What should be outstanding in the field this time of year? When I was young, it was a common practice to use fencing made of wire and wooden pickets to create a temporary snow fence. If you are over 50 and lived in northern Illinois, you should remember the snowstorms Read more…
The year is over and many may be looking forward to 2022. I wonder if many farmers are happy to see 2021 in the rearview mirror or are they dreading the New Year. Despite some stories claiming that inflation is not much of a concern, I think many of us Read more…
Do you remember the public bathroom with a stall that required a nickel to open the door? It is reported that most Americans are chronically dehydrated. I am not one of the 70%-80% that are in that category. I drink water like crazy, which also means I go to the Read more…
The dearth of technology and communication due to my broken cell phone continues on my farm. The few phone calls that I have answered were usually met with much static and frustration. There is some good news about not using the phone; I have not been told that my car’s Read more…
New technology is a blessing and a curse. A recent farm magazine cover showed the multiple faces of Ag technology and included an in-depth article about the future implications of new technology in agriculture. I certainly was not pictured or quoted in the article. Have you ever heard the phrase, Read more…
Do you know how much diesel fuel costs? Do you know how much carbon/carbon dioxide an old diesel engine produces per hour? What farm implement was John Deere’s first claim to fame? Do you remember the iconic antilittering commercial featuring Iron Eyes Cody as an American Indian? Wow, this is Read more…
Did you eat yams for Thanksgiving? Did they give you gas? Are you now expecting a fart joke in this week’s article? Do I now have a captive audience? Before the ink could dry on the article I wrote last week, I covered most of the windows in my house Read more…
Do you think you could live a life similar to the life your grandparents, great grandparents, or great-great grandparents lived? Imagine doing some of the same things they did in the 1800’s or early 1900’s. Have I gone crazy? That is a rhetorical question. Did you have any trouble buying Read more…
Is it good to keep old things around? How about old people? Can old and well-worn items still be useful? Before the hate mail starts, let me state that I am referring to myself as the “old people.” In this weekly column several years ago, I wrote about the frustration Read more…
My dad loved driving tractors and other machinery, especially those used for the mechanical harvest of crops. Being born in 1926, he grew up during a time when many farms transitioned from manual labor of men and horses to machines. In his youth it was not uncommon for the crops Read more…