How does one go from selling farm equipment to working with the Oklahoma Pork Council? Let’s find out as we here from Roy Lee Lindsey in today’s guest post!
I’m thankful for a work ethic instilled in me by my parents and responsibilities around the family’s farm and our farm equipment dealership.
From the time I was about 8 years old, I would go to work almost every morning before school with my dad. For 40 plus years, he owned and operated a farm equipment dealership in rural western Oklahoma. My responsibilities included sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms and whatever else needed to be done around the shop.
Over time I moved into selling parts, lawn mowers, and eventually a combine or two. When I started selling parts, I had a little round “kick-stool” I would push up the counter and tell the customer “if you can find it in this parts book, I can get it out of the bin.” I worked summers at the dealership during wheat harvest when some weeks I might work more than 100 hours. Those days we opened at 7:30 a.m. and we worked until the combines quit cutting wheat at night. Sometimes that meant 9:30 p.m. and others it was after midnight.When we weren’t working at the dealership, we were headed to our small farm to check the cows, check the wheat and alfalfa, or build a little fence. We spent time each day with our show calf projects. Virtually everything we did revolved in some way around the farm and the farming community.
What I got from that experience was an appreciation for the commitment farmers had to their crops and livestock.
I’ve tried to take that same commitment I saw in our farmers and ranchers to my job and responsibilities each day. My wife sometimes doesn’t appreciate why I take that phone call at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. or why I’m working on Saturday or Sunday. It’s in my blood. My dad taught it to me at a young age. I simply don’t know any other way.
There have been a myriad of changes since I stood on that stool behind the parts counter some 35 years ago. Today’s farms are bigger. The herds are larger. The equipment costs a whole lot more. The number of farmers and ranchers is smaller.
But one thing hasn’t changed – the commitment to put in the time and effort required to provide safe, abundant, affordable food for the rest of us to enjoy.
For that I’m truly thankful.
Roy Lee Lindsey is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pork Council. Thank you greatly Roy for your contribution and telling us why you are thankful for agriculture.
Want to share the reasons why you are thankful for agriculture? Send me an email (agricultureproud@hotmail.com) and tune in during the month of November for more great posts telling why we are Ag-Thankful.
