Developing Roots

This week, I have spent a lot of time on the road in Iowa, traveling with a couple Sales Account Managers (SAMs) and another technical team agronomist (TTA). The focus was to grasp an understanding of how LG Seeds acquires new customers and maintains the customer base that we currently have.

Whenever I hop in a truck with a SAM or TTA, I automatically know that it’s going to be an adventure that I won’t soon forget. Whether we are venturing down a backroad along the Des Moines River or touring along a county highway in north central Iowa, there is no shortage of corn to see and people to meet.

Over this past week, I had a small clarification about this journey I have embarked on for the summer. Grandma Ivy from “Pure Country” once said that ‘sometimes the tree grows too fast and the roots don’t develop. And sometimes you have to chop off the top of that tree to let the roots catch up.’ It seems to me as if that may have happened this week. We often get so caught up in traveling from one place to the next that we forget the relationships built along the way will last a lifetime. In order for us to fully realize that, we have to pause, roll the windows down, and enjoy the ride, rather than trying to rush through it – essentially allowing those roots to catch up.

As I traveled from grower to grower and learned about their operations, I was reminded that each of them has created their own roots. They sell seed to farmers who want to make a living and contribute to their communities. They each have a family they are striving to support, depending on the crops and livestock to help them sustain their operation so they can continue to do what they love. They work with those around them to diagnose issues and determine what steps need to be taken to allow their crops to reach full potential.

Certainly, this network or system of roots wasn’t built overnight. It took generations of hard work and tillage of the soil to create a seed that could be planted that would help yield 200 bushels per acre. It took countless nights at community functions, building and growing relationships with neighbors that would eventually turn into friendships. It took courage to call fellow growers out of the blue, asking if they would take a chance on your product to help your business succeed. And ultimately, it took determination and sacrifice to help those individuals’ operations flourish, even if it meant putting their needs before your own.

I have a challenge for you: take a look around you and the people that you surround yourself with. Seek to grow that circle and develop more roots around you and your family. Reach out to friends you haven’t spoken to in a while and catch up with them. You never know where the conversation may lead – you may end up on a family vacation to visit those friends!

While you ponder your roots, pack your bags and grab your maps because this next week, we are traveling to the east side of the Corn Belt. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Lauren Mosher

LG Seeds Marketing Intern

Published 6.12.2020