As most readers know, I'm not one to pay extra for organic/natural/non-hormone/etc. products. Conventional production methods don't bother me one bit. I'm very comfortable with the safety, price, nutrition and taste of these products.   As a result of my frequent tirades on the marketing behind the food industry, my sister saw a perfect opportunity to irritate me last weekend. Walking in from the grocery store, she made a big production of showing me the milk she…

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Man, that Humane Society of the United States is sneaky. Even though they irritate me to no end, I have to admit, they're smart.   In January, they entered into a partnership with Yellow Tail wine in what they're calling the "Tails for Tails" campaign. Essentially, Yellow Tail is marking bottles with a note that a percent of the purchase price will go toward HSUS to help save animals.   In the news release, HSUS does a great job of skirting the animal agriculture issue. The word agriculture…

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I think I've mentioned before that my wife is going back to school to obtain her masters in teaching. She starts classes in January, but has taken most of December to prep for a couple entrance exams. This means she's home during the day.   Last week I left my basement office to venture upstairs for a glass of water. Along the way, I noticed she was watching Dr. Oz. He was discussing a healthy, wholesome diet. Looking for a reason to get angry, I decided to watch as he dispensed his sage…

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I'm not a big fan of over regulation courtesy of Uncle Sam.   While the new administration is ripe with fresh examples, one in particular isn't getting a lot of press. I'm talking about the new rendering requirements put into place by the FDA as of April 27.   The new rule requires rendering companies to remove the brain and spinal cord prior to processing cattle carcasses 30 months and older. Otherwise, the animal cannot be used for byproducts and must be placed in a landfill, buried or…

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There's an oft-repeaded phrase in Illinois, "Corn is king." For the past several months, delayed corn planting has been the hot topic. However, this week, I traveled to Hixton, Wis. for the Farm Progress Hay Expo. It's been fun to take a break from corn to discuss alfalfa -- a crop that doesn't get a lot of publicity in central Illinois. At the Expo, I met a couple of farmers from southern Indiana who raise a few hundred acres of alfalfa for local horse owners. Both said the delayed planting…

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