There's a First Time...

Indeed there is a first time for everything.

Today was the first time I have been in a traffic jam on a rural highway at 7 a.m. Apparently the vendors and show staffers weren’t the only people excited about getting to the Farm Progress site early. We sat in traffic for more than 45 minutes before we finally got our parking assignment in a field near the entrance.

Today was the first time I realized that farmers really do work from sunrise to sunset. It was still early to me when we got to Monsanto’s tent at 8:20 a.m., but the farmers attending the show were already on their second or third cups of coffee and ready to go. It was actually quite refreshing knowing that we weren’t the only ones getting up before the sun.

Today was the first time I have seen so many international farmers in one place. Sitting behind the Monsanto Today booth in the Q&A room at the end of the Discovery tour afforded me the opportunity to get a look at and meet some of the several hundred growers and producers that came through Monsanto’s tent. A large majority of those growers were not American; I counted at least seven different countries that were represented.

Today was the first time I ate a sandwich that was bigger than my head. I understand that walking around all day talking to seed reps and distributors makes one hungry, but the people providing the food at Farm Progress really outdid themselves. I ordered a pork tenderloin sandwich (a specialty and must-have in Iowa) and was served a piece of breaded pork bigger than a dinner plate on a hamburger bun. It was delicious.

Today was the first time I saw biotechnology making an immediate and powerful impact on people. I broke away from the Monsanto Today booth for a while in the afternoon and followed some people around on the tour of the technology showcase. The wonder in the visitors’ faces and the excitement In their voices when they talked about new seed traits and benefits made it clear that biotech really is helping improve the quality of both farmers’ and consumers’ lives. At the end of the tour people were able to ask questions about things they’d seen, and the most common question, aside from asking about nitrogen efficiency corn, was, “When are we going to be able to get this technology?” The answer was always the same: as soon as possible. We’re working on it.

And finally, today was the first time I saw a team of co-workers come together and actually authentically enjoy the work they were doing with one another. There are a lot of new faces on my team at Monsanto (myself included), and to be part of a group that is passionate about working toward a common goal is an amazing feeling. To be part of a group that is passionate about what they’re doing, supports each other and can make each other laugh is beyond amazing.

Tomorrow I’m going to make some time to wander around the Farm Progress site and experience the show from a visitor’s point of view. But right now I’m going to bed, as we have to get up early to beat the daily grind of morning-rush-hour-rural-highway traffic.