Albert Einstein is reported to have said that if he had an hour to solve a problem, he’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and the last five minutes on the solution. That theory is put into practice this week at Ag in Motion, Saskatchewan’s outdoor dryland farming exhibition and trade show.
Implicit in Einstein’s theory of problem solving is thinking time. Now, that is one thing farmers have in disproportionate quantities. Spring seeding and fall harvest involve extended hours devoted to concentrating on all things farming… time to identify problems and solutions.
This may be Saskatchewan’s super power – the ability to identify problems, opportunities or challenges – and apply the requisite time to thinking through the issue and, ultimately, develop the solution. Then, with the innate skills born into a farmer, coupled with tools, a shop and know-how, they put together prototype solutions over the winter.
It is the reason Saskatchewan produces so many innovations, equipment and practices that are now world standards: thinking time. And Ag In Motion is where all that thinking comes together in one place.
