Local control is a standard plea politicians love to make. It makes sense. No one wants a far-off entity like the federal government making decisions impacting those locally when they do not know what is best for the locals. Keeping everything under local control is best for America and ...
When it comes down to how money is made in the United States, it is through net income, which is revenue minus expenses. Whether it is a business or home finances, net income is vital to Americans. If one spends more than one brings in over the course of the long term, this leads to ...
Recently, I wrote about how the American soybean export program has been in the gutter due to the exodus of China from the market. As the United States steps in to provide a $20 billion currency swap, which is like a loan, to a tune of $20 billion, China bought Argentinian soybeans. Soon after, ...
There is one part of my finance education which has stuck with me from my time at the University of Northern Iowa: Diversity matters when it comes to one’s investment portfolio. In farm terms, you never put too many eggs in one basket. Investing in only one stock or only a few stocks is an ...
As it stands today, delivering a bushel of soybeans to Tama-Benton Cooperative would be $9.35. For farmers, this is probably below their cost of production. These soybean prices have been in the tank, and they appear to be staying there for the near future. The main reason prices are so low is ...
A couple weekends ago, after an evening celebrating my aunt’s birthday followed up by staying at the Isle Casino Hotel, my wife and I lost a mere $12. Gambling has never stuck. Too scared to play the card games and too bored while playing the slots. After staying in the lovely Isle Casino ...
While I am no longer growing food on a large scale, I became a slightly more aggressive gardener this year. I planted popcorn, peas, green beans, green peppers, sweet peppers, and sunflowers in a plot with a diameter of five feet. Marigolds and zinnias from the farm were also sprinkled in the ...
Maybe it was the music and dance overload from the Pitbull concert at the Iowa State Fair, but I also believe the Traer Winding Stairs Festival left me tremendously tired. Coming back to the festival is always fun and seeing all the familiar faces. While in past years I drove the North Tama ...
Before farming, I used to work in the audio-visual field. This profession consisted of setting up screens, projectors, speakers, and anything else in that realm with different types of events and different clients. A college job was working at the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center helping set up ...
Last week, the cornhead was moved to its final resting place before it is sold. While traveling the country roads to the destination, it was a trip down memory lane. Whether it was driving by formerly Dengler farmed fields or familiar farmsteads which laid on the path to my Grandma Pohlman’s ...