How is it possible that a new year is already upon us? For many, the new year is often rung in by the traditional meal of pork and sauerkraut followed by a list of New Year’s resolutions, or maybe even a word of the year. It seems as if the “word of the year” trend is becoming ever so popular recently. Personally, I kind of like the idea of a word being a theme for the new year instead of a list of resolutions.

As an individual who is active in agriculture not only on a day-to-day basis in my full-time job, but in my community and hobbies as well, there seems to be a lot of times when things do not go according to plan. Often, adjustments need to be made, and I feel as if any member of the agriculture field would tell you the same thing. So much of our lives and schedules depend on the weather, animals, equipment and several other factors. With that, sticking to a list of resolutions isn’t always the easiest and often leads to disappointment.

In the first few days of the new year, it may be easy to follow the list of resolutions. But, as the farm life goes, schedules change, cows decide to calve, the temperatures drop to zero and things freeze up and now all of a sudden that list of resolutions (even if they are for personal development) can get out of whack real fast. Although, for some, maybe a list of resolutions is the best choice, and maybe that list is easy for you to follow. Each person and their individual lives and schedules are different and what works for some in the new year, may not work for others.

For me, having a list of resolutions doesn’t really seem to be the best fit. Rather, for 2022, I have chosen to embrace the word “flexible.” I am a very routine-driven person. When my schedule gets out of order, or delayed, it bothers me, and often I let the rest of my day reflect this. This happens quite frequently in my life as a dairy farmer, so for 2022, my goal is to focus on the word ‘flexible’ and instead of one thing going out of order in my day throwing my entire “schedule” off for that day, I plan to make the most of the change, be flexible with it and move on.

Submitted by Julie Holler, a member of the Trumbull County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees.

OFBF Mission: Working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.