I may sound a little different today, but I'm talking to you by telephone from a ranch in Colorado. There is a touch of fall in the air, crisp and clear. After 4 days of riding horses and shooting guns -- just a little target practice. All of this brings back childhood memories to me -- back to the day when I rode my pony (Spot) to school. Raced behind my dog (Butch) through the timer land as he rushed to tree a squirrel. With my sling shot or single shot 22 rifle, we might be lucky enough to…

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Both conventions behind us and now the presidential election is going to really heat up. I spoke last week to an event in Illinois -- talking about the food industry and the politics of the day.

In the process I asked the audience if the election were held today, who would they vote for? George W. Bush clearly was the favorite. But then I asked how many felt that there really wasn't much difference between the candidates. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I was surprised at how many people didn't…

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One down and one to go. The Republican Party Convention was held in the "City of Brotherly Love" -- Philadelphia. I was there and so were the other food and farm organizations. They were all present and accounted for at the "Great American Farm Breakfast". I'll bet you didn't see that event on t.v. Never mind. It was still big with hundreds of industry leaders with political interests all across the landscape. Farm Bureau and Farmers Union. Sugar growers and sugar processors. No one dared to…

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Adopt this proposal and U.S. farmers will be able to "sell their commodities in every comer of the earth without being undercut by subsidized competition or blocked by high tariffs." -- the words of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. The proposal was formally presented to the World Trade Organization the last day of June.

The plan would set a ceiling on government support for farmers and phase down over time. The objective is to systematically wean farmers from government support…

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President Clinton has been making a big thing out ofthe bulging budget surplus. Vice President Gore has been trying to take credit for the surging economy. Members of Congress are talking about the windfall. It's like we just won the lottery. This is terrific. And after all of those years of budget deficits. But if indeed the federal government is going to have 4.2 trillion dollars more than needed to meet our obligation over the next 10 years, what should be done with the money?

That's the…

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Many of the pundits have been saying that this would be a "do nothing Congress". That political gridlock would close the door on any meaningful legislation. So far that has not been the case at all. Let" just take inventory ofwhere we are with a list of bills that might have been little more than a dream a few months ago. For years the Congress went through the annual charade of voting normal trade relations for China.

The energy expanded every year was enormous. This year we passed…

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I picked up the Washington Post yesterday and there I saw this article discussing the Death Tax issue in great detail. The gist of the message was: Yes, there is growing pressure for the federal government to do something to reduce the tax burden forced upon a family at the death of the principal. Somehow, the writer of the Post article couldn't seem to understand why relief was supported by so many people. After all, only 2% of family estates are faced with the tax. It's really no big deal.…

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Down on the farm! What a lift to your spirits! Optimism triumphs over pessimism. A new day with the promise of new life. Spring is here, a new crop is in the ground and growing and with that a promise of better days ahead.

Last week I climbed up on the big tractor and rode back and forth across the field as we finished planting our soybeans. As I drove the country roads the com was up to where it could be rowed. And the soil -- I have never seen it work so well. No clods. No wet spots. You…

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Recently I was asked to testify before the House Ag Committee. The subject: the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act, better known as Freedom to Farm. The hearing was well attended, chaired by House Ag Committee Chair Larry Combest and backed by Congressman Charlie Stenholm and several other farm state congressmen.

My message to them was simple. With the low farm prices that we have experienced, Freedom to Farm has been an easy target for criticism.

Yet, we should not…

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Earth Day -- farmers celebrate Earth Day every day. Every day we set foot on our land we think about the valuable, life sustaining resources that God gave us. Rich soil, clean water, trees, "amber waves of grain." I was at USDA last week attending a reception in honor of Secretary Glickman, honoring him for serving five years as Secretary of Agriculture. In his remarks, he noted that if he can make two more months, he will surpass my tenure of service. I told him to "Hang in there, Baby." On…

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