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By: JACKIE MUNDT
Pratt County farmer and rancher
Earlier this month, I traveled to South Africa with the American Farm Bureau’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership program. Our group has been exploring labor challenges in agriculture, and South Africa offered valuable perspective. The country is a major provider of H-2A guest workers, who fill critical labor gaps on U.S. farms and harvest crews.
Alongside labor issues, we learned about South Africa’s agriculture, trade, geography, natural resources, government and culture. We were fortunate to have an exceptional guide, Manuela, who brought our trip to life. In fact, when I posted a photo of her online, a friend commented that she had also been his guide during a Kansas State University trip more than a decade ago — a small reminder of the close ties within agriculture.One lesson I’ve learned from traveling, both near and far, is a good guide makes all the difference. Manuela, who has lived in South Africa most of her life, offered not just knowledge but also passion for her country, flaws and all. Her decades of experience gave us insights we would have missed on our own.
Still, even a great guide can’t control everything. When we visited Kruger National Park, luck and timing played their part. Within minutes of entering, we saw elephants and a zebra. Over the next eight hours, we encountered giraffes, lions, cape buffalo, hippos, kudu, baboons, waterbuck and even a leopard. None of us had been to the park before, but we recognized that this was no ordinary day.
Our group’s excitement turned playful as we joked about what else was on our “bingo cards.” It felt almost as if we were willing each new sighting into reality. At day’s end, Manuela confirmed our experience had been extraordinary — even for her. She explained that in her decades of guiding, she had rarely seen such abundance in a single visit.
Manuela went further, suggesting that our group’s positive energy helped shape the day. She contrasted our attitudes with those of groups she described as entitled, rude or negative. Those groups, she said, often encounter endless problems: uncooperative weather, vehicle breakdowns or the inability to spot even common animals.
By contrast, she attributed our success to our respectful, grateful and upbeat spirit. Her words struck a chord. We became even more intentional about being the best group we could be — and the magic continued. We saw wildlife up close, connected with people who shared powerful personal stories, stumbled into unexpected discoveries and even had weather that seemed to turn favorable just when we needed it.
As a farmer, I know our attitudes didn’t change the weather. But I also know from experience that mindset matters. Looking back at different moments in my life, I can see how energy — positive or negative — often sets the tone for outcomes.
Of course, optimism doesn’t guarantee perfection. Crops fail, machinery breaks and plans unravel despite the best intentions. Yet when we approach challenges with gratitude and resilience, we’re better equipped to notice opportunities, appreciate small victories, and turn setbacks into stories worth telling.
Traveling in South Africa reinforced this simple truth: attitude shapes experience. Believing you’ll meet inspiring people, witness unforgettable moments and learn something new won’t make it certain — but it makes it far more likely. And when that belief spreads through a group, the results can feel nothing short of extraordinary.
"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
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