One factor that allowed me to step up into higher education after several decades of intentionally avoiding a teaching career, was Seth Godin’s book, “What to do when it is your turn (and it is always your turn).” We are … Continue reading →
Homebase for Biomass Rules, LLC is Greenville, IL, population, 7,000. I have lived in rural communities across the US, in Europe, and in Asia. When I was young each place was just somewhere to live. Over the years, I began … Continue reading →
The most successful manure producers are also the most creative manure users. Or at least they are creative in facilitating the use of manure by others. Being awesome is a lot of work. Recall that technology is defined as y=f(x). … Continue reading →
Karen Maguire, Sophia J. Tanner, Justin B. Winikoff, and Ryan Williams USDA, Economic Research Service, May 2024 The following findings were reported in this interesting report. This study examines land cover surrounding rural solar and wind installation sites from 2009–20. … Continue reading →
In the most recent post, the case was made that in their role as producers, farms transform inputs into outputs more than establish and maintain markets in the final goods and services, retail sector. The 2022 Census of Agriculture also … Continue reading →
Manure doesn’t have to be a liability or associated with a 4-letter expletive. Cultural shifts begin with the seminal definition of the issue in question. If the initial definition is negative, options are bound by the limits of the definition. … Continue reading →
Life shapes us. It has certainly shaped Mark Jenner’s career path. I was raised to make the world a better place, and what an odyssey of bridge-building and provocation it has been! This week, I turned in my keys at … Continue reading →
Over the course of my career maps and mapping software have continued to evolve. Maps are compelling and visually informative. As this graphic interface has evolved, there are rules about what is proper and what is not. Like so many … Continue reading →
Nearly 25 years ago, I was asked to evaluate the economic opportunity for growing industrial hemp in my role as economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation. I wrote one rather concise report and distributed it to all the state … Continue reading →
The 2022 Census of Agriculture was released on February 13, 2024. This image is the top of the first table, Table 1, in the 750-page data document on summary data in the United States for the production year, 2022. In … Continue reading →
