One of the quiet benefits of membership in the St. Louis Agribusiness Club, is getting to know Club members like Philip Bradshaw, a retired farmer from Pike County, Illinois. At the April 2026 meeting, Philip reintroduced his 2019 book, Your … Continue reading →
In January 2026, the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) published the latest update of Rural America at a Glance: 2025 Edition. The companion chart to this post is from that publication, but is also the same chart that was published … Continue reading →
Service in the US Peace Corps in 1982 to 1984 was a 27-month investment in my life more than 40 years ago that continues to pay dividends today. A significant life lesson for me has been that substantive improvements in … Continue reading →
People drive the agricultural industry. AgriCULTURE is built on culture. Every year the Farm Progress Show provides a forum for learning about the newest and best technology in production agriculture – mostly crop production. But my experience is that it … Continue reading →
Every August our Bond County rural community loves to love up the young livestock show youth. During the County Fair the show animals are auctioned off in an interesting combination of bragging rights (for who purchased – bid the highest … Continue reading →
A good friend invited me to Hutchinson, Minnesota last weekend to celebrate a joyous life event. Working in the Midwest most of my career, it is often easiest just to drive rather than fly to neighboring states. Earlier in my … Continue reading →
A cool thing happened to me a few years ago. Rob Clark, of The Tall Family, moved into my community. At the time, I didn’t know anything about The Tall Family, with billions of views on multiple social media platforms. … Continue reading →
For the first time in the last nine years, I participated in Greenville University’s 2025 Commencement Ceremony as a civilian, rather than faculty. Saturday, May 10th, was a glorious day, and so fun to see former colleagues and students and … Continue reading →
I had the incredible opportunity to build an undergraduate agribusiness program at Greenville University for nearly a decade beginning in 2016. I have four agricultural degrees from public land grant universities and worked in university research and extension. But working … Continue reading →
When the benefits of an activity are difficult to put a dollar value on, or monetize, the traditional cost curves don’t tell the whole story. Total costs are the sum of all the variable costs and fixed costs. Undervalued community … Continue reading →
