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Previous Weeks
Zimbabwe
August 27 2002
The "dog days of August" 2002 will soon be just a memory. If you got rain on your corn and soybean fields, you can be happy. That is -- unless it came too late. I'll be on my Illinois farm next week and let you know what I find. We're all aware of the ups and downs of farming and ranching, but I can't help but be grateful that we live in the USA.
We may not be able to control the weather but we have laws and courts to give us another kind of protection. That's not the case in Zimbabwe. President…
Trade Negotiating Plan
August 20 2002
Here I find myself back from Montana -- not on a horse now but at my desk thinking about Washington, DC and government's influence on agriculture. We have our farm bill. That's Good. Trade Promotion Authority has passed. That's good. Those two actions lay the groundwork for the next step. The next step is up to President Bush and Trade Ambassador Robert Zoellick. The President has the authority to negotiate trade deals and he has the leverage of a strong U.S. farm bill to bargain with.
The plan…
Big Sky Country
August 13 2002
If my voice sounds different, that's because I'm calling this program in on the phone from Big Sky Country -- Montana. The sky is wide and blue, the forest green and, I think, the streams brimming with trout. I'm on a ranch and have been riding horseback every day, just enjoying the magnificent scenery. These United States of America so diverse. "Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain."
Our people are just as diverse as…
STUPID LAWSUIT
August 6 2002
New York maintenance worker Caesar Barber deserves a prize for stupidest lawsuit of 2002. Of course the prize he wants would be millions of dollars from four fast food chains -- McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and Wendy's. He ate too many Big Macs and got fat. He must have just stuffed himself with them. He loved gorging himself with fried food. And now -- now he says he didn't realize that 6 Big Macs, bacon cheeseburgers and triple fries might put on a pound or two. Now what happened? Did Colonel…
Fires in the West
July 30 2002
Listen to these words of Ken Evans, President ofthe Arizona Farm Bureau Federation: "Here in Arizona, above the searing, bond-dry desert valley floors, in one of the harshest environments, stood the largest stand of majestic Ponderosa Pines to be found anywhere on Earth. These trees survived the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and the westward march of Europeans across the continent. Farmers and ranchers came to live and work in their long shadows. Five generations of ranchers learned to balance…
The European Union
July 16 2002
At first glance it probably sounds like a good idea for the European Union to expand eastward -- adding Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and more countries. And for the most part, especially security, it is a great idea.
However, from the point of view of the American farmer, we have to be careful and cautious. Here's why: There is no trade region where we have more trade disputes than Europe -- ranging from bananas to hormone beef and now biotech foods. There are disputes with Europe today.…
Politically Correct
July 9 2002
How politically correct do we have to be? Why would USDA take the lead in a truly goofy act?
Walk into the Administration Building at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's where the Secretary is officed. Read the sign, "Celebrate Gay and Lesbian Pride Month" -- the month of June.
Now what am I missing here? Why should USDA, "The People's Department", be celebrating? I could say promoting pride in a gay and lesbian life style. Is that appropriate activity for our Department of Agriculture?…
Leadership
June 18 2002
I have listened to leadership lectures. I have read about the principles of leadership. But last week I had the great privilege of attending a breakfast featuring Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the speaker -- on leadership.
I think the five points that he made are worth thinking about. Who better to talk about leadership than the person who led New York City through the difficult days following the terrorist attack of 9-11.
. Know what you believe. Mayor Giuliani believed in fighting crime and cleaning…
Giving the Farm Bill a Chance
June 11 2002
I talked last week about the farm bill and the criticism it has received. The Washington Post called it "The Mother of all Pork." Let me lead off by complimenting Secretary Veneman for her strong and effective defense of the bill. I know how hard it is to give birth to a farm bill. I know that with all of the different ag interest fighting for their special provisions that you cannot satisfy everyone. You cannot completely satisfy anyone.
Let me point out the first interest group that we have no…
Memorial Day
May 28 2002
We just celebrated Memorial Day. To me Memorial Day is a time to be thankful for our blessings, a time to reflect on the past and look to the future, a time to evaluate how we measure up in God's eyes.
I think we are all grateful to live in the United States of America and for the goodness that our country stands for. That gratitude is only magnified in the wake of last year's terrorist attack.
When I reflect on the past, I think of my mother and father and the sacrifices they made and the value…
