Simplicity Drives Success

Simplicity Drives Success

By Aaron Putze, APR, aputze@iasoybeans.com

"Keep it simple. When you get too complex, you forget the obvious."  - Al McGuire 

I'm not sure when everything got complicated, but it is.

Phones, once a stationary device used for conversation (who can forget the party line?) are now mobile with screens possessing a million times more memory than Apollo 11's guidance system.

The TV remote — once a simple, convenient tool for changing channels and adjusting volume — has evolved into one of the most maddening contraptions ever invented. Whoever decided it was a good idea to cram more and smaller buttons onto a device mostly used in the dark surely had a cruel streak. Most nights, I give up trying to find my favorite show and, after many attempts, finally find the "off" button and go to sleep in disgust.

The washer, dryer and thermostat? I threw in the towel on them a long time ago. Major League Baseball has even managed to ruin America's pastime by imposing so many rules that it's become a race instead of a game.

Simple is hard, which is why I've come to appreciate my mom and dad more as my hair grays. Among my fondest memories of growing up on the farm is how Mom and Dad kept things simple. No fancy equipment. No overburdened schedules. No work on Sundays. Meals at home. The years and days were stress-free. Routine was embraced and we thrived.

Keeping things simple takes discipline. The Iowa Soybean Association funds strategic activities using the soybean checkoff managed across five Focus Areas: Engagement, Demand, Productivity, Advocacy and Operations.

Checkoff resources per the production and sale of soybeans by Iowa's 37,000-plus soybean farmers are used to develop markets and uses for soy (including investments in the U.S. Soybean Export Council and Soy Aquaculture Alliance) and unbiased, on-farm agronomic research to help farmers improve production, reduce inputs and improve soil health.

ISA also invests checkoff funding in feasibility studies to improve our rail, roads, bridges, rivers and ports needed to move soybeans and ag inputs reliably and efficiently and increase domestic pig, poultry and dairy production. And the association puts checkoff resources to use to provide timely information to soybean farmers and engage with consumers about modern agriculture.

Simplicity keeps you accountable by ensuring that important details aren't lost in paperwork or buried in bureaucracy. Every program plan and activity are reviewed and approved by directors. Quarterly reports are prepared and shared. We track our progress using green, yellow and red coding to highlight priorities and flag areas needing the most attention.

As promised on this very page in January, we're redoubling efforts to communicate frequently and openly about the use of the soybean checkoff. Elsewhere in this edition, you'll find information detailing how checkoff resources are allocated across ISA's focus areas. We have increased reporting on checkoff success stories — from increasing U.S. soybean market share in key export regions to the success of soy-based firefighting foam. And we continue to invite more farmers into deeper dialogue with ISA by enhancing our approach to membership and engaging with first purchasers of soybeans to better understand and communicate how the checkoff is paying off for you, the farmer.

I welcome your feedback on our efforts. E-mail me at aputze@iasoybeans.com and find me on Facebook and LinkedIn. Better yet, keep it simple and just give me a call at 515-334-1099.