U.S. economy is ‘eating seed corn’
American humorist Will Rogers once joked that “there’s no trick” in coming up with political wisecracks “when you have the whole government working for...
Don’t complain with your mouth full
The last time the hefty price of wheat was a dinner conversation topic the then-secretary of agriculture, Earl Butz, hit the road to deflect...
A sap shouting into the hurricane
Today’s barely functioning cash grain and livestock markets will soon be getting their price signals from the world’s largest single, for-profit, around-the-clock money, grain, meat and metals futures trading operation.
A sap shouting into the hurricane
One fine spring evening 35 or so years ago, I rang the doorbell of the home of the young lady I intended to ask...
Government playing the patsy again
If either you or I get in a high-stakes poker game and we lose our shirts, an absolute certain bet is that the government will not bail us out.
Food inspection a big, germy joke
When a former National Football League player known for his dirty play was asked if he ever “threw” a game — purposely helped the opposing team win — the player replied by stating the obvious.
Farm and Food File: I must confess: I don’t have a clue
A furrowed brow and clenched teeth usually accompany the phrases “Officer, you’re right,” and “I don’t know.”
The former hasn’t split my lips since,...
Farm and Food File: Time is money and money corrupts
History doesn’t record who first uttered the ageless business maxim that “Time is money,” but a good bet might be a meatpacker because minutes...
Farm bill discussions are ‘ridiculous’
Be it bird hunting in Minnesota or vote hunting on Capitol Hill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson is seen as a straight shooter of both pheasants and fools.
Bull and bear get piggish competition
An unwritten motto of a former employer, market adviser Professional Farmers of America, was that it's easier to turn journalists into economists than economists into journalists.
