Hustle – verb; to urge forward.

Like many of you, at the CREC we are in our season of hustle. It feels like just last week I wrote about staking plots and planting new seed and now, suddenly, we are nearing the end of harvest. Between the time of planting and harvest a lot of activity occurs here. Approximately 30 part-time staff are added to the roster near the end of planting and are vital to our summer activities including data collection, weeding plots, helping in the orchard and assisting with the many field days we host. Just like that, their time here is done and we’re left with what feels like a skeleton crew.

Nonetheless, the looming darkness of winter threatens and slowing down is not an option. Completing harvest, sampling soil, preparing fields for next spring and buttoning things up before the snow hits all require hustle. Besides the obvious outdoor activity, we also have some indoor hustling to do as well. Fall is not only a time of harvest, but also a time when grant applications are due, trial notes need to be completed and annual reports need to be written.

If you’re like me, you like the late fall season. It brings a sense of closure to the hustle. As the temperatures drop and hours of darkness lengthen, it gives an unspoken approval to slow down and reflect upon all we’ve accomplished throughout the year. Late fall is still a ways away and hustle is still required for a few more weeks, for us and you. As you work with urgency to complete your tasks this fall we implore you to put safety first. Working with a bit of hustle is one thing, rushing is another. An unnecessary accident often costs us more time and energy than we have left to give during this season in the cycle.

Geese fly over harvested and unharvested fields at the CREC during the early fall season.

Mary Keena
mary.berg@ndsu.edu
Extension Specialist, Livestock Environmental Management