It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already, yet here we are with another convention upon us. Soon, you’ll have the privilege of meeting our next president and will no longer be subjected to my monthly ramblings. I can say, with certainty, that I appreciate your indulgence and patience…
What I’m about to relay to you is a true story. A few weeks ago, myself and the rest of the leadership team from the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) stumbled into our hotel in Washington, D.C. It had been a long day of negotiating the innards of our…
Approximately 20 years ago, I erupted through the door of the tiny, one-bedroom apartment my wife and I shared in the first couple months of our marriage. At the time, I was attempting to teach disinterested college seniors the finer points of high-speed aerodynamics in the aftermath of the post…
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! I still remember watching the Lawrence Welk Show as the Champagne Ladies pranced out in 1960’s beachwear singing the campy tune. My mom has always considered the song a bit of an insult to rural farm country. Crazy seems to be…
The older I get, the more I’m convinced most of us (me included) stop maturing somewhere between ages 12 to 15. Adults must shave more often, but that’s about the only major difference later in life. Thus, almost any social group we, as adults, participate in can be viewed through…
New, innovative legislative disappointmentsI was talking to my neighbor about the highs and lows of farming. It got me thinking, what emotion seems to be the most prevalent in agriculture? I’m gonna go with disappointment. I’ve heard of disappointing weather, politicians, equipment dealerships and don’t even get me started on…
Progress. Seems to be a controversial word these days, yet it’s what most of us are striving for in one way or another. You hear some people say they’re a progressive person; I think that means they sell auto insurance though. Folks debate progress. Is it good? Bad? Does it…
My wife said she thinks I stress over things too much. I disagreed. But apparently, my wife belongs to a powerful global cabal of worried farm wives, a cabal who’s influence likely spans continents, oceans, maybe even space itself. I know this because a lot of other folks started making…
I’m fortunate to be old enough to have grown up in the age before cell phones, personal computers, the internet, social media and “Tic Tac,” or whatever they call it. My media entertainment was primarily relegated to the static-prone, antenna-received Northwest Public Broadcasting (NWPB) channel we had beamed in; Channel…
We’ve all been there. Sitting at the local café/coffee pot/rural community news center when a strange vehicle pulls into town. “That’s the new kid” one of the local farmers says. “He’s taken over the old Smith place.” Folks smile and shake their heads, bless his heart but he doesn’t know…
