"Law No. 1: Livestock know when you are in a hurry. They also know when you are wearing good clothes."
- Lainie Kringen-Scholtz
There is no disease in equine medicine that is more annoying than strangles. The clinical signs vary from very mild to very severe, and it is highly contagious. Here is what you need to know.
- Michael Baron
Dear Michael: We have been farming with our son for about five years now. We had him on wages for a time but we recently shifted him to shares in the operation. That is when the trouble started.
- Colleen Stegenga
"This work is preparation, and preparation is one of the most powerful tools we have for our mental health."
- Jim Woster
"I told them we needed a few more weeks to think about it, and it was on the way home to Sioux Falls that whoever was quietly in charge, perhaps that higher power, hit me right between the eyes with reality."
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
New county-level data shows U.S. irrigated farmland grew by more than 3 million acres between 1997 and 2022—but the national number hides a much more interesting story playing out county by county.
- Sheri Poore
When I was growing up, there were three meals and one substantial snack every day. Breakfast was in the morning, of course. Dinner was at noon. Lunch was about 4 p.m., after school and before milking time. And supper was the evening meal, after the cows were milked.
- Jaclyn Wilson
"The farm bill write up is going on right now, and somehow mandatory country of origin labeling or MCOOL has reared its ugly head again." Jaclyn Wilson breaks down the points against mandatory labeling, but you should do your own reserach, too.
- Terry Woster
"It’s tough for a guy to fire his son and then go home and tell his spouse he just canned her baby boy."
- Terry Woster
Although I grew up on a farm eight miles from the nearest town, I never experienced the wonders of attending a country school.
- Lainie Kringen-Scholtz
Have you ever been around a “steer” or “gelding” that does not act their gender? Instead they act like a full grown bull or stallion?
- Colleen Stegenga
"When kids grow up around the operation, when they're included, asked questions and given small jobs as they're able, they build something that can't be manufactured later: a felt sense of belonging to the place."
- Jaclyn Wilson
"Seeing things and asking questions gives a different insight, sometimes positive and sometime negative. But the educational process is more than worth it."
- Michael Baron
Dear Michael: We could use some help with our children. We have one child who has been farming with us for a long time. We have four other children. Two of these children insist they should receive “at least half of the estate upon our death.” Their thinking is we have already done too much …
- Brent Olson
This summer Number 3 and I have been fighting the Battle of the Buckthorn .
- Jim Woster
"The biggest problem we have right now is the process of cutting back on the many items, which have accumulated over half century, and a problem it is."
- Jaclyn Wilson
"I about died this last week. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I called the Boss Man and informed him that if I die, this is why …"
- Sheri Poore
Friends, the recipe box is getting empty! But you can help fix that problem—and be eligible to win a prize while you're at it.
- Jaclyn Wilson
"The broken record syndrome will be in effect as I’ll say once again, I fully believe in the policy grassroots process."
- Terry Woster
"Few experiences match sitting on the seat of a deep-throated John Deere 720 diesel and glancing back every few seconds to admire the way the freshly cut soil was sliding up the shiny plow shares and tumbling over onto the cut from the previous trip around the field."
- Michael Baron
Dear Michael: I remember when our parents were young. It seems like they always had a will in place. Later on, they went with a living trust because it was “the thing to do” at the time. When they died, things went smoothly. My brother took over the farm and the rest of us kids shared Mom an…
- Sheri Poore
Put the bounty of summer to use in the kitchen with these recipes from our latest Fork on the Prairie Road column. Enjoy!
- Jaclyn Wilson
"I found things that brought me joy. I looked at a bigger picture more than ever before. I took the time for others. I disconnected more. Most importantly, I lived."
- Lainie Kringen-Scholtz
Is your dog terrified by fireworks? Our vet has some tips for how to help them through summer celebrations, thunderstorms and other events that might scare them.
- Colleen Stegenga
The farm bill passed by the House includes a study of mental health services available to farmers, ranchers and agricultural professionals. Our mental health columnist explains what that means in practical terms.
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