This year’s weather feels different. With farming, paying attention to the weather is key. Three tabs are open on my phone’s web browser with weather related information which does not include also checking the weather app. The previous two years were so easy. Look at the forecast, see no ...

A few years back, Reverend Mark Stringer, who later became the Executive Director of Iowa’s ACLU, came to preach at a church I worked for. It was another politically charged era, and many of the members of our left-leaning congregation were having trouble navigating families and communities ...

If you are a farmland owner and you have not had a discussion about cover crops on your land with your farmer, it may be in your best interest. Most family land is more than likely going to be passed down to the next generation so why not ensure it is in the best shape? The best way to protect ...

There are plenty of old wives tales like if it rains before seven, it is done by 11. Another agriculture one is, which I did not believe was true at first, when farmers start making money, everyone else in the ag industry makes good money. I am also a numbers person. I was phenomenal with ...

Do something. This mantra has been stuck in my head since I read Gabe Brown’s book, “Dirt to Soil.” It is about the regenerative agriculture movement which gives a unique perspective on agriculture. It should not be taken as gospel, but it provides different viewpoints. While talking ...

Climate change is complicated science, and climate models bear that out. Relationships are not a smooth line and there is much variability in the projections. This variability is often seized on by climate deniers instead of looking at the overall picture. When you do, it is clear that carbon ...

As planting season arrives or has arrived for some in the field, it is an exciting time. The maximum yield potential starts now, and optimism abounds. With planting comes new plans, whether it is a new chemical program, a new trial, or a new seed. If you stay the same, that is fine, but a ...

As I write this column, Senate File 2340 has been passed by both houses of the Iowa legislature, and is making its way to the governor’s desk. If she signs – and she almost certainly will – Iowa will have criminalized unauthorized immigration, putting enforcement in the hands of local ...

By the time you read this sentence, spring has sprung. What a beautiful time of year. Winter is in the rear-view mirror. While this last month was unseasonably warm and was eerily uncomfortable, it is exciting for spring to be here. It being 60 degrees with no snow on the ground is meant for ...

“20 Days in Mariupol” is a documentary worth watching. This film is about a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggling to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities as the Russian invasion begins. It is a harrowing piece of work by the ...