The Works Make More Sense When You Know Why

A young horse can practice all day and still not quite understand what you’re asking of her. But put a cow in front of her, and suddenly things start to click.

That’s what I was thinking about earlier this week when my daughter Eliza and I rode our two young horses, Latte and Lady, to move cattle. Latte is almost four and Lady is just over four. They’ve both had quite a bit of riding experience around the farm, but this was Lady’s first time, and Latte’s second or third, working cattle.

There’s nothing quite like focusing on a job to improve (and highlight the areas that need improvement!) in a young horse. It makes more sense to them when they have a clear job. The cattle give them focus. It puts you on a team, working together. It brings clarity.

They understand there’s a reason you’re asking them to speed up, to get ahead of that heifer and turn her back to the group. They understand why you need them to turn. It’s not just practice for the sake of practice. It’s practice with a purpose.

It makes all the difference. And it gives both the horse and the rider confidence.

Latte got a little spooked when she went from pushing one heifer to suddenly having three cattle running up behind her. Eliza got her turned, settled her down, and went back to work. Eliza’s confidence grew because she stuck with her horse through a touchy situation and got her back under control. And her horse gained confidence, too, when she turned and realized the cattle would move away from her and that her rider would help her figure it out.

Purpose does that.

It gives you something to focus on. It gives you a reason for the work. And sometimes, it gives you the confidence to handle something you weren’t quite ready for yet.

I think the same thing is true on the farm.

Raising amazing food to nourish people and improve the soil on this land is a big purpose on our farm. It’s the goal. The purpose we focus around.

Take raising chickens, for instance. Everyone on the team is working together to make sure they are raised as well as we possibly can. That they’re fed, watered, comfortable, and safe from predators. That their needs are met in a way that is beneficial to the land they’re raised on.

It’s the focal point for the entire team every morning, 9–10 months of the year.

When the goal is clear, when you know your purpose, it makes it all make sense. It gives clarity to what you’re working toward.

Early this morning, moving cattle the best way we know how, before the worst of the heat sets in. Good horses, a good dog, and a job that needs doing.

Of course, there are a hundred other things that have to happen, too. The tractor needs to be serviced so it’s ready to work when we need it. The fences need to be maintained so the livestock stay where they’re supposed to be and stay safe.

But if a heat advisory goes out for five days in a row and we’ve got birds just about big enough for processing, and we have to get them cooler by adding sprinklers and/or fans, or if a murder of crows lives up to their name and figures out how to get into a chicken pen and starts attacking birds (yes, those both happened this week), it’s all hands on deck.

And everyone knows what to focus on. Because the purpose is clear.

What’s your purpose? What are you focused on?

Because, for better or worse, your energy is a lot like Latte’s, it’s going to go where the focus is. Determining what that focus is, and making sure it’s pointed in the direction you want to go, can make all the difference.

Leave a comment and tell me. I’d genuinely love to hear what you’re working toward.

Your Farmer,
Andrea