Buying fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter was never an option or even a consideration when growing up on a farm. You just knew fresh tomatoes were the best off the vine in the summertime and relied on home canned tomatoes (or store bought) for winter days. But...
The sights and sounds of combines running across soybean and corn fields over the past couple of months signal its harvest time in the Bluegrass state and most of the country. Whether we’re harvesting corn, soybeans, apples or potatoes, most of what is gathered ends...
With Labor Day behind us, our summer quests (and sweats) start to fade, leaving us with memories, smiles and miles behind us. Like many, my travels this summer — from across the country to across the oceans — opened doors to new adventures and reminded me that while...
I learned from my father to pay attention to the land! Even though my father’s travels never extended beyond his tri-state region after World War II, it did not squelch his desire to know the status of agriculture wherever I traveled. During my travels over the years,...
Climate change, sustainability, regenerative agriculture, Earth Day — these are words that can excite and ignite action while also creating anxiety and concern. With the recent annual celebration of Earth Day, highlights of the climate crisis and successes are in the...
Travel was never part of my family “DNA” during my childhood. The daily chores of dairy farm life limited any “time off” for my parents, especially my father. But Sunday afternoon drives through the countryside were my father’s “time away” to explore and check out...
Food is at the core of our existence. As we celebrate March as National Nutrition Month, we are reminded of the role food plays not only in our personal and planetary health, but overall global security and economics. This year’s Nutrition Month theme “Celebrate a...
It’s 1970. Peace, love, war and civil unrest dominate conversations in America. Earth Day appears on the scene and it’s recognized by few. For those of us on farms, we may have thought, “every day is earth day” and dismissed its significance beyond routine farming...
This is not a usual Thanksgiving season. But it is our reality. Perhaps this year our celebration reflects more accurately the resiliency of our forefathers 400 years ago at Plymouth Rock than typical years. Since March, we’ve seen disruptions in our food distribution...
From January 29-30, I will be attending the Farm Journal Foundation’s TRUST IN FOOD Conference in Chicago. The annual event brings 150 leaders from across the agri-food value chain to “share success stories, identify opportunities, and walk away with actionable...