View from the Cab: Unsure but loving it

Unpredictable is a good word to describe agriculture.
We never know how the crops will do but we take a leap of faith each spring by putting corn and soybeans in the ground and hoping for the best. Weather is also an uncertainty growers face but we are hopeful for the right amount of rainfall and sunshine.
No one seems to know which way the markets will move or what emergency repair may arise during the season. We don’t even know how those latest and greatest seed varieties will work or if that old tractor will keep acting up.
My profession of ag journalism is even unpredictable at times. Reporters never know what they are getting themselves into when they head out on assignment. This is what makes the job so appealing to me. I started the “CIFN Friday Live” segment a few weeks ago on the Central Illinois Farm Network Facebook page. The response has been good and the show seems to present a new challenge each week.
One of the first shows in early April had to be done from a local farmer’s kitchen since we couldn’t be outside due to blustery conditions which wouldn’t have sounded so good on the live stream. The second show was done at a dairy farm and for the first time ever, a dog jumped over my recorder and microphone while we are recording. I still have the paw print to prove it.
The third show was recorded at an eating establishment but the owner wasn’t so fond of us doing this in the dining room even though we were given prior permission. I did order coffee and gave him some freebies as a thank-you.
Just last Friday as I was driving up to Wenona to record a live segment at a LaSalle County farm, I traveled through an unexpected heavy shower in Pontiac. The rain kept falling until I was about 10 miles from my destination. Then the sun came out and we had almost perfect weather for the segment.
Sometimes I think it is best we don’t know what the future holds. If we did, how fun would life really be?
(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Chevy-Buick in Fairbury)