The American fanners and ranchers just wrapped up the best year we have ever had if we rely on the net farm income figure of 73.7B dollars. That does not mean that we are on easy street. There are a lot of land mines out there that can bring us back to earth pretty fast.

Let's review some of the challenges that we face. Since we rely so heavily on exports, let's look there first. Another mad cow was found in Canada. That makes two in two weeks. I know that beef in U. S. and Canada is perfectly…

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We're just beginning to see what I expect to be a flood of articles about government farm subsidies. In my hand I have the NY Times, December 26 (the day after Christmas). On page one is a long article critical of fam1 subsidies. "Despite the fact that farm income has doubled in 2 years, federal subsidies have also gone up nearly 40 percent over the same period." that's true, all true. Of course, the year of comparison is 2002, a terrible year for farmers. That year net farm income was a dismal…

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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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Mike Johanns, from an Iowa dairy farm, out of the heartland -- our Secretary of Ag is waiting. His confirmation should not be difficult since he comes to town with all of the right qualifications. I talked with him last week. He's excited. I met him last spring in Nebraska, where we both appeared on an ag program. Farm people of Nebraska like him. He comes from the soil and is one of us. With a strong national farm economy, he should be off to a good start.

Of course, it won't be all smooth…

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For a long time the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been trying to drive the Boy Scouts of America out of business. In response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU the Defense Department agreed to a policy that forbids military bases the right to sponsor the Boy Scouts.

Now, I was not a Boy Scout in my youth, but my father was and he was proud to say that he was just one merit badge short of making Eagle Scout. That's the top honor!

I know they are not the same, but I equate the Boy Scouts…

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A new wave of Cabinet officers is stepping up to the plate.

I compliment President Bush for his evolution courage and decisiveness. Not that the Cabinet officers leaving have not done a good job. They have! Some individuals from the original Cabinet just simply wanted to step aside. The job is all consuming. You effectively give your life over the job.

The President realizes that he has four more years to try to accomplish certain very important objectives. The budget deficit cannot be ignored.…

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For years and years we have bragged about the surplus of farm exports over imports. In fact 20 years ago we exported twice as much food as we imported and helped to keep the trade deficit from getting any worse. Would you believe that in June and August of this year our farm trade surplus melted away? We'll have a surplus for the year --- However, it is likely that in 1 or 2 years farm sales will be in deficit.

It's not that our exports have collapsed. In fact, we are exporting 50% more…

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Now that we know who will be president the next four years and the

U.S. Congress is in place for the next two years, the obvious question must be, what does this mean for us?

I think it is fair to say that we have an administration and congress that is very much aware where their support in the election came from. Look at that red map. It blankets the country except for the large urban counties colored blue. President Bush owns most of the nation's real estate.

With that in mind, I would expect…

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At long last the election is over. It was a "knock-down-drag out flight", but I was so proud of how involved the American people were in unity and in working for their candidates. It was democracy at its best. I am also proud of rural and small town America, which elected George W. Bush.

John Kerry throughout the campaign struggled to bridge a huge cultural divide; rural America never related to him. Whether it was his windsurfing, his conduct after the Viet Nam War, his phony goose hunting…

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We have a breakthrough on beef trade with Japan.

It has been almost a year since we discovered one cow that tested positive for BSE. That one cow shut the door on our exports of beef around the world. Since then we have been negotiating with the Japanese to arrive at a testing protocol that would satisfy them.

Now, thanks to the efforts of Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, and President Bush the door is opening just a crack. I say that because anyone that thinks the Japanese could make an…

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