Our 2020 Steward team finished yesterday in time to get gussied up for our year-end celebration dinner last night.  Lots of old farmers my age don't cotton to spending days surrounded by 20-somethings (or younger) but when they're on board, engaged, and enthusiastic, their vitality is infectious.  And when you're well over 60, vitality infection is a good thing.

             The crowning achievement of this year's wonderful 11-person team was last week when we had a chicken processing glitch and hearing about it, they stepped up and said "let's do it."   For us, a big processing day is 600 birds.  Average is around 500 and a no-sweat day is 400.  I'm just trying to put things in context so you can appreciate what these young people did.

             When the number "about 800" came up, they didn't flinch.  Not only did they embrace the notion, they were energized by it.  We assured them that never before in history had we processed 800 birds in a day. 

             Good to their word, they started in at daybreak and rotated out for breakfast, keeping up the processing pace without let up.  Well before noon the last bird--number 801--went through the plucker and across the evisceration table.  They had stepped up to the challenge and done it, establishing a new record.  What's most amazing, they did it right at the end of the season.

             Normally in the last couple of weeks the team gets pre-occupied with post-Polyface thoughts and they kind of slack up.  It's hard to maintain the level of interest for 5 full months.  What was novel in May is now routine.  And they're planning their next move in life.  To sustain this level of engagement right to the end is indeed unusual and speaks to their commitment to finish well.

             This is but a glimpse of this team's cohesion and jubilant spirit to tackle any challenge confronting them.  We're going to miss this team terribly; four will return as apprentices for next year and lead the 2021 stewardship team.  But right now, all of us old-timers at Polyface are aglow with appreciation and fondness for a stellar team, great spirit, and great attitude.  No drama; no tension; all transparent and real.

             Whenever someone starts denigrating young people, I want to grab them and drag them out to our farm and show them the kind of spirit and skill that will lead  farm and food models to a future healing place.  To be sure, it has taken as much energy and creativity to refine and lead our stewardship program as it has to develop the farming prototypes over the years.  But when the effort pays off like this, you realize our farm community is worth far more than money.

             Investing in these young people pays higher dividends, and more lasting dividends, than any other option.  After a season like this, I can sleep easily, confident that tomorrow is in good hands with these young people.

             Who is the young person(s) you know you can count on to carry the future?