Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, 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 was on the farm last week. It is so exciting to drive that combine and watch that big machine, like magic, sort out the kernels of corn from the trash. That golden grain flowing out of…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, 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’m holding in my hand today’s Washington Post newspaper. The front page story features a woman who packed up her most precious belongings in her rusty pick-up truck and drove 1,000 miles from…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, 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’m back on the farm.

It wasn’t a visit of choice. On Friday, July 31, 2009, my son and farming partner for more than 20 years was killed in a traffic accident as he was returning home for dinner.

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, 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—

Down on the farm in Illinois. That’s where I was this week. We celebrated the 4th of July with a cake decorated like an American flag and watched the fireworks show. That was only…

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In the last week, we lost a great Secretary of Agriculture -- Earl Butz died at age 98.And a new Secretary was sworn in. Ed Schafer, former Governor of North Dakota, became the 29th Secretary of Agriculture. Governor Schafer was confirmed by the Senate with unanimous consent.

Ed Schafer was a popular Republican North Dakota governor. Earl Butz, throughout his time as Secretary, was always somewhat controversial. In serving two Presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Earl Butz was pushed…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country.

I spent some time last week in Illinois -- at the Farm Progress Show and at our farm up near Galesburg.

The optimism in farm country is "off the chart." Not that we ain't complaining about a lot of things. Of course, we are. "Look how expensive anhydrous is going to be this fall -- $550 per ton. Production expenses for the 2008 crop will be up at least 10%." It does seem that the minute we get some profit margin it starts to leak away. The crowds…

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Hello everybody outthere in farm country.

Just back from France.My family and I bicycled in La Loire Valley for a week southwest of Paris. It was beautiful and cool. About 70° -- contrast that with the 90+° here in the U.S.

In talking to a French farmer, I found that they are about as excited about the demand for renewable fuel that has lifted farm prices as we are. We rode along bike paths with wheat fields, grape vineyards, and corn as far as the eye could see. Of course, the wheat…

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The New Year is upon us. Perhaps you made some New Year's resolutions. "I'll get more exercise. Lose weight. Be more neighborly." All good ideas! Beyond that -just how we live life, how we look at life can have an unbelievable influence on the joy of living. Think about this piece written by Robert Hastings entitled "The Station".

The Station

By Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. The John Block radio commentary is brought to you by the Council for Bioteclmology Information.

What an interesting experience! Recently I visit the Monsanto experiment laboratories in Chesterfield, MO. I can report to you the world of biotechnology promises to be a world of wonder and unbelievable value to all of mankind -- not just fanners. For more information about biotech, visit the Council's web site at www.whybiotech.com.

And now for…

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Pick up the newspaper and sometimes a story will jump out at you that you can hardly believe. Just this week the Washington Post reports that a 300 pound pig flew first class from Philadelphia to Seattle. Yes, it's true! Two women signed up to transport the animal. It seems they needed help to get him aboard. A 300 pound pig is a big porker. If he didn't want to fly to Seattle, I think it would be hard to hog tie the belligerent flyer. ~

But fortunately, according to the story, he was…

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