Editorial / Opinions

I get the chance to speak at two or three FFA banquets every spring, and have for many years. Since I’ve been around for so long, I’m now being invited to speak for the second time at a few of these places and such was the occasion last Monday evening.

It’s no surprise to most of us that only 1 percent of the U.S. population claim farming as an occupation. So it’s probably safe to assume that majority of Americans have never stepped foot on a farm or have an immediate relationship with a farmer or a rancher. A recent documentary set out to educate the general public about the next generation of American farmers and ranchers. This documentary is a must-see, in my opinion, not because you, as a farmer, will learn something profound but as a way to support the efforts of this documentary.

I get the chance to speak at two or three FFA banquets every spring, and have for many years. Since I’ve been around for so long, I’m now being invited to speak for the second time at a few of these places and such was the occasion last Monday evening.

I hope you enjoy our annual building and construction issue. This issue features tips for hiring contractors, a look at selecting and designing hoop barns and ways to obtain funding for storage facility projects on your farm through the Farm Service Agency and much more.

All the modern conveniences in the world and nothing seems to work. I came home last week and discover my email was on the frits. Did not work. I have two computers; one new computer and the other is two years old. Now I am not a computer genius, so I called a guy who knows lots more than me. We worked in a frenzy over the phone but we did not get it fixed. So I was in Rogers, Ark., at 9 a.m., Friday morning when they opened. They made some switches, brought it out, put it on the counter and said, “There it is.”

It’s funny how one little job can bring back a flood of memories from more than 50 years ago. But, that was the case last week as I used a four-wheel drive tractor (with a cab) to clean up the manure mess made by a winter’s worth of feeding five bulls. Neither the chilly wind nor dusty conditions bothered me as I created a pile of waste that will eventually rot down and become great garden fertilizer. The 30-minute chore was a far cry from the annual week-long activity of a half-century earlier.

I hope you enjoy our annual building and construction issue. This issue features tips for hiring contractors, a look at selecting and designing hoop barns and ways to obtain funding for storage facility projects on your farm through the Farm Service Agency and much more.

By now, most everyone has read or heard about the Nevada rancher and his clash with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which resulted in an armed standoff and the attempt to confiscate the rancher’s cattle. This incident has been the main topic of conversation in every feed store and rural coffee shop in the country for the past two weeks. While most of my neighbors seem to side with the rancher, there is another significant number who think he may not be completely in the right.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a conference titled “Cultivating Conversations” hosted at the Missouri State University Darr School of Agriculture. This conference was the first in a series of conferences hosted in conjunction with Northwest Missouri State University and University of Central Missouri. Each conference will have a different focus under the Cultivating Conversations theme.

I guess I have not been driving around northwest Arkansas enough lately. I went to the Ozark Country Music Opry one Saturday night at the Benton County Fairgrounds near XNA and I could not believe the sea of houses and apartments that have mushroomed up out west of Bentonville, Ark. There is very little farmland left out there.