Mother Nature has finally relented her chill. The asparagus is popping, and with warmer temps the annual ritual of wild asparagus picking will be finding many with the spring delicacy on their plate when this paper arrives in your mailbox. Did you know that the recent cold wave was probably Read more
Ladies and Gentlemen, start your tractors. Well, I mean that metaphorically. Back in February in a conversation with Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley, he stated how beneficial it would be for his department to have a police helicopter. Farming and police helicopters; do I have your interest? It is now Read more
For as long as I can remember there have always been constant requests for hunters to come on our farm to hunt wildlife. When I was younger, in the 60’s and 70’s, it was rabbits and pheasants. Now I believe if you want any chance of seeing a rabbit you Read more
Do you know how to make a pizza? Each year during National Agriculture Week the Joliet Junior College Weitendorf Agricultural Center is the home for a teaching session where volunteers educate students and teachers about pizza, or perhaps more specifically, where the ingredients for pizza come from on farms. Different Read more
I am about to start my 12th year of writing about agriculture in Will County. Whenever I want an easy night at the computer penning about 500 words, I revert to a general review of what is important now on Will County farms, or at least what comes to my Read more
I hesitate to even write about a current theory being bantered among chicken owners. I fear that even putting unsubstantiated statements in print will somehow validate them. I also run the risk of alienating some readers. Well, here goes. A laying hen can lay eggs for several years. The first Read more
I have been selling hay and straw to hundreds, if not thousands, of customers in the last 40 years. I wish I had written down all the bizarre, crazy, and frustrating situations I have endured. It never ceases to amaze me how many people own livestock and seem to lack Read more
It is time to write another article about chickens and eggs. Since I knew I had written many times about my backyard hens in the last 11 years, I searched “chickens and eggs” in my word program and came up with 37 matches. I will also add the popular avocado Read more
Do you like driving at night? How about in drizzle/snow on rural roads with no streetlights? Do you notice many approaching cars with obnoxiously bright lights or extra lights on the front of their vehicles? To find out if it was just me, or my age, I asked my 17-year-old Read more
In 1906, at the age of 13, my Grandpa Conrad left Germany aboard the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II and emigrated through Ellis Island on September 11th. My recent trip to Hawaii was my first time on a plane or being in an airport since 2015. Do you remember a little Read more