I’ve always said that the only constant in agriculture is change. But the 2020 growing season is shaping up to be a “doozie”!

We’re all having to deal with Covid-19 and all that it brings with it. Not seeing family and friends like we want, having to do business in different ways, even having to attend church services at home or streaming them on the phone are things we’ve never had to deal with before.

Some of the media coverage is not helping us with all the “doom and gloom” that we’re seeing. There are still a lot of positives we need to look at in this business we call agriculture.

First off, we in agriculture have been rightfully deemed “essential” to our nation, and people are being reminded of that fact now.  Outside of toilet paper and cleaning products, food essentials are in high demand. It is a good thing that people are realizing where the food they need is coming from. Grocery and liquor stores wouldn’t be able to stay open if it wasn’t for agriculture. The distribution system is having difficulty adjusting to demand but remember how rapidly the country has shut down. Supply WILL meet demand; it will just take a little time to adjust.

But problems bring about change and opportunities. It will be interesting to watch how our lives will change because of this pandemic. We need to be open to these changes. Already we’re seeing changes in the way we communicate and place orders and get needed essentials for our businesses.  This may very well continue and streamline the way purchases are made.

There has always been a need for information and communication in our business, but this current situation may change the way we get it and distribute it and talk in the future. Virtual meetings and video conferencing may well become the standard.

One of the things we are all looking for is getting back into some kind of routine. We’re starting to do that here in the Midwest, as corn and beans begin to go into the ground. Our co-workers to the south already have corn that is 10-leaf and cotton is going into the ground. Crop Quest Agronomists are monitoring conditions out in the field and being in the field should remind us of how important the things we are doing for our producers and our nation are.

Remember our grandparents and great grandparents. They adjusted and went through a depression and a world war. We’re cut from the “same cloth” and will make it through this.