Today’s underlying topic: You aren’t just a person who moves fence around. You’re a CEO of a business. Being a successful CEO means thinking deeply about where you are and where you want to go.
Last week we looked at the next big thing in grazing – Virtual Fence. Virtual fencing uses remote-sensing collars in combination with a wireless network to manage where livestock graze. Once trained, the manager can use the system to move and place animals on pastures in ways they never could have with physical fencing.
Virtual fence opens a whole new world in grazing. Pay Luark, who’s been working with the system for some time says, “We don’t know the true potential of all this yet. May never know, it just keeps expanding. But the potential is astronomical. I mean, the potential is I don’t know how to put a word or a number on the potential. It’s well worth getting involved with.”
BUT…
As you’ll see in the video below, Pat says, “There’s a learning curve. It’s steep, but you’re going to face a learning curve no matter what. Even if everybody else has it worked out and you’re the last guy, you’re following on everybody else, you’re going to face a learning curve.”
“There’s a learning curve associated with the software that can change and have updates.”
“There’s a learning curve to putting the collars on and being efficient with it.”
“I think there’s kind of an animal behavior learning curve.”
“I think it just takes time to really kind of get a master of thinking about how you’re
going to manage things differently.”
“I’ll be honest, I was really scared at first, you know.”
Now, you may not be in the market for a virtual fencing system, but you’re likely in the market for some other kind of technology or product, and there’s a learning curve for that too. And aren’t we all a little scared when we’re thinking of trying something new? So the tips the ranchers in this video have about how to consider and decide on objectives can help you think about new products and technology, make decisions about whether a product is right for you, and if you choose it, what you want to get out of it.
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
In this 9:19 video ranchers working with the virtual fence system will share what they hoped to accomplish using virtual fence. Their examples might resonate with you, whether or not virtual fencing is in your future.
(Note: If you don’t want to watch the video and would rather read a transcript, Youtube has you covered. Click on “…more” in the video’s description box, then scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find a link to open the transcript. The transcript will appear on the right hand side of your browser. If you click on anything in the transcript, the video will begin playing at that point.)
If you’re interested in learning more about virtual fencing, Vence has some great introductory material on their site here.
Thinking… Some How-To Thoughts
Learning how to think and build solutions is the most important part of this technology and of anything you’re doing as a grazier. I’ve learned a lot about this from watching how others do it, and I’ve share examples at On Pasture. If you’re interested in expanding your thinking and problem-solving abilities, here are some articles you might like.
In addition to learning about a grazing solution to climate change, in this article you’ll see how to creative people thought through the challenges they faced.
Greg Judy is a great one for thinking about things in a new way. In this two-part series he shares examples of how he helps himself think outside the box.
Surviving the Naysayers – Part 2 of Thinking Outside the Box
You’ll see links for Greg’s book “How to Think Like a Grazier” in the two articles. I was the editor for the book so I have a bias, but I think it has some really great examples of how to expand one’s thinking and doing to get to a goal. Check out the table of contents and what I said about the book here. Or head over to Greg’s website to order, and then see what else he has to offer.
An finally, thinking really is hard. Here’s a little about how many calories your brain burns and some ideas to add to your brain-training program.
Need a Laugh? Here you go!
This guy has a learning curve ahead of him!
