Tunnel Vision

I think everyone is suffering from tunnel vision. They can't see in front of the nose.

I was at a field day today and a lady landowner heard the words Sudden Death Syndrome and assumed her tenants soybeans were all dead.

Another speaker talked about the company's non GMO varieties and he said they weren't offering any because there wasn't any market for them! I ruined his day when I said Pioneer said they were providing non GMO soybeans for the 2 million acre market out there. Still, that is a small part of the acreage in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan production which produces much of the non GMO soybean acreage for Japan and Korea.

There is so much information out there that there is quickly misinformation and misunderstanding. Staying abreast of all of this in just one crop or one market or one business is a full time job.

It is difficult not to have tunnel vision. You have to focus on any one job so much it is hard to see what is going on around you. Just driving safely down the road requires all of your attention. No wonder texting or talking while driving causes so many accidents. There has been a rash of them here again in the past week.

It is obvious to me many people have tunnel vision about our world. They only seem to know what they hear or perhaps read. I think it is just too much to comprehend. I am trying to not be overly focused on any one thing and do a lot of things well.

I read a good article on how Monsanto's tunnel vision has cost them market share back to Pioneer, owned by DuPont. They charge so much for their seed traits, farmers have went to less expensive sources that do as well for them.

Their stock has dropped in half the past two years where other stocks have stabalized and increased. Proctor and Gamble has had similar problems as other brands figured out how to get back market share.

These past few years it has been challenging for everyone, from the family to the corporate board room. Someone has to have vision and not head the group into that tunnel. It might seem safe in a storm but that quickly changes when you pass through after the storm is over.

The grass is greener on the other side and there are more ways than that tunnel to get there.

Ed