Persevering in Difficult Times

As the storms of life rage around us, we often yearn for smooth sailing and trouble-free days as we maneuver through life. Numerous “if only” and “what if” scenarios fill our minds as we look at the challenges in front of us. We look for an easier path and search for promises or guarantees that life will be smooth and trouble free, but they do not exist.

Are you already discouraged, frustrated, or exhausted as you move deeper into 2022? Have you contemplated giving up on something important or fallen behind your targeted goals, whether they are personal or work related? Don’t give up! Keep pressing on, putting your “boots” on every morning, and doing the right thing. To gain encouragement, think about people you know who could easily have given up but didn’t. These might include:

A co-worker or friend whose family is going through a major crisis

An injured or partially disabled acquaintance for whom the simple things in life aren’t so simple
Your company leadership who can’t find enough help or get enough parts or resources to do the work that needs done
The Ukrainian people being bombarded by a much larger enemy

What do people who overcome obstacles and strive to come out victorious on the other side have in common? They don’t give up. They stay faithful to doing the right things every new day. They don’t let self-pity derail them, and they find the sunshine on the cloudiest of days.

Thankfully, there are positive examples all around us; look for them and let them be an encouragement to you. Persevere, pray, and push forward. Don’t allow self-pity to blind you to the light these people can shine into your life. Then, put forth the energy and effort needed to work towards the results you desire. For an encouraging boost, see "It Takes Energy to Get Your ‘Jet’ Off the Ground" elsewhere in this newsletter.

5756 Merchandiser - Midwest

Agricultural industry leader is seeking a Merchandiser with 3 to 7+ years of experience who is ready and willing to grow as the company continues to expand. You will learn the entire business as you work with a variety of customers and other professionals, including accounting, logistics, quality control and finance.

6234 Business Development Manager - Latin America

Highly successful Midwest-based agricultural hedging and consulting firm is seeking a Business Development Manager to work in a vital role on their client service Latin America team. Their clients produce, consume, process, and export commodities throughout the world.

6235 Farm Manager - Hawaii

Uniquely and beautifully located organic farm in Hawaii needs a dedicated Farm Manager to oversee all activity and operations on this small acreage, highly productive farm growing three specialty crops. Housing overlooking the ocean is provided.

3882 Agronomy Department Sales Manager - Northeast Indiana

Large agronomy company in northeast Indiana is seeking a Sales Manager for their Agronomy Division. This is a unique role; there are no direct reports associated with the job. The primary responsibilities are more behind the scenes developing and implementing sales plans for front line sales people and sales programs for farmer customers.

6236 Animal Nutritionist / Nutrition Services Director - Central US

Animal feed industry leader is seeking an experienced Animal Nutritionist with an entrepreneurial spirit who will enjoy leading their nutritional services while wearing a variety of hats.

5760 Senior Grain Hedger - Eastern US

National agriculture company is seeking a Senior Grain Hedger for their East Coast operations.

5744 Commodity Merchandiser - Iowa

Respected agricultural company is seeking a Commodity Merchandiser with excellent problem-solving skills to work with their commodity team to keep ingredients supplied to their plants.

3878 Research Manger - Central Illinois

Third party research firm is seeking a Research Manager based in central Illinois. This hands-on role is a mixture of inside and outside work, client engagement, data management, personnel management, and overseeing the field research trials that are focused on biologicals, fertilizers, and seed treatments. You will be in the field operating a variety of research plot equipment and inside designing research protocols.

5758 Grain Originator - Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois grain company is seeking a seasoned Grain Originator to establish quality relationships and purchase grain from farm producers.

I didn’t have to work out growing up. Working in the farming business was my workout and trust me, I was in the best shape of my life! Even when I was in high school and participated in basketball, track, and cross country I never “worked out”. Of course, we ran at practice, and then ran some more, but we never had a weight room even if we wanted to lift weights. Most of the athletes were either farm kids or kids who helped a neighbor on their farm, so after days of loading semis full of cases of eggs (each weighing about 60 lbs.), baling hay, or throwing feed sacks weighing between 50-100 lbs. the last thing we needed was weightlifting.

As I got older it was a lot of the same while working in the feed business. Even when I was in an office role, I was the number one backup delivery guy or the bag stacker if we were in a pinch, which seemed to happen a lot. However, as my career changed and it became more sitting in a car, an airplane, or behind my desk my waist size was passing my inseam in inches and continued to grow.

Seven years ago, my youngest daughter was home for the summer from LSU and she talked me into joining a gym with her, and I officially started working out. I would go over my lunch hour. At first, I went two days a week, then three, and eventually four! Under the advice of my doctor, my focus was weights (with no intention of being a Charlie Atlas), stretching, and cardio. Working from home this became my chance to get out from behind the desk and socially interact with people other than on the phone or a Zoom meeting. I found a group of people that became friends, and it was mental exercise as well as physical.

About nine months ago while sitting on the stationary bike watching re-runs of Gunsmoke it came to me that instead of sitting in the same place for 30 minutes to get my cardio (which really bored me to death) why not ride a bike the 11 miles round trip to the gym and back instead? Now, I was motivated with this new idea, but I wasn’t crazy to think I could even do that. My son had told me about his E-bike and that made sense to me, so I went out and bought one. Over time I have built up my leg strength and use very little electric assistance on my ride. I am averaging at least 30 minutes of cardio every time I ride it.

I’m not saying it was life changing, but I guess it was. My annual checkups haven’t been this good since my 40’s. I look forward to going for my ride much more than the gym workout and now even on days I do not go to the gym I will ride to the grocery store or just ride around. Don’t get me wrong I am still a big guy, but I really feel great.

With the change for a lot more people now working from home, I hope this motivates some of you to get up and going. If I can do it in my 60’s anyone can!

Do you know when an airplane uses the most fuel? Unequivocally, it's during take-off. It takes a LOT of energy to get something so large moving at a pace that allows it to leave the earth.

Can I offer this image as a reminder to those of you who work in businesses with any kind of sales cycle (a period of time from first contact / conversation to the point when a decision is made)?

It takes a huge amount of energy to create momentum and growth in a business, particularly after an extended period of inactivity. And in most businesses, you don't get immediate results rewarding your efforts. It can be grueling to continue making efforts without any signs of growth to celebrate...but it is a part of the process.

Most people make efforts for several weeks, maybe after an event or burst of inspiration or at the start of a new year, then they give up way too soon. By the time the results finally start rolling in, they face yet another lag because they stopped doing the things that make a difference yet again. And this cycle repeats over and over and over...

Here's another truth - it doesn't take nearly as much fuel to keep a plane flying once it's in the air.

We are pleased to recognize Pam Thompson as the 2021 AGRI-SEARCH Teammate of the Year. Pam was chosen by her peers based on her excellent work ethic, team-oriented attitude, and willingness to assist her teammates.

The AGRI-SEARCH team shared a few words regarding Pam and her performance:

"Pam is the definition of teamwork, and we are extremely blessed to have her on the AGRI-SEARCH team. She is an individual with a caring heart who views the team’s success as her success, and she works for the good of the team. Pam accepts challenges with a smile, she is humble, and she is highly deserving and worthy of this honor. We would be lost without Pam; she is a true blessing to our team."

AGRI-SEARCH is pleased to announce that Chelbi Williams Alt and Dave Allen have been named the Recruiter of the Year for 2021. Chelbi and Dave have formed a great partnership and balance one another well. Even with the year starting off with Chelbi’s maternity leave, the two finished strong and were able to continuously provide exceptional service to their clients and candidates.

The AGRI-SEARCH team is committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion, and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.

Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people, plus a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”