What a pleasure it was last week to attend the annual Farm Broadcasters meeting in Kansas City. Many familiar faces and many new faces were there exchanging ideas, interviewing speakers, and broadcasting back to their local stations across this great nation.

It has been a long time since I have seen such an upbeat mood. Everyone seemed prepared to really celebrate Thanksgiving. Why not be grateful for a demand driven bull market.

The…

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When the next farm bill is written, everything will be in the spotlight. Some might say in the cross hairs for elimination. Federal Crop Insurance will not be an exception.

The federal government pays 60% of farmer premiums for their crop insurance. With a bad crop, insurance will pay a farmer as much as 95% of the income he would get from an average crop. If you are farming marginal land, that is a deal that is hard to refuse. The result -- farmers plant land that would be otherwise left…

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When I as driving our corn combine a couple of weeks ago, I could not help but marvel at how straight and strong the corn stood -- like trees just daring the wind to bring it down. Ithasn't always been like that. Thirty years ago, the corn bore damaged stalks were difficult for the combine header to scoop up. The yield suffered because of root worm infestation. The grass and weeds could be a problem even tough we used herbicides.

But this…

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I didn't plan it this way. My priority would have been to be on the farm harvesting corn...but, NO, I was invited to speak at a Development Conference in Cameroon, West Africa. I would prefer to be driving the combine, but the chance to see first hand a part ofthe world that isn't in the news every night and interact with their people -- well, of course, I went.

Here is my report.

Cameroon has a population of 16 million people, more or…

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As we contemplate writing the next farm bill, here are some considerations you may want to think about.

The number one fact of life is that farm bills are not written in a vacuum. They are subject to all the pressures and influences of the day. The farm economy condition hangs over the whole process like a huge blanket. Farmers and Members of Congress may try to be totally objective, but that's not reality.

The price of corn, of wheat, of…

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I know that Christianity is a religion of peace. You can remind me about the Crusades and all the blood shed then in the name of religion. That was then. Not now.

We have grown up. We have matured. We don't try to spread the faith with the sword. It seems to me that Christians and Jews alike try to follow some simple teachings: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Judge not, unless you wish to be judged."

That's just not…

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I was invited to testify before the House Ag Committee last week to give my ideas on what the next farm bill should look like. That is a complicated question. It might be easy to say, "Don't change it. Farmers like the one we have." But the fact is, times and conditions change and farm supports must also. The first farm bill I participated in was in 1981, 25 years ago, my first year as Secretary ofAgriculture. That bill did not change much but every bill…

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Some thoughts today about Hurricane Katrina.

One year since Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, and we have seen the press give us story after story about the government's failure to rebuild New Orleans. Vast sections of the city still lie in ruins of broken homes, trash and no life. No one is returning. Will they come back? Blame President Bush. Blame the Governor. Blame the Mayor. The circular firing squad is in full view.

I…

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The Wake-Up Wal-Mart Campaign Bus rolls across the land, screaming out: "Wal-Mart is buying goods made in China." "Wal-Mart is running small stores out of business." "Wal-Mart pays starvation wages." On and on. Liberal politicians join in the rant. Senator Hillary Clinton sat on Wal-Mart's Board of Directors in 1990. Not any more. Last year, self-righteous Hillary returned a Wal-Mart campaign contribution. All of this after President Clinton, in 1992 at Sam…

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I look at my own cornfields. It is a little dry but they still look good. But what will this crop be worth or the next crop? These are uncertain times.

Our farm support program is under relentless attack from the big city press. The Washington Post has called the U.S. Farm Program "scandalously wasteful." The cost of energy has driven up the cost of farm production more than we ever imagined. We don't know where the world trade negotiations will take us. Interest rates continue to add to our…

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