Last year those who believe in global warming could make hay. March in Indiana was so warm it was off the charts. July brought temperatures that resembled those recorded in the 1930s. Then there's 2013 – definitely a year with a mind of its own. Forecasters called for a warm, wet spring. They got the wet part right, but up until now, at least, they missed the warm part. Maybe they believe in global warming too. I could show you about 500 high school kids who don't…

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If what I'm about to say sounds somewhat like what I said last week, you're very perceptive. One week ago I presented the argument to get behind the Dodge Superbowl commercial featuring Paul Harvey and ask city cousins to watch it. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but it's the most positive message shown to a huge public audience about agriculture in a long time, maybe in my lifetime. It's not every day you can speak in positive tones to 100 million people. Set aside the…

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There's a local radio personality who plays a 30-seocnd routine every night of two guys critiquing his show. They start out, "It's great," and the other responds "It was wonderful." Then they start picking it apart. By the end of the bit, they conclude "It was awful," and "Yeah, it was horrible." I saw that scenario play out for real after Dodge's Super Bowl commercial featuring the late Paul Harvey's poem, "So God Made a…

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Our item that ran right around election day said that no matter how the election turned out, the sun would come up the next morning – somewhere. "Maybe it did. But it was certainly mighty cloudy," one reader told us tongue-in-cheek. The Wednesday after election day was cloudy in Indiana. But the reader was referring to the political races, especially the Presidential election. Obviously, he was a Romney supporter. Actually, it looks like we're back where we…

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Some will be happy this week on Wednesday morning, others will be disappointed. Some may think the world is coming to an end. It's possible I might be one of them, except I've been down this road before. Things don't always go as I want either, but one thing has never disappointed me. No matter what happened I didn't like, or how embarrassing something was, the sun still came up the next morning. You may not be able to see it, if it proves to be cloudy, but somewhere &ndash…

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Let me say at the outset that there are hundreds of dedicated 4-H leaders, county fair board members, people serving on county 4-H councils and state fair board members all across the state. Many people think through situations carefully and don't act without first considering the consequences. There are truly many people who deserve a heartfelt thanks for giving up time and staying in the background, doing what they do for the good of kids. With that said, the rest of you may want to get out…

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Last week came two Supreme Court decisions, neither of which was easy to understand. Even legal experts were baffled by the twists and turns used to reach decisions, especially in the healthcare ruling. At the same time, more regulations flow from EPA regulators in Washington, D.C. The ones that make any sense just make life out here more difficult. The ones that don't make any sense are a dead giveaway that the people writing them either have no common sense, have never been on a real farm, or…

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I'm not a politician, and this isn't a political column. Instead, it's reassurance to whoever is reading that whomever Hoosiers choose as their next governor, based on the views expressed by the two most likely candidates at a recent ethanol forum sponsored by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the ethanol industry, Indiana should be in good hands. It was a treat to hear these candidates express their views and answer questions submitted by the audience so early in the election season…

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A phone call with a regulator this week prompted me to view how we should take care of our land and resources in a slightly different way. One new rule requiring licensing for applicators who apply fertilizer for hire or manure from a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) unit goes into effect Jan 1. At the same time there is a rule proposed for how fertilizers are handled in this state. You can comment on it until January 7, but it won't be finalized likely until spring, and probably…

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Believe it or not, the winter that would never end and the spring that many wish they could forget about are basically over, with spring officially turning to summer this week. Some counties didn't wait for official summer to kick off their annual runs, bringing roasted corn, giant tenderloins, Ferris wheels, and cracker jack back to life. I got my first taste of the county fair season this past Thursday, when I judged a variety of 4-H projects at the Rush County pre-fair judging in…

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