Just as there is a time to sow and a time to harvest, there comes a time to reap the benefits of living a good full life that contributed to the welfare of others.
The “Knightro Report” has served as an invaluable instrument of transmission for those things of most significant value to the meat and livestock industry. Each and every idea expounded in this report has been based upon
But in due-season, the time has come to pull in the reins and concede to that of a higher power.
I’ll miss the sharing of information and the interaction of people across this great country. The relationships I’ve fostered will be a cherished memory forever. None of which would have been possible if it had not been for the “Farm and Livestock Directories” published by Five Star Publishing, Inc. They came to me at a time in my life (around a quarter century ago) when the future was uncertain at best and bleak at worst. This can be a scary time for most, especially if caught in the “eye of the storm” for reasons totally out of your control.
A change was a certain, as the meat and livestock industry had moved entirely out of South St. Paul – it meant relocating, and leaving behind family, friends and deeply established business and social relationships.
Then, out of the clear blue sky came a call from the “Farm And Livestock Directory” asking if I would be interested in becoming a contributing writer for their magazines. The rest is history, as this opened doors of opportunity like none I’d ever considered. Speaking engagements, auctions, judging livestock shows, and conducting livestock marketing seminars became the new norm for a new life filled with opportunity.
A very special thank you to this magazine. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for my life. It was the answer to a prayer that has strengthened an unwavering faith.
Perhaps a positive attitude never quit mentality, and belief in a higher power has been as much a part of my writing as that of livestock marketing information. This is the direction for which I’ll always have a vested interest in being a guest columnist and welcome your invitation of unwanted topics of interested.
The relationship of the “Knightro Report” and this magazine has become as much a part of my life like that of my very being.
IT HAS DEFINED WHO I AM!
The theme of all my writings has been that of “One for all and all for one,” meaning that we accomplish more when we all work together for one common cause in comparison to that of being self-centered to the point of only thinking of oneself.
This working together idea seems foreign to most people as the politicians don’t get it, farmers don’t get it, and the most hypocritical of all are the churches.
Washington is broken because of this “It’s all about me” mentality. Farmers have made it inspire of their independence, but we don’t have to look very far back to a time they nearly self-imploded because of their stubbornness. And, if churches would practice what they preach by working together — think about what they could accomplish. Not Congress, NFO or the Pope have figured it out, so maybe there isn’t much hope of learning to put others first.
The key to everything I tried to teach is knowledge. Those that took the time to attend our livestock marketing seminars were soon to learn the “marketing power” of the “marketing plan” with incentive-based pricing. Incentives like that of grade and yield or cutout based pricing were introduced by the packers who wanted to attract the best livestock in the country — for which I had a hand in implementing.
Even when the going gets tough, remember there can be no recognition of success until there is a plan in place for which it can be measured. Be it miraculous or simply
Having a livestock marketing plan in place before you invest your first dollar is the best advice I ever gave.
Though my personal plan was more of a miracle than a goal, it was nevertheless an answer to a dream for which I’ll always be grateful to this magazine you are reading right now.
You, the reader – has
