9
Mar
2015
This time of the year, seed is being delivered and field by field product placement is taking place with the last tweaks to where and to what product is being planted. I’ve spent a lot of time in the office creating variable rate prescriptions and putting planting books together. Product placement is crucial so as we approach planting, I like to make sure that we are on the same page as to where each product needs planted. Of course, since the weather holds the trump card in farming, my daily tasks are always subject to change. One day I may be attending an educational meeting and the next I may be visiting with current customers and prospecting for new ones. That windshield time, which can be a lot, gives me time to think. After thinking about the important and serious matters of life, my thoughts always seem to find a way around to the humorous things that don’t really matter, but make life a little more fun.
Categories: Field Stories
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Sharing Stories, Making Memories, Humor In Everyday Life, Truck Stops, Life of a seed salesman
2
Feb
If you’ve read my blog much, you’ve figured out that I’m a seed salesman that travels a wide area and sometimes writes about those travels. I also like to write about my winter escapades/vacations, because I don’t tend to take much time off during the growing season. You’ve probably already figured out that hunting is my hobby. Well, before trekking out on my most recent expedition to Texas, I wasn’t planning on writing about it. But what happened was not what I was expecting.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Aoudad sheep, Sharing Stories, Making Memories, Barbary sheep, Texas Aoudads, Safari Club International
23
Dec
2014
And I thought the amount of miles that I have to drive is bad! Did you know that Frisbee the elf has to fly to the North Pole every night to tell Santa if the kids have been good or bad? Whew!! If you aren’t aware of how Elf on the Shelf works, your elf (which you name) then flies back and positions himself in a new place to be found by morning…every morning. Did you hear the long pause there? Eeeevvveerrryyyy morning. Oh and if a person ever touches your elf, he or she loses their magic. Don’t touch the elf! Our elf, Frisbee, has become a wonderful tool to help promote good behavior. The only down side… our elf is kinda’ ornry! Here are some of the places we found Frisbee this month.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Ryan McAllister, Christmas, God's Blessings, Elf on the Shelf, Attitues and Actions, People Watch what you do
20
Oct
We all come at the world with different view points. The other day I passed a house with this large, welded together, colorfully painted, six foot tall metal rooster. Wait, what was that? I had to turn the truck around. Why didn’t I think of this?! Everyone needs a six foot tall metal rooster in their front yard! It’s funny sometimes what people will put in their front yards. Where the idea came from is anyone’s guess. To me, this seems silly, but that person was proud enough to put it in their yard! This brings me to the saying, “One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.”
Tags: Beck's Blog, harvest, Ryan McAllister, God's Blessings, Harvest Blessings, Another Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure
22
Sep
In the past few weeks, I have been driving a lot visiting customers in IL, IN, and OH. However, my largest driving challenge took me only a half mile up the road.
Tags:
25
Aug
Work hard. Play hard. I’ve heard Scott Beck talk about his dad Sonny raising them this way. Hard work is important! Taking time to relax is equally important! I haven't always been able to do this. In fact, several years ago I was completely unable to get my mind off of work while on vacation. But now, in my 40’s, I’m realizing that my family is not going to remember me for my successes at work. They will remember time with me and the memories we made together. Others will remember me for the impact that I have on them, be it good or bad. I strive to have more good than bad. This past month or so has, for me, been about hard work, fun and some good stories on the road of not only a traveling salesman, but a father.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, GatorQuest, Beck's expands into Iowa, Beck's Purchases Mt. Pleasant Iowa Pioneer Facilit, Stories of a traveling salesman, Ridiculous Days, American Farmer, God Bless the American Farmer
21
Jul
There I was. It’s always kinda’ funny when you start a story like that. But, it’s true, I was there…at Starbuck’s that is. I had an appointment with a great customer and friend at Wakarusa, IN. I needed to get there, but nature called. I had also needed to stop for some coffee after a restless night’s sleep. But, you know when you have to go so bad that the hair is standing up on your arms? It was like that.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, #payitforward, Gotta' Go, Starbucks, Coffee, Life Lessons, Leo Buscaglia
16
Jun
This past week’s travels have taken me about 2,000 miles from central IN, to northern IL, southern OH, northern OH, and northeastern IN. It’s been a big week! As strange as our weather has been lately, and as variable as crops look, I thought it would be beneficial to share not only pictures, but some agronomic information from this week’s journey.
Tags: Illinois, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Indiana, Ohio, 2014 Crop, Weather, Scouting
19
May
Every dog has a story. The majority of the farms I visit seem to have a farm dog. It seems like these dogs are usually a mixed breed. The more I think about it, I very rarely see a purebred version of man’s best friend. From my own experience, the more mixed the dog, the more brains God put in his head.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, agriculture, beck’s hybrids, Beck's Hybrids, farmers, farm families, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, farm dogs, Ryan McAllister, Beck's Hybrids soybeans
Apr
For me, spring hasn’t yet fully arrived, regardless of temperature, until Opening Day of the Cincinnati Reds. Monday, March 31 was an Opening Day that I will not forget. The Reds lost. Darn it! But, the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, barbecue Ribs at the Montgomery Inn, which is right on the Ohio River, the smell of La Rosa’s pizza by the slice, fresh green grass, and America’s favorite pastime, make Opening Day one that remains special regardless of win or loss. Spring is here! Although, I haven’t decided yet if the Reds have realized that, they aren’t starting off very good! At the writing of this blog, the Reds are 2-6 and already 3.5 games out of first place. That’s a horrible start! But, does that mean that is how they’ll finish?
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, Beck's Hybrids Twitter, farming, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Beck family, Beck's seed corn, Beck's soybeans, Beck's corn seed, Beck's corn hybrids, Beck's "B", Beck's Hybrids Seed Corn, Beck's Hybrids soybeans, Family owned company, Positivity and Perseverance, Delayed planting in farming, #plant14, Cincinnati Reds, Damage Doctors, Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, Montgomery Inn, La Rosa's Pizza, baseball season, Opening Day of Baseball, Opening Day
17
Sometimes the life of a traveling seed salesman takes me to places on back roads, meeting interesting people along the way (which I love). But, sometimes you just have to get out of here and take a break. This winter has taken me to a few places that one could say were, uhhh…. pretty much polar opposites of one another.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, St. Kitts, GatorQuest, Marriott
10
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with traveling and trying to dodge the winter storms that we’re getting hit with here in the Midwest. So for today’s blog post, I thought it would be nice to share a lighthearted story with you to give you a little smile on this cold winter day.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids Twitter, agriculture, beck’s hybrids, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, blogging, Beck's seed corn, Beck's soybeans, Toilet Mailboxes, Beck's "B"
Jan
“People don’t believe they exist, but they do.” Those were the first words out of a man’s mouth as he approached me at a farm show a few years ago. I was standing behind a sales counter when he came up and started the conversation with those words, followed by, “Can I have one of those yellow bags?” Well, of course I said yes. But, I wasn’t about to leave that odd introduction alone.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, Indiana farming, Beck's Hybrids, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, Ryan McAllister, family-owned company, Beck's seed corn, Beck's yellow bags, swamp hunting, Mt. Sterling KY Court Days, Court Days - Mt. Sterling Kentucky, Preston Kentucky, BECK 6175AMX, Beck's corn seed, Beck's corn hybrids
2013
We are all known for something. Even if we go out of our way to not stand out in a crowd. Some of us desire to be known for something. Maybe it’s our athletic ability, intelligence, job title, role in the family, being the best mom or dad we can be, or a superior businessman or woman. While others seem to be content to sit on the sidelines and to be obscure, even somewhat mysterious. But even if you try not to be known for anything, then you may be known as humble.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, agriculture, farmer, Illinois, farms, Beck's Hybrids, fields, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Life Of A Traveling Salesman, farm family, Beck's seed corn, family farming, World's Largest Wind Chime, Casey Illinois, World's Largest Rocking Chair, World's Largest Wind Chime in Casey Illinois, mushroooms, humble farmers
18
Nov
I’m Ryan McAllister and I’ve been an agronomist with Beck’s in IN and OH. Currently, I am a Farm Business Advisor for Beck’s selling seed and working with large farmers over 5,000 acres in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. So what is this blog intended to become? I don’t know. That’s the fun part. I’ll probably talk about these very unique things that happen to me during my life as a traveling seed salesman. There are always things to learn, even life lessons, through these encounters that I have too. So I’ll be sharing some of those as well.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids Blog, Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids Facebook, Beck's CropTalk Newsletter, Beck's Hybrids Twitter, agriculture, beck’s hybrids, family farms, farmer, Beck's Hybrids, corn, Beck's Hybrids seed advisor, Ryan McAllister, Field Stories, Life Of A Traveling Salesman