Friday, January 23, 2026

Maybe the unseasonably hot temperatures that blistered the Midwest most of September can be traced to global warming, solar flares or the high volume of hot air blowing westward from Washington.

Last week, I talked with a wise fellow who has witnessed many changing seasons. We discussed how unseasonably hot it has been for October as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

When a Kentucky reader stopped by Farm and Dairy's booth at Farm Science Review, we chatted a bit about the extreme dry conditions down there, and the lack of pasture and feed for livestock.

I know this is a column about life and all the funny little things that can happen when living it. I hope you generally enjoy it.

I received the following essay, which was attributed to comedian George Carlin, but it turns out he had nothing to do with the piece.

As the leaves start turning and the nights get colder, our usual crops of orchardgrass, ryegrass and alfalfa begin to winterize.

(NOTE: Below is the second of a two columns on a now-collapsing, multimillion-dollar farmer-owned cooperative.

Have you ever noticed how weeds come and go over the years? I recall the summer of the battle of Queen Anne's Lace.

ATVs. We love them, use them on our farms and occasionally do a little joy riding. But they're also the enemy, for in the hands of a trespasser, they often tear up crops and fields and woodlots.

Decisions! Decisions! Which of more than a dozen jottings gets the lead paragraph for this column? And suddenly, Mother Nature makes the decision with a dazzling offering on the sunny last day of summer as a friend and I admired the just-mowed pasture.