Column #340     March 11, 2022The Loner

There are many occupations where the lone wolf can do quite well. For some people there’s a lot of comfort in being a lone wolf. Loners can do their own thing without interruptions or mandatory meetings. Loners only have to struggle with their own schemes and doubts when it comes to new ideas or strategies. Loners rarely need to communicate with others which minimizes misunderstandings. On the other hand, there’s big advantages in teamwork and even lone wolves can perform better by frequently touching base with others.

In the ranching and farming business, most operations are rather modest sized. They can only afford one employee which is often the owner and maybe a family member. Since ranching and farming is a very complex business that encompasses numerous and quite varied sciences and skills, I always said it was the most difficult business on earth to manage. One person has to not only “know it all” but do it all by melding together very diverse knowledge bases and mechanical/physical skills into a profitable game plan that only cycles once a year. If a step is missed, the opportunity usually doesn’t present itself again for 12 months.

On smaller ranches and farms the managers spend most of their time working by themselves, but unless they’re touching base with many other people with varied backgrounds, they’re doomed to fail. When I was actively ranching I had quite a list of experts in a very wide variety of fields that I could call on for nearly every activity you could imagine. For an idea of diversity just pull up the websites of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University or the Noble Research Institute, LLC. Now those two sources are quite complete for agriculture, but that’s just the beginning of the required knowledge base. To that base we need to add in machinery skills, atmospheric sciences, accounting, medical, marketing, construction, human resources, and on and on it goes.1 2

When it comes to knowledge, the less we know the more we think we know. Our knowledge ring is a circle around our head where the more we know the greater the circumference. Everything on the outside edge of the circumference of our circle is unknown. If our circumference is small, what we don’t know doesn’t appear to be all that much. But the more we know, the greater the circumference which geometrically expands what we know we don’t know. Therefore, the more we know, the more we know we need teamwork.

Last week Kevin Stock, Meat Academy founder, discussed his take on teamwork which inspired this column. The work that he does in educating people about the importance of meat in the diet is extraordinary. That’s especially true in this woke day and age where the propaganda is that vegetarianism is required for the health of mankind and the planet. In last week’s newsletter, “What Happened 200 Years Ago,” Kevin also addressed that topic. So, check out the footnoted link to his brief newsletter which covers quite a few bases.3 4

You’ll also notice Kevin is a Bitcoin fan. Well, it takes at least two people to make a market and this is where we differ. Therefore I’m footnoting a link to my article on Bitcoin. The world is headed for a credit implosion. The incredible run-up in commodity prices, labor costs, and th soon to be higher interest rates are critical business inputs that reduce profitability. Lower earnings result in lower stock prices. As stock prices drop, business conditions deteriorate, loans are called in, and the credit implosion starts. That’s when everything priced in currencies will be up for sale to pay currency-denominated debts. The result will be an asset value crash that will make the 2008 to 2009 period look like a cakewalk.5 6

Obviously this is a good time to team up and work together for survival.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

1. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences webpage for Texas A&M University

2. Noble Research Institute, LLC

3. What Happened 200 Years Ago by Kevin Stock from Saturday 7

4. Meat Health Academy

5. The Modern-Day Pet Rock by Ted Slanker

6. A World Upside-Down by Ted Slanker