Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Dave Mowitz Sandy and Greg Brummond know a good deal when they see one. Five years ago they cashed in on incentives offered on solar systems and invested in a $39,000 solar array that sits atop their farm shop near Craig, Nebraska. The payoff was twofold for the Brummonds. Their current system (which can […]

By: Paula Barbour A relatively new farmer, Roger Tobias went to work building something he needed for his operation. “I figured either it would work or it wouldn’t,” he says. It worked. What he needed was a movable irrigation system for one pasture. T-frames are made from scrap angle iron brace arms from a former […]

If you store equipment over the winter months, be sure to adjust your tire inflation pressure to account for the natural, slow loss of PSI. “This way, when we do get that equipment out for spring prep work, we’re not walking into sheds finding flat tires that need inflated before we can get into the […]

By: Heather Barnes Have you been making New Year’s resolutions every year, only to have them fall by the wayside before Valentine’s Day? Try picking a word for the year instead. I first heard about this from a blogger I follow, who talked about choosing one important word that would be her theme for the […]

By: Jodi Henke Help out your feathered friends this winter by making homemade suet cakes for them. It provides a high-energy source of fat and protein during increased energy needs in colder weather. Pure suet is the fatty tissue around a cow’s kidneys. You could also use pork lard, lamb fat, or even Crisco. Dave Shiley is […]

By: Jerry Nelson It’s no secret that our nation has become deeply divided. We are riven by profound emotions, feelings that are so strong that they’ve resulted in the installation of regrettable tattoos by numerous members on both sides of the chasm. This pervasive contentiousness can be boiled down to one question: Are you a […]

By: Laurie Bedord Jacquelyne Leffler wasn’t always planning to be a farmer. A star athlete in track and field, the Kansan had originally set her sights on a career that would build on her passion for sports.  Trained as a college athlete throughout high school, the gifted competitor won eight Kansas State High School Association […]

By: Myron Friesen For years, I rented land from my parents and other neighbors. When my parents passed away, it became a challenge to rent from several of my siblings. Now, as my neighbors have passed away, renting from some of their heirs has become a challenge as well. How can I make sure my […]

By: Laurie Bedord Because plant breeding and seed product development is a long, expensive process, crop breeders want to find any problem a variety might have as soon as possible to get it out of the pipeline. In the past, measuring traits like plant height meant relying on humans to assess plants. Armed with a […]

By: Natalina Sents Celebrating the holidays with a live Christmas tree is one way to support local farmers and make memories with your family this time of year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “Taking your family to a tree farm to select the perfect centerpiece for your holiday celebration is a great way to […]