Editorial / Opinions

All the farms that I have acquired over the years also have livable homes. Although I never aspired to be a landlord, the present state of the economy makes it necessary for me to rent them out. I’ve always tried to be very selective to whom I rent, because I have cattle on every one of the places and I need people who have a record of being trustworthy. So far, I’ve been very fortunate in getting good renters who take good care of the houses and know enough to keep an eye on the livestock. Even those renters without any farm background have been ‘teachable’ after a few months. But, every time I have a house become vacant, I dread the process of finding a new, reliable renter.

It feels good to have my feet back in the Ozarks and introduce myself to you – our loyal readers.

This column, quite likely, could be one of the last I write. You see, when someone comes into a great deal of money very quickly, one of their first acts is to quit their ‘paying’ job to pursue activities they’ve wanted to do their entire lifetime. But, please, don’t worry about me, for I’m pretty sure that I won’t fall into the trap that has ruined so many other ‘instant millionaires.’

This is the last column I get to write as the Managing Editor at Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. Wow, those are some tough words to say. But don’t fret, dear reader, for we have wonderful things in store for you. I’m writing today to share memories of my own, and to introduce to you a talented and successful woman who will be taking my place, Mrs. Lane McConnell.

Time flies when you’re having fun.  Back in the fall of 1960, two good old boys came driving into Arkansas, which doesn’t really seem that far back. Lots of roads weren’t paved back then and the two of us and a big German Shepherd dog was waiting for an adventure.

This column, quite likely, could be one of the last I write. You see, when someone comes into a great deal of money very quickly, one of their first acts is to quit their ‘paying’ job to pursue activities they’ve wanted to do their entire lifetime. But, please, don’t worry about me, for I’m pretty sure that I won’t fall into the trap that has ruined so many other ‘instant millionaires.’

This is the last column I get to write as the Managing Editor at Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. Wow, those are some tough words to say. But don’t fret, dear reader, for we have wonderful things in store for you. I’m writing today to share memories of my own, to share some memories of another columnist, Frank Farmer, who’s hanging up his hat, and to introduce you to a talented and successful woman who will be taking my place, Lane McConnell.

Since I live in cattle country and not crop country, I rarely get to see behemoth tractors and combines at work. On the rare occasions that I get to travel through flat, fertile areas of the country during planting or harvesting seasons, I sometimes pull off to the side of the road and marvel at man's ingenuity and progress. Such was the case last Saturday when I traveled to a cattle sale upstate in one of the heavily-farmed regions.

Did fall sneak up on you like it has me this year? I woke up one morning to cool weather, steaming hay bales and spider webs adorning the trees and outbuildings. With fall comes wonderful, local fall festivals! Each fall festival celebrated by area towns highlights a different feature of the season. I spent one recent Saturday at a pumpkin festival where growers bring in pumpkins and watermelons, and awards are given to the heaviest, and best-looking, among others. This year’s giant pumpkin weighed 1,092.5 lbs. Can you believe that? The grower said at peak, it will grow 10 lbs a day. That amazes me.

Way back in the 1960s, James Erwin, my boss at Tyson who was over the field men, talked to us about a new field man he'd hired. James, who'd been an agri teacher at Lincoln before coming to Tyson, was a great boss and knew lots of people. He explained that the new employee had been a victim of polio. He was concerned whether he could handle the job, but wanted all of us to give him a chance, and a hand if he needed it. James considered him a hard worker, but handicapped, he might have problems keeping up.