A Curious Mind

Someone - a friend and colleague - paid me what I consider a high compliment several weeks ago. She said, “You have a curious mind.” Obviously - since I’m writing about it now - in the weeks since, this phrase has stayed with me. I am curious, but my curiosity tends to focus on the biological and behavioral rather than the mechanical.

I’ve never been mechanically inclined, really. Sure, I can pound a nail through a board (without bending the nail, most times). I can change the oil in my pickup. I can troubleshoot an electric fence. But I’ve always envied people like my brother-in-law Adrian, who can weld, or fix a diesel motor, or take apart and reassemble a rifle without an instruction manual. Those kinds of details are beyond me!

In many ways, my curiosity focuses on “why” rather than “how.” Why do some sheep prefer brush, while others prefer grass? Why are some cows solid mothers, while others reject their calves? Why do some ranchers adopt new technology, while others insist on doing it the way granddad did? Why did we grow so much grass last year (in an average rainfall year), while we grew less grass in 2017 (in a record rainfall year)? Why, why, why?

I suppose my curious focus on biological and behavioral questions drives the kind of work I do professionally. Biology and behavior (at least in my narrowly-focused experience) tend to be inexact sciences. I especially enjoy digging into relationships - the relationships between grazing animals and grass growth, for example. Or the relationships between economics and livestock production decisions. In my professional life, as a sheep producer and extension agent, the questions that excite me most have to do with these relationships. Do livestock guardian dogs displace coyotes or disrupt their predatory behaviors? Do herding dogs and sheep communicate - and if they do, what do they say? How can experienced ranchers best convey their knowledge to new ranchers?

Part of being curious, as should be obvious by now, is accepting that I’ll always have more questions than answers. As a farm advisor - and as a rancher, I’m paid to have answers - I am supposed to help the ranchers I serve understand complex issues. But I’m also paid to ask questions - and that’s what I really love about these jobs! I get paid to be curious!