CALF_News_Oct_Nov_2018

42 CALF News • October | November 2018 • www.calfnews.net By Blaine Davis Contributing Editor Beyond the Ranch Gate What’s New? T hrough the “ranch gate” and driving down the road, the neighbor approaches in his pickup truck. We both stop adjacent to each other and roll down our windows to converse. He opens,“What’s up?” and I respond,“What’s new with you?” Later that morning in the coffee shop, my peers and I trade similarities of “What’s up?” and again,“What’s new with you?” Whether these queries take place on a county road or at a table with a round of steaming cups of joe, the questions along with the usual answers seem all too familiar. An old adage goes something like, what’s new is what was old and vice versa. Be it history, politics, stock market, weather, economy, sports and even bits of humor; there is a way of it always repeating itself. As an architect, new projects often hold the same param- eters as the last year, ten years previous or even when I was just starting my career. Just this past spring, I was called to perform some work on an existing rural hospital. With the set of the existing blueprints, this axiom was proven right, again. In the corner of title block of each drawing sheet was the initials “bd” and a date of “1980,” reminding me of hours upon hours spent over the drawing board. “What’s new is what was old or maybe it’s just me who is old. Actually, more than 50 percent of my portfolio involves what was old and making it new again, such as the complete redevelopment of the Kearny County Bank in Lakin, Kan. In the early 1990s, I designed an addition to the facility and, last year, what was old then became new with a complete 180- degree shift of all departments. As a farm owner, answering what is new, is a lot like the past, as 2018 is much like 2016 and 2017, with uncertain commod- ity prices falling from highs in 2013, and costs of production ever rising. The bottom line profitability, like many previous years, is questionable and worrisome. According to Farmers National Co. (FNC) President and CEO Jim Farrell during a July 2018 workshop,“We’ve either found the floor in agriculture or hit a plateau. Plateaus are something you get before you fall off a cliff.” This could be one of the most pivotal years since the 1980s industry crash but, Farrell said, “I can tell you that it’s not the 1980s again. We’re positive about agriculture, but at the same time right now where it’s hard to put your arms around a trend.” Having recently attended the fall crop field day at our farm, this positive attitude was prevalent among many of the attend- ees. Seed and chemical companies revealed new developments, both in products and company mergers and acquisitions. Again, what’s new is old as seed companies have been absorbed by competitors for the last 20 years. Today, just five companies represent 80 percent of the planted corn and soybean acres while promising farmers minimal impact, increasing seed choices and bringing new products to the market expediently. With the agricultural economy questionable, many of our neighbors are ignoring those gray clouds and looking forward to harvest, planning for next year’s crops and winter livestock operations. Among this optimism, we were able to rent this Continued on page 45  Having professed many times my love of beef, and particularly a grilled steak, nothing can be finer than having my young grandson, Paxton, opt for such. Little did I think though that for his eighth birthday he would want nothing more than a Cowboy Ribeye steak? This behemoth piece of meat, measuring two inches thick and weighing over two pounds, would challenge any adult’s appetite, much less that of this young, aspiring soccer player. With its long, frenched rib bone similar to a small axe handle, the Cowboy Ribeye is often labeled a Tomahawk Ribeye. Trending today in butcher shops and upscale restaurants, I opine that this just another example of what was once old is now new – I first witnessed a Cowboy Ribeye in an Iowa butcher shop more than 20 years ago. Challenging as it is to devour such a piece of meat, grilling it to perfection might be even more so. Agreeing that medium rare is the only way to go, my son-in-law deliv- ered for the birthday celebration. Not only did this steak provide essential protein and minerals for an assault on the soccer goal, its unami sated Papa’s taste buds as we all shared in the feast. I proudly say, “What’s new? A grandson who loves steak.”  WHAT’S NEW? A NEW GENERATION OF STEAK LOVERS