Delta Farm Press Logo

42 years ago I made the best career move ever.

Ron Smith, Editor

June 19, 2020

2 Min Read
dfp-pat-smith-remoting.jpg
After 42 years, no regrets about career choices.Pat Smith

Forty-two years ago today, June 19, was my first day with Farm Press and by noon I was trekking through research plots at the University of Kentucky looking at weed control plots. I had no idea what I was looking at.

I somewhat jokingly tell colleagues that I have managed to stay employed by the same company for more than 40 years through the sleight of hand maneuvers of smoke and mirrors. Which is to say I often still don't know what I'm looking at.

The funny sounding names of herbicide active ingredients weed scientists were rattling off on my first day as a Southeast Farm Press writer sounded more like a foreign language than any vocabulary I learned in grad school as an English major.

I was as green as the newly emerged cocklebur, ragweed and hemp sesbania we observed in test plots. I was rescued, however, by patient, knowledgeable and kind Extension and research scientists who took time to explain what they were talking about. And they did so without making me feel more stupid than I already felt.

I have found that same understanding to be a common denominator among ag scientists throughout my career. As I said, I still encounter words, phrases and concepts that I don't understand. Chemistry, machinery and policy tend to stretch my mental capacities to the limit. Somehow, I still manage to admit my ignorance and rely on the kindness of scientists and other professionals to "splain" things to me. To them all, I offer a heartfelt thank you for four decades of instruction, patience and, to many, friendship.

Related:Making hay between showers

It's been the same with the hundreds of farmers who have agreed to talk to me over the course of my career. I've never thought about doing interviews as such. I do ask a lot of questions and take a lot of notes but at the end of a farm visit I always seem to think we've just had a nice conversation.

And I have left few farms without thinking as I drove away that I had not only just gotten the necessary ingredients for a good story but also that I had just made a new friend.

I consider myself a fortunate man to have friends scattered across rural America from the Southeast to Southwest and a whole lot of acreage in between.

It's no secret by now that I am retiring in just a few weeks. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do when I get up in the mornings without a deadline to meet. I'll figure that out, probably on a nearby trout stream.

I'll talk a bit more about that in a few weeks. Today, I want to celebrate my anniversary. Joining Farm Press wasn't an easy decision. But it was the best career move I ever made.

Read more about:

Anniversary

About the Author(s)

Ron Smith

Editor, Farm Progress

Ron Smith has spent more than 30 years covering Sunbelt agriculture. Ron began his career in agricultural journalism as an Experiment Station and Extension editor at Clemson University, where he earned a Masters Degree in English in 1975. He served as associate editor for Southeast Farm Press from 1978 through 1989. In 1990, Smith helped launch Southern Turf Management Magazine and served as editor. He also helped launch two other regional Turf and Landscape publications and launched and edited Florida Grove and Vegetable Management for the Farm Press Group. Within two years of launch, the turf magazines were well-respected, award-winning publications. Ron has received numerous awards for writing and photography in both agriculture and landscape journalism. He is past president of The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association and was chosen as the first media representative to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Advisory Board. He was named Communicator of the Year for the Metropolitan Atlanta Agricultural Communicators Association. Smith also worked in public relations, specializing in media relations for agricultural companies. Ron lives with his wife Pat in Denton, Texas. They have two grown children, Stacey and Nick, and two grandsons, Aaron and Hunter.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like