The crops in the fields around our small town are growing, green has replaced the dreary brown of winter and oh the humidity makes my skin feel good. This photo was taken a few weeks ago when the field rows were more visible, revealing the straight, symmetrical lines of corn and soybeans. I know many farmers use GPS to set …

Meaning: Apply yourself conscientiously to your work; or to continue to work very hard, without stopping. Origin: There are two rival explanations as to the origin of this phrase. One is that it comes from the supposed habit of millers who checked that the stones used for grinding cereal weren’t overheating by putting their nose to the stone in order …

The Country Living Association has some tips for getting your farm blog “planted online” this week. If you haven’t already, think about starting a blog to tell your farm story and grow your business online. Though it may feel overwhelming to add another farm chore to your list, in reality, a blog is simply a web-published diary or journal usually …

Where do I live, you ask? Well, it’s two miles south of the big river bridge. It’s a mile east of Uncle Bob’s. It’s just north of Mrs. Tate’s place, you know, the lady who used to write children’s books? (As always, names have been changed to protect the innocent, or in this case, deceased.) Don’t you love how us …

When I was little, I always wanted to ride in the tractor with my dad. And even though my memory isn’t that great, I DO remember sitting in the hallway crying and throwing a tantrum because I had the chicken pox and mom wouldn’t let me go with him to feed the cattle . The tractor he used didn’t have …

Don’t forget to register by June 24 for the AgChat Foundation Agvocacy 2.0 Conference which will be held August 22-23 in Nashville, TN. If you are passionate about agriculture and want to learn more about how you can use social media to “tell your story” then this conference is for you. The conference is open to 75 people (production ag, …

When we got married, my mother thought it was odd that I wasn’t putting china and crystal glassware on our registry. Gone are the days of formal dining rooms, china hutches, “good” dishes and expensive glassware. At least at my house anyway. If you peer inside our kitchen cabinets, you’ll instead see plastic cups with lids, plastic plates and refillable …

I just got my copy of The Food Security Reader. It is “The Best of Truth About Trade & Technology” with the foreword written by Dean Kleckner and edited by Mary Boote. I have only just skimmed it but if you like what you find at TATT then you will like reading through the stories told in this book. The …

Its’ coming. And for now, farmers are playing the “sit and wait” game to see just how bad it’s going to be. We’ve all heard the news reports about people evacuating Hamburg, Iowa, and seen workers frantically filling sand bags, the endangered fish, and the reports about levy capacity. We even know what USDA is telling consumers to help them …

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this before, but another household chore I absolutely adore is vacuuming. I could do it every day and be happy, if only the trade-off were that I never had to dust. Ever. Now, I’m not one of those who has to have perfectly symmetrical lines, and I don’t actually vacuum every day, but at the …