At peak cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., I risked life, limb and vehicle damage to venture into our nation's capital city. Making it unscathed to the National Mall, I breathed a long sigh of relief. I looked forward to revisiting the wonderfully familiar monuments and records of our great heritage. The cherry and tulip trees were in full bloom, posing for multitudes of camera-toters. After wheeling into one of the few-remaining public parking lots deep beneath the Holiday…

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This week, the Web was awash with news releases thanking America's farmers for feeding the world. It was only fitting as we celebrated Ag Day and Ag Week. Trouble is, most of the appreciation came from within – ag organizations and ag trade groups – the choir, so to speak. I didn't spot even one grain of gratitude coming from environmentalists or those critical of "industrial ag", "big farma", "corporate agriculture" or other derogatory…

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The Sandy Hook, Ct., school massacre pierced most of our hearts. It's also likely to shatter America's gun control shield when it should force us to face a far more pervasive crisis – our broken foundation impacted by America's moral decline. Sometimes, these tragedies help turn our minds to far greater issues than the day-to-day ones we wrestle with. Why wrestle with it here? Two reasons: We have a number of farm family readers in the Newtown area. And, huge…

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I haven’t talked with a single soul who won’t be more than glad when this presidential election is over – no matter who wins or loses. Those running the campaigns have taken political integrity to a new low. And in some cases, the words "politics" and "integrity" shouldn’t be used in the same sentence. I’ve heard from many of you about the November magazine’s editorial, “Why the president must go.” It was a slightly…

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NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to think that Americans can be regulated into slimming down their diets by reducing soda sugar intake. Problem is, he has a lot of company. And that attitude won't help anybody, let alone American agriculture. USDA and nutrition educators, for instance, swarm like ants to sugar pie over encouraging school food lunch programs to use more fresh fruits and vegetables. That can be a good thing. But they’re still not targeting the brain-to-belly connection…

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I once thought that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a smart man. I guess he’s not as savvy as I thought. His latest blooper dropped him into Vice President Biden’s category. Some politicians will say anything to gain votes. But in this case, he has lost his mind to political correctness and it’ll cost him votes. What did he do?! On Wednesday, Bloomberg proposed a NYC ban on the sale of large sugary drinks. You have to wonder who hyped him on caffeine to spout…

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Last week, I closed with “If we have morphed into a Greater Recession, we’re entering into another era of civil unrest and violence.” I absolutely detest closing on such a negative note, and I resist it with every fiber of my positive mind. But sometimes, the ugly, unvarnished truth must be bared. This week confirmed that the Congressional Super Committee wasn’t so super. The club of 12 was just another pack of politicians with yet another failed delivery. It was just…

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  Most of us have traveled into America's landmark cities – Boston, New York and Washington. Some of us have even ventured to those on the Pacific side. We've been astounded by the wealth – or the counterfeit perceived image there of. And we've probably been blown away by the cost of lodging, meals and parking – at least double that of smaller cities within a crow-fly of Megalopolis. The wealth that's paraded (and pandered to) gives those with six- and seven-figure…

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I guess you have to give him credit for trying. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett wants to keep the big political horses behind the Marcellus natural gas industry happy. So he opted to propose an impact fee, to be negotiated by individual counties – but with a low per-well cap. In a nutshell, it would allow a flat, negotiated fee per well – not based on gas volume where the real money is at. The fees would start at $40,000 per well in the first year, and gradually drop to phase out…

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  I won’t say, “I told you so.” But many stock market analysts have predicted an “economic armageddon” for several years. And I write this amid a market melt-down that makes the U.S. federal deficit look like pennies. And the finger-pointers are everywhere. Blame Bush? Nope, President Obama has done that too much to be effective. Blame the Greeks? Sorry, the media has been hearing that one for too long as well. Then blame Standard & Poors for knocking…

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