Wednesday, March 25, 2026

In 2006, ethanol was the strong tail wagging the farm dog. In 2007, ethanol will be the big, well-muscled dog whose price-pumping tail will stir every farm market and nearly every public policy debate.

Very few things passed down to me from my paternal grandparents, unfortunately, survived our house fire of December 2000.

As I see it, the problem with writing is obvious: all the good lines are taken. If there was any justice in the world I would open this column about 2006 with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I love to bake, but making homemade goodies means someone should eat them. We don't need the extra food temptations, and neither do the people (neighbors and friends) I might give them to.

The move from the big house to the smaller home a year ago brought a pint-sized office, three dozen banker boxes to replace nine, overfilled filing cabinets and a new, tiny-by-comparison work desk.

As we close the door on another year, we start a new blank slate - anything is possible. I have always looked at a new year with eyes wide open to new possibilities and a hopeful heart.

This is the time of year when I like to share with you one of my mother's columns from when she wrote for Farm and Dairy from the 1950s until her death in 1965.

Each holiday season brings certain traditions that are unavoidable. For instance, at some point in December, you're going to turn on the radio and hear The Royal Guardsman singing the Snoopy vs.

I compared notes with a friend at work about the kinds of music we'd been working on at our churches, Hers, being one of the largest congregations in the area, just finished doing a Christmas cantata which was, no doubt, grand.

In late July, this space highlighted recent investigative stories by reporters at the Washington Post.