Jack McCall gave the keynote presentation "Re-Energizing Agri-Business: Finding Your Second Wind in a Warp Speed World," at Turfgrass Producers International Education Conference held at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. on Feb. 17.

Between Feb. 16 to 19 Turfgrass Producers International Education Conference & Field Day was held at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Networking lunches, concurrent breakout sessions, keynote speaker, show & tell and exhibits were all part of the conference this past week.

"Some of the generational challenges we're facing is how to deal with Millennials," said McCall. "When they get their first job, their average age is 22. "The number one goal when hiring them is that they arrive to work on time. The second goal is that they stay at work all day."

McCall said there's three positions one can take when facing life's challenges. The first is to play it safe, take no risk, which is basically quitting. The second option is to totally go for it. Like a Roman candle, it burns bright but eventually burns out. The best and most profitable choice for the long run is the calculated risk, which is also the safest position.

"In these times, change is going to continue to accelerate," said McCall. "There's going to be pressure to perform. That's why attending a conference like this is so vital. We gather information, rely on experience and share ideas. If another associate has dealt with a similar problem you're having, you can sit down and discuss how they handled it."

The reason for taking a risk is more important than the actual goals, said McCall. In the business world there's a continuum of people from the pioneers who forge a trail to victims who blame everyone for their problems. In the middle lie the players who participate in the game and the spectators who are watching the action and giving up.

"It takes courage to be a player," said McCall. "In the 1970s we had to run just to keep up. What are you doing to keep up? Life is a marathon, but we're all called to sprint.''

Following the keynote address Hugh Dampney, co-owner of ECO Turf shared his family business experiences of running Parley Court Farm in Christchurch, England. He and his brother started EcoSustainable Solutions in the 1990s when green waste was important. They composted and recycled waste and resold the end product. The end product was a soil improver mulch.

"We've been able to react to different opportunities," said Dampney. "Our location in southern England is important and we've been able to thrive as a family business for three generations."

Since the family owned 300 acres of arable land with unlimited irrigation, they opted to grow perennial rye grass and fescue. Eventually that was replaced with 270 acres of solar panels, which on a good day can produce up to 61 megawatts of power, enough to power 40,000 houses. Under the panels they grazed sheep. Other businesses on the land included Parley Golf Centre and Parley Equestrian Centre.