One of the most annoying things about Farm Bill debates is that the majority of discussions are about money, not policy. Activist groups that I like to call – anti-farm or anti-food security – make farmers out to be free-loaders, loudly spouting off about direct payments and subsidies. I venture a guess that nearly all of these folks who like to use farmers as punching bags are not hungry or homeless. They probably enjoy hearty meals each day, thanks to guess who? Our nation has…

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Wait. What Day Is It? I'm sitting at our 4-H meeting, which is really the only way I know it's Monday. The past week has been a blur. As of last Monday, May 13, we hadn't planted a seed. We'd had 14 inches of rain in the preceding month. Rivers had been out. Some of them twice. We'd been stuck in a three-week pattern of three decent days, then four rainy ones. Never enough time for anything to dry out. Temperaments were, shall we say, running a little ragged…

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 Yes, this is an unusual thing to be blogging about. In recent months, I've gone to funerals of two farm friends, and came away from both thought-filled and inspired. That's as it should be. Like most of you, I'm not fond of funerals. I don't even want to attend my own! But a funeral or wake can be a wake-up call with redeeming value. That's why I'm writing this. I was reminded of a few things, none of which the preachers preached. The "few things"…

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You can dust off tillage trials by Don Griffith, a former Purdue University Extension agronomist, that date back into the 1970's and 1980's. Of all the systems studied, moldboard plowing in the spring was one that typically returned the lowest yields. Many Indiana soils are simply too heavy and wet to respond well to plowing in the spring when soils tend to have extra moisture, and clods form easily. Fast forward to 2013. Most moldboard plows are parked. A few companies still…

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As farmers worked hard to plant corn the middle of May, Congress was able to show some significant progress on the 2013 Farm Bill. On May 14, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a five-year Farm Bill. The bill would eliminate $5 billion in direct farm payments to farmers. The Senate bill calls for a total of roughly $2.4 billion a year in cuts, while a House version passed May 15 would save $4 billion annually. The Senate Farm Bill: •Eliminates direct payments. Farmers…

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After the recent spike in late overnight freeze events we have been experiencing in the Midwest, I hope I don't eat my words in saying it seems that the warm weather is finally here to stay. Kansas City saw 90-degree temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am a little biased, but I have to admit May is my favorite time of year. As many know, this is a busy month, and it can be hard to balance time for graduation parties, weddings – not to mention planting, especially this year…

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Every year about this time I get busy working with the Farm Progress National Events team and various editors in the Midwest. We get together in person or by webinar to plan the editorial content for the official programs for two major farm shows. You might think it wouldn't require much planning. After all, Husker Harvest Days  is in the same location each year and the Farm Progress Show only rotates between semi-permanent sites in Iowa and Illinois. Sure, we could just…

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How could I have not eaten at Peacock Alley yet? Peacock Alley American Grill and Bar, Bismarck, N.D., was named the Beef Innovator of the Year at the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention. This is a big deal. It’s a national award given to only one restaurant in the nation each year. The award recognizes a restaurant that does the best job innovating its menu and growing its business with beef. “Having a North Dakota restaurant win the Beef Innovator of the Year award is a…

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A year ago, I was at a crop technology media event. Honestly, I can’t remember if it was a Dow AgroSciences or Monsanto event. I Tweeted about the expected release of either 2,4-D- or dicamba-tolerant soybeans. The first response was from a central Illinois farmer. He said, “Tell them to hurry up. We need this technology now!” Last week the USDA ordered an Environmental Impact Study be conducted on both of these technologies. My colleague Mindy Ward, Missouri…

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I write the crop condition report for our websites when I can and Monday's report showed that farmers are struggling to get corn in the ground - never mind soybeans (though that's going to change). One factor I noticed this week was that while only 28% of the crop was planted - versus 65% for the five-year average and 85% last year - there were some considerable week-over-week jumps. It's clear to me that farmers are adequately "equipped" to move a lot of seed from…

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