Our lexicon has lost the word farmer. During my farming career, I felt like myself as a farmer, but elsewhere, I was looked at as a grower. I was only growing corn, soybeans, and a few cover crops, but it still felt weird. The continuation of the siloing off of livestock and grain enterprises ...
Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge – one of the world’s most important migratory bird staging and wintering habitats – is under attack. For many years, a way to connect the remote community of King Cove to Cold Bay, a larger town with an all-weather airport and better medical ...
What America needs are small businesses. Whatever part of the economy, small businesses should have a stake in the game. No matter the amount of small business Saturdays, small businesses matter. Be it a boutique, grocery store, pharmacy, farm, or what have you, supporting local entrepreneurs ...
Far too often in society, citizens are thought of as consumers. A citizen is a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized. A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use. To make a more well-rounded society, people ...
Like many pastors, I am “bivocational.” I work half time for a small-town church, preaching on Sundays and doing what I can to serve the community during the week, but I also have to hold down a separate full time job to insure my family and make ends meet. Until a couple months ago, I ...
With the holiday season here, it is time for reflection. Whether with family, friends, or yourself, this is a wonderful time of year to come together for reflection. Take the time this holiday season to relax and reflect on what was, what is, and what will be. Holidays are a way to make ...
Growing up in northern Tama County, oddly enough, I have fond memories of getting groceries. When staying with my grandma in Clutier, I remember visiting the small grocery store on Main Street. Since the last time I stepped foot into the store, maybe over 20 years ago, I still vividly remember ...
When I knew I was not going to farm anymore, I needed to cheer myself up. I decided to ride Amtrak. Due to a bomb cyclone cancelling my ride from Seattle to St. Paul, I ended up riding the California Zephyr from Emeryville, Calif. to Omaha. As a child, my mom and I rode a partial version of ...
My wife and I attended a wedding in the Okoboji area this past weekend. From our house, there were no direct routes. It meant a lot of backroads and two-lane highways. This is the perfect type of travel to see the past. The harvested fields gave off a dreary look as machinery was parked on the ...
No matter what happens in this election, the government should work for the people. The government may not be perfect, but it should be here to help us on a federal, state, and local level. While the federal government can feel far away, a little-known part of the Biden administration is ...