Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Jessie Scott Farmers have responded to the call to agvocate by sharing insights about farming and their daily lives on blogs, social media, podcasts, and more. While this is a great start into helping consumers learn more about how their food, fuel, and fiber are grown, to be truly effective, farmers need to ensure […]

By: Paula Barbour Family business attorney Julie Bogle had a longtime client who, among all the business and legal matters, resisted all attempts to talk about transition planning. Yet, Bogle knew there were several children and no plan was in place for the large-scale operation. Then, in one work session, the client casually referred to […]

By: Ray Bohacz Buying decisions are crucial now because of depressed commodity prices. Every investment must be examined including the engine choice for vehicles. This begs the question: Are diesel engines for your pickups, utility vehicles, and other uses (such as an pump) the best way to go? Read More

By: Laurie Bedord When Dan Pinto and Dmitriy Rokhfeld created Machinio.com five years ago, their goal was simple – make searching for used equipment effortless for buyers. By gathering listings from thousands of dealers from all over the world, the pair have seen great success in achieving that goal. “With​ ​the​ ​shift​ ​moving​ ​toward​ ​digitalization​ […]

By: Natalina Sents Welcome to The Highlight Reel. Here you’ll find a recap of recent light-hearted or unusual news. These aren’t the headlines, but the funny, inspiring, or touching stories from across the agriculture industry. Last week, Sonny Perdue got out of Washington D.C. to visit three big agriculture states. Across the industry, people and […]

By: Jodi Henke f it weren’t for risk-taking entrepreneurs in agriculture, we’d probably still be plowing fields with horses. The way we farm continues to evolve as new technologies are developed by the brightest minds which includes gene editing, plant breeding, and animal health and nutrition. Michael Helmstetter is the CEO of TechAccel, an ag […]

By: Laurie Bedord Paul Overby chuckles when he reads the claims of the new apps and software solutions. “These products can only do what is being promised if someone gets the base information into the program in the first place so reports can be generated!” says the North Dakota farmer. According to Ag Funder’s Agrifood […]

By: Raylene Nickel Bryan and Zach Otott were just 14 and 12 years old when, for some reason, they got the idea they should have a business of their own. There was, of course, no shortage of work on their farm near Washington, Kansas, owned by parents Jeff and Nancy Otott. Maybe it was something […]

By: Dave Mowitz Farmer evaluators test a variety of the latest advances in shop tools. Here’s what they had to say about each. With a retail price of $649, the Wilton Tradesman vise had better be good. Wilton Tools, known to make the Cadillac of vises to the trades, claims the Tradesman 1765XC is virtually […]

By: Ray Bohacz For those of you who have seen more growing seasons than you care to admit, few things today are the same in farming. Procedures that 20 years ago were considered the norm are now relegated to nostalgia. Long gone are the days of moldboard plowing, walking the beans, cultivating between the rows, […]