Tennessee Living

About the Author - Anthony Kimbrough

Family Security columnist Anthony Kimbrough is vice president, government relations for Tennessee Farmers Insurance Cos.

I’m not too embarrassed (although I should be) to share my recent experience. As I recall it, the situation was set up perfectly from the get-go, and if captured by home video camera, would have been worthy of a segment of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” While Mom and Dad happily sunbathed in Florida, one of my “good son” responsibilities included helping trim their nanny goat’s bothersome front hooves, along with my parents’ more-than-capable neighbor, Robin.

Sounds simple, right? But no.

As I arrived, I immediately realized that I had underestimated the event – and my choice of attire.

Bundled against the cold with well-worn work coveralls and gloves, Robin was ready to tackle the task at hand. And there I stood, wearing a slick warm-up suit featuring my daughter’s school colors and mascot, new basketball shoes and Isotoner gloves.

What was I thinking? I wasn’t about to coach a basketball game; I was to crawl through a narrow opening into the blue tarp-covered shed where Nanny, as the goat is affectionately called, and her three newborn kids were protected from the weather.

But this was just the first step. The real task was to get Nanny on the ground and hold her while Robin trimmed her hooves, then cleaned and covered them with medicine.
You’ve gathered by now that I know very little about goats – and even less about getting them to lie down.

Robin gave me that “well, go ahead” look, so I did the only thing I could think of – I just sort of leaned on Nanny’s back, thinking she’d fall right down. No such luck.

OK, next approach. While still leaning on her back, I reached down and scooped my left arm to take her legs out from under her. It worked!
Somewhat proud of my goat-wrestling success, I held Nanny’s front legs with my right arm and tried to calm her by stroking her face with my left hand, while Robin went to work with the trimmers. Soon, Nanny’s three kids were scrambling on top of her and me. I was out of hands, so I just had to let them scamper all over me.

Finally, after what seemed like 10 hours (but was probably only 10 minutes), Robin completed our medicinal task. Nanny was no worse for the wear, and her hooves would be much better by the next day. I brushed off my clothes, thanked Robin, retreated to the car and fled the scene before someone else could see my embarrassment.

There are a multitude of morals to be drawn from this very real tale, but one stands out the most for me – experience really does matter. If I spent less time in the office and more time with goats, I would have been a much better assistant to Robin that chilly morning.

Everyone probably has a similar story, truth be told – though maybe not involving a goat. Such stories should remind us of the importance of seeking out skilled individuals to help us in situations where we aren’t knowledgeable. The same is true for your insurance decisions.

Just as I would never voluntarily – or independently – tackle a goat, most of us should never try to tackle insurance decisions without having a professional help us.

And, yes, there are a lot of insurance companies out there, but at Farm Bureau Insurance, we have more than 425 professional agents all across Tennessee. Only a few of them could probably handle your goat problems, but all of our agents are trained and backed by a great company for handling your insurance needs and services. 

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Magazine:
Tennessee Home & Farm, Summer 2010 Edition Edition

Headline:
Experience Matters

Summary:
Goat handling – and insurance service – requires a great deal of know-how.

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