Opportunity Bombs and 'Ah-Ha' Landmines

Opportunity Bombs and ‘Ah-ha!’ Landmines

I’m fortunate to have a family that allows me the imaginative freedom to experiment.  You’ll find me constantly pursuing some unusual project that’s unrelated to cattle rearing.

Here is my problem: nobody can do everything well.  Louis Bromfield, author and owner of Malabar Farm in Ohio, warned farmers against over-diversification and instead advised a plan that allowed for masterful achievement in a few carefully chosen domains.  He is wise: plenty of people with a do-it-all-myself attitude accomplish a lot of tasks poorly.  I don’t want to be one of those people.  I’d prefer to master the craft of beef, and I get giddy about writing and marketing.  Those are my domains. 

Unused facets of our business, then, are opportunity bombs for someone else to blow up.  I like to think of the hidden possibilities on our farm as landmines: someday the right person will be here, stumble upon an idea, and think ‘Ah-ha!’

It’s not a fantasy.

My friend Mark recognized the opportunity to take over and expand sweet corn production on our farm.  Today Mark, his wife, and their pile of kids manage a full-blown sweet corn patch, pumpkin festival, and vegetable garden that exists in conjunction with our established beef business.  There are some very exciting plans for the future (You’ll have to wait until this summer to see those.  Oink.).  An entirely new business exists as a pillar on our farm, and it’s well managed because it’s the sole focus of Mark’s family.  Mark blew up an opportunity bomb.

Here is another:  There isn’t anything that would thrill me more than to return wholesomeness to the act of planting and growing grains by reinstating livestock, long crop rotations, and detail-oriented care to the process.  Keaton is a friend who is perfectly equipped for the challenge.  He has the equipment, ability, and desire to manage the crops and I do not.  We’re working to meld grassfed cattle and specialty grain production as a greater whole.  The plan is impossible to follow effectively without someone like Keaton willing to light the fuse and focus specifically on grain production.  Boom.

Are you getting the idea?  Brainstorm with me:

I planted an orchard.  It is so regularly annihilated by deer that I fear at least a third of the trees are dead before producing their first fruit.  It needs a loving hand of someone who’s passionate about fruit production to swoop in, manage the section of land, and bring life back to the trees.  I’d like to see it shaped into a permaculture orchard that serves Clarion.  There’s an opportunity bomb for someone. 

We have an Event Barn on our property that’s begging to be the coolest venue in the region.  It’s still a little rustic, but the whole package is there.  It already exists.  All that’s required is some love and steady, creative persistence.  There’s an opportunity bomb.

We have the ideal situation to create high-quality compost from our farm.  Compost is fertilizer that can be used to revitalize landscapes.  I believe a motivated person could create a bustling part-time job by just making compost.

I’d like to build ponds for water management, livestock hydration, and aquaculture.  There are maple trees around the property that could sustain a small maple syrup business.  My cousin Taylor is doing a fine job sprouting and planting Black Walnut trees for future nut and timber crops.  Hides are a byproduct of our beef business; how cool would it be to find someone to tan the hides and create local leather products?  The list continues as far as an imagination will take it.

Each opportunity bomb needs a person who’s willing to get a little dirt under their nails and fight the good out of it.

What we can provide is an environment in which entrepreneurs can survive the rigors of trial and error.  The effort to build a workable production model and then attract paying customers is staggering, a reality that keeps most good ideas from ever becoming good businesses.  Fortunately, we already have an army of enthusiastic customers who ‘get’ what we do here.  An entrepreneur can have the freedom to focus entirely on idea development knowing full well that, upon launch, thousands of hands will be there to support the enterprise.

By following this method we’re accomplishing what every national farm organization and government program has been trying to achieve for decades: young people have a chance to enter in to agriculture, farms are diversified, customers are engaged, and the strength in numbers provides stability to otherwise precarious farming situations.  I love it because it’s a private enterprise free from the bureaucracy and foolishness of public funds and their rules.

My role in life isn’t to do everything I can think of.  Instead, my position is to dream abundantly and leave traces of each idea so they can be discovered by someone else.  Some will never come to fruition, and that’s ok, but those that are discovered will be like a landmine for someone else: ‘Ah-ha!’

Want to visit?