For more information, see the Second Quarter issue of Seed Today.
By Dan Foor
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to give various presentations to different audiences. I’m sure many of you have done the same and relish the chance to share perspectives, wisdom, and information with peers, while others of you may dread the experience since public speaking is often cited as one of the biggest fears people have.
This column, however, is not about public speaking, but rather a point that I’ve shared in a few presentations around “the secret to life.”
City Slickers
The bit is borrowed from a 1991 movie titled City Slickers, which I would highly recommend if you haven’t yet seen it, and to watch it again if it has been a while.
The movie is about a group of three friends who take a vacation each year (away from their wives) to bond and strengthen their friendship. As you might surmise from the title, the friends are from the city and choose to go to a working ranch in the Southwestern United States to get the “real cowboy experience.”
One member of the group, and the main character, Mitch (played by Billy Crystal), is having somewhat of a mid-life crisis and the ranch experience called to him.
In one poignant scene, Mitch and the gruff and rough ranch supervisor, Curly (played by Jack Palance) are riding their horses side-by-side. Curly, be-decked in his cowboy hat and bandana with his cigarette hanging precariously from his mouth, begins the dialogue as follows:
Curly in his deep, gravelly voice: “Do you know what the secret to life is?”
Mitch: “No, what?”
Curly: “One thing.” and raises his index finger.
Mitch: “Your finger?”
Curly “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean <expletive>.”
Mitch: “That’s great, but what’s the one thing?”
Curly: “That’s what you gotta figure out.”
Wow. That scene has always stuck with me, and I’ve spent a lot of time pondering the advice so eloquently provided by Curly.
It seems to me that what Curly was getting at was that we need to figure out what’s most important in life and, more than anything else, hold it sacred.
Figuring out “the one thing” at a macro level, or even in micro situations, can help focus your energy and keep you grounded in moments that may seem chaotic and without solution.
You can take this advice and apply it to just about any area of your personal and work sides of life and always ask yourself: “What is the one thing that is most important about this particular situation?”
Taking Action
As the Chair of ASTA this last year, the one thing that I endeavored to foster in our seed industry is a heightened sense of activation among our members. One thing that will help not only our association, but each of our businesses prosper and thrive, is engagement in our efforts to deliberately and frequently educate others about the important work we do while continually innovating the products and services we bring to the market.
One way to educate others and engage in those deliberate efforts is by taking action. You can start today, or restart those efforts, by joining me and other seed industry leaders at ASTA’s 2025 Leadership Summit, taking place June 8-11 in Washington, D.C.
Attendees will participate in professional development sessions, hear from top policy leaders, and put what they’ve learned into action during Advocacy Day, when they head to Capitol Hill to advocate for the industry’s legislative priorities, helping shape the future of the seed sector.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and more importantly, thank you for being part of our impressive seed industry. I wish you all the best in determining your “one thing.”
Dan Foor is 2024-2025 chair of ASTA, the American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, VA (703-837-8140/betterseed.org). Foor is vice president for Remington Seeds, Remington, IN (remingtonseeds.com).