Sharpening their saw….

We slipped across the Potomac river yesterday to join a group of grass farmers who belong to the Maryland Grazing Network in a day-long seminar.  About 40 farmers spent the day discussing grazing techniques, cattle and financial planning.  Here they’re studying a summary report of 10 years of operation at host Myron Martin’s dairy farm near Knoxville.  About halfway through that decade, Myron made the switch from conventional to grass fed dairying.  The bottom line: the decision doubled the profit per cow on an already profitable operation.  His per cow profit is triple that of the average Maryland dairy farm.

The featured speaker was Dr. Sue Beal, a Pennsylvania holistic vet, staff member of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, and a Devon breeder.  (She’s also a dear friend and frequent advisor to Thistle Hill)  Sue is making the point that more unites grass fed dairy and beef producers than we think.  That’s host Doug Price listening behind her.  He has a large cow/calf beef operation.  The important thing is the milk, whether it goes into a pail or into a calf.

“Sharpening their saw” of our title, of course, refers to one of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” principles; the need to constantly be searching out new knowledge.  Or, in our case, also reminding us of what we’ve forgotten.  Covey considers it the most important habit.

The determination to perfect their product, to contribute to the health and environment of their communities, is what we’ve found so inspiring (and so much fun) about the people in the grass fed world.  Their sense of purpose gives them real joy.