Opinion

The recently released MAHA report was the work product of the commission established by President Donald Trump’s executive order to “Make America Healthy Again.”

Our independent cattle and sheep industries have been steaming along through history as if they were without a strategic vision — rudderless and directionless.

National Pollinator Week is the perfect time to recognize the small creatures that play a major role in the success of agriculture.

Fire is a natural and necessary part of a healthy ecosystem.

For U.S. farmers and ranchers, May 22 was right out of a Dickens novel: It was the best of days and the worst of days.

When the Make America Healthy Again Commission released its report, it raised concerns across the agriculture community.

Earlier this winter while attending a farm show sponsored by a local radio station that carries Brownfield programming, a listener shared with me a poem, “Sermons We See,” by Edgar A. Guest.

When you’re 8 or 9 years old, you don’t see the world as you will as a 50- or 60-year-old. Much of what seems perfectly ordinary to a child often becomes quite extraordinary with the passing of time.

These days, it seems we’re hearing more and more talk about “big ag.”

Farm dogs take on important jobs, pitching in and lifting spirits. That’s why Farm Bureau is a proud partner with Nestlé Purina PetCare on the Farm Dog of the Year contest for the eighth year in a row.

For several years, I have used this column to offer up some nuggets of advice for those newly minted graduates and others willing to accept it.

Understanding Illinois property tax calculations is complex and confusing. Properties such as personal residences are taxed based on fair market value.

The opening lines in a recent farmdocDAILY post should have raised an eyebrow or two among farm bill geeks both in and out of Congress.

The Conservation Stewardship Program is sometimes misunderstood. It is perceived by some as complicated or not for small operations — and neither of those perceptions is true.

I’ve sat in my fair share of coffee shops, airplane terminals, restaurants, FFA chapters and convention halls this year, and it has continued to remind me that we find joy in the people around us.

This is the first in a series of columns featuring conversations with state Farm Bureau presidents about current issues in agriculture.

The Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, now in its 12th year, showcases top entrepreneurs developing solutions to address both traditional and new challenges facing farmers and rural communities.

After two bitter tariff wars in less than a decade, China now sees Brazil as a better long-term bet for groceries than the United States.

Farmers and ranchers hold a unique bond with the land we care for. This connection often spans generations, grounded in a deep respect for the soil, water and natural resources that sustain our farms.

Jim and I traveled back home to join family and friends for the funeral services for my husband’s uncle.

As farmers, we usually start the day with a full list of things to get done. No matter how hard we try to do it all ourselves, our work is always made better with more hands pitching in.

Saying we’re facing uncertainty in rural America is an understatement. We’re in the midst of a seismic shift — a true paradigm shift.

Let’s say you could have President Donald Trump’s attention for 20 minutes. What would you ask him to do for our domestic cattle and sheep industries?

Although ag media had been reporting about the impact of “forever chemicals” for several years, it was not until NewsNation did a series of reports that mainstream media outlets took notice.

Somewhere along life’s highway most of us learned to balance a checkbook. This task usually involved a pencil, the back of a used envelope and some basic math.

During the months of December through February, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that feeders who sold fed cattle were profitable, after suffering significant losses the previous six months.

If you are one of the millions of Americans who pollsters say “voted for change” last November, boy, are you getting it now.

I love springtime on the farm. Everything is fresh and green. Everywhere you look, you see life.

Two weeks ago, I was playing basketball and trying to dunk on a slightly wet court when I fell and hurt my wrist.

Longtime readers of this weekly effort may recall my affection for the word “woodenheadedness.” It comes from “The March of Folly,” Barbara Tuchman’s 1984 book.

On my family’s farm, we achieve Earth Day objectives throughout the year, guided by respect for the blessings natural resources provide. We must conserve and protect natural resources to grow food and sustain our farm for future generations.

Science plays a massive and multifaceted role in the world today. It is woven into pretty much every aspect of our lives, whether we notice it or not.

As the headwinds in agriculture continue to grow and technology advances, the conversations around innovation matter more than ever.

Farmers and ranchers have long been leaders in adopting innovation — from integrating new technology to embracing creative solutions that improve efficiency and sustainability.

Free trade dogma suggests that more imports benefit consumers by affording them more choices and lower prices. Let’s see if this holds true in the U.S. beef market.

The Trump administration may grant U.S. agriculture special exemptions from parts of its ever-changing tariff regime, but it can’t exempt it from everyday economic reality.

Farmers and ranchers understand it can take generations to build something that lasts.

The current political news brings concerning thoughts about the economic future of farming as we are faced with higher interest rates, lower grain prices and import markets at risk due to trade wars and tariffs.

Across the country this morning, men and women in every region and every state are rising to grow the food, fiber and renewable fuel Americans depend on.

The rural version of the Golden Rule is this: Do unto your neighbors’ farms that you’d have your neighbors to do unto yours.

I talk a lot about the importance of community in this column. As destructive storms moved through the heartland, neighbors came together to help pick up the pieces and support one another in times of need.

R-CALF USA is aggressively pursuing tariffs for cattle, sheep, beef and lamb. And it seems we’re the only national livestock association that is doing so.

Plant-based and lab-grown protein products enjoyed a moment in the sun several years ago, but it didn’t take long for the free market to kick in and push these companies down a very steep decline.

Since 2006, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has been on a mission to build awareness and understanding of agriculture through education.

Medicaid looks to be one of the big corks Congress hopes will help plug an estimated $4.7 trillion flood of red ink that accompanies tax cuts Republicans plan to pass this spring.

Farmers and ranchers are committed to stewarding the land and protecting the water we depend on. We know firsthand the importance of clean water: it’s essential to our livelihoods and instrumental in providing a safe and abundant food supply.

Farmers and astronauts might seem like they have vastly different jobs, but they share a lot of common traits and skills.

In the seven weeks that global markets and U.S. farmers have been living in the uncertain trade world of the Trump administration, prices for most American ag exports have headed south faster than a Canada goose in late October.

The U.S. sheep industry reveals what happens when our nation ignores market failure for too long, and it’s a case study applicable to every livestock sector in America.

With new administrations come new leadership, new priorities and new regulatory approaches. The recent transition has highlighted policy changes throughout the federal government, including interior enforcement of existing immigration laws.