Hard Work Leads to Success

As I was growing up, my parents taught me the value of hard work — that it’s not as important to be the most naturally talented, best looking or wealthiest as it is to be humble, persistent and hardworking. This is the way of thinking I’ve kept with me throughout my entire career, from Feed & Grain’s annual Showcase issue, through trade show season to the day-to-day challenges of running a magazine.

Throughout my 35-plus-year career with Feed & Grain, my parents’ lessons have never been more important than through the year and a half processes of turning Feed & Grain LIVE from an idea, just being discussed around a meeting table, to one of the proudest moments in my career.

It took long days and overwhelming support from the industry, but the inaugural Feed & Grain LIVE in Altoona, IA, has come and gone in a blur. When the dust settled, we had 47 booths, 18 sponsors, more than 50 attendees, and great education and networking opportunities. Our six breakout sessions covered a wide range of topics and included practical knowledge for facility managers, like the Food Safety Modernization Act, mycotoxin management, safety and HR practices.

The keynotes were big hitters in the industry, and gave top-down overviews on what’s happening in agriculture both here and abroad. In between all this were good hearty meals that gave attendees a reason to stay and talk with one another and the exhibitors.

My favorite part of the show was the panel of past cover stories. Not only was it nice to finally meet them in person, but the information presented was interesting and valuable. They discussed why they needed to build or expand, the choices they made while building, how the project went, what they got when it was finished and how they’re performing today. It was not only fascinating to listen to their stories, but to hear the pitfalls and things they would have done differently now that the facilities have been running offered something we just can’t cover in print.

In the end, Feed & Grain LIVE will always be one of the highlights of my career. If you were there I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to email me a few lines about your experience at [email protected] If you weren’t there, I hope you’ll join us next time. But for now, I want to thank the Feed & Grain team, our exhibitors and of course our readers for making this a success!

— Arlette Sambs