Stories about faith
As a father, grandfather, farmer and man of faith, balance has become a cornerstone of my life. I have come to appreciate how crucial balance is in every aspect.
I have heard that you should not discuss politics, religion or money with friends and family. Apparently, some people are incapable of discussing these topics without fighting. I am not one of those people.
Maybe it’s time to put some eggs in a different basket — that is, livestock. And since cattle prices are formidable for newcomers, I suggest a more reasonable approach to diversification: sheep.
A generous donation of whole and lactose-free milk to local food banks will impact the lives of thousands of Illinois families.
Early in my first year at the Big U, a new friend from Chicago’s South Side asked me what he thought was an innocent question.
May is Mental Health Month. This time is a great reminder for each of us to make sure we are consistently checking in with ourselves, with our friends and family, and beyond our fencerows with our neighbors and community members.
When the alarm goes off at 3 o’clock in the morning, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians answer the call. They roll out of bed, pull on their clothes and speed to the fire station.
We’ve had a cold winter across a lot of our state, and I am enjoying spring and all the opportunities the new season brings for family fun and good food.
Spring has arrived and it is good to see grass growing and greening up. I won’t say that grass growth is exploding, because over the last few weeks, winter has tried to hang on.
This is my favorite time of the year. It is the time when new life is created.
Recently, I was asked to describe myself without saying I was a wife or mother and that hit me a bit differently. After all, as parents, it is hard for us to see beyond that.
Authorities have identified the five people killed in a fiery collision between a school bus and semitruck on a highway in rural Illinois, including a young brother and sister, another 3-year-old boy and both drivers.
Bethany Community Gardens is offering several free gardening classes this spring with a free meal included.
The Rahn family operates a centennial farm in northern Illinois that includes row crops, hay production, cattle feeding and a cow-calf herd.
The Burgener family, of Moweaqua, was named the Illinois Pork Producers Association 2024 Family of the Year.
While my father milked cows and farmed for almost 50 years, I never heard him say he loved — or, for that matter, even liked — either cows or farming.
AgriNews and Beck’s are proud to announce the 2024 Indiana Farm Family of the Year — the Muegge family of M5 Family Farms in Hancock County.
Bruce and Linda Muegge lead their family farm with faith and a strong work ethic. They’ve worked hard to build the farm to what it is today — a successful corn, soybean, wheat and cattle operation with an on-farm meat store.
Have you saved your spot at the 2024 American Farm Bureau Convention? There’s still time! I’m excited for the lineup as we explore New Frontiers together in Salt Lake City Jan. 19-24.
It’s been great so far this December to do chores without having to break the ice on the energy-free waterers we use here. Pretty much all fieldwork has been done by now around here.
‘Tis the season to give, so I gave the rams to the ewes. Now everybody’s happy. I should start lambing about mid-May. Hopefully we will have a lot of green vegetation to graze.
As I sit here to pen this column tonight, I find I am quite exhausted after another extremely busy day, which included us doing timed AI breeding on 90 heifers. It took us about three hours to get it done.
Kendra Downing has learned how to deal with adverse conditions and as a result won the National FFA agricultural proficiency award for agricultural sales — entrepreneurship.
A beloved Boilermaker and horticulturalist, Ross Byers died Nov. 24. Byers grew up in Vincennes, where he and his family managed Dixie Orchard — the largest grower in the state at that time.
Brian Duncan took a minute before he stepped to the podium. His title was just a few hours old when he was introduced to media as “the president of Illinois Farm Bureau, Brian Duncan.”
The Illinois Corn Growers Association thanked Rich Clemmons for over four decades of work representing agriculture in Illinois policy. Clemmons announced his retirement after supporting ICGA as a lobbyist since 2008.
Demeter is a common name in the grain trade. For example, Indiana-centered Demeter LP was a family-owned, regional grain business for more than 50 years.
How can every harvest be so similar and yet completely different? The goal is always the same — get everything through the combine and into bins, and yet there are so many circumstances that come into play.
Picking up where I left off last month, the Lord has indeed blessed us with another great month. For the most part, things have been going very well. The weather has been good.
Ted Mottaz was fresh out of college and all set for a career in agriculture education, but Uncle Sam had other ideas.
It’s been a beautiful dry fall, almost too dry. With all the talk about an El Niño weather system, I sure hope we get a lot of moisture this winter because we need to recharge the soil moisture. But you make your prediction. What do you think?
For once I have no complaints on the weather, especially the past couple of weeks. Temperatures have been warm, but moderate, now turning to more fall-like. Mix in two nice rains and conditions seem to be quite good.
The Federal Reserve left U.S. interest rates unchanged this month, waiting to see if the rapid rate hikes since March 2022 will finally push inflation down to their target of 2%.
Hoosier writers Beth Gormong and Susan Hayhurst are proud to present “Growing the Fruit of the Spirit: 100 Devotions for Farm Families.”
We are finishing our last fungicide and herbicide applications. We have had a few weeds push through our early herbicide application, so we have been forced to make another pass to clean some weeds up.
From drinks to desserts, breakfast, lunch and supper, the food court at Historic Farm Days is back with a full menu.
With traces of winter’s unusually heavy snow still lingering, farmers were out dawn to dusk in early May, planting corn and soybeans across southwestern Minnesota fields many have owned for generations.
The Indy 500 Milk Person, Kerry Estes, is prepared to hand off the iconic glass of milk to the winning driver on race day.
Learning through hands-on activities is the focus of the agricultural classes at Marquette Academy in Ottawa.
A frozen mustache, aching fingers and cold toes. Up before dawn and in the field long after the stars come out. These are what common workdays look like for me, a North Dakota farmer.
Shark Farmer, agriculture’s most entertaining and boundary-pushing media personality, has a new home — or should that be tank?
The Rev. Matt Curry’s parents were children of the Great Depression, just like “The Waltons” — the beloved TV family whose prime-time series premiered 50 years ago.
Surrounded by corn and soybean fields, this 50-acre plot of land complete with a school, dormitory, gymnasium, barn and other outbuildings seems a bit out of place.
Bible verse Mark 5:36 is the anchor message for Beck’s Hybrids new marketing campaign, “Be not afraid, only believe.” This year, farmers are facing unprecedented challenges, including high inflation and interest rates, unpredictable weather and rising input costs.
A new agriculture program is in the works at Grace College. The college is planning a Center for Agriculture. The school is seeking a director and program coordinator for the center.
Faith, farming and agricultural education are all tied together at Huntington University, where Raymie Porter teaches agriculture to students. Porter is also director of academic programs at Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies.