Farmer’s Field: Field of Control

by Ron Rabou

I’m not sure how it happened, but suddenly it is the middle of August. 

I remember my grandfather telling me the older he got, the faster the time went. At this stage in my life, I certainly don’t consider myself old, but I honestly can’t imagine time going by any faster than it currently is.  

I look forward to summer every year, mostly because the wind subsides and I don’t have to leave the house with a parka and 14 layers of clothes. But each year when spring arrives, we get busy in the field working, then summer begins to show itself – unfortunately only partially in June, mostly in July and sometimes, all of August – multiple harvests arrive, then it’s back to winter.  

If you know a farmer, you know summer mostly means work – not days at the lake, road trips to national parks or backyard barbeques. For farmers, summer means extremely long days, endless battles with Mother Nature and a glimmer of hope all of the hard work will pay off in the end.  

Farmers – especially those who live in unpredictable dry climates like Wyoming – are always walking the tight rope of unpredictability. It’s the only profession in the world I can think of where one must understand the concept of controlling what they can and letting God determine the outcome. That is, if they ever want to have a restful night of sleep.  

I believe with all of my heart God is in control, and He’s never surprised by our failures, missteps or unfortunate circumstances. 

But I’d be lying if I said there’s no stress when you don’t truly determine the outcome. 

Each year I am constantly aware of the fact all of the contracts, right crops, right inputs, right equipment and right land don’t mean a thing when a hailstorm can come through and wipe out all we have and all we have worked for in a matter of a few minutes or if Mother Nature doesn’t provide timely rains which are the lifeblood of what we grow.  

There are a whole host of other things that can negate our ability to produce which are completely out of our control.  

The cost of new equipment is astronomically high, yet mechanical breakdowns and the cost of repairs on used equipment are shockingly expensive. 

Take for example a part we purchased this week. It was a piece for an air conditioning cab vent in a semi-truck made of hard plastic with an elbow at the end with one slot for a bolt – in all about 2.5 inches long and half an inch wide. Seems simple enough. 

How much, though? $120! Sadly enough, this is perhaps one of the “cheapest” parts we’ve ever purchased, so let me shed a bit of perspective.  

Currently, the value of a bushel of wheat at the local elevator is about $4.20 per bushel, delivered to them. To pay for this part, including sales tax, we must produce a little over 30 bushels of wheat, not including our cost of production or the cost to make a 100-mile round trip to pick up the part.  

Thirty bushels of wheat produces 2,700 loaves of whole wheat bread. On a national average, those loaves of bread will sell for $7,020. The entire scenario seems “out of whack.”  

While my job as a farmer and an entrepreneur is to creatively maneuver our business plan to navigate profitability out of this scenario, there are many things I’ve come to understand are just simply beyond my control. 

Without this perspective, it’s an open invitation for stress to creep into nearly every aspect of my life.  

Just as in life, there are many things we all face each day beyond our control. 

So, what can help to keep us grounded in a world where so many things don’t make sense and where so much of what we face is beyond our scope of control? 

When I work with audiences across the country, I bring it back to the basics of farming. I call it our “field of control.” 

Within the borders of the field are the things we can control – in large part this boils down to our own thoughts, words, actions and attitudes. You can add whatever details you want, but to keep it simple and easy to remember, focus on those four.  

On the outside of the field are the things beyond our control. This list could go on and on, but for the sake of simplicity and ease of remembrance, it involves other people’s thoughts, words, actions and attitudes.  

Take a moment to “farmerize” your life and build your own “field of control.”  Look introspectively to determine what you truly can and cannot control. The more you focus on what’s inside your field of control, the less stress you’ll feel. 

I need to do it all the time, and it really works.  

In the end, it’s imperative we all understand we are not the ultimate authority. 

That authority belongs only to God. The more we lean on Him and the more we focus on how He instructs us to live and to believe, the more prosperous we will all become as we grow and bloom in our own individual field.  

Ron Rabou is president of Rabou Farms, Inc. in southeastern Wyoming, a nationally known author, speaker and co-host of the nationally-syndicated podcast AgInspo. For more information, visit raboufarms.com.