Officially, the 2004 presidential election kicked off Labor Day. Unofficially, the Bush re-election effort at the U.

In what many are calling a power grab, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman used authority given the USDA in the 2002 Farm Bill to propose new guidelines that alter the composition and shorten the terms of locally-elected county Farm Service Agency (FSA) committees.

Two fact-laden summer reports on animal agriculture nearly mirror each other on the woe faced by many American dairy, cattle and hog producers.

Before rural America loses an eye to campaign mudballs, election year slime and rose-colored lies, let’s go where farm and ranch voters rarely venture.

The most important election in farm country this fall won’t be in presidential swing states like Iowa and Wisconsin nor will it involve mad cows, angry Brazilians or even promise-spewing, glad-handing politicians.

Before September becomes a blur of harvest dust, election mud and campaign slurs, it’s time to catch up on some of the characters who have waltzed through this space.

It happened again the other evening, just as it happens every year after the USDA farmer-rattling August Crop Production Report.

Columnist Alan Guebert says the markets need to take August off.

The sale of Omaha’s Farm Credit Services of America to Dutch lending giant Rabobank, formally announced July 30, continues to rock American ag lenders.

Columnist Alan Guebert tries to figure out what it’s all about.