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Todd and Katlenia Vejraska

Hollering for help

December 12, 2011

Most companies have an “IT” guy or and “IS” guy…you know, the guy who knows how to do all the technology “stuff”.  That guy for us here at CAB is named Rod.  I won’t go into last names, as it won’t mean much to you anyway.  But, he is a very nice guy.  And he’s extremely patient with idiots like me.

You see, I can turn on my computer, access my email, surf the internet, retrieve data, find my way around a worksheet, make plane reservations, and complete various other tasks that I need to exist in my job.  I can work in our company database, do searches, create Powerpoint presentations and save them on a flash drive,and all other kinds of things.  I can cut and paste! I can even operate my Droid, to get internet access, to text message, and find my way out of downtown Dallas or Ft. Worth with it (assuming of course, that the satellite Gods are with me at that moment!)

But, I cannot design a website, find my way out of huge problem (Control + Alt + Delete is my solution), or ever find the link or button that I need to get where I need to go.  So, I use Rod when I need to get my way out of a big fix.  So I call Rod and say, “OK Rod, this is the biggest idiot in the Kansas office, and I need your help!”

And God help Laura, poor girl from Wyobraska, who encourages me to use Twitter.  I have an account, but haven’t done much of anything with it.  I have noticed, however, that I do have followers, but it seems that a few of them are from people seeking relationships…….one of them said something about being the biggest lover of nerds…….so I’m guessing I need to change my profile picture! HA!

I have always tried to be self-reliant.  And, being a man (with the XY chromosone), I am not partial to asking for help with most things; but have learned over time that I must.  Have you ever known a guy who, rather than ask for help to get his thumb out of a vise, would grab the hacksaw and just cut it off rather than holler for help?  That’s me.

Sorry guys, but I think that is why our industry probably does not move forward more quickly than it does.  I think we get stifled by our own egos.  Why, in case, is A.I. used so extensively in the dairy, swine, and poultry industry, but not in beef cattle operations?  Why are we still so segmented into the cow-calf, stocker, backgrounder, finisher, and packing sectors?  We even have some integration within producers and programs, but don’t always share all of the information gathered to futher each party.  Why don’t we play well together sometimes?  You can argue independency and self-reliance all day long, and while I agree it is important, we can still do a better job of communicating our needs to others in the production chain about what we need.

I find it interesting that we have so many different types of production chains.  It is almost humorous to read some of the different “takes” on how beef cattle should be genetically engineered, raised, managed, fed, and slaughtered in different blogs.  You’d think we’d be a little more coordinated than that as an industry.  But, we’re not.  We’re traditionalists, and we hate to change too much; it takes us out of our comfort zones.

It’s time to share more.

We’ve been talking about it for a long, long, time, but we still aren’t real good at it yet. Sharing interests, data, information, research, pricing.  It will move us forward.  In the end, it will benefit all of us involved, and will make it better for the end user.

By the way, I wanted to insert a picture into this blog, but I couldn’t, because the site changed and now I cannot find where you do that anymore……but I USED to know how to do it.  Darn it, guess I’ll have to holler for help!

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