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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When rains covered the state the third week of April, some with lots of acres to plant got jittery. Their grandpa would probably think they had lost their minds. When grandpa or great grandpa farmed, late April was for hauling manure, maybe plowing. Planting corn? You had to be kidding. The oak leaves weren't as big as squirrel ears yet! And planting soybeans? Call the men in the white coats! Even if your grandpa was more progressive, odds are he wouldn't dream of planting…

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OK, so you are in a contest and you studied very hard. It was livestock judging and you wanted to place in the top five in the area and go to state so badly you could almost taste it! But you didn't win. You didn't even place in the top 10.The judge in the sheep reasons stared at his text on his cell phone the whole time you were giving reasons. Is that why you lost? You can react one of two ways if you're a high school student – resolve to come back and study…

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Some Indiana conservation farmers would like to see conservation compliance added as a requirement to get federally subsidized crop insurance. They've met with U.S. Senator Joe Donnelley and expressed their opinions. Their idea is that if a farmer is going to get full benefits from subsidized crop insurance, he or she should have to qualify at some level of conservation compliance. If he or she doesn't comply, their costs for insurance should be higher. Savings could be used to fund…

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As noted in previous columns, I turned 60 years old last week. I usually enjoy when birthdays roll around, but this one made me think. And while I was, in reality, only one day older, I felt years older. It's all is a matter of perspective. Does getting older just mean more aches and pains, or does it mean you can demonstrate the wisdom you've learned from hard lessons along the way? After all, a good friend of mine, who reached 60 before I did, told me last week that when…

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If you're reading this before April 9, I'm almost 60. If you're reading it after April 9, I'm already 60. I'll probably feel more or less the same, no matter when you read this. But there's something about going over that hump that makes one pause and reflect. Last week I interviewed three people whose parents I interviewed 20 or more years ago. That starts to put things in perspective. People I'm talking to now were teenagers or young kids when I started this…

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Farmers who planted corn on March 26 last year looked out their office windows this year and saw three to 10 inches of snow on the ground in many parts of Indiana. That didn't stop them from working on their corn planter in the shop that day, because they know it wouldn't be around long. Indeed, by the weekend Frosty has melted away until next year. We hope. "Do you think we've seen our last snow this year?" one caller asked me late last week. I gave the normal…

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They say you can wait a day and the weather in Indiana will change. It's certainly a no brainer that if you wait a whole year the weather will change. Bill Johnson, a weed specialist at Purdue University, says Lafayette had four 80 degree days in March, 2012. There's barely been a half dozen days above 50, if that high, this year. No two years are the same. But that led one Newton County farmer to say recently that 'abnormal is now normal'. In other words, you never know…

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Do you remember the Windex commercials of a few years ago where the housewife got the patio door glass shiny clean? Two talking birds, imagine that – only in a commercial – are gloating about how the door is finally open and they can swoop into the house. One takes off and barrels toward the window. He hits the glass and bounces off. The point, of course, was that the window was so clean that he thought it wasn't there. This is also the time of year when you're likely…

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Joy McClain writes a column called Joy's Reflections in Indiana Prairie Farmer. If you're a guy, you probably figure it's just for women and don't read it. You don't know what you're missing. Joy is starting to get requests to speak to ag groups, and there's a reason why. The stories she relates, often personal stories, hit home whether you're a man or a woman. Without totally giving away her column, here's an example that will appear in the April…

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