Editorial / Opinions

There is a debate raging all across the country; that debate is whether or not to allow the sale of raw milk for human consumption. Those opposed to this type of transaction claim that raw milk contains all sorts of bad things that will lead to a multitude of sick people and possibly their deaths. The proponents of legalizing the sale of raw milk argue that fresh, raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk and the bacteria that is naturally present in that milk is actually good for people's digestive systems and would result in a healthier population. Honestly, I don't know which side is correct, but what I do know is…

We married off one of my younger sisters, Jordan, a few weekends back. For my close-knit family, this wedding weekend extravaganza was an absolute blast of a roller-coaster ride. It was a weekend full of great joy, and plenty of stress in working to have the big day go off without a hitch. And of course, it did, and they are happily married today.

We married off one of my younger sisters, Jordan, a few weekends back. For my close-knit family, this wedding weekend extravaganza was an absolute blast of a roller-coaster ride. It was a weekend full of great joy, and plenty of stress in working to have the big day go off without a hitch. And of course, it did, and they are happily married today.

Over the years I have been involved in the local junior livestock auctions at Madison, Benton and Washington County fairs. I became the auctioneer for those sales for several years and had lots of fun doing them. Of course, I think the 4-H and FFA programs in these livestock projects are real lesson learners for youngsters – teaching them how to stay with something and lots more. I never charged any of them a dime for my services. Also, I usually brought enough other companies' money along besides Tyson Foods to hold up the prices and help maintain that every youngster received a fair amount.

Today was a day unlike any other. As I sit here recapping the day's events, I can only conclude that either the planets are aligned or the "signs" are right. My first job was to replace a post in the yard fence that the cows broke off over a month ago. Since we had finally gotten some good fall rains, I was hoping the rocks would dig a little easier than back in July. I had been dreading it, but this cool morning seemed like just the right time. I dug the entire hole, two feet deep, and never hit a single rock! People who know where I live will think I'm lying, but I swear that it's true. After replacing the broken post, I proceeded to shovel dirt around it and, much to my surprise, there was more than enough dirt to fill the hole. Any farmer knows that never happens.

The ranch was 250,000 acres in size and 10,000 Texas cows knew it as home.

Almost all the hay that I harvest each year is grass hay. I do, however, maintain a small field of alfalfa for sentimental reasons. You see, when I was a youngster, my father always raised some of the best alfalfa in the county and when times were lean, he could always sell a few bales to help make ends meet. Dad always said, "Good hay in the barn is like money in the bank." He would also tell me that when we were sweating to death in the creek bottom during the summer harvest of that same hay, but it didn't seem as prophetic as when we were selling it out of the barn during the cold of the winter.

Hordes of people are still moving to the countryside in search of a better way of life. They love the seclusion and privacy that rural living provides most people. They cherish the quietness that exists on most days. They appreciate the darkness of the nighttime, with a view of the starry skies unobstructed by the lights of the city. They love everything about that first year in the farmscape, until… tick season arrives.

It’s been a pretty good summer, all things considered. I know some of you are wishing you would have got the rainstorms others of us have, and I hope it rains on all of us again, soon.

In  the summer of 1960, I was fresh out of Arizona State University and had my military requirement completed after doing a hitch at basic with the Arizona Air National Guard in San Antonio.  My partners Monty, Sumner Smith and I laid plans for Monty and I to come back to see about getting settled in Northwest Arkansas. We would need jobs to support this invasion, so with Sumner still to finish college and his military obligation, the two of us set out for the hills.