Editorial / Opinions

I’ve always marveled at the fact that so many aspects of farming can be conducted in vastly different ways and yet achieve the same end result:  success for the individual farmer. I guess that is one of the reasons the business has interested me for a lifetime.

Are there wild horse herds in Missouri? This was a question asked amongst two friends and me over the weekend.

I never knew his actual name was Bob. I first met him working on the Bicentennial Ride to Fort Smith, Ark., in 1976. Shorty Parson, former president of the Rodeo of the Ozarks, had asked me to head up the wagon train going to Fort Smith to meet the Bicentennial National Wagon Train coming up from Texas and going to Valley Forge. His name was Cotton Clem or at least that’s what I knew him as for over 40 years. He and the bunch from Harrison, Ark., who had been having wagon trains, were big friends and they wanted to go with us on the ride. So we invited them.

Cattle theft has been a problem for as long as cattle have been domesticated. The severity of the problem comes and goes with the fluctuating prices of livestock. Right now, it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it and, considering the current high prices of beef cattle, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.

FFA members across the nation joined together to educate the public about agriculture and FFA during the National FFA Week. As press releases and Facebook updates flood my computer I can’t help but reminisce about my years in FFA.

Cattle theft has been a problem for as long as cattle have been domesticated. The severity of the problem comes and goes with the fluctuating prices of livestock. Right now, it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it and, considering the current high prices of beef cattle, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.

FFA members across the nation joined together to educate the public about agriculture and FFA during the National FFA Week. As press releases and Facebook updates flood my computer I can’t help but reminisce about my years in FFA.

For my wife’s birthday I bought her a game camera. We set it up on our property to catch pictures of the elusive lynx, not a bobcat but a real lynx. On three occasions we have seen her march through our yard in the daylight. She weights 60 to 70 pounds. My brother-in-law discovered her tracks several years ago and told me I had a mountain lion. Then we began getting occasional sightings of her stomping through the yard. She’s raising a litter every year. Last summer, we saw a half grown one. The camera has been up for several months but still no lynx.

When my oldest son returned home after spending the last three years in Ireland, he not only brought the lifetime experience of studying in a foreign land – he brought back a wife as well. He and Agne were both working on doctoral degrees in the same department, started dating, fell in love and got married last month. My wife and I are both thrilled since she is a lovely young lady and has become the daughter we never had.

Recently, I attended the Dallas County Cattlemen’s meeting and was very impressed with the turnout. The group brought in a livestock economist to offer insights on what 2013 will bring.