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Columnists

Rural reality finds few is beautiful, too few is hard

Rural reality finds few is beautiful, too few is hard

    Editor’s note: This column was originally published on March 3, 2003.

    God bless farmers and God bless America

    God bless farmers and God bless America

      In America, we can always count on exceptional summertime fairs across the Midwest. These fairs display the best that our industry has to offer — 4-H and FFA competitions, foods for all tastes, agricultural and home life exhibits, carnival rides and a wide range of entertainment.

      Rural reality finds few is beautiful, too few is hard

      Rural reality finds few is beautiful, too few is hard

        Editor’s note: This column was originally published on March 3, 2003.

        SafetyWatch: Peer support offers farmers a way forward

        SafetyWatch: Peer support offers farmers a way forward

        • By Jenn Patterson

        Summer only arrived a few weeks ago, but extreme heat and storms have already taken a toll on many Iowa farms. Corn fields are uneven. Soybeans are patchy. Some fields will recover; others won’t.

        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.”

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