If there is one term I am most frustrated with hearing people say, it is Factory Farms. Why? You may find this a little crazy coming from a hog farmer, but I really don’t know what a factory farm is. The ironic part of this statement is I live in the Minnesota county that markets the largest numbers of hogs in…
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It’s very concerning when people vote on issues when they don’t understand the ramifications. There is no clearer example than the approved California ballot initiative–Proposition 12. Proposition 12 addresses farm animal housing standards. The problem? Unfortunately, Californians didn’t have enough knowledge to make a good, educated decision. The only way our type of government works properly is if we have…
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Right here in our home state of Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz is attempting to mandate electric-powered vehicles, using California’s standards as a guide to limit consumer choice and adversely impact our farming communities. For several reasons, this is not a sound, nor practical policy to enforce. The mandate would be extremely detrimental to the agriculture community, which is a large…
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Congratulations to you President Biden on your election victory. I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say I am nervous about what the next few years will bring. The life and business of farming are so unique and is really hard to describe to anyone who is not from the farming community. I have taken the liberty to enlighten you…
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I was stunned as anyone when I read about the new Biden administration’s proposed changes to the capital gains tax and stepped-up basis. The intended capital gains tax will increase to 39.6%, the highest capital gains increase in U.S. history. In addition, it would NOT include a step-up basis. So what does this mean and how will this affect the…
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I have been pondering this subject for quite some time. I remember not long ago where no one talked about mental health (and especially rural mental health). But, the great news is we are hearing and learning more about it. Thankfully there are more resources reaching mental health efforts. Is Mental health an issue for rural America? Based on an…
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