It is getting to be that time of year again. We just had Thanksgiving and are working our way towards Christmas. The college football playoff picture is getting a bit clearer. The NFL playoff picture is also coming to fruition. The harvest is pretty much over and now is the time to begin to prepare for spring.
Preparation is the key word. Noting happens without a good plan. A good plan will also put you at ease when things begin to get difficult and those around you begin to lose their heads. It is paramount to have good preparation when it comes to both sports and investing. There are a lot of parallels between the two. That is why I like them both. I have very briefly mentioned my football career in these columns, but I still look back on it fondly. I was able to be a member of the University of Colorado football team in the '80s when we began to turn things around. I graduated and quickly became involved in the open outcry environment of the Chicago Board of Trade. The two were a lot alike. I have often said that the rough and tumble environment of the trading pits of Chicago were a lot like the line of scrimmage in football. An equal helping of brains and brawn will get you far in both of those pursuits.
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Which brings me to my point. The agricultural community has a lot in common with the line of scrimmage in football. Farmers are like the offensive line. If you have ever played the game of football, you will know that the offensive line is the next most important position on the field after the quarterback. The offensive line gets everything thrown at it. There are multiple fronts that the defense shows, there are many blitzes and fakes. There are disguises and ploys all in the name of stopping the player with the ball. Routinely, offensive linemen get drafted high, often in the first round. A great offensive lineman is worth his weight in gold. They play every game, rarely missing a down and are hardly ever injured for a long period of time. They are entrusted to look after a team’s most valuable possession – the quarterback. They do this all without any of the fanfare that the other position players get. I bet you that the name of the quarterback of most popular teams is on the tip of most everybody’s tongue, but can you name more than one of the five offensive linemen on any team in college or the NFL? Probably not. They are the unsung heroes and receive hardly any accolades. They just do their job. If the team wins, the praise goes the QB or the running back and wide receivers. If the team loses, the blame a lot of times falls on the linemen. That is just the nature of the game. Again, this kind of reminds me of my father and farming.
When everyone at Starbucks is happy and enjoying their coffee and chicken salad sandwich, the farmer is never given any credit. When the restaurants are humming with business and the country is eating, the farmer is out of sight and out of mind. They are the ones that get the food from the farm to your fork. They are the ones that take the risk, year after year to bring in a harvest to feed the nation. They are the ones that are often a bargaining chip when it comes to embargoes and tariffs with other countries. They are the ones that pay retail for their seeds and sell their products at wholesale prices. They are the backbone of our team. They don’t get a lot of accolades either, but they just do their job, year in and year out. Oh, did I mention that at any given point in time they can be wiped out by Mother Nature? That is akin to having your knee blown out in your second year in the league. It is because they both love the game, and the risks are worth it.
Which brings me to my last point. The farming and ranching community is also subject to a lot of other things that are outside of their control – not just Mother Nature. I am sure that you are all aware of the financial markets and what they have been doing ever since the day after Thanksgiving. The public policy of the administration in charge can change the course of our agricultural community. The policies of other competing nations can also alter our course. Lately it has been an invisible opponent that has wreaked havoc on our economy and our industries. The Coronavirus has been our biggest enemy in the last 100 years. We are in the midst of a pandemic that had been seen to be waning. The farming community had to always do their job regardless. Farmers were essential whether the government said so or not. The cows needed to be fed. They couldn’t do that over a Zoom call. The crops needed to be planted, they couldn’t do that over a Zoom call. Nothing the farmer did could be outsourced by technology. They actually had to get out there and get the job done – kind of like the offensive lineman. They just had to snap on the chin strap and perform. No accolades, just deliver. There are so many similarities. There are a lot of defensive lineman and linebackers coming for your knees, but it is your job to provide for others. There are owners and investors that continually jockey around with the revenues that effect your life, but you continually put your hand in the dirt and answered the call – whether it be for a quarterback or a grain elevator – you deliver.
You see, you are a certain type of people that are fine to be just left alone to do your jobs. These are honorable people doing a noble calling. At the end of the day that is what both farmers and lineman like. Just throw them out on to the field of play and let them get after it.