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Chris Hardie For Agri-View
Sep 16, 2023
Sep 16, 2023

Hay bales in field — While rain this time of year will do little to help the annual crops, we still need it. Replenishing subsoil moisture can give hope for next year, when the annual gambling game starts again.
Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

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Chris Hardie For Agri-View

Gambling is ubiquitous in today’s world but farmers were “high rollers” long before casinos, lotteries and sports betting. With market-price fluctuation, geo-politics and the ever-changing weather, every growing season is a gamble for our farmers. And while they are often connected, this year the dry weather is concerning enough just by itself.

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Chris Hardie and his wife, Sherry, raise animals and crops on his great-grandparents’ Jackson County farm. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, he’s a former member of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and past-president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Email chardie1963@gmail.com with comments.