14 • The Beacon August 26 , 2021

Hello , Coshocton County . School is back in session , and in just over a week , we will be enjoying Labor Day weekend . This holiday weekend marks the end of summer and celebrates the American worker and the labor movement . Part of this movement was advocating for the “ eight-hour day ” consisting of eight hours for work , eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest .

Growing up on a dairy farm meant our family operated under the “ make hay while the sun shines ” labor philosophy , translating into 16 hours of work and eight hours of rest . Not much time for eight hours of recreation , although baling hay was considered great recreation by my dad and grandpa .

Even to this day , I find making hay as recreation . In fact , many of you know some of my work vacation hours are spent each summer making hay on our family farm . What I appreciate the most about this vacation time is that it allows a break from the daily routine

David Marrison

OSU AG Extension Talk

and allows me to do some deep thinking either on the tractor seat or up in the mow stacking hay . In the hustle and bustle of life , it is easy to just do , do , do and not to think , strategize or ponder .

Of course , there is a multitude of ways we can create time to think . My wife gets up early every morning to reflect and read her daily devotions . Another friend carves the first 15 minutes of each day for nondigital thinking and planning — no meetings , laptops or smartphones allowed . He just pulls out a plain , old piece of paper and pen and works through the issues required to make his business more successful .

How do you think best ? Maybe it is a walk around the hay field or through the pasture . Maybe it is in the lawn chair under the swamp white oak tree . Grab a pen

and notepad and you will be shocked what ideas you can generate to make your business and family relationships better .

Earlier this summer as I was getting some vacation time in , my mind wandered from managing risk and farm management to life after COVID and community . So today , I would like to share of few of these thoughts .

Manage what you can , mitigate what you can ’ t

The coronavirus pandemic was a good example that we can ’ t control every aspect of life . In fact , we as farmers know this all too well about the weather . The forecast can be perfect when we drop the hay , but it can change in a blink of an eye . How sensitive is your operation to the unexpected ? How much time do you worry about things you cannot change or control ? Whether it is the weather , sky-rocketing input prices , a national pandemic , death , divorce , disability or family discord , how well can your operation pivot in response to the unexpected ? It is easy to manage when the plan goes according to the script . How ready are you for plan B , C or D ?

How well do you know your numbers ?

What would a 10 % change in key revenue or expenses mean to your business ? This summer we have had the chance to lock in some really good prices for corn and soybeans . Do you have a written marketing plan with price targets that drives your marketing decisions ? Do you know your cost of production ? Higher crop prices can be a temptation not to be detailed in tracking expenses . Make sure to track and monitor both variable and fixed expenses . Set meaningful financial targets for your farm business .

Keep the unity in community

One of the wonderful aspects of farm life is farmers appreciate and value what it means to be a community . Farmers have a special bond . One of the things I appreciate the most about farmers is their willingness to help one another . When equipment breaks and the sun is shining , neighbors are always willing to jump in and lend their equipment and time to make sure the job gets done . With all the stress in our world today , it is so important to keep connected with our neighbors , give each other a helping hand and be there for each other . COVID has really impacted many of our families . We need each other , now more than ever .

So as you celebrate the upcoming Labor Day

weekend , I encourage you to find time to work , rest , recreate , think , manage , mitigate and re-engage in your community . In closing , I would like to share a quote from Benjamin Franklin : “ Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy , wealthy and wise .”

Have a good and safe day .

David Marrison is an associate professor and extension educator of agriculture and natural resources at Ohio State University Extension . He can be reached at 740-622-2265 or marrison . 2 @ osu . edu .

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PEARL VALLEY