Alliances to Remain Profitable
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Since his existence man always wanted to know the future. The history of early civilizations reveals that fortunetellers were sought after not only by Kings, but also common people. It seemed that most kings had their “Merlin” to help calm their fears about the future. Thousands of years later, we still have fortunetellers even around Springfield. If they have a Ph.D., we call them futurists and pay them big bucks to speak to large educational groups. One of the best futurists in America is Dr. Phil Burgess. He spoke to a national group of Extension Educators this summer about being successful in the next millenium. He said success in the future would be determined by how well we pay attention to the “Tides” of the millenium. The “T” in tides stands for technology. We are currently in the technology era that had exploded in our lives in the past ten years. Computers, cell phones, DVD players are everywhere. We must be looking to adopt the latest technology before our competitor does. We must brainstorm constantly about new technology and ways to adopt the latest technology. The “I” stands for International. We are now in a global economy. Our future customers and competitors will probably be abroad. There will probably be a need for us to speak more than one language. My daughter, Diane, works for a corporation in Dublin, Ohio. When she graduated from The Ohio State University she probably never dreamed she would spend one half of her work time in Europe. As you read this column, she is probably in Amsterdam, Paris, or Germany. Farmers will need direct market access abroad. Demographics are changing. Those who live on a farm are the real minorities today: only 1.5% of our population. There are more mouths to feed today. 50% of the world population goes to bed every night malnourished. It will be more important than ever for farmers to tell their side of the story. It will take much more than Linda Smith and the County Agent. The “E” stands for Entrepreneurial Spirit. The money to be made is Agriculture rests in niches like Young’s Jersey Dairy, Little Miami Flower Company, Clarks Farm Market, and hundreds of other innovative rural enterprises in the Miami Valley. Farm businesses will need their own web pages. The best moneymakers in agriculture have not been though of yet. Set aside time to think “outside the box”. The “S” stands for Standard of Living. People have more dollars today for recreation. They are also retiring earlier. All people want to do something. Use the farm, green space, and take advantage of these available recreational dollars. Be creative. In conclusion, Phil Burgess said we must observe our energy. We must have a positive attitude about what we are doing. People will observe our attitudes. Let’s put our customers to work. Banks did it with ATM’s; airlines did it with ticket purchase on the Internet; Shouvlin’s did it by having their customers help plan how much organic produce to plant; cut your own; and pick your own. Communications will be critical. Listen to customers and have a sense of humor. Be family friendly and be flexible. The future is all up to you.
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