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January 26, 2023
January 26, 2023
Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the
National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association.
They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural
America. Thank you.
It is time for our government to go to work. The Senate and House both are in the process of
naming who will serve on the different committees. The Republican-led house is scheduled to
take up a GOP energy bill. It will direct the Biden Administration to come up with a plan to
increase oil and gas production on federal land before drawing down our Strategic Petroleum
Reserve anymore. We know President Biden does not want the U.S. to pump more oil. He wants
to buy it from other countries. What will happen? We shall see.
In farm country the need to pass a new farm bill is at the top of our list. Paul Ryan, former House
Speaker speaking at the International Dairy Foods Association Forum last Sunday predicts that
we will pass a new farm bill this year. House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson and
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow will give us that bipartisan ag leadership
that we need. I am optimistic.
Focus on Mexico. Yes – China is our biggest ag export market, but Mexico is close behind.
Mexico wants to ban imports of genetically modified corn. Our U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack
said that’s not going to happen. Good job Mr. Secretary. Keep the pressure on.
Another subject- the worst avian influenza outbreak we have ever had. The bird flu attack started
about 1 year ago. When you get it, the whole poultry flock must be destroyed. 58 million poultry
in 47 states are gone. Egg farmers are not insured. The virus has been devastating. Protecting the
flocks has not been easy. Wild birds flying North or South just spread it everywhere.
I have not talked about this new subject, but it is in the news every day. We all remember all of
the news and attention focused on secret government documents found at President Trump’s
Mar-a-Lago resort. The national news media was attacking Trump every day. Now President
Biden is in the hot seat. The FBI is investigating. They seem to find secret papers almost
wherever they look. I know some people thought President Trump should be put in jail for his
reckless handling of secret papers. Now they have to think about President Biden’s problem.
Now we have news that former Vice President Pence has some classified papers in his home. I
guess President Trump is not alone.
If you would like to review Jack Block’s radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go
online to www.johnblockreports.com.
Previous Weeks
This and That, September 17
September 18 2015
And now for today’s commentary—
I was in Germany, Austria, and Hungary just two months ago on our Danube River cruise. It was clam and peaceful. Not today. Thousands of refugees are streaming across the borders to escape the wars in the Middle East. Syria was a…
This and That, September 10
September 11 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
We have a long agenda of actions that need to be taken and not much time to do the job. The federal government’s fiscal year ends this month. The Congress needs to approve the level of spending for next year. They aren’t going to get…
EPA Overreach
September 4 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
There they go again. The EPA has levied a fine of $37,500 per day on farmer Andy Johnson of Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Mr. Johnson’s offense is that he built a pond for his horses and cattle on his eight-acre property. Before building…
Back to Illinois
August 28 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Last week, I flew to Illinois – drove down to Springfield to attend Ag Day at the Illinois State Fair. Governor Bruce Rauner, State Senator Darin LaHood, and State Representative Don Moffitt led a crowd of 1,000 people in celebrating…
Presidential Candidates
August 21 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
I have resisted the temptation to talk about the Presidential Campaign. But it has become so wild and entertaining, I can’t help myself. Donald Trump has everyone’s attention. He is leading 16 other Republicans in the polls – not as much…
Raw Milk
August 14 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
“Got raw milk? Well, don’t drink it. Too many people are risking their health and the health of their children.” Those are the words of Dr. Richard Raymond, former U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for food safety. His…
Things to Do
August 7 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Congress is out of town and won’t be back until after Labor Day. In some respects, that’s good. They won’t be passing any bad bills. However, it’s really not so good. The Country of Origin Labeling law is still hanging over our…
Honey Bees
July 31 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
In the past 2 or 3 years, I have read (I don’t know how many articles) sounding the alarm of the dying honey bees. “Colony Collapse Disorder” will result in a shortage of food crops that rely on honey bees for pollination. We were…
River Ride
July 24 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Over the last 2 weeks, my wife, daughter, and I were on a river cruise on the Danube River. The Danube flows along 10 countries from Germany to the Black Sea. We flew into Prague, Czech Republic – a gorgeous old city. Next morning,…
Let’s Keep A Strong Alcohol Section in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines
July 17 2015
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This is Rick Frank sitting in for John Block. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Today’s Quiz – what has more alcohol – a 12 oz can of beer? A 5 oz glass of wine? Or, a mixed drink with 1.5 oz of spirits? Answer – they all have the same amount of alcohol. 0.6 fl oz.
With all…
