Monday, Jan. 20 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Besides being a day off for schools and federal and state employees, the most significant part of this day is to volunteer. Use this day as a chance to serve the community. Serving one’s community by volunteering is essential to creating a ...
Tonight, I made mac and cheese with broccoli and Spam for my family. It’s basic poor people fare, the food I grew up with. Cheap carbs, cheap protein, and the most common of frozen veggies. But here’s the thing – this food is delicious. And my boys grew up on it. And after a long week of ...
Our lexicon has lost the word farmer. During my farming career, I felt like myself as a farmer, but elsewhere, I was looked at as a grower. I was only growing corn, soybeans, and a few cover crops, but it still felt weird. The continuation of the siloing off of livestock and grain enterprises ...
Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge – one of the world’s most important migratory bird staging and wintering habitats – is under attack. For many years, a way to connect the remote community of King Cove to Cold Bay, a larger town with an all-weather airport and better medical ...
What America needs are small businesses. Whatever part of the economy, small businesses should have a stake in the game. No matter the amount of small business Saturdays, small businesses matter. Be it a boutique, grocery store, pharmacy, farm, or what have you, supporting local entrepreneurs ...
Far too often in society, citizens are thought of as consumers. A citizen is a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized. A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use. To make a more well-rounded society, people ...
Like many pastors, I am “bivocational.” I work half time for a small-town church, preaching on Sundays and doing what I can to serve the community during the week, but I also have to hold down a separate full time job to insure my family and make ends meet. Until a couple months ago, I ...
With the holiday season here, it is time for reflection. Whether with family, friends, or yourself, this is a wonderful time of year to come together for reflection. Take the time this holiday season to relax and reflect on what was, what is, and what will be. Holidays are a way to make ...
Growing up in northern Tama County, oddly enough, I have fond memories of getting groceries. When staying with my grandma in Clutier, I remember visiting the small grocery store on Main Street. Since the last time I stepped foot into the store, maybe over 20 years ago, I still vividly remember ...
When I knew I was not going to farm anymore, I needed to cheer myself up. I decided to ride Amtrak. Due to a bomb cyclone cancelling my ride from Seattle to St. Paul, I ended up riding the California Zephyr from Emeryville, Calif. to Omaha. As a child, my mom and I rode a partial version of ...