On a mission to help agriculture come alive in the classroom and get the next generation excited about ag-based careers, organizations and federal agencies have created STEM-based curricula to educate students on the important relationship between agriculture and science.

We moved to a new home in the country, and I love how the home welcomes us. On sunny days the iris buds wave hello. We have a parade of violets and dandelions.

While everyone uses water, Americans use it up, noted Wallace Stegner, the preeminent writer of the West, in his 1992 book of essays, “Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs.” That shrewd observation is even more accurate today.

If you work in agriculture, you know it’s not just a way of life — it is life. The farms we live on and operate become as much a part of our identity as our last name or our ancestry.

To the moms who stay up late worrying about your children. To the ones working hard, who can barely keep their eyes open because they’re so tired. I see you.

A new era of intense volatility and rampant speculation has arrived for the entire Big Four, stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities. Few times in the past 25 years or longer has so much wild investing, reckless gambling, risk taking and adventure been witnessed with markets of all kinds. Some argue that the last time such a scenario unfolded was in the 1970s to 1980s, 40 to 50 years ago.

With the wave of a wand, you’re the boss of the Farm Credit System. You manage a portfolio of 592,000 ag-related customers holding 946,119 loans totaling $315 billion — $113 billion in real estate debt alone — according to December 2020 FCS data.

I enjoy a good story, hearing where folks have come from and what their passions are, learning the history of a place, understanding how innovation is opening new doors on the farm. Stories help us understand our neighbors and our world, and we were all meant to be lifelong learners.

My brother did not push either of his daughters toward a military career. Both girls are patriotic. They support and love our country equally. My sister and I, too, support and love our country, but neither chose the same path as our brother.