Learning as we go

Not knowing everything is an opportunity, and welcoming it is a strength.

How are we ever supposed to learn if we live life convinced we already have all the answers? Mistakes provide one of the best opportunities for growth. However, keeping an open mind and using those moments to your advantage is easier said than done.

You learn a lot about yourself in a hurry when you’re in situations where you don’t have all the answers. I will be the first to admit, it is not easy to acknowledge when you don’t know something or when you could have done better. However, humility isn’t about putting yourself down; rather, it is giving yourself enough grace to improve. The more comfortable I become with not knowing, the more capable I am of actually learning.

At 24 years old, I am still tested every single day, and I expect that won’t change. Sometimes, I get it right and have the answers, but I often don’t, and that’s OK. What matters more is how I respond to it and what I learn from it. Growth doesn’t come from always being right or knowing the answer, but it comes from your willingness to analyze where you went wrong and choosing to do something about it.

It is too easy to get comfortable and to settle into routines, losing attention to detail and drifting from the bigger picture. When that happens, it is harder to trust the plan beyond your own perspective.

Growing up, my siblings and I showed heifers at the county fair. I used to love caring for the heifers and working tirelessly all summer to prepare for the show. However, the deeper I got into that world, the more misaligned and disconnected I felt from what it took to succeed there.

Since coming home from college, I have been advocating that we should adjust how we breed our cows, placing more emphasis on production and health traits and less on type alone. Conversations with industry professionals and field representatives have only reinforced that perspective. Recently, we have been reconstructing our breeding program with the future herd in mind.

As a part of that process, we brought in outside expertise to take a deeper look at what we are doing and provide ideas on how we can improve conception rates. Some of the best problem solvers are experts who bring a fresh perspective and specialized knowledge. They remind us that we don’t have all the answers. They don’t just point out gaps but help us close them as well.

I value functionality, efficiency, longevity and profitability alongside type traits. Unfortunately, some of those traits don’t always align with the show ring. If my dad decided to focus on registering and classifying only our top Holsteins, I’d support it. If he suggested throwing a bull into our 2-year-old pen to simplify things and get the cows bred efficiently, I would smile and be all in. Looking back, I think I have always been too practical and business oriented to see the value of owning a large number of show cows. Two things can be true at once: You can appreciate them and still not want them in your barn.

As my dad has gotten older, his priorities have also shifted. There is less focus on impressing others and more focus on what truly benefits our family, farm and future.

My goal has always been to breed our cows more commercially sound, practical, efficient and durable cows, with type in the mix. It matters that we milk good, functional cows with great udders, but it is also important that we strike the right balance between type and production. Efficiency and functionality have to come first, and the most efficient cows aren’t always the biggest cows.

Sometimes, you need a reset. Bringing an outside perspective reminds us of the importance of stepping back, evaluating honestly and making adjustments that benefit the entire operation. It pushes us to use all the information available when making decisions rather than narrowing our focus too much. More than anything, it shows that, even when you think you’re doing everything right, there’s always room to improve.

Not knowing everything will never be a weakness. Refusing to learn from it is. That is where the real growth begins.

Abby Fairbanks is the third-generation on her family’s farm. She works full-time with her parents, Doug and Jody, where they milk 400 cows  near Anamosa, Iowa.