April is always a challenging time to write a column. If there was ever a month you weren’t sitting by the mailbox just waiting for this magazine to arrive, it’s right about now. At least I HOPE so … just about everyone needs to be getting after it as soon as possible this spring.
Which means your attention span, already challenged by extreme multitasking, is on even higher alert. So rather than the usual rambling editorial I’ll share some quick, somewhat random thoughts you can take in “on the fly.”
Environmental Respect Awards. If you’ve considered entering in the past but have not, this is the time to do it. This year’s program, celebrating its 20th anniversary, will bring enormous visibility to agriculture and to the award recipients. And given the current legislative and regulatory climate, we need to share all the good news we can. Find details on the Internet by visiting www.environmentalrespect.com.
The best way to ensure it gets done is to find a champion in your office that will compile the information and pictures. Also, talk to your DuPont rep, who can lend a hand with the details and help you put together a strong entry.
Speaking for Ag Part 3: HumaneWatch.org. Just another nudge — are you working on your ideas for speaking up for modern agriculture? We need all hands on deck to spread the good news about the work we do. One way to do it is to keep those that would tear us down in check. One example is a digital effort called HumaneWatch (you can find them on the Net at www.humanewatch.org). The site was not created to support ag, but to chide the Humane Society of America (HSUS) for spending its financial resources on lobbying and for broadening its mission statement through its support of animal rights extremists like PETA, all while donating a pittance to local animal shelters.
Of course, HSUS wreaked havoc in California by leading the charge to change animal agriculture regulations, and tried to do the same in Ohio last year. They were unsuccessful but have threatened to return. We got to speak to some folks from the Ohio growers associations at the Commodity Classic last month, and they are gearing up for a very nasty fight.
Agriculture, thanks to a big push through social media like Facebook and Twitter, has glommed onto the HumaneWatch effort and is arguably its biggest supporter. And the message couldn’t be cleaner: stop sending checks to the Beltway and start sending checks to your local shelters and societies that are actually DOING THE WORK. Check it out when you get a few minutes.
Survey: A Little Help? Finally, while I know time is tight I wanted to let you know that we are conducting a survey of CropLife® magazine readers this spring. If you receive this electronic survey please take a few minutes to help us out and let us know what you like about what we’re doing, and what we can do to serve you better.
Hang in there this spring, and never forget the customer’s perspective. All around you might be mayhem, but all the customer knows is whether or not his field is being serviced, and serviced well. Keep your head and get ’er done!
