Columns

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In the process of transferring the Farm and Dairy archives to our new Web site, some articles were not completely uploaded. If you find an article that is incomplete, please contact us with the title and date of that article and we will fix it. Thank you for your patience.

Nightly chocolate habit isn’t a bad thing

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Laurie Marlatt Steeb

A box of Daffin’s chocolate sits within reach of my bed. I want you to know I don’t over-indulge. One chocolate piece a night suffices. I started eating from this box, a two-pound assortment, shortly after receiving it as a birthday gift at the beginning of May. In mid July, I’ve just now moved to […]

Economy: ‘Positive, but subdued’

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Susan Crowell

Well, Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain, let’s hear it.
Let’s hear your spiels for turning the U.S. economy around.

Putting things into perspective

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Kymberly Foster Seabolt

On more than one occasion, I get all hung up on my deadlines, my responsibilities, and my perceived importance in the world.

During these times, which number in the “many” category, you could find me doing one of the following: freaking out, crying, freaking out some more, feeling sorry for myself, getting mad, getting even and […]

Late summer a good time to think about pastures and hay crops

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Mark Sulc

Late summer can be an excellent time to establish new forage stands. It is also a good time to seed in bare or thin spots in stands established this spring.

While we can’t control the weather, there are several things we can control that will improve the chances for successful forage stand establishment.

First, apply lime and […]

If only farmers could run the world

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Judith Sutherland

“As part of a training exercise, those newly-inducted were served orders that they could run the world as individuals for a full seven days. They tried their best to operate in an individual fashion, barking orders in their own way. The cadets fell all over themselves making one huge mistake after another until they reached […]

Get excited about local dairy shows

Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Bonnie Ayers

In my book of favorite events, a county fair is a close second to Christmas.

County fairs bring families together, the food is plentiful, and the “gift” is the learning experience that youth are provided through 4-H and FFA.

My 4-H fair experiences began in Clark County showing Jerseys. There was lots of competition in […]

Tinkering with CRP could be costly

Monday, July 21, 2008 by Alan Guebert

When Farm Journal’s late staff economist John Marten explained the-then new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the mid-1980s, he did so with a clever memory tool.
“CRP isn’t complicated,” Marten once told a large crowd (which included me) back then, “if you remember the ‘Four Ws’: West, Wheat, Wet and Windy.”
CRP will be called many […]

Hazard A Guess: Week of July 17, 2008

Thursday, July 17, 2008 by Farm and Dairy Staff

Each week Farm and Dairy challenges readers to identify a small tool or gadget.

Corn Cob Shakers and Joyful Noisemakers

Thursday, July 17, 2008 by Laurie Marlatt Steeb

I typed this week’s column in an overstuffed chair in our adult Sunday school room. Upbeat feelings inspired me as the sounds of Bible school flowed through our old church. The building’s potential is seldom utilized due to lack of people.
Classrooms that once were filled with every age group when I was a kid are […]

Who wins in world trade deals?

Thursday, July 17, 2008 by Alan Guebert

Can anyone explain why the biggest haters of the “nanny state” are also the biggest supporters of the biggest nanny the world has ever created?