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| Merry Christmas from the KARL Class XII family. (photo KARL program) |
Class XII has already broken molds (so we've been told repeatedly), and we were the first class to ever have an ugly Christmas sweater party and white elephant gift exchange. It was a blast. We had a few folks go way out on their efforts to provide entertainment to the others, and we had a couple guys show up in duplicate ugliness. You can see them on the end to the right in the photo.
We did more during the session than just celebrate the holidays in hideous attire. We also gained valuable experience in media relations, as well as production agriculture. There is an emerging pattern from the KARL seminars. There is a lot of good going on in rural Kansas! This is the second consecutive seminar where it is obvious that people coming together with positive attitudes and innovative ideas get things done.
Getting things done happens when leaders use the tools they're given and run with them. One of these tools is being able to recognize behaviors of those around you, and how to deal with them. We were lucky to have Carolyn Rodenberg present to us. The information she provided was phenomenal. We learned that everybody is passive aggressive. And, we hopefully learned how to recognize and correct the behavior before it gets to out of hand and counterproductive. She was not only informative, but fun and laid back - a perfect fit for this class. In fact, she wanted to adopt us all.
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| Miranda Allen, Kiowa, giving her topic a whirl. (photo by KARL program) |
On Thursday we had a busy day of media training and extemporaneous speaking practice. We broke our class up into two groups and prepared for the worst. Ken Rahjes provided television interview training. He played the character of a sensational journalist with no agriculture or rural America experience, and he raked us all over the coals. It was great training, but nerve racking. It took all some of us had to not crack under pressure, and some of us did. We learned from it, and had something to chat about later. When we finished radio and television interviews we headed to another session to have Carolyn toss us live bombs for extemporaneous speaking. We had 30 seconds to gather thoughts, and had to fill a complete two minutes, followed by one minute of questions from the peers in our group. It was intense, and we had absolutely no idea what our topic would be. I had to explain why I thought guns and drugs were ruining society. I'm not typically nervous, but I was shaking. Granted, we could still make up facts and figures to help fill time but it was much harder than it seemed.
At the end of our day Thursday we were all emotionally exhausted. It had been a rough day for some, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some of the best food so far. Pork chops that were two inches thick were on the menu, as well as the opportunity to network with KARL alumni, and of course getting to know our class even better. One of the coolest parts of this journey is the people I'm blessed to call an extended family. There are mothers, fathers, farmers, businesswomen, and even aspiring politicians - and they are all intelligent. We challenge and encourage each other and it is truly inspiring.
Friday was our last session day, but it was far from boring. In true KARL fashion it was up and functioning way too early. We listened to Norton leaders talk about their rural community, and why they love living there and raising families. We heard from a true innovator - NexTech. NexTech is revolutionizing the way rural America connects. With their innovative spirit Kansas is one of the most "connected" states, offering high speed internet to some of the most rural areas. We also heard from the economic development director, an eye doctor, pharmacist, and representatives from some of the industry in the community.
Did you know they make military grade auto pilot components in Norton? They do! They are cranking out some of the most detailed components that go into airliners, military planes, and jets. We were able to tour their facility and see some pretty amazing stuff. Following our visit to Natoma Corp., we headed to Husky Hogs near Almena. This was an eye-opening experience for most of us. Commercial hog farming is fairly closed door due to the risk of disease to the animals. They aren't worried about pigs giving humans diseases - it's the other way around - so we were required to shower in and shower out.
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| These little guys were cute. (photo by KARL program) |
We were able to see the facility, and it was more interesting than I anticipated. We visited the furrowing rooms, witnessed baby pigs being born, and were able to watch the artificial insemination of sows. I have a degree in animal science from Kansas State, and I was amazed at some of the practices that promote efficiency and animal welfare. I can honestly say not one thing raised a red flag, and I believe that comes from the top down. The manager is passionate about his job and animals because it is his way of life. To him, it's not a job. They take animal safety very serious, and they are diligent when it comes to keeping their facility working smoothly. It was nothing short of impressive.
When we visit some of these facilities and tour agriculture industry I often think I could do any job if I had to, but I don't think I could work at the hog farm. It wasn't because of the smell, or the environment, it was the baby pigs. I was attached to those little guys in about five seconds - and there is no way I could ship them in and out like that.
Once again I am amazed by rural Kansas. There are so many things to touch upon when talking about the rural communities that make up our state, and the people and leaders that live in these communities should be commended for their commitment to making the rural way of life something to be proud of.
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