CALF News Aug./Sept 2018

14 CALF News • August | September 2018 • www.calfnews.net All In Castle Walls  CALF VOICES By Chris McClure Contributing Editor S afe behind my castle walls I sit with my own thoughts Of how to keep the demons out that threaten what is mine. I quietly watch the world pass by while seated on my throne While in these dusty halls I wait con- tent that all is fine. All about me lays a siege with enemies galore Flinging stones and fiery brands to break upon my wall But I, content, know it will pass though I might stand alone While the kingdom crumbles to the ground and naught is left to fall. Secure and safe I bide my time though others plead my case Fighting off the raging throng berserk to win the field And tear the kingdom to the ground only to build anew Something I won’t recognize though I should never yield. And I will sit content to die upon this moldering store That I would leave to those who come within the footsteps of my blood LOOKING AHEAD Continued from page 13 Only to find its value gone; wasted on the wind of change That swept the pathways clear behind the surging flood. Security, that bane of change that must be part of life Building new that which decays and falls upon the ground While others strive to take the day against the thronging hoards Those who fail to meet the need lie dying all around. The enemy has changed his face until it is unknown Where he shall appear and strike his mighty blow And those complacent in the past pass on their merry way Until stricken by the unseen foe, the wolf they did not know. The insecure shall win the day for they remain alert Against the evil lurking in the shad- ows waiting chance to strike A mortal wound that ends the reign of common sense upon the earth Replaced with fear and terror of which we’ve never seen the like.  E-mail comments to cpaladinmc@hotmail.com we will and everyone should! Work burnout is an epidemic in all fields, including agriculture. Definitions of burnout vary greatly, but my favorite one, especially as it applies to agriculture, is: “When some- one is so passionate about something, they do it all the time, so intensely, that after a short time they are forced to give it up because they can’t stand the thought of it anymore. … It is very much the tragic death of a dream.” Ever been so tired of a song on the radio that you changed the station when it came on, or a commercial on TV made you change the channel? Those are cases of burnout. Ever hear a teenager that grew up on the farm threaten to move to the city and never set foot on the farm again? Also, burnout. Agriculture has always been and always will be a hands-on job. Long hours and hard work are part of it, but with today’s technology, callouses can be smaller and hours can be shorter. Mil- lennials being trained throughout our formative years trust technology and are happy to use it. This makes Millennial farmers and ranchers some of the first to adopt these new tools or “gadgets” as I have heard them called. Spending less time on the range because you scoped out those watering holes with a drone or less time in the tractor because it drives itself doesn’t necessarily lessen the chance of burnout, but it does allow for a little time doing something else. Do my generation’s actions make us unmotivated or lazy? No, just different from other generations. I would argue that our ability/desire to always be plugged in can lead to greater workaholic burnout because we are never truly out of the office.  E-mail comments to rachel@animalhealthexpresscom