Pickin’ Time or Payout Time? The Reality of Fall Harvest
Fall is usually the most exciting season on the farm, but this year rising input costs and declining farmer sentiment are overshadowing the joy of harvest. With corn facing steep losses per acre and overall farm expenses projected to hit...
When One Calf Costs Four Acres of Corn
Farm prices are on a wild ride. Beef is breaking records while corn is sinking to multi-year lows. Today, it takes roughly the value of four acres of corn to buy just one fed calf. What does this price gap...
Back to ’72: My First Farm Progress Show
In 1972, the Farm Progress Show came to my hometown of Galesburg, Illinois and even to the farm of my family’s closest friends. That year’s show was the biggest in history, drawing over 360,000 people and marking the dawn of...
Corn Records Without Rewards
Corn Records Without Rewards U.S. corn growers are smashing records in acreage and yield, but instead of golden returns, many are facing low prices and soaring input costs. Record bushels don’t always mean record profits.
Depression Food: A Garden-Fresh Tribute to the Greatest Generation
A heartfelt reflection on a simple summer dish of homegrown vegetables, honoring the resilience, self-reliance, and enduring legacy of Fred's grandparents who lived through the Great Depression.
#FarmersMarketWeek: The Shortest Distance to Better Eating
#NationalFarmersMarketWeek: The Shortest Distance to Better Eating What is food really grown for: nutrition, taste, or just to survive a long supply chain? The truth may surprise you. This National Farmers Market Week, we explore why much of our food...
Moving Closer to Farmers
Just as all politics are local, all farming is local. Terrain, soils, weather patterns, market access and cultural production practices vary dramatically across the Fruited Plain, as do the issues and concerns shaping ag policy. So it only makes sense...
The South Is Sweating and So Is The Corn
Just step outside. It's brutal. You’ll instantly know it’s “sweating season” across the South and much of the Midwest. Sure, temperatures are hot, consistently now in the upper 90s across the Delta. But it’s the humidity that instantly gets your...
Live Aid: Music That Fed the World (and Filled My Parents’ Basement)
This Week In Ag #124: Live Aid: Music That Fed the World (and Filled My Parents’ Basement) This past Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the greatest PR and musical event in history. It was held at Wembley Stadium in...
The Big, the Bold, and the Bill: What BBB Means for Ag
The Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4. At 887 pages, it certainly is big. As for being beautiful, that will be in the eyes of the beholders. Like most budget bills, depending on your point of...
Proof of His Vision: The 1984 Humic Acid Study
Decades before humic acids became more understood in agriculture, Dr. Jordan G. Smith was already testing their impact on plant growth. This newly uncovered 1984 study, co-authored by Huma’s founder, validates a vision that still drives our mission today.
A Farmer’s Fourth of July: The Fireworks Waited
This Week In Ag #122: A Farmer's Fourth of July: The Fireworks Waited For many Midwest farm families, the Fourth of July wasn’t about fireworks or cookouts—it was wheat harvest season. In this personal reflection, Fred recalls a time when...
