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One of my favorite sports movies of all time is Field of Dreams. The iconic Kevin Costner stars as Ray Kinsella, a young Iowa farmer who plows up a cornfield and builds a baseball diamond. The words of his deceased father whispered to him have nearly become movie lore, “If you build it, he will come.”

I visited with a rancher in Mississippi last month. He said the best career advice he’d been given was, “All that glitters is not gold.” He went on to say that many young farmers today in Mississippi think raising poultry will end their financial woes – in essence, it would be their gold field.

“I could have ….”
“I would have ….”
“I should have ….”
“If only I had known ….”

I spent several years working in and running feedlots, so I have a keen appreciation, even fondness, for that particular side of the cattle business.

He stayed up past midnight to fertilize the pastures because according to the AccuWeather app, rain was supposed to start by 8 a.m. Perfect timing to dissolve the pellets. My iPhone weather app didn’t show any rain expected until the next evening. But he claims the AccuWeather app is always more accurate. 

Let’s talk about the D-word for a second. No, I’m not talking about the four-letter variety. I’m talking about a type of invisible corrosion that closely follows the purchase of equipment and large tools.