In areas where you are deficient, set concrete goals to improve.

Are you strategic? How do you handle change? _______

Do you provide effective leadership? Do you communicate a clear vision of where you want the business to go? _______

Do you have a strong culture that attracts top talent? What is your turnover rate? _______

Do you use sound financial management practices? Do you understand your key financial metrics? _______

Do you have a marketing plan, and do you follow it? _______

Do you control costs, including family living? Are assets used effectively and efficiently? _______

How do you stack up against the competition? _______

Do you set business priorities and follow through on them? _______

Do you have a succession plan? Do you also have development and transition plans? _______

Do you see and understand the big picture? Do you have a strategy for major economic or policy changes? _______

Do you have policies and procedures in place? (personnel and safety policies, standard operating procedures, etc.) _______

Do you hold regular meetings to address concerns, business performance and expectations? Is that information shared with all vested parties? _______

Are you a member of a peer advisory group? _______

Are you getting better before you get bigger? _______

Air Pollution Study Contributes to False Animal Ag Narrative

Thu, 13 May 2021 14:20:18 GMT

A new study claims U.S. agriculture, in particular animal agriculture, is a major source of air pollution. The study says 80% of the 15,900 annual deaths that result from food-related fine particulate matter are attributable to animal-based foods. The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America , claims this is the first full accounting of deaths connected to the production of certain types of food.

“The misleading nature of this study contributes to the false narrative around animal agriculture. Overall, the study—based on non-peer reviewed modeling and estimates—attempts to cultivate a misleading narrative that ammonia emissions from farms are responsible for thousands of deaths,” says Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon University, Oxford University, the University of Washington and the University of Illinois, says that damages driven by ammonia are mainly from livestock waste and fertilizer application. Primary fine particulate matter was also cited as a major contributor, largely from dust from tillage, livestock dust, field burning and fuel combustion in agricultural equipment use.

“There are currently no federal emissions estimating methodologies for agriculture, which draws into serious question the accuracy of this study, one that plays fast and loose with the idea of cause and effect,” says Jim Monroe, National Pork Producers Council vice president of communications. “This is a highly suspect study that irresponsibly draws conclusions based on non-peer reviewed modeling and estimates.”

The study says red meat dominates in air quality–related health damages, whether normalized by total mass, serving, protein mass, or caloric value. Per serving, production-weighted averages of red meat are two times greater than those of eggs, three times greater than those of dairy products, seven times greater than those of poultry, 10 times greater than those of nuts and seeds, and at least 15 times greater than the production-weighted average of any other plant-based food.

“While we have had very little time to review the study, it does not appear to be based on any empirical data to support its conclusions,” Monroe says.

Study Calls for Improvements in Production Practices
The study suggests improvements in agricultural production, such as changing livestock feed practices to reduce the amount of excess protein ingested and therefore excreted as nitrogen, or using fertilizer amendments and inhibitors, can greatly reduce air quality–related health damages.

Data shows U.S. pork producers have a strong track record of environmental stewardship, Monroe says. According to a 2019 study conducted by Harper Consulting in consultation with the University of Utah, over the previous 17 years, North Carolina hog farmers significantly increased their feed efficiency, resulting in reductions of nutrient content in manure lagoons at farms by 35% to 78% and ammonia level reductions of 22% to 54%. These findings are likely to be replicated throughout the country, Monroe says.

“For centuries, pork producers have practiced sustainable farming by capturing valuable nutrients from manure and recycling it as a natural fertilizer. Applying fertilizer benefits crops and soil by contributing necessary nutrients that crops need to grow. In turn, crops like corn and soybeans are fed to the hogs, which starts the cycle over again,” Monroe explains.

More and more pork producers are using advanced precision technology to ensure their fields receive specific nutrient applications, removing the guesswork and the need for excess fertilizer, Monroe explains. Not only does this ensure the nitrogen and nutrients stay where they are needed, but it also makes sure nearby waters stay clean and eliminates the need to outsource fertilizer.

To further promote soil health, farmers are planting cover crops, used to cover the soil rather than for harvesting. Cover crops are primarily used to slow erosion, improve soil health, increase water availability, help control pests and diseases, and increase biodiversity, Monroe says.

Cattle producers are also focused on being good stewards of the land and producing high-quality beef in a sustainable way, Lane explains.

“NCBA will always focus on sound science when discussing environmental issues, as undue sensationalism doesn’t get us any closer to achieving environmental benchmarks,” Lane says.

Read More:

Pork Producers Say Prop 12 Negates Science and Biden’s Climate Goals

Cattle and Sustainability Do Mix. Here’s Why.

U.S. Pork More Sustainable Than Ever, Study Shows

Sustainability Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Pork Industry Makes Gains in Sustainability

Give Your Feet The Support They Need

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:57:28 GMT

This article was developed by Scott Uhlenhake, Physical Therapist & Orthopedic Specialist. You can reach him at sjuhlenhake@icloud.com

Whether at home, in the clinic or out on the farm, most of us spend a lot of time on our feet every day. Proper arch position, whether obtained through natural body structure or maintained by appropriate footwear, is important for the good lower extremity alignment necessary to minimize lower body stress and fatigue and decrease the risk of injury.

To assess your arches, you must be in a standing position with your shoes and socks off. There is a wide range of assessment techniques from simple observation to the very common “wet test” that is advocated by many shoe manufacturers, as well as the navicular drop measurement, which is performed by some physical therapists.

Pes planus (flat feet) is a very common problem. It can contribute to a wide range of issues from the foot to the lower back. The most common problem is plantar fasciitis. If you have pes planus, a very simple preventative measure is the purchase of proper footwear and/or inserts.

Stability tennis shoes provide the additional support needed for someone with pes planus to maintain a neutral arch position and better lower extremity alignment during standing and walking. Increased support can also be achieved by using custom or over-the-counter inserts.

You can usually avoid custom inserts unless you have other problems such as a foot deformity or diabetes. Over-the-counter inserts will typically cost between $35 and $75 but should be selected carefully because many fail to provide adequate support.

To evaluate inserts, place one on a hard surface and push down on the arch area with the heel of your hand. Notice how much resistance there is to flattening the arch. Then, consider how it would support your body weight over the course of a day. Patients commonly ask about the foot assessment kiosks and related inserts available in large retail stores. In my opinion, these inserts are not adequate for someone with pes planus.

For people with pes planus, it is very common to need the additional support of an insert inside of a boot used for work due to the lack of support contained in the structure of the boot. I also often recommend people with pes planus avoid or minimize the use of traditional sandals.

Pes cavus (high arches) is much less common and less likely to cause problems. If you have pes cavus, your anatomy is providing adequate support so neutral shoes, which are typically lighter and flexible, are more popular. If you have high arches, inserts often are not necessary but may provide additional cushioning.

A quality shoe store, often associated with running, typically has knowledgeable staff that can provide arch evaluations and make recommendations for shoes and inserts. If you wear boots and do need inserts, bring them with you so the store associate can helpyou pick out the best type and size.

Legal Disclaimer: The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for individual professional medical advice. Relying on the information provided is done at your own risk.

When Stress Goes Beyond Normal

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 13:38:26 GMT

It started with a broken baler. The farmer panicked. He had recently lost his brother to cancer and his father to old age. The broken baler was a hard reminder of all the mechanical work his father always did. Not to mention he had 2,500 acres to farm, 250 beef cows to attend to and his crop had just froze.

Brent Brewer of the Oklahoma Farmers Union was visiting with this farmer, who understandably had a lot on his mind.

“It was getting on him,” Brewer said during the Online Top Producer Summit . He compared helping people who are experiencing stress overload to giving CPR.

“You don’t quit until you get somebody in a safe place,” Brewer said.

To do that, it’s important to understand the mental health challenges farmers and ranchers face, said Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University ag law specialist, during the webinar.

Stress is normal, and normally stress isn’t a big deal as long as people have a means of effectively dealing with it, Ferrell pointed out. The challenge comes when:
• People don’t have an effective way to deal with stress.
• People are faced with an overwhelming amount of stress at once.
• People encounter stress that never abates but continues over time.

“We have to understand how stress overload works and one way for us to relieve stress is to talk about our feelings with someone,” he said.

Dr. Matt Brosi, a marriage and family state specialist at Oklahoma State University, described four of the major mental health issues experienced on the farm today: depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders and suicide.

1. Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life, Brosi explained.

“What we’re talking about is the overwhelming feeling of sadness or disconnection that characterizes depressive symptomatology, which has a range of behavioral or physical symptoms including loss of interest in typical activities, changes in sleep, loss of appetite, energy level concentration, daily behavior, self-esteem,” he said.

There is often a misunderstanding that being depressed is a choice. Depression has a biological basis, often stemming from a combination of biological, psychological and social sources of distress. It entails the stress overload process that starts to interfere with brain development and reasoning, Brosi said, and that’s stemming from a neuron stifling in the brain.

“Nearly 70% of U.S. individuals can correctly identify depression, but many of us don’t know what to do about it,” Brosi said.

Depression thrives on isolation. Often when people experience a stressful overload process, they inadvertently turn inward and internalize those sources of stress, eventually developing negative beliefs either about themselves or their environment.

During COVID, social distancing limited the mobilization of many of those natural resources that individuals would have had that may have served as a source of resilience for them to be able to overcome some of the depressive symptomology they faced, Brosi said.

“Genuinely connecting with others is key. To deal with some of the social isolation, we want to make sure individuals are around those trusted social support systems. We want to make sure they’re getting this the professional help if and when possible as well getting out of those negative routines,” Brosi advised. “Get moving, get outside. Vitamin D is incredibly important. Getting out of those negative routines can be a positive way of dealing with depression.”

2. Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It can be beneficial in some situations as it motivates us to mobilize inward resources and to become more productive, Brosi said. But, it can also be out of proportion to the situation and whenever it becomes excessive, it becomes more difficult to control and things tend to compound on top of one another. He said that stress overload process leads to more and more anxiety that may inadvertently end up affecting day-to-day living.

“With anxiety, we strive for control and we strive for engaging in activities to lower our anxiety or even depressive symptomology we end up coping in maladaptive ways,” Brosi said.

People typically focus on the coping skills for negative behaviors they see. For example, if we see an individual acting angrily or aggressively, it’s easy to understand. But Brosi said what we oftentimes miss is what’s going on beneath the surface.

“With anger, we know fear precedes anger. Anger is a secondary emotion. Fear is a primary emotion. It may be the thing that’s below the surface that helps us to understand the context of why individuals are engaging in a maladaptive coping mechanism or acting in an angry way,” Brosi said.

When it comes to anxiety, look for opportunities to talk about some of those deeper-rooted feelings or fears, or even motivations that are causing people to act out in certain ways and engage in those behaviors.

3. Substance Use Disorders
A substance use disorder occurs when the use of one or more substances leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. It’s a growing problem in American now and Brosi said he’s seeing more addiction independence or essentially, tolerance. It’s the need for more substances to achieve the same effect or withdrawal symptoms in which an individual experiences negative symptoms when they cease using a substance.

The substances vary from year to year, but lately he’s seen an uptick in prescription drug misuse.

“The interesting thing is among those in the U.S. who experience a substance use disorder, about half of those had a co-occurring mental illness and so what this is telling us very directly is that substance use and mental health conditions are inextricably intertwined,” Brosi explained. “What’s happening is individuals are using substances at a greater extent to cope with some of the depressive symptomology or anxiety disorders.”

Opioids are a growing concern, he said. A lot of times the use of opioids is “a slippery slope” in which an individual may experience an injury, an illness, or something that causes them to get a prescription medication to cope with a physical pain. Brosi said what happens over time is some of the despair associated with that physical pain turns into an emotional despair as well.

“That emotional toll of pain and the job loss or role may cause an individual to continue using that substance for emotional well-being instead of just physical,” he said.

What’s even worse is when this is compounded by isolation and a lack of resources to cope in an effective way.

4. Suicide
It’s an issue that’s very difficult to confront but is a growing epidemic in rural America. Suicide rates are higher in rural communities than they are in our urban areas. Since 2007, the data shows that gap is widening and at an accelerating rate. Agriculture is currently the fourth leading industry in terms of suicides.

“The thing I want you to understand is you don’t have to just sit there and take that or accept that statistic,” Ferrell said. “There are things we can do about it. When you feel someone may be contemplating suicide, it’s OK to ask them if they have thought about suicide or self-harm.”

Don’t be afraid to ask that question for fear of putting the idea in someone’s head. Ferrell said scientific, peer-reviewed research confirms that’s simply not the case.

“As a matter of fact, it’s the complete opposite. If you show someone that you care enough about them to observe those signs and you care enough to embrace the awkwardness and ask that question, that can have a positive intervening effect in that person’s thought process and might get them out of consideration of suicide or self-harm,” Ferrell said.

Read more about the webinar here.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Toxic Grit: Is Our Greatest Strength Our Greatest Weakness on the Farm?

Take Care of Yourself Even in the Midst of Crisis

7 Tips to Deal With Stress

Connect With Farmers In-Person On Mental Health

Simple, Daily Habits to Help Manage Stress

Loneliness on the Job: 3 Ways to Fight Isolation

3 Simple Tips to Get Your Health on Track

Avoid, Adapt, Alter, Accept: Stress Management Tools for Farm Families

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 21:26:11 GMT

The only certainty during spring planting is uncertainty. Farmers face many challenges: too much rain, too little rain, long hours, diseases, machinery breakdowns.

Josie Rudolphi, University of Illinois Extension specialist, says that most farm injuries occur during the spring and the fall when stress and fatigue increase risks for farmers. Stress and mental health conditions add to the risk factors for agricultural injury. Though faced with multiple challenges, farm operators are unlikely to seek help for mental health issues.

“Managing stress is an important component to injury prevention, health, and safety,” says Rudolphi. The U of I assistant professor will discuss the signs and symptoms of stress and offer methods to cope with the season’s stressors during a free webinar.

“By using the Four A Method of avoid, adapt, alter, and accept, farmers can successfully manage the stress of long hours and unpredictability this planting season,” Rudolphi says.

The free online webinar begins at noon April 1. Register online . If you will need an accommodation in order to participate, please email Rudolphi. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.

Read more:

Don’t Let Social Distancing Lead to Social Isolation

Take Care of Yourself Even in the Midst of Crisis

Simple, Daily Habits to Help Manage Stress

Connect With Farmers In-Person On Mental Health

Take Care of You: 3 Simple Tips to Get Your Health on Track

The Surprising Truth: 4 Things You May Not Know About Reaching Goals

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 20:16:36 GMT

Why don’t we finish goals? Jon Acuff, best-selling author and motivational speaker, says we often focus on the wrong thing when we talk about our goals. It’s kind of like a marathon, he describes. Everyone cheers you on at the beginning and the end, but no one’s there in the middle – and that is the toughest part.

“Most people think a goal is like this,” Acuff explains. “If you have 30 days, the beginning will be days 0 through 10. The middle will be days 11 through 20. And the finish will be days 21 through 30. That feels right mathematically; unfortunately, that’s not how it goes. Usually, the beginning is day one, the middle is days 2 through 29. And the finish is day 30.”

There’s a lot of middle to every goal. That’s why he says our focus should be on finishing, not starting. He wanted to dig into this topic more and commissioned a research study with a Ph.D. student at the University of Memphis. They studied 900 people for six months who were working on a variety of goals to see if people could go from being chronic starters into consistent finishers.

Acuff shared the results and what it takes to finish the goals that matter during the Online Top Producer Summit .

Get the size right.
The very first thing to do with any goal is to figure out what the size of the goal should be. After all, Acuff says goals in and of themselves are not complicated. There are four parts of a goal: the results you want, the timeline, the actions and the motivation.

“The problem with these four different components is we tend to be really terrible at estimating what we can accomplish,” Acuff says.

In the study, researchers asked participants to cut their goal in half and evaluated what happened. They learned that people who cut their goal in half were 63% more successful. Acuff says this proves how bad most people are at figuring out their goals. But he says there is hope because most people are good at results and timelines. That leaves more time to focus on the parts of a goal that people can actually have the most control over: motivation and actions.

Choose what to bomb.
One of the most important things you can do with a goal is choose what to bomb, Acuff explains. Recognize some things matter, some things don’t.

“When you lean into new goals, you have a really simple choice: shame or strategy. Shame says you should be able to do it all. Strategy says these are the things that matter, these are things that don’t. It’s important to figure that out because there’s so many things trying to take your time right now,” Acuff says.

Sometimes, even if you can’t stop something, you can simplify it, he suggests. Ask yourself hard questions. Are we doing this in a complicated way? During this season, does this matter as much as it might matter during another season? Can I bring on help? What can I stop?

“The one thing you can’t stop are relationships,” Acuff says. “And the challenge with that is a lot of you didn’t get into farming so you could manage people. However, you can’t ignore the people challenges.”

This is where empathy comes into the picture.

“I know empathy is one of those soft sounding words, it sounds like a candle flavor at Bed, Bath and Beyond...sandalwood and empathy,” he jokes. “But here’s how I define it in the context of business. Empathy has two parts, understanding what someone needs and acting on it.”

He says if you want to ruin an employee or vendor or customer relationship, understand what people need and then don’t do anything about it. Empathy is essential if you want to grow teams and grow what you are doing.

So, how do we know what people care about? “Read less minds, ask more questions. What I’ve learned over the years is it’s much better to meet a need than it is to invent a need,” Acuff says.

Make it fun.
Make it fun if you want it done. The most surprising part of the research for Acuff was discovering that fun, joy, engagement and fulfillment matter to all goals.

“Most people think a goal has to be difficult or miserable to count,” he says.

In the study, researchers asked participants to make what they were doing fun. The people that did had a 31% increase in satisfaction and felt more connected to the work, Acuff explains. The research also showed they had a 46% increase in performance success. People actually performed better when they made their goals fun.

“Like every job, every goal has difficult parts, whether you’re going to lose weight or get your finances in order. So, don’t hear me saying everything will be fun,” he says.

It’s not necessarily about having fun, though. He says it’s about making your goals fun. There are two ways to do that: reward and fear.

“Sometimes when we see the word fear, we think of the negative connotations only. When I say fear, I mean consequence. If you ever got something done on a Thursday, because you had a Friday deadline, you experience a positive motivation from fear,” he says.

For others, rewards may incentivize them to stick to their goals. Rewards can be as a simple as attending a movie all by yourself, Acuff says. But it’s up to everyone to figure out what motivates them. Is it a little bit of reward or is a little bit of consequence?

Eliminate your secret rules.
Everybody brings secret rules into goal setting, Acuff says. These are often things people don’t even know they’re doing that get in the way.

“Secret rules are often inherited,” Acuff adds. “Maybe a teacher told you one time that you’re not a leader. Maybe you’ve been believing it for 10, 20, 30 years. Every time you get an opportunity to be the leader, you feel this pulling back because you’ve got this secret rule that’s getting in the way.”

When you feed a secret rule time, energy and creativity, Acuff says you get stuck believing that lie. That’s why it’s important as you work on new goals, to decide not to be held back by secret rules. One of the most common he sees is the rule that says you must have it all together.

“There’s this old school mentality that said, ‘If I share my weaknesses, people won’t trust my strengths,’” Acuff says. “I think new school leadership is ‘If I pretend I don’t have weaknesses, people won’t trust my strengths.’”

If you really want to grow, borrow someone else’s diploma. Where does it say you must have the experience to learn from the experience? Acuff says it’s important to have mentors – ahead of you and behind you in age. When we are humble enough to “borrow that diploma,” we’ll grow in a way we never expected, he adds.

“We’re not talking about being perfect. We’re talking about being better than we were yesterday, and then repeating that tomorrow. That’s our goal,” Acuff says. “When it comes to finishing, starting is fun. But the future belongs to finishers.”

Read more coverage of the Top Producer Summit .

More from the Online Top Producer Summit:
Don’t Waste This Crisis: Make 2021 a Leap Year

Use Emotional Intelligence to Tackle The Tough Stuff

Setting Expectations Smooths the Path for Succession Planning with Off-Farm Heirs

7 Ways to Ruin Your Lender Relationship

Use Emotional Intelligence to Tackle The Tough Stuff

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:04:57 GMT

As a leader, you are looked to for your reaction in many tough situations. And your reaction sets the tone for how the rest of the team will proceed through the situation themselves.

During the 2021 Top Producer Summit Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry, co-founder of Institute for Health and Human Potential and NY Times best-selling author, gives tips on how to reframe hard situations so they aren’t happening to you but rather happening for you.

Pawliw-Fry has worked with the NFL, NBA, Navy Seals and Olympic athletes. He says the most common barrier to success is our reaction to challenges, which can be managed through using emotional intelligence.

He shares in hard to have conversations, hard to make decisions and hard to do tasks, people can easily navigate the first 92%, but it’s the final 8% of completing one of those three that falls victim to one of two predictable behaviors—avoidance or making a mess of it.

“If you can manage these moments, the world is yours,” he says. “By our data, most people are avoiders, and if you know your patterns, you can manage around it.”

He shares there are two risks to not completing that final 8%. There can be a loss of external reputation from your team, and there’s also a loss of internal reputation within yourself.

“When we choose to avoid a situation, or take an off-ramp or make a mess of something, it effects how we are seen and how we view ourselves,” he says. “If you manage through that last 8% it means you don’t burn up energy in anxiety, you’re managing intentions, and you stay in relationship with those who are you having the tough conversation.”

Our brains our designed to make us feel before we think. If you can hijack that natural process to allow yourself to stay engaged in a challenge rather than react emotionally, you can chart a course for success.

As a tool to assess yourself, Pawliw-Fry shares these three ways to know when you are reacting on emotion:

How you feel physically. For example, heat in your face/head, tightness in your chest, or butterflies in your stomach.
Having a sense of certainty. This is when the world becomes very black/white or right/wrong. It results in being closed off from the conversation at hand.
Urgency. If you feel like an event demands action right now, it means you are overlooking the value of analyzing the situation.

As a tool to help leaders start their day with mindfulness, movement and mental training, he has a free podcast, The Last 8% Morning. Click here to learn more.

And you can see his full presentation, The Calm Person in The Boat: Leverage the Power Of Emotional Intelligence, from the 2021 Top Producer Summit. You can still register for access to the full event’s presentations through March 31. Use the code “ONDEMAND” to take $25 off your registration fee.

Read more coverage of the Top Producer Summit