CALF_News_April_May_2019

12 CALF News • April | May 2019 • www.calfnews.net Looking Ahead The Phone  CALF VOICES By Rachel Lewis Contributing Editor L ooking back on my recent trip to the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans, I have to smile. Not only did I get to see some great old friends, I was able to make some wonderful new ones! Isn’t our industry amaz- ing? Across the country and the world, members of the cattle industry share a common bond. We stand on tradition and stewardship. We recognize those who have impacted our industry, and we get together to celebrate them while continuing to educate ourselves and one another. We blend work and play in places like Nashville and New Orleans. I also think about how much I rely on my phone. When I meet a new person, I use my phone to connect with them. When I am planning to meet up with an old contact, I use my phone to facilitate that. I know as a Millennial, I barely know any different, but I still remember vaguely the times of pay phones and calling cards. Because I remember the days before a cell phone was as multifunctional as it is today, I’d like to think I have a leg up on young adults who have never known anything different. I try to buck the ste- reotype that people my age are obsessed with their phones. I even let my phone battery die occasionally so I’m com- pletely dark. But as I look back on my trip and my daily life, I realize it would be so much harder without my phone. My entire trip was coordinated with my phone – from booking my plane tickets to my boarding pass. I wouldn’t have checked into my hotel as easily as I did if I wouldn’t have been able to look up my confirmation number on my phone. Heck, I used the convention app to find my way around the trade show and meet up with the people I so look forward GREAT WHITE NORTH Continued from page 10 to seeing every year. I saw many people just like me, walking with their phone in hand and keeping external battery packs plugged in so that the battery didn’t die. Speaking of travel and flying, have you noticed that when you fly, seats near an electrical outlet are coveted? What did people do before they could watch free tv on their phones during a plane trip? How did people know where to eat in new cities or how to get there? Again, I buck tradition and read a hard copy book when I fly. It’s one of the only times I put my phone down long enough to read. The rest of the time, I fill the empty moments with social media perus- ing or text message conversation. I fill the void with my phone. This is a common addiction that spreads across age groups and social classes. The phone makes life so easy, but is easy better? I was reminded of my need (obses- sion) for my phone after a recent “trag- edy.” I dropped my phone in the bathtub as I was documenting my little nephew singing the alphabet. I couldn’t even give this event the expletive tribute I so felt it deserved because the little guy was right there with a perfectly timed,“Ut Oh!!” The moral of the story is that balance is important. It’s ok to embrace technology, in this case the phone, but don’t let it consume you; pick up a book, talk to the stranger sitting next to you on the plane. Stop to actually take a look at the roses instead of just snapping a quick picture on your way by.  E-mail comments to rachel@animalhealthexpresscom business. But technology will most certainly change the industry, and if the progress made in the last 10 years is any indication, along with massive new investments, it will be soon. So, what is the meat industry to do to at least survive in some form? I would like to hope that our agricultural academic institutions, producer organizations and, hope- fully, our governments are furiously deliberating on what is ominously looming for the traditional livestock and poultry industries in North America.  E-mail comments to willverboven@hotmail.com The Union Pacific main line was down, leaving ADM in Columbus down until the railroad is operating again. There are no words to convey our concern for those in the path of this life-changing event. As Jess Ebert, our national sales manager and Kansas livestock producer, says,“Enough already!” We in agriculture recognize that every drop of moisture is precious, and the spring thaw will be a blessing. But I echo Jess’s sentiment. Enough already! Winter even hit here in Arizona with a foot and a half of snow falling on Barb Jackson’s ranch south of Tucson. She and I even got into a few snowflakes travel- ing up to Wickenburg for the Cowgirl Cadillacs Horse Sale. Would you believe the flashing signs over the highway said,“It is illegal to stop on the highway and play in the snow”? Held at Rancho de los Caballeras, a combination horse ranch and golf resort, the event was for only lady consigners. Fifty horses were sold to a standing-room-only crowd for a total of more than $850,000 with one horse alone going for $89,000. Needless to say, the event drew an ever-changing cavalcade of interesting people and beautiful horses. It’s on my calendar for next year. Mean- while, spring is on the way. Keep the faith.  GYPSYWAGON Continued from page 6 Betty Jo Gigot bjgigot@calfnews.net