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January 2005 Issue
Ready for a change
by Darrell Anderson
Larry Walters was tired of sitting in his backyard, watching the same old folks in the same old neighborhood do the same old thing. He was ready for a change. So he decided to do something different.
He went out and bought 45 6-foot helium balloons and attached them to his lawn chair, which was tethered to a car to keep it from taking off. Then, he donned a parachute, packed a bottle of soda pop, a CB radio, and a BB gun to shoot out balloons so he could come down. He thought he’d get a great view of his neighborhood. He got a little more than that.
When his friends cut his lawn chair loose, he shot a thousand feet into the air in a minute. Before long, Larry and his flying lawn chair were 16,000 feet over the
A TWA pilot radioed the tower and said, “We’ve spotted a man in a lawn chair at 16,000 feet.”
I can’t even guess what the tower must have said back to the pilot.
Meanwhile, Larry is yelling into his CB radio, “Mayday! Mayday!” He eventually managed to shoot out enough balloons to come down, where he landed in some wires and caused a power outage in
He got down OK, got some TV appearances, and got an FAA fine. Not bad for an ordinary guy in a lawn chair.
When I heard this story told by Ron Hutchcraft on his daily radio program today, I couldn’t help but think about how many of us are ready for a change as we enter this new year. Probably not quite as drastic as Larry Walters, but nonetheless, a change in the way we approach our business, or maybe in the way we treat our customers.
I want to challenge you in this first month of the year to carefully evaluate those “stumbling blocks” that seem to jump in front of you on the road of life, and treat them as “stepping stones.” Think about that a bit before you dismiss it – there’s a fine line between the two.
Maybe you have been fighting a PRRS outbreak or other disease issue. I know those are never any fun, and at times, it seems like it’s not worth the fight. Let me assure you that it will be worth the effort to clean it up, and there are plenty of other breeders that have blazed the trail before you regarding those types of issues.
One of the greatest attributes of our close-knit family is that most breeders are more than happy to share their successes and failures. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Maybe you need a change in the way you handle your paperwork, including your registration papers. We’ve attempted to make it convenient for you with on-line registrations and on-line A.I. certificates. We’ve also made the pedigree search available on our Web site and frequently hear very good comments about this service.
Regarding transfers, make a commitment to provide a registration paper for every new owner. If you just sit down and send the information to our office once a week, you are able to provide those registration certificates at no charge. I don’t know of any other breed association that provides free transfers, but your Executive Committee feels strongly about encouraging breeders to transfer all their animals when sold. It’s the first “stepping stone” toward making your next sale to that same individual.
Maybe you’re frustrated with your marketing skills and need help in that arena. NSR provides marketing assistance to our commercially focused members through UltraCROSS. All breeders are eligible to receive marketing help from our field staff and communications department staff. Many have taken advantage of flyers designed specifically for your farm or have asked for help with ads in this magazine.
NSR provides many opportunities throughout the year for you to consign your best hogs to our national conferences.
Whether it is your best weanling pigs at the Extravaganza, or breeding-age hogs at one of our spring, summer or fall conferences, why not take advantage of this great marketing venue. These events have truly been tremendous “stepping stones” for many of our members.
And size of your operation doesn’t matter at all – in fact, many of our top-selling and most-influential breeding hogs in recent years have been farrowed in herds of 10 sows or less.
So, if you’re ready for a change in 2005, why not try to take advantage of some of these “stepping stone” opportunities – you’ll be glad you did.
