Political wisdom for the heartland
The first political wisdom ever sent my way came from the gravelly throat of Everett Dirksen.
During Dirksen's 1968 reelection stop in my southern Illinois hometown, I asked the white-maned Senate Minority Leader how he'd outflank Mayor Daley's Chicago vote machine.
Big GOP win: Tough ag fights ahead
Just before midnight Nov. 2, the empty Guinness cans in my kitchen sink rattled.
Two (of the three; there would be more later) fell.
Rabobank isn’t out for the count
Just as the noisy presidential campaign reached its October crescendo, the biggest, most bitter issue in farm country - Rabobank's bid to buy Omaha's Farm Credit Services of America (FCSA) - skidded to a quiet end.
Not knowing beans about seed corn
Love him or hate him, controversial filmmaker Michael Moore has his self-described "America's biggest slacker" act down pat.
Few fan-o-grams in columnist’s mail
It's been more than a year since readers have had their say in this weekly space, so, in the spirit of this election season - warning: mudballs ahead - here's their take on my take of agriculture.
Autumn leaves bring world of hope
The words "Fall Classic" meant nothing to me on the dairy farm of my youth until 1964.
That year, after 18 years of futility, the St.
USDA head blatantly campaigning
Officially, the 2004 presidential election kicked off Labor Day. Unofficially, the Bush re-election effort at the U.
USDA makes effort to politicize local FSA offices; your seat may be open
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.
Livestock needs tomorrow’s solutions
Two fact-laden summer reports on animal agriculture nearly mirror each other on the woe faced by many American dairy, cattle and hog producers.
Platforms tell real presidential story
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.
