There was a day not too long ago when potash (0-0-60/62) fertilizer would cost a farmer far less than $400 per ton. In fact, for the entirety of 2019 and 2020, potash sat below that historically low p

For those of us in my generation who are currently subjected to a routine colonoscopy schedule, you will remember the days when Google Maps didn’t exist. Driving from Point A to Point B required

Reflecting back to fifth-grade science class, you might recall that the Earth rotates on an axis of about 23.5 degrees. We live on a planet that is just a little off kilter, so to speak

Most sports fans like a good offensive game. Seeing runs or points scored is generally much more compelling entertainment than a defensive battle

Everyone can define their youth by a decade, and mine was the 1960s. For perspective, movies set within those 10 years span “The Sandlot” to “Easy Rider” to “Good Morning,

The year was 2008, and the cost of urea nitrogen was tipping the scales at over 60 cents per pound. Only a few years earlier, it was 30 cents per pound. Farmers were ready to rebel

In his book Sisyphus in the Hayfield: Views of a Berkshire Farmer, author and dairy farmer Walter Howard wrote: “Hay and I start the season as friends

While in high school, I got a job on a dairy farm near our home in northeast Ohio. It was common for farms in that area to have large woodlots, which provided supplemental income

There are lots of reasons for doing things the way we do them — time savings, research proven, effectiveness, preference, cost, and yes, even tradition

During my high school years, finding new boundaries was just a part of the maturation process

One of the most memorable visions documented in the Bible is experienced by the prophet Ezekiel. Often referred to as the Valley of Dry Bones, the story has inspired many Sunday school lessons

Similar to that 30-year-old tattoo of an ex-girlfriend’s name that seemed like a good idea at the time, some things just hang around beyond their useful life

As a young lad growing up in northeast Ohio, a family friend bought me a chess set for my birthday. Whenever he would come over to our house for a visit, we would play a game

The Midwest dairy farmer’s lament was to the point: “If I didn’t have to worry about winterkill, I’d definitely grow more alfalfa

Okay, it’s not exactly of the magnitude of the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, but the argument to cut hay exclusively in the late afternoon versus another time of day has always intrigued me

I’m not Depression Era old, but I’ve been around for a while — call it aged, Medicare eligible, experienced, or whatever you like

At a very early age, most children master the question of “Why?” “Why did Barney (the dog) die?”“Because he was old, and his parts wore out.”

Alfalfa winterkill. Copious amounts of rain. Extended periods of drought. These all impacted hay production in one region of the U.S. or another during 2019

Most people, organizations, and other entities like to make progress, a happy and positive word. Progress is also a battleground

A favorite movie of mine is the 1991 flick “City Slickers,” which starred the likes of Billy Crystal (Mitch) and Jack Palance (Curly)