“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” That Chinese proverb comes to mind as I celebrate last week’s news that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been persuaded to keep the Illinois Department of Agriculture intact. The governor’s plan to shift […]

After taking a hiatus of sorts from involvement in the professional organization to which I have been a voting member for 17 years now, I accepted the NAFB president’s appointment to chair the professional improvement committee for The National Association of Farm Broadcasters for 2004. For many years I served on the board of directors, […]

I am sure you are as tired of listening to my insurance woes as I am experiencing and writing about them. My husband suggested that I select another topic for this week’s column, but I’ve heard it said that writing about something that makes you angry or upset is a sort of therapy. It “gets […]

Not only does your governor want to downsize the only agency in the state that gives a hoot about you, he wants to partially reinstate the sales tax on purchases of seed, feed, farm chemicals and fertilizers. I talked to the owner of a farm implement dealership in west central Illinois over the week-end who […]

How do you make a difference? Pork producers in rural America are being challenged to do just that. The National Pork Board of Directors has budgeted funds this year to begin planning for an industry-wide effort to improve the image of the pork producer. The goal is to empower producers to stand up and speak […]

Saying goodbye to February was easy for me. It’s been a long winter. After church on Sunday, we packed up a picnic basket and took off for the catfish pond. It was a windy day with just a bit of a chill in the air, especially when the clouds blocked the direct sunshine. A hooded […]

So is this global warming thing for real? Obviously this nebulous subject requires much more space to describe, discuss and debate than I have available here today. I learned in high school earth science class that energy from the sun drives the earth’s weather and climate, and heats our planet’s surface. The earth, in turn, […]

At a national cattle show recently, I was introduced by a fellow Illinois native to a man from Missouri who raises and exhibits Limousin cattle. After a few minutes of small-talk, discussing showing cattle at the Missouri State Fair, my new-found friend, Gary, said, “I had an interesting experience at YOUR state fair last summer.” […]

Looking out my hotel room window this morning, I see a lot of traffic. Not the sort of traffic you would think, because I’m not looking at a freeway. I’m looking out at a bend in the mighty Mississippi River from the 20th floor of a hotel in New Orleans. Had I been assigned a […]

Eric Davis, immediate past president of the National Cattlemen’s Association is a rancher from Bruno, Idaho. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mr. Davis during the recent National Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Phoenix, Arizona. The last time I had seen him, it was July, and the United States beef […]