Agricultural News
Chattanooga Farmer Will Use His Optimism to Lead Oklahoma Farm Bureau YF&R Committee in The Coming Year
Wed, 18 Nov 2020 08:52:58 CST
Cody Goodknight is an optimist! The Chattanooga, Okla., young farmer says he must be optimistic, or he wouldn't be able to persevere and work so hard on the farm every day.
Goodknight plans to use that optimism as he and his wife Kara will lead the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Committee in the coming year.
Goodknight was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Editor Sam Knipp.
I think optimism is the number one thing required to be a farmer, Goodknight said. Without it, what's the point in planting a crop, he said.
Being a farmer and rancher, we are very resilient, and we love what we do, Goodknight said.
I encourage other young farmers and ranchers to persevere and stay active in groups like Farm Bureau and never give up the good fight, Goodknight said.
If we don't stay active and have a voice, someone else will do it for us, he said.
The southwest Oklahoma farmer definitely believes there is a future for young farmers and ranchers.
I think if anything this coronavirus has shown there is place for agriculture as people need to eat and need clothes, he said.
Goodknight is also pragmatic as he knows there is a need for more than just hoping for better things to happen.
Unfortunately, optimism doesn't pay the bills, Goodknight said.
He is concerned some young farmers will struggle to stay afloat and may need to make an occupational change.
Insurance and government assistance only go so far, and you have to make a choice to continue or make a change, he said.
Goodknight noted his family will probably make a few changes on their southwest Oklahoma farm in 2021.
Every year is different and if you don't learn from that you will go out of business, he said.
You have to learn from the mistakes and make more good decisions than bad decisions, he said.
Making decisions is a fact of life for farmers and Goodknight said they often don't know for sure if they made the correct choice until several months later.
You can click on the listen bar below to hear more of Sam's interview with Cody Goodknight.
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