Mike won a Pennsylvania Soybean Board trip to attend this winter’s Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif. Here’s the "family take" on the trip:
Sheilah: We were blessed with the opportunity to travel completely across the country with a toddler. Okay, blessed may not have been my first description that came to mind. But with just a little convincing and debating, we decided it would be a great family trip.
Mike: This is something I’ve always wanted to attend. Sheilah spent a lot of time planning and making arrangements. We also cashed in some Disney dollars to take Cole to Disneyland for a couple days.
Sheilah: I made Mike make a list of the speakers to listen to and vendors he wanted to see at the Classic. We had a tentative daily plan with lots of room for adjustment.
Cole had his own ideas though. Once we got to the show, he saw "TRACTORS!" We took turns letting him climb in and out of all the equipment, and he wanted to run from one to the next. While Mike listened to speakers, Cole and I checked out all the vendors and the little kids play area.
Mike: I wasn’t the only one in awe of everything. Cole woke up every morning yelling "TRACTORS!" and would climb into his stroller ready to go — still in his PJs.
We had come to an awesome event. The caliber of speakers and the vendor’s willingness to answer questions and interact was the best I’d ever experienced.
CATCHING GOOD MOMENTS: A Reskovac selfie captures a good West Coast memory.
Sheilah: There were some great interactive displays and games the whole family could participate in. Did I mention the root beer floats? And we met farm families from other parts of the country. Listening to other farmers’ perspectives on issues is always interesting. All in all, it was a very optimistic crowd.
Mike: I’m always up for furthering my ag education, and enjoy sharing ideas with other farmers. We heard the best growers in the country talking about what works and doesn’t work for them. I’m sure no secrets were revealed, but some great ideas were shared.
Sheilah: After it was over, we spent an afternoon watching Cole run up and down the beach on the West Coast. At 20 months old, he has already had his toes in the sand on both coasts. That’s something that took Mike and I a lot longer to achieve.
Mike: When I set out on this farming journey, I never dreamed that the opportunity to travel across the country would come to our family. Opportunities are endless if you keep your mind open to new ideas and suggestions. It was a great trip, and we look forward to attending the Commodity Classic again someday.
Sheilah and Mike Reskovac and their son Cole farm near Uniontown, Pa. Catch all their "Two Hearts, One Harvest" blogs at AmericanAgriculturist.com.
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