By Jackie Mundt, Pratt County farmer and rancher
Recently Farm Bureau members from across the country traveled to Denver for the Fusion Conference, which brings together members from three committees: Young Farmers & Ranchers, Women’s Leadership and Program & Engagement.
Fusion is aptly named because it is an event with a diverse mix of speakers and topics blended together for different ages and participant interests. It is the place where new ideas, perspectives and motivation are formed. These perspectives serve to elevate all of our communities and shared info.
One nugget of wisdom I picked up during the conference was about the power of reflection. Vance Crowe of Legacy Interviews presented on the power of listening he has learned from his business that interviews people to capture and preserve family histories.
He said an unintended consequence of telling stories and reflecting on the past has been increased willingness and action in estate planning. Vance said he has had multiple client’s children calling to thank him after the interview because their parents or grandparents are finally making succession planning a priority and beginning to transfer responsibilities to younger family members.
Vance posited that few people really ever reflect on their lives and histories. Intentionally asking people to share stories of their life’s work or the struggles and success they experienced seems to provide a perspective about the big picture, legacy and what the future may hold.
Part of my reason for attending the conference was as a workshop presenter about this column itself. I was part of a panel of members who all are regular columnists writing about agriculture and rural life. Preparing for the panel, gave me a reason to reflect on what I have accomplished as a regular columnist for Insight in the last six years.
In that time, I’ve penned more than 70 columns covering topics ranging from farm life to community pride to life lessons. I have grown as a writer but also as a person. Each month this column gives me reason to pause and reflect. Longtime readers have shared in my life experiences and witnessed my recording of the history of my family, our farm and community.
One of the things, I am constantly surprised by and also grateful for are the readers of this column. So many people stop me in public or send a note to tell me how they enjoyed a column or what stories resonated with them. You all have given me a reason to share my opinions, which I now realize are part of my own personal succession plan.
I don’t want to wait until the end of my career to pass along my wisdom. This column is one of the ways I am choosing to invest and empower people now.
Most of my columns end with a call to action and this will be no exception. You may not have as wide of an audience as this column gives me, but I think that reflection and succession can be effective at any size.
I encourage you to take a minute to reflect on your life and personal history. With whom are you sharing your experiences? Who are your successor and what are you empowering them to do? And most importantly are you leaving a legacy or living one right now?
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
