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Columnists

Inflation since the days of nickel ice cream

Inflation since the days of nickel ice cream

    On a recent Saturday morning, my wife and I had run a few errands when she reminded me she had been given a gift card for a new business. Neither of us were familiar with the place but gathered from the name that they sold cookies.

    Grief brings quiet aftershocks years later

    Grief brings quiet aftershocks years later

      Afew months ago, I was at my brother’s farm for a quick visit. Rudi, my German Shepherd, and I were enjoying the warm, sunny spring day by going for a long walk.

      Making the good life better and better

      Making the good life better and better

        Years ago, on an airplane, I found myself in conversation with a business executive from Texas Instruments. He was generous enough to share his formula for success: Find a need, fill it with quality and market to those who have the need.

        Why God made a special role for fathers

        Why God made a special role for fathers

          God made a wise decision when He decided females would serve as mothers. Men generally just can’t do mommy things as well as mommies.

          Strength in communities of place-bound people

          Strength in communities of place-bound people

            Editor’s note: This column was originally published July 19, 2000.

            Laughter: What the world needs now

            Laughter: What the world needs now

              What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” Jackie DeShannon’s 1965 hit record spoke a truth. The world always needs more love.

              Keep ‘America the Beautiful’ for another 250 years

              Keep ‘America the Beautiful’ for another 250 years

                I have a quarterly project with Rudi, my 3-year-old, wonderful German Shepherd. We take a bag while walking so we can collect garbage.

                Candid answers to questions about AI

                Candid answers to questions about AI

                  At the outset, let me use a common term in today’s vernacular to describe the experience: Amazing! Absolutely amazing! All you want to know and are not afraid to ask. The fruit of scientific discovery, the best practices and the wisdom and knowledge of the world’s best thinkers is accessible to us.

                  Established farmers advise the next generation

                  Established farmers advise the next generation

                    Editor’s note: This column was originally published on Nov. 1, 2004.

                    Human intervention sought in age of AI

                    Human intervention sought in age of AI

                      I have a confession to make: I do not follow social media, but I do some doomscrolling.

                      Non-verbal language a pathway to intimacy

                      Non-verbal language a pathway to intimacy

                        Editor’s note: This was originally published May 30, 2005.

                        Reflections on readin’, writin’ and ’rithmetic

                        Reflections on readin’, writin’ and ’rithmetic

                          Some time back I saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” I quietly mumbled, “Amen.”

                          ‘Jeepers!’ When words become obsolete

                          ‘Jeepers!’ When words become obsolete

                            Jeepers Creepers, where’d ya get those peepers?” Now there’s a phrase you probably haven’t heard for a while. Perhaps you’ve never heard it. The line is from a song recorded by Louis Armstrong in the late 1930s.

                            Soft words win over foul language during confrontations

                            Soft words win over foul language during confrontations

                              As a twice-married man and a father, I have been made fully aware of all my faults. One of those faults is my temper. Over the years, I have learned to control that temper… until someone pushes all the right buttons.

                              Growing old not for sissies

                              Growing old not for sissies

                                As a mere lad of 60 years with some semblance of youth, or as some would say “denial,” I wrote about meeting the challenges of growing old in a column entitled “Seven Ways to Grow Old Gracefully.”

                                Identify pieces of farm transition puzzle

                                Identify pieces of farm transition puzzle

                                  Fitting the pieces of a farm transition puzzle together can be challenging. Like a puzzle, you need to find the corner pieces first, then the outer straight edges to frame up the foundation.

                                  Carnival games teach life lesson

                                  Carnival games teach life lesson

                                    David and his two grandsons decided to take the afternoon off and go to the county fair.

                                    Aroma of Independence Day on the farm

                                    Aroma of Independence Day on the farm

                                      People who study those things tell us that the sense of smell is most closely related to our memory. An odor or fragrance can trigger a memory more quickly, they say, than sound, sight, touch or taste.

                                      Companies charge ahead with baler automation

                                      Companies charge ahead with baler automation

                                        Unless the spigot shuts off in July, this ought to be a banner hay season across the upper Midwest.

                                        Continue to bloom through retirement

                                        Continue to bloom through retirement

                                          The morning sun shined brightly through the front window of a newer house on the corner of a city block. Herman and his wife had moved there less than a year ago.

                                          Farmers can be cool with AI

                                          Farmers can be cool with AI

                                          • By John Shutske, University of Wisconsin

                                          You may have heard the latest buzz about a technology that will forever change the worlds of business, communication, entertainment, education and … agriculture. We’re talking about massive advancements in artificial intelligence or “AI.”

                                          Puns: ‘Unless you thought of it yourself’

                                          Puns: ‘Unless you thought of it yourself’

                                            When I was about 11 years old, I subscribed to Boy’s Life magazine, the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. I was not a member of the Boy Scouts, but I enjoyed the magazine.

                                            ‘Ask in Earnest’ a mental health resource

                                            ‘Ask in Earnest’ a mental health resource

                                              Editor’s note: Today’s Farm and Ranch Life article is written by a guest author in Montana, Darla Tyler McSherry. She founded the Ask in Earnest initiative to provide resources about preventing suicide.

                                              TV memories: A one … and a two … and a three!

                                              TV memories: A one … and a two … and a three!

                                                My Saturday nights in the late 1950s were unexciting. Pre-pubescent me turned 10 years old in January 1958, so Saturday nights were spent at home with my parents and three younger brothers (two sisters came later).

                                                Follow the wisdom of old farmers

                                                Follow the wisdom of old farmers

                                                  Albert Einstein once profoundly stated, “I fear the day that technology will surpass human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”

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