Pivotal Issues Blog

By Lisa Foust Prater Marshal Sewell grew up on his family’s fifth-generation fruit and vegetable farm near Plant City, Florida, between Tampa and Orlando. They grew strawberries in winter and mixed vegetables in spring and fall. When Sewell was in high school, he planned to study ag business and ag economics at the University of […]

By Chelsea Dinterman In many cases, the highest-yielding crops are coddled by a team of experts. Perfectly chosen seed, near-constant scouting, and spoon-fed nutrition are cornerstones of record-breaking production. While applying the perfect nutrients at the perfect time may lead to high yields, that’s not economically viable for most production systems. The average farmer knows […]

By: Mark McLaughlin Question: My wife and I are in a good position. We don’t need much income. We have three kids and eight grandkids. One son farms with us. Our other two work outside the farm. We’re all different, but we get along great. We operate through a C corporation that holds machinery, grain, […]

By: Jerry Nelson We all have pressure in our lives. Too much pressure can be disastrous, but the same can be said about too little. I have a family member who had been experiencing pressure problems for the past several years. OK, so she technically isn’t an actual family member or even a human being. […]

By: Myron Friesen I am 70 years old and my husband passed away suddenly. I have three sons including an attorney in Chicago, a realtor in California, and a son farming with us. I have 900 acres with $1 million in debt. Right after the funeral, we got together as a family and everyone seemed […]

By: Lisa Foust Prater He’s a fifth-generation farmer. She’s a fourth-generation rancher. Those are the roles Jordan and Jacki Christman know and love, and when they got married in 2010, they decided there was no need to change them. Now, in addition to raising their daughter, Citti, 10, and sons Cahan, 11, and Conway, 8, […]

By: Staff Author Dogs and farms go paw in hand. A capable dog can be a big asset on a country property as a livestock guardian, home protector, or herder. With so many dogs in shelters (over 3 million enter shelters a year), it makes sense to look there for the farm dog of your […]

By: Lisa Foust Prater Skid steers are becoming standard equipment on farms, and with good reason: They make quick work of all kinds of chores, from hauling bags of feed to clearing snow. With the plethora of attachments available and their ability to maneuver in tight spaces, skid steers are invaluable. If you don’t own […]

By: Dave Mowitz At one time, farm shops were, well, just that… under-roof areas built for repair and service chores. Today such structures have grown beyond providing space to work on machinery to include specialized maintenance bays, welding centers, offices, meeting rooms, storage depots, kitchens, entertainment centers, and whatever farmers’ fertile imaginations come up with. […]

By: Cory Hall I built a second floor in my shop for parts storage. After two near-falls from the ladder, I decided to build an elevator,” says M.W. (Woody) Wood, of Lula, Mississippi. Wood planned to rewire a winch, but was told by a repair shop that if the power went out, the elevator would […]