THE SOUTH OF IOWA

Where the heck did I go?

2008-08-20T09:24:00.003-05:00

So, I finally got back to this blog after a hiatus of about 5 months. Where am I, how'd I get here?

Here's the low down:

1) A long drawn out planting that went from May to early July
2) Mud
3) Haying
4) Hauling corn
5) Combining corn (yes, it's true)
6) Watching 220 acres of corn and beans get destroyed by hail in about 10 minutes
7) Having a new baby daughter in late May (Emersen Louise)
8) Starting a new job with Pioneer a few days ago.

I am upright and functioning; blood still flows through these veins, and brain synapses still fire.

That's a quick update. Thanks for missing me, especially you from Oklahoma. I didn't know I had such mass appeal to the clodhoppers down there.

I'll update you more as I have time. Thanks again.

When music and pie charts collide

2008-03-10T21:27:00.001-05:00

Found this here:

The Dialectizer

2008-03-10T20:11:00.002-05:00

OK, so this has nothing to do with farming, the weather, politics, etc. Well, a little bit politics, but just for demostration purposes.

Here's the first three paragraphs of an article about Obama:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080310/D8VARKI80.html

Mar 10, 6:43 PM (ET)By CHARLES BABINGTON
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed the idea of being Hillary Rodham Clinton's running mate Monday, saying voters must choose between the two for the top spot on the fall ticket.
The Illinois senator used his first public appearance of the week to knock down the notion that he might accept the party's vice presidential nomination. He noted that he has won more states, votes and delegates than Clinton so far.
"I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place," Obama said, drawing cheers and a long standing ovation from about 1,700 people in Columbus, Miss.

Now, here it is run through the Dialectizer, set to Jive:

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed da damn idea uh bein' Hillary Rodham Clinton's runnin' mate Monday, sayin' voters gots'ta choose between de two fo' de top spot on de fall ticket. Man! De Illinois senato' used his fust public appearance uh de week t'knock waaay down de noshun dat he might accept da damn party's vice super-dudeial nominashun. He noted dat he gots won mo'e states, votes and delegates dan Clinton so's far. Ah be baaad... "I duzn't know how some fool who be in second place be offerin' de vice presidency t'de sucka' who be fust place," Obama said, drawin' cheers and some long standin' ovashun fum about 1,700 sucka's in Columbus, Miss.

Use this link anytime you want to really spice up a memo from upper management.

Welcome to warm, sunny Southern Iowa

2008-03-02T15:41:00.006-06:00

With the recent warmup, our roads have turned to mud. Unless you've got 4wd, chances are you won't make it through these kinds of spots.

Smoking ban proposal

2008-02-28T19:15:00.002-06:00

So, our Legislature is now debating the merits of a statewide smoking ban in all public places, except limosines and casinos. The first go-round of this bill was suppose to allow cities or counties to make the decision whether to disallow smoking in these places, but it's apparent that some folks in the House think that decision should be taken away from us.

Here's my spin on it: Smokers stink as bad as if they spent a couple hours in a hog confinement. They reek, and their odor preceeds them everywhere they go. They probably don't realize it, but they stink.

That being said, if they want to smoke, and if a business chooses to allow them to smoke in their confines, then that's their choice.

I don't allow smoking in my office by basically not putting out any ashtrays. I think smokers get the hint. Take it outside, folks.

However, down the street, our local restaurant's non-smoking area consists basically of one booth in the corner. About every other table has an ashtray at it. In fact, the waitresses smoke, and they have a particular table where they can park their cigarettes in between serving their customers.

Guess what - I still eat there. OK, it's the only restaurant in town, but I realize that when I walk out of there I will smell a bit of smoke.

The ads being run by the Dept. of Public Health are misleading. The people who appear on them say they make good money bartending or waiting tables, but that they don't want to be exposed to second-hand smoke. Then why are they in this business? It's called an occupational hazard.

Steve Deace brought up this point: The bartender complains of enhaling second hand smoke, but the irony is that he's serving alcohol to patrons who may potentially get drunk and drive, beat up their wife or children, or make poor decisions that can lead to disease or unwanted pregnancy. Who's causing who to have poorer health?

So, while I am not in favor of people smoking, and think that it's a stinky dirty habit, I'll still support a business' choice to allow smoking or not. It's not government's business to determine this for us. If we must have a ban, at least allow it to be determined on a city-by-city or county-by-county basis. It still provides some "power to the people" rather than it be dictated on high to us.

I will say this: Our state representative Kurt Swaim, a Democrat from Bloomfield, voted against the bill. Good for him to go against the blue grain.

Have we hit the commercialization ceiling?

2008-02-24T16:24:00.003-06:00

I was browsing across Liquidation.com today when I found this:

http://cgi.liquidation.com/auction/view?id=1606350&convertTo=USD

A truckload of 10,000 15th anniversary Reservoir Dogs shot glasses.

The starting price is $100. Trucking will be more than the price, as it's $2.25/mile from California to here in The South of Iowa.

This is called over-commercialization, people.

The last few days...

2008-02-22T20:48:00.003-06:00

...have made me wonder why I live in Iowa and not in somewhere it doesn't freeze.

Yes, this is the obligatory February complaint post.

Wednesday I tried to get the feed truck to start. Sure, it would turn over, but no firing. The fuel had gelled up. So, I try it again yesterday. Still no luck. I had poured some fuel supplement into the tank, left the truck plugged in so the block was nice and toasty, and used copious amounts of starter fluid to try and get it to fire. Nothing. Took the fuel filter off, poured a little supplement in it, and finally got it to run. Awesome.

Next step was to load some DDGS from the bulk tank via the belt conveyor into the truck. Except the rain we had on Monday had frozen the belt in place. Went to the house and got 3 gallons of hot water to pour on the butt end of the conveyor to thaw it out. Even got the cutting torch out to heat the water. I finally got up on top of the truck, where the head of the conveyor was, and attempted to move the belt backwards. In doing so, it gave the belt a "running chance" to get over it's problem. After a couple times of this, it finally took off. Super, now I can load the truck. Only an hour and a half behind schedule.

Loaded the feed, went to town and weighed, and then off to my first customer an hour away. When I started to unload, I noticed that the auger system did not work very quickly. Unfortunately, my hydraulic system on the feed truck leaks, and it must have lost enough fluid to make things slow. So, after unloading what I could, I headed back to town, got some more hydraulic fluid from the oil plant, poured it in to the tank, and off I went to my next customers. The new oil did the trick.

So, because I delivered all of my DDGS, I needed more. Today I decided to take the semi truck north to Lincolnway Energy to take corn up and DDGS back. The semi truck also had not moved since last Saturday. It probably would have been wise to have moved it, even an inch, but I wasn't thinking that far ahead.

I spent about an hour and a half trying to get the rear axles of the trailer to come loose. It took 4 gallons of hot water this time, and even then I had to use the tractor and chain to move it. The brakes may have been frozen as well. Semi trucks and ice/snow do not mix well. I got over to my Dad's where I was to get the corn. Fortunately, he had sanded down the approach to the bin, so I was able to get up to it very easily.

However, we had gotten snow and ice inside the bin, and as the corn moved down to the unloading auger, so did the ice chunks, blocking the corn. Dad had a length of PVC pipe, so I used it to poke at the corn to break up the ice. However, twice I got the pipe down into the auger below and stopped the entire unloading process. This meant stopping the motor before the belts burned up, opening up the bottom clean out door, removing the corn from the clean out area with a scoop, and then running the auger system again to make sure it didn't plug up.

By the time we dealt with that and the ice, I had to leave for Lincolnway before it closed for the day (a 2 hour drive), and I only had about 1/3 of a truckload on. I had to get the DDGS, no matter what, so I headed up with what I had.

The trip up and back was uneventful, other than trying to maneuver a 40 ton truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Altoona.

So, do NORMAL people have to deal with stuff like this on a daily basis, too?

This winter has just plain sucked. I won't recall the number of times I've gotten stuck, nearly gotten stuck, had to get the cutting torch out to heat things up, use hot water in other situations, tromp through knee high snow drifts, etc.

Sorry to complain - I guess I should be happy to have the opportunity to do all of these things, and I am. I probably come off like some Mr. Howell Blue-Blood complaining that his Rolls Royce's rear seat has a smudge on it.

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to spring/summer. Not for the thawing, as this will make things quite wet for a while. But, when the warm breezes come up from the south, the grass greens, the trees start to bud, and the baby calves romp in the fresh pasture, I'll know why I endured this place called Iowa.

Thoughts on this presidential campaign...

2008-02-16T08:19:00.003-06:00

So, I will admit - my man Huckabee is probably not going to win the nomination of the Republicans this year. I know, understatment of the year.

And thus, we've got McCain going up against Hillary or Obama.

GW Bush recently endorsed McCain, and so did Romney. That doesn't make me feel any better about Juan McCain. Getting the endorsement of blue bloods in my opinion is like getting the support of representatives of NAMBLA. OK, not quite, but you get the picture.

So, we're down to it - either a president that will guarantee us more wars, less jobs, and more amnesty, or a president that will turn us into the People's Socialist Republic.

More regulation, more control, more debt, less economic growth, less stature in the world...in escense, less of what made us great as a Nation.

I don't feel good about where our country is headed. We are headed for disaster, and our "leaders" keep right on the same path. Sure, I'd like to be optimistic, and I think there can be positives in the near future, but over all, we are going to have to deal with things sooner than later before our economy goes over the abyss.

When do we say "enough is enough" and start taking this country back? When we decide that giving up our cushy lifestyles to defend our remaining values for our children's future and benefit?

Are we willing to confront the nature of the beast, to right the wrongs of Washington and Des Moines and make this a free county yet again? Or, do we sit on our duffs and watch the parade of global socialism go by?

Clean sweepin'

2008-02-15T20:13:00.002-06:00

The wife and I are doing a "clean sweep" on the basement. On the agenda tonight was the stuff in the corner that we had transferred from our home in Huxley 4 years ago and did not unpack. Yeah, that stuff...

So, much to my surprise I found my old cassette tapes. Warrant. Guns N' Roses. Nirvana. Van Halen. John Mellencamp. Kentucky Headhunters. Garth Brooks.

What was I to do? These tapes were the "soundtrack to my life" in the early 90's...if I had one. I couldn't throw out my old friends! Why, they were there for all those wonderful old memories, like cruising Humeston, driving an older floormate to Save U More for beer, and entertaining friends in my dorm room. Even that long drive from Ames back to Garden Grove in the old Ranger was eased by my mix tape of grunge rock.

But, I decided that I really had no need for these any more. A) I have some of them on CD, and I don't even listen to them all that often. B) I didn't like all the songs anyway, and C) my current vehicle (the pickup truck) doesn't even have a cassette deck in it. Sure, the feed truck does, but am I going to be blasting "She's my cherry pie, cool drink a water such a sweet surprise" as I pull into an Amish's farmyard? Don't think so.

We also determined that we are not a museum. No one will want to see our crap, let alone want to buy them in the future. My father-in-law used to collect TV Guides with the idea that they may be valuable in the future. I think the most value they had was when they ignited and let off their latent energy in the form of heat and light.

So, I decided to toss my once celebrated collection of cassette tapes. They are en route to the burnpile. So long Garth, bye bye Axl, catch ya later Headhunters. The cassette liners may burn, but the memories will live on.

A little too much guitar?

2008-02-12T17:40:00.001-06:00

I found this searching through Ebay:

Jericho widget

2008-02-06T19:05:00.001-06:00

She's back in jail

2008-02-03T08:44:00.000-06:00

Back in August I posted my findings from a quick search of the Polk County Inmate Database. Well, it appears our subject has found her way back into the custody of the authorities.

Name PEACHES MARIE GRINDSTAFF
Book Date 1/29/2008 10:10 PM
DOB 10/13/1979
Height 5' 03"
Weight 164
Race White
Sex Female
Eyes Blue
Hair Brown
AddressWOMEN`S FACILITY DES MOINES, IA 50316
Holding LocationMain Jail

Looks like she's being held on bonds of $40,000 for parole violations. Anyone want to help her out by buying a box of peaches for Peaches?

Des Moines radio sucks

2008-01-31T19:34:00.000-06:00

I used to think KAZR 103.3 was a cool station. That was probably in 1998. Now it's like a three band rotation - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots. A 103 minute Rock Block isn't complete without playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 23 times, "Jeremy" 14 times, and "Vasoline" a few dozen times. Maybe throw in a little Linkin Park or Korn and you've got your rock block.

Oh yeah, separate said "rock blocks" with ads for strip bars. Classic, dude.

I'm beginning to believe that KAZR appeals to 15 year old boys and meth heads.

KGGO 94.9 is about as old and moldy as you can get. At least they don't pretend to be hip and cool. They realize that some segment of the audience likes the Steve Miller Band and Journey, so they play it. Occasionally they try to be coy by having a "Blue Ball Golf Tournament", just to remind you that you're still dealing with dirty old men with mikes in their faces.

Let's face it - Terrestrial music-based radio is on it's death bed, at least in central Iowa. Talk radio is doing just fine, as it is fresh and responsive every day. But music based radio is old, stinky, and crappy. XM and/or Sirius are the way to go for the best music selection in your vehicle. At least you don't have to listen through ads for the Lumber Yard ("Where real men go to get wood...").

We have our Reagan Coalition...kinda

2008-01-31T07:02:00.000-06:00

With Rush Limbaugh bemoaning the fact that we don't have a candidate on the right for president that fully represents conservative values, it's very well likely that what made the Republicans a winning team, the Reagan Coalition of Social, Fiscal, and Defense Conservatives, are now fractured.

But, we have representatives still in the race that represent each faction:

Huckabee: Social Conservatives
Romney (and some Ron Paul): Fiscal Conservatives
McCain: Defense Conservatives

The elements are there, but not together. Give Huckabee the nomination and it will spurn fiscal and defense. Send up Romney, and social (and some defense) will go away). McCain tends to spurn almost everyone, except blue-blooders.

Too bad we can't morph them together.

Who said it?

2008-01-29T17:30:00.001-06:00

I found this over on a comment at The Real Sporer.

1) “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2) “It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity.”
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above

3) “(We)...can’t just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people.”
A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above

4) “We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground.”
A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5) “I certainly think the free-market has failed.”
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above

6) “I think it’s time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched.”
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above

Answers:
(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005

DM Register hit job on distillers grains

2008-01-27T21:08:00.000-06:00

NOTE: I sell distillers' grains from ethanol plants, so I might be a bit biased.

So, Phil Brasher of the Des Moines RedStar's Washington Bureau writes a nice little hit piece on a potential link between E. Coli and feeding distillers grain.

Yawn. We've known about this for a few months, Phil. Get up to speed, will ya? K State found some potential correlation, while Nebraska's tests were inconclusive. More research is needed before we can start saying that distillers is the problem. There are many other factors that cause E Coli, so let's not get everyone upset over something that hasn't been proven yet.

Do I want to sell something to my customers that will give their cows/calves E Coli? Heck no, so I am watching this closely. But Brasher comes off like another drive-by-media type, throwing a hand grenade into a crowd and driving off.

OK, so maybe I'm a bit bitter about when Brasher featured me in an article a couple of years ago. I spoke to him about farm payments, and when what I told him didn't fit his pre-conceived agenda, he picked apart my words and made it appear I supported his line of thinking.

Eh, what can you expect from the RedStar.

Tax rebate nonesense

2008-01-27T08:13:00.000-06:00

So, it appears we're going to get some guvment handouts, uh, tax rebates this year to help "stimulate" the economy. Bushy and the Donkeys are falling over themselves trying to look more helpful to the American populace.

If Bush was a real conservative, he'd just send a note saying "You're on you own, folks."

Even though, as it appears, our family will receive about $1800 ($1200 for the adults, $600 for the two chitlins), I'd rather the government keep it and not create a bigger black hole of debt.

We'll take the $1800, of course, but will it go to buying a new 60" HD TV? No, it'll probably go to paying down the debt on the mini van. You know, so we can reduce the amount of interest paid to the bank. So much for stimulating the economy.

How soon will Moody's reduce our bond rating from AAA? When this happens, we'll be nothing but a junk bond dealer in a cheap suit. When will our dollar be worth less than a yen? Will it take a stack of greenbacks to buy a loaf of bread?

So, my children will inherit a larger national debt because we had some short sided vision in 2008. Brilliant. Gotta love these nimrods we've got in power.

An important task

2008-01-25T16:12:00.000-06:00

Today, I did one of the most important things I can do as a citizen of Iowa, next to participating in the caucus and paying homage to the butter cow at the Iowa State Fair:

I renewed my carry-conceal weapon permit at the Wayne Co Sheriff's Office.

I figured it might be the last time I will be able to do so if certain people occupy the White House next year.

What do you need a carry-conceal permit for anyway, Gunzy? You think a deer is going to jump out and steal your wallet?

Of course not. But, it is a freedom that I have, being not only a citizen of Iowa but also of Wayne County, and I am taking advantage of it.

I might be packing, I might not. My neighbors might be in the same position. If a criminal knows this, they are less likely to mess with us folks in Wayne. And, if I feel like buying another Glock, I can go into any gun store in the state and walk out with it the same day. No background checks, as I've had mine done to get the permit.

The point of this is not to brag or show off, but to remind us that free and armed citizens are what keep us from sliding totally off into a totalitarian nightmare.

A passing of a local

2008-01-22T17:10:00.000-06:00

This has been on my mind for a week or so.

Last week I was filling the feed truck with DDGS, ready to go deliver some to a customer. I get a call from his number, but I missed it, and it went to voice mail. Instead of checking the message, I called back. He didn't come on the line, but a person who had been staying with him. I asked if Lee was there.

She replied that Lee had killed himself Saturday.

I was stunned. I had left voice messages for him on Friday and Saturday with the current prices of DDGS for him, so when the message came in on Monday morning, I thought it would be him, telling me to bring a load up.

But, instead I learn that he shot and killed himself with a .22 pistol Saturday afternoon. When the friend arrive back to the farm, she found him still barely alive (I guess a .22 will not do the job completely), but he soon passed on.

He had mentioned to a friend a few days before that he just didn't know if life was worth living.

Lee lived on a dead-end road outside of Lucas. He was in his 70's, and other than the female friend that stayed with him, he had no other family around. His wife had run off with a low-life years ago, and his children had nothing to do with him. He bought "junk" calves at area sale barns, calves that were partially blind, limps, or other problems that made them not suitable for the feedlots. He'd buy a few at a time, load them up in his old Ford truck, and bring them home.

On a few occasions, when I'd bring him feed, I'd either see turkey buzzards circling the place, or a half-dead calf laying nearby the feed wagon, waiting to die.

He had worn out equipment, hauled corn from the elevator is an old truck,and would hand scoop the corn and DDGS into an old grinder mixer to make feed for the calves. That's a lot of work for a 70+ year old to be doing, but he did it.

The last time I talked to him, I brought up some mineral in my pickup truck. I unloaded them into his truck, and we talked for a while outside. The cold winds were blowing, so we got in my truck and talked. We discussed what he got for his fed calves at Denison, the possibility of putting some of his ground into soybeans for next year, and his possible need of some cornstalk bales that I had for sale. It was the most we'd talked for a long time.

While he wasn't what you'd consider a shining star in the community or a model farmer, he was a fellow human. I grew to enjoy listening to his contrarian viewpoints; it helped keep me grounded. He paid his bills, so I have no complaints in that department.

I suppose he got tired of the higher feed and purchase calf costs, cold and frozen winter, calves dying on him, and the lower prices he was getting at market. Maybe he figured that he had no other way out, that he didn't have any savings or retirement to fall back on. Maybe he was too proud.

I can't agree with what he did, however. Of course, we'd all say "Why didn't he reach out? I would have helped him!", but you know a guy like that isn't going to take a handout. I once gave him a plastic tarp to cover his wagon that held the DDGS in. He didn't want it, but I insisted. That tarp remained laying to the side of the wagon from then on. Lee didn't want to be seen as a charity case.

So closes the chapter on the life of a local farmer.

My predictions if Hillary is elected president

2008-01-20T14:29:00.001-06:00

It's still a long ways from November, but I'm going out on a limb here and predicting what would happen during a Hillary presidency.

We will be attacked again by Islamist jihadists. This is about a 100% guarantee, IMHO. The question is, how big/bad will it be? And even more important, what will Hillary's response be? Bomb every aspirin factory in Sudan? Send the French to do our diplomatic duties? Surrender to the French just in case?
Taxes will go up. Duh!
Money will be spent like Ted Kennedy at a _______ (fill in the blank).
Portraits of Stalin and Marx will hang from the walls of the White House.
Saul Alinsky will have his own holiday.
The elections of 2012 will be suspended so that the workers of the glorious revolution need not be removed from their work.
I'll be sent to a re-education camp in New Jersey run by my former residence hall directors.

Sunday morning realizations

2008-01-20T07:59:00.000-06:00

Just like waking up from a night of too much fun, I'm starting to see the sober truth about our presidential election.

As it stands, Romney has the most delegates to the Republican National Convention, followed by Huckabee and McCain. These caucuses and primaries thus far have been warmups in comparison to Super Tuesday (February 5). There are a number of winner-takes-all primaries on that day, as well as Florida in the interim.

On the Democrat side, The Ice Queen is leading Obama in delegates. Not all of the upcoming primaries are winner-takes-all, like the Republicans.

I am not jumping Huckabee's boat at this point, but I am going to be a realist, and I'm going to say this holding my nose: Romney, Guiliani, and Thompson, along with Huckabee, would all be better presidents than Hillary or Obama. McCain? I'm not so sure.

I hope we go into the RNC with a spread of delegates between the top 4-5 candidates, and they can be used to broker a deal. I think it would be interesting to see what this comes up with.

If we have a McCain/Clinton race, we might as well pack it up and head for the Yukon. The ending results will probably be the same, except instead of McCain talking about his days in a prisoner of war "re-education camp", Hillary will be setting them up send us conservatives to.

If Romney or Rudy comes out as the front runner, I'll buck it up and support either man with as much vigor as I did Bob Dole in 1996. The lesser of two evils. Of course, I'd support Huckabee's run as far as he can go, but then again, I'm being a realist this morning.

If we could morph candidates together, I'd put Thompson's conservative, Federalist standpoint with Huckabee's communication skills. I think you'd have to agree we'd have a winner there.

But, FEC rules says we can't do this, so you run with the candidates you have. So be it.

Huckabee's Fair Deal

2008-01-15T17:08:00.001-06:00

Today, the Huckabee campaign release the Fair Deal For All Americans plan. Here's my analysis by taking his key points and commenting on them. As you may see, I am not all "rah-rah" about this plan; it needs more fleshing out, and some things I don't really care for.

#1 Family: Focus on Middle Class Families: More Income, Better Jobs, More Secure Homeownership.

- Our economy is weakening and families are hurting; Jobs are being lost, many to offshore companies.

Yes, manufacturing jobs are being lost. This is partially due to our stricter labor laws and due to our labor unions demanding large benefit packages. Our dollar is weakening, and confidence is worsening, both here at home and around the world. So far so good.

- Too many American families face the real prospect of losing their homes as a result of the ongoing subprime mortgage situation. The federal government needs to immediately begin a second round of negotiations with subprime lenders with an eye toward expansion of the "Hope Now" program. We should strive to find ways to preserve American home ownership.

I don't necessarily agree with this. It's called "personal responsibility," and the government does not need to bail out large banks who made bad choices in lending to sub-primers. I know we did this with the savings and loans in the 1980's, but again, it's not the role of the government to step in and do this.

- I will cut burdensome red tape that drives up the cost of products and keeps employers from hiring more workers or raising wages. We want bosses signing pay checks, not filling out government forms.

EXCELLENT!!!

- In Arkansas, I signed a bill that would reduce frivolous lawsuits which drive up costs of products and medical care. We need more doctors not fewer; we need more new products, not fewer.

Good.

- I believe in free trade, but I also believe in fair trade. We will expect our trading partners to live up to their obligations-everyone must play by fair rules. If you want access to the world's largest economy, don't send us your lead toys or your poisoned pet food. We will not outsource our safety.

This is good as well, but it will be hard to do so and the next statement...

- We will also open new markets for American products.

Yeah, new markets without "free trade"? Tough to do.

- And there is more: I will preserve and expand President Bush's tax cuts, which are set to expire in 2010; I will ensure higher-education becomes attainable for more American families by making all tuition deductible.

Yes, this is good as well. These tax cuts helped to spur the economy, and should be kept in place. Deductability of higher education? Not sure about this one...have to think about it.

#2 Fed: Work with the Federal Reserve for a Pro-Growth, Low Inflation Economy

- The greatest source of short-term stimulus is the Federal Reserve. I believe that it's time for the Federal Reserve to adopt a pro-growth, low-inflation policy.

How so? Lower the interest rates again? Discourage savings? Get people further into debt? More explanation, please.

- But at the same time, we must always be fiscally prudent. I will make sure that unnecessary spending is under control in Washington. Republicans have lost their reputation for fiscal discipline. As Governor, I had to balance the budget by law every year. I will have my veto pen out in Washington.

These are good comments, but I think he'll need to prove it to many. Having a veto pen is good, but you can only pass what the Congress sends you, and if they send you crap, well...

- Monetary policy must be aggressive enough to stave off recession, but always mindful of inflation and its tax on our economy.

Again, how do you intend to do this?

#3 Fight: Create Jobs as We Build Up Our Defenses and Build Up Our Infrastructure

- I have pledged to increase defense spending to six percent of GDP as President. That's roughly a $200 billion increase. That's a lot of money, but we need it because the security threats to America today are enormous. We need this increase so that we can be safe and secure. However, this spending will also create jobs for vital strategic industries and, in addition, provide spinoffs to the civilian sector.

OK, this may prove that you are a pro-defense guy. Make sure that the money being spent is not wasted, and is truely used for "defense", not picking fights with other countries.

- America must always be the Arsenal of Democracy. We will build new planes, new armed vehicles, new robotic land and air vehicles, and new ships all RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA.

- After years of war, our heroic warriors are strained to the limit and our equipment is worn out by repeated deployments. I will recruit and train thousands of new troops and bring our National Guard and Reserves back home. We must quickly expand our Army and Marine Corps to help continue our fight against the agents of terror.

How? Pay them more? Give them more benefits? Details, please.

- We need a national mission to return our critical infrastructure to readiness for the 21st century. We don't need earmarks and bridges to nowhere when we have critical needs. We can't have our interstate highway bridges falling down, our levees breaking, or our water systems collapsing under our streets. As Arkansas Governor, I took our state highways from the worst to the most improved in five years. As your president, I will work with the Congress and we will rebuild our great nation.

So, what's the plan to do this? Tax more? Money is already appropriated to fix/upgrade/build roads, so how do we do this "more"?

- We will build a homeland security fence along the US-Mexico border, and we will build it with American Labor and American Materials.

Good deal.

#4 Fuel: Invest in Energy Independence -- A Great Nation Must Be Able to Fuel Itself, and Defend Itself

- Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Coast Guardsman and Marine will earn a Veteran's Bill of Rights. They, along with their families, have sacrificed so much in defense of our Nation. We will not turn our backs on them or their families. One way we can support our servicemen and women in their overseas missions is with implementation of a sound energy policy back here at home.

I'm not sure what this has to with Energy Independence, but yes, I would agree with a Vet's Bill of Rights. We need to honor and support those who have given for their country. If this means we pull out of areas that we currently patrol to make sure oil flows freely, I'd be OK with that if we produced enough on our end to make up the difference.

- With oil prices touching near $100 a barrel and prices at the pump pushing past $3.00 per gallon across the nation, we must remember that these rapidly rising fuel prices put a great strain on the budgets of American families. Every time we fill our cars up, we fill up the pockets of Middle Eastern countries. That is going to end. We will have national energy security policy and we will end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil within ten years of my inauguration.

Sounds good, but how are we going to do this? Biofuels? Offshore drilling? We'll need a LOT of energy replacement to fill in the gap left by overseas energy.

- We are going to unleash the American ingenuity and we are going to conserve, explore and invent our way to independence in energy. Right in Little Rock, Arkansas is the North American headquarters for the largest manufacturer of windmill blades in the world. We will do that all over America and right here in Michigan.

#5 FAIR: Move Toward FAIR TAXation

- My short-term economic policies will move us toward our long-term economic goal: Simply put, America's federal tax system is broken. What we have now is a system that is failing American families and businesses. Our tax system burdens low and middle-income families, robbing them of the chance for upward mobility.

- Our tax system encourages outsourcing of American production overseas and the dismantling of our industrial base. It wastes hundreds of billions in useless tax preparation, paperwork and confrontation. It pits industry against industry, class against class.

I'll agree that we do waste billions in tax prep and compliance.

- My FairTax proposal allows American workers to keep their entire paycheck, allows American businesses to compete on a level-playing field with their foreign competitors, and brings jobs and investment that are currently parked off-shore back to the United States.

- However, I recognize that passage of the FairTax will not happen overnight. In the meantime, I will eliminate the Death Tax, and seek to reduce counterproductively high personal and corporate marginal tax rates.

Start on the tax rates first, because this is probably all you'll end up with. The Fair Tax is a good idea, but I don't think it will fly. Reform from within.

Separated at birth...?

2008-01-12T19:40:00.000-06:00

Fred Thompson and Admiral Akbar of Return of the Jedi....

I wonder if Admiral Akbar represents the fiscal, social, or defense wing of the Galactic Republican Party?

A day at the truck repair shop

2008-01-09T19:36:00.000-06:00

Today I took the '99 Intl 4900 feed truck to Des Moines to have some work done on it. It has been having a problem of overheating when unloading feed, even when it's 20 degrees F or colder out. I thought I'd have it PM'ed as well (periodic maintenance) at the same time.

So, I got to O'Halloran's around 10 AM and went to the service desk. I told the fellow what I needed done with it, but I didn't get a strong vibe this guy. I think he was more into trying to sell me on certain "programs" than actually fixing my problem. He suggested a coolant flush, whereupon I told him that the coolant has probably been flushed out in the last 3 weeks due to the overheating I'd been having. We settled on the basic medium duty PM program, plus check into the overheating issue.

So, off I went next door to the Bosselmann's truck stop. I wandered around the chrome/parts area for a while, then found some free reading material and settled down for a 1/2 hour. OK, 'nuff of that. Back to the Intl dealer to check out the new and used trucks. The new ProStars are pretty nice rigs. A used truck dealer came out to greet me, but I told him I was there for service, hopefully not to spend $100K on a new truck.

Went to BK across the street for lunch and watched the trucks roll in and out of Bosselmann's for about a 1/2 hour. It was kinda interesting...

Went back to O'Hallorans and asked when the truck would get in, because I wouldn't mind taking it somewhere to get it washed. Upon realizing that I was hanging around and didn't have anything better to do, the service manager (the guy who knew what the heck was going on) got the truck in immediately. Cool. I retired to the drivers lounge for some TV.

Maury Povich. Jerry Springer. COPS. The Steve "guy-from-Springer's-show" Show. My mind was starting to rot. For some reason they were fixated on pedophiles, underage sex, and lesbians dressed in animal costumes fighting each other today...

Not all that time was wasted, however; I talked to a couple of real truck drivers as well, and learned a few things about container hauling. And, I did get a call from a potential new customer that sounded promising.

So, around 4 PM, they finally had the truck done. They did a recall fix on the ABS brakes that took longer than expected, but now the "Trac Control" like stays on. It shouldn't. The clearance lights aren't working now, either - they noted it on the worksheet, but funny, they were working a few days ago...!

The water temp issue was due to a faulty fan drive thingy. Apparantly it was made out of gold, as it cost about 1/2 the going price of an ounce. I thought Case IH and John Deere had the corner on high priced parts, but I guessed wrong.

I finally get back home around 7 PM after A) trying to track down a water pump for my Toyota forklift (apparantly this lift had two different engine options and three different water pumps for each engine, and the dealer had NONE of them in stock) and B) spending $10 in quarters washing the feed truck. It probably weighs 100 lbs less now.

Let's say this: Truck service shops are quite different than auto repair shops, especially higher end ones like Jordan Motors. When I had a VW Jetta TDI and had it PM'ed at Jordan, I felt like I was, well, at Jordan Creek before it even existed. At this place, I don't think they focused so much on customer service. But, they are probably used to dealing with larger companies with fleets rather than individual owners.

If I need to send a rig up there again, I'm going to have a ride available and we'll go tool around DM in the meantime, and request that the service work get done that day. There's only so much entertainment to be found at a truck stop.

Huckabee's win

2008-01-04T18:50:00.000-06:00

So, the mainstream media, including Rush, is trying to pin Huckabee's win, in part, on a large turnout of so-called "evangelical Christians".

Ha.

Albeit anecdotal evidence, our precinct had a majority of Methodists, with just a couple of us "holier-than-thou" Baptists in attendance. Methodists tend not to be evangelical, but would consider themselves pretty "middle of the road," at least compared to us fire-and-brimestone Baptists.

(Man, I hope I didn't start a cross-town war between the churches with that statement.)

Point is: People voted for Huckabee because they don't want some east coast plastic banana FM type telling us ya-hoos in the sticks how to live our lives. We want someone that we can relate to, that is approachable, and seems to have solutions to our country's needs. Mike Huckabee has the experience and leadership to get the job done.

We didn't have to consult with Rush Limbaugh or Laura Ingraham before making a decision. We didn't refer to Bob Novak because we don't take the New York Times; The Des Moines Register is bad enough to tell us that newspapers are on the decline. We carefully looked over the candidates and picked the one we thought would serve us best.

See, we don't require talking heads to tell us what to think or do. We don't receive marching orders via Fox News.

We Iowans are a surly, independent bunch.

This is Huckabee Country!

2008-01-03T21:09:00.001-06:00

Here are the results from our 2008 Wayne County Republican Caucus:

Mike Huckabee 160
Mitt Romney 31
Fred Thompson 24
John McCain 22
Ron Paul 19
Duncan Hunter 1
Rudy Giuliani 1
Alan Keys 1
Total 259

These are unofficial results, but what I caught at the end of the night.

In our precinct, 18 for Huckabee, 7 for Romney, 5 for Thompson, and 4 for McCain.

Call us what you want, but that's how the political terrain lays here.

Giuliani getting the same votes as Alan Keys? Ha! Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Corn Beltway Boys! :)

Over on the D side, Edwards took first, and close behind was Hillary.

Sympathy for others

2008-01-01T10:19:00.000-06:00

The reply made by an anonymous poster to the applicator-car accident made me think about a situation: We can be very judgemental people. It doesn't matter if you belong to a church or not, we are all guilty of thinking we can tell others what they should do or not do.

I include myself in that group.

I think about a particular family in the community, the Hs and U's. They all live in an old house (6 or 7 all together) that doesn't (or didn't until recently) have running water. They didn't have the money to fix the leaks, and the city shut them off due to lack of payment. Their health situation isn't the best. The kids, newly graduated from high school, don't have jobs and wander around town most days.

It is very easy to judge these people.

However, Mrs. U has been found to have ovarian cancer. Mr. U is pretty much in a nursing home now. Mr and Mrs H are old and in poor health - they haven't been seen for a while. The U daughter is pregnant, and the U boys have little or no ability to support the family.

It's really easy to tell these folks to get off their butts and get jobs. It's easy to tell them to stop smoking and drinking. It's easy to tell them to get a car so they can drive to Osceola or Chariton and get a job. They've been given opportunities to do so. Community members have helped pay for repairs to the house in the past. Jobs have been offered to the boys, only for them to stay for a few days and leave.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

So, what do you do? Do you turn a blind eye to them, hoping they'll go away? Do you think they are getting what they deserve for years of laziness and welfare pandering? Do you think about helping them, but then decide not to, believing that your gifts will be wasted and squandered? Or, do you do what is right; assist them as you are able to?

You'd think it would be a straight-forward answer - help them. But, that's part of the struggle for many - you know what you should do, but you don't, because you don't want to be made a fool or taken advantage of. You don't want your gift to contribute to their continued path of self-destruction. You want your gift to be held in the highest esteem by those you are helping. Maybe there's a little pride in your ability to give to others "lower" than you?

Do we really have sympathy for those who have have made poor decisions (judged by us) and are now suffering the consequences of those decisions?

Jesus provided to others, but commanded them to go and sin no more. He healed the blind because they believed in Him. He had sympathy for the downtrodden, but requested that they change their lives to become better people.

God doesn't call Christians to be fools, to be easily tricked into giving away their resources to distrustful or slothly people. He wants HIS resources to be used wisely, no matter who He entrusts them with at the time.

So, using the above situation, this could entail assisting the H's and U's with food, bottled water and toiletries, but not cash. It could mean providing the boys with some sort of employment, even if it is at minimum wage and would require extra supervision. It means giving the daughter some unused baby clothes.

Most of all, it means following the lead Jesus provided and give them sympathy, but not assist them in their self-destructive ways.

To be honest, this has been a struggle to write. A lot of self-examination took place. Maybe it will help you to do the same as well.

Happy New Year.

Barn fire at a neighbors

2007-12-30T14:55:00.001-06:00

Our local fire department, along with units from surrounding towns, responded to a fire at a shed south and east of here on December 27. This is right across the road from a farm that I rent. The shed was mostly full of small hay bales that had been in there for about 4 years, along with some machinery (which got pulled out). The fire chief believes faulty wiring was the culprit.

Here are some pics:

Fires like these are extremely difficult to put out - dry hay can smolder for days if not properly cooled. The HFD used 10 gallons of smothering foam concentrate on this fire - it's mixed at a 1:100 ratio with water, so you know they used a lot of it on this fire.

Hats off to the men and women of the Humeston, Corydon, and Allerton Fire Departments and First Responders, as well as the Wayne Co Sheriff, Emergency Management, and Ambulance offices. No one was hurt, but all were involved.

Car - manure applicator accident

2007-12-28T06:38:00.000-06:00

These were taken about a month or more ago...I just now got around to posting them. A Dodge Neon struck the back of the 6000 gallon manure applicator north of here in Lucas County. Our Humeston Fire Dept and First Responders were called out. Fortunately, no one was killed, but the driver of the car did require (as I was told) reconstructive surgery. The manure applicator did have his flashing lights on, but it appeared that the driver did not see them. The driver was medi-vac'ed to Mercy via helicopter - it landed on the high school football field in town.

For moving your corn and beans in 2008...

2007-12-28T06:33:00.000-06:00

Since corn is well above $4.00/bu and beans have topped $12.00/bu, I think it might be time to consider a better, more secure way to transport your crop to market.

OK, so this is an "artist's rendition," (Actually, a pretty poor one by yours truely), but you get the idea. Turrets on each side, front and back, with 20mm cannons, and a .50 cal M60 mounted on top. M1 Abrams to pull the rig is optional.

Huckabee's latest Truth Squad update

2007-12-26T18:18:00.000-06:00

Here's something for you Huckabee Haters out there - the truth.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=TruthSquad.ClubGrow

Read carefully - you might learn something.

The ghost of Ronald Reagan

2007-12-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

I don't really understand why some get all worked up about Ronald Reagan, considering him to be the greatest president we've ever had. He's supposed to be the standard bearer of all things conservative.

Now, I was just starting to become "politically aware" during Reagan's terms, but from my stand point at the time, I didn't think too highly of him.

Especially of his budget director David Stockman.

The fact that the name of the president's budget director can become etched into the memory of a 12 year old must mean something.

In my case, Stockman, and Reagan by proxy, was the guy that wanted to put my father's farming operation out business. He was the one that basically said we were not needed anymore.

I remember going to the National Farm Crisis Rally in Ames in January 1985 and seeing a fake coffin that said "Drive a nail into David Stockman's coffin." That stuck with me.

I remember Reagan saying "Maybe we should keep the grain and export the farmers." That stuck with me.

So, maybe the rest of the world was better off because of Ronald Reagan, but I didn't think so at the time.

Of course, he did help bring down the Soviet Union, and I think that was a good thing. Too bad we decided to keep our bloated military structure, instead of reconfiguring it to meet different threats.

And he did get inflation under control. That was a good thing, too. But we spent ourselves into the red with budget deficits that we still have today.

So, Ronaldus Magnus, as Rush Limbaugh would like to say, isn't atop my most favorite president list. I can't stand by and agree with other conservatives that he is the standard by which today's conservatives must be measured. Not with what has been etched in my memory.

Mike Huckabee, Christianity, and the rest of the world

2007-12-23T15:09:00.000-06:00

So, I've been reading a lot of flak about Mike Huckabee and his faith on other websites, especially blogs and such. Some say he wants to turn our country into a theocracy. Others compare him to Pat Robertson, an tele-evangelist hawking for dollars. Some say he isn't even "conservative", whatever that means.

Listen, do I think that Huckabee is the savior of this country? No, I don't. I honestly don't think if we elect him that the skies will be blue, the rivers will run clean, and frogs and rabbits will dance an Irish jig in glee with each other. In other words, Mike Huckabee isn't the second coming of Jesus. Who would believe Jesus came from Arkansas, anyway? (Well, the Mormons believe(d) that the Garden of Eden was in NC Missouri, but that's another story).

No, I don't think that all will be well when Mike is elected. But guess what? The same problems will exist if/when Hillary, Obama, Mitt, Rudy, Fred, or Mark Klein MD is elected.

But, I believe Mike is the right guy to unite this country and bring us back on the right track. He is not devisive, or nearly as much Hillary or Mitt. He has a proven track record of working with both sides of the isle. He has improved conditions for people of his state.

Mike Huckabee is not without flaws; I don't think anyone is claiming that. But when such flaws are found, they are usually less of an issue related to leadership than other candidates. Was he a "true conservative?" Probably not, but neither was Ronald Reagan during his entire political career, either.

Huckabee has real leadership experience. He's a likeable guy who has not separated himself into an elite ivory tower, but rather can relate to people on their level. He's a Christian that doesn't show his beliefs off to others, but shows it through his faith and works.

But go vote for whoever you want; we get an opportunity to help select our next leadership only every four years. Who knows, it might be the last time, if Hillary is elected.

Pulling vehicles out of mud and snow

2007-12-22T08:03:00.000-06:00

Ah, 'tis the season for snow and ice to melt and turn the soil into mud. Feels like February.

I managed to get the feed truck stuck yesterday at the farm. Fortunately, the tractor was ready to go and I pulled it out with some coaxing. I may have taken a little paint off the bumper, but that's OK.

However, don't do what these guys did:

Life in Hillaryland, er, Canada

2007-12-16T11:39:00.000-06:00

UPDATE BELOW:

My family and I escaped the grips of Iowa's latest round of winter storms on Friday on a flight out of Kansas City for a place that was sure to be warmer than Iowa...Canada?

We went to see my sister and family in Chatham, Ontario. It is about an hour east of Detroit. They moved there from Minneapolis about 4 years ago - in fact, they moved SOUTH to get there. We flew into Detroit, rented a van, and headed out on the 401.

Now, I was prepared for some of Canada's quirks, like seeing signs in both French and English, and the profuse use of the metric system. But I was not totally ready for the culture shock.

1) GST (goods and service tax) and provincial tax. 6% and 8%, respectfully. That means you pay 14% sales tax on 'bout everything. OUCH!

2) The Beer Store - You can only buy beer from The Beer Store, which is run by the government. You tell them what you want, they go and get it and roll it out. Even crappy beer costs more than a dollar per bottle or can.

3) Cigarettes - I don't smoke, but I found that at least 50% of the outside packaging of a pack of smokes must have warning labels on them. This includes, but not limited to, pictures of cancer-ridden lips and gums.

4) Intrusive government - My niece was required to have her teeth checked by the government. My sister then received a letter in the mail saying that her daughter required urgent medical attention, and that she must respond within 90 days. The problem? A cavity was found. If my sister didn't respond, however, the Canadian version of DHS would be on her and my niece could end up in a foster home!

Now, don't get me wrong - I like Chatham and I like visiting my sister's family. The land is very flat and fertile, and the people are friendly. I suppose I could get used to things if I had to. It is almost like America, but not quite...it's almost like a Twilight Zone episode.

But, my dear reader, I fear that the United States under a Hillary presidency would transform our fair country into a Canada-like workers' paradise. Taxes, government intrusion, and nannyism would go up, individual rights, freedom, and business would go down.

Their beer OK, by the way, but I'll stick with Budweiser.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention this: The Canadian version of Mountain Dew does not have caffeine! Sacrilegious!

61 hours without electricity

2007-12-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it through the great ice storm of '07. We lost power around 7 AM Tuesday morning and didn't get it back until just after 8 PM Thursday night.

On Tuesday moring, we dealt with it OK, as we had been without power for 3 hours about 10 days before. I went out in the freezing rain and delivered 3 bales of hay to a neighbor for his cows. I figured the power would be on in no time after that.

By that afternoon, we had gone over to my folks at Garden Grove. They were without power as well, but had a woodburning fireplace that we could be around and stay warm. Dad had collected some scraps of wood from his wood shop, and it was nice. The kids played with the g-parents while Jackie and I rested in front of the fire. We went home later, around 7 PM, and noticed some houses in the country did have power, but others did not. I guess some lines were hit harder than others.

We all bundled up and slept at our house that night. Ah, a 10 hour rest was great (went to bed at 7:30 PM)! Woke up ready for the next day. No power yet, but we were refreshed.

That morning I went to check on my neighbors. One had left to stay with a sister-in-law, while the other was still at home, but OK. I noticed that the power line to our place was broken in at least two places. Later, we took the kids over to the grandparents again. I helped Dad cut some firewood from some dead, dry limbs of some old oak he was keeping around. They watched the kids again while Jackie took some books to the community center in Humeston that was now serving as a shelter. I went back to town to receive some pallets of feed that were to be delivered around 3 PM.

Upon arriving back to town I found that Broad St, our "Main Street", had power back on, as well as a few houses on the south side along a county highway. My truck driver showed up and I got the feed unloaded. He left, but called a few minutes later, stating that he had gotten his rig stuck near the city park after trying to turn around upon encountering a blocked road.

I went to pull him out with my 4wd truck, but to no avail. He was stuck. So, I went out to the farm to get a tractor. My 4450 was now cold from yesterday's hay delivery, and wouldn't start at all (need new batteries, maybe a starter). So, I got the 4640 going. However, it was still hitched up to the grain cart. I got everything disconnected but the PTO, which was iced. After pounding on it for a while, I said "forget it" and decided to take the tractor AND cart together.

So, I went into town with the 4640 and grain cart, bouncing along, and backed up to the stuck truck. Upon getting out, I found that the PTO shaft had disconnected from the tractor (wa la!). I went to another street, parked the grain cart in the middle of it, then proceeded to pull the semi out. By that time, a small crowd had appeared to watch the scene. Fortunately, we provided results. I took the tractor and cart back to the farm, drove the pickup back to town, found my cousin E (whose house the truck was previously next to), and drank some beer with him and friends. He complained that the truck may have kept him from getting power sooner, but I don't know about that.

By this time it was getting close to dark, so I headed over to the community center and found the rest of the family. They were finishing some hot soup. I made a cold cut sandwich, grabbed some chips, and finished it off with a bowl of chili. We decided that, since our house was too cold, we'd spend the night there.

Jackie went home to get our clothes and personal items. We found some cots at the end of the building, hoping the noise and light wouldn't bother the children. Well, it didn't quite work - Maddy was up and running around, keeping the rest of us up. Not a good deal. She was not used to the environment, obviously.

Just as we were ready to pack up and head back to our frigid house, a friend and church member Cheryl showed up to bring some extra blankets. She invited us to stay at her family's house (they had power turned on in the middle of the afternoon). What a relief and a blessing! Soon the kids were tucked into warm beds, and Jackie and I were off to dream land.

The next day (Thursday) brought us a warm breakfast from Cheryl, and Jackie and I off to separate tasks. She spent the morning getting laundry done in Indianola 45 miles away, while I worked in my office, getting it ready for this evening's Hometown Holiday Festival. I went back to the farm periodically to see if the power had come on, but it had not.

So, we kicked off the festivities this evening. A crew had been in town today, putting up our new street lights (only a few months behind schedule), but they didn't wire them in. So, for light, our fire crew brought out the new fire truck and turned on it's spot lights. That provided a lot of light. The community center, no longer a shelter, was home to a supper provided by the swimming pool committee. Santa was there for the kids, and drawings for prizes from various businesses, including mine.

Afterwards, I came home to find the lights in the house were ON. Jackie mentioned the power had been restored about 10 minutes before I walked in!

So, what did I learn from this experience? Sometimes slowing down is good; it allows us to reflect on what's going on, and maybe understand the direction we're headed in better. The power outage shows us Who is really in charge, and that we cannot do anything about it until He says so. The storm also brought out the best in people. We had offers for heat or housing tonight if we needed it.

The fact that the TV, computer, and lights didn't work wasn't so much of a problem as not having heat, hot water, or a way to keep food fresh. The problem becomes when our modern conveniences become, without electricity, inconvenient.

Thanks again for all those who helped out during the storm. First, thanks to the electric company crews for working around the clock to get things back up and running. Thanks to the local First Responders and Fire Dept for setting up shelter and serving food (one fire department worker stayed up all night, monitoring the generator the first night the power went out). Thanks to those who opened their homes to others to provide a warm bed for a night. Thanks to those who went above and beyond their duties to ensure their neighbors were safe.

I'm going to bed.

The politics of cattle ranching

2007-12-09T14:36:00.000-06:00

I didn't come up with these, but merely compiled them from the Internet. With weaning season upon us, as well as the politics of the upcoming caucus, I find them to be rather interesting.

The Politics of Cattle Ranching

DEMOCRAT: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote people into office that put a tax on your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money, buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel righteous. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST: You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST: You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and soured.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. You elect someone with the best face for TV to tell you how to take care of your cows.

DEMOCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from your government.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE: You have two cows. The government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them, then pays you not to do it. Then it takes both cows, shoots one, and milks the other one dry and pours out the milk. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the 2 cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.

AMERICAN CORPORATION, ENRON STYLE: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax-exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch. Life is good.

BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad.

GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they are all blonde, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While wandering around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.

POLISH CORPORATION: You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka. You produce your 10th, 5- year plan in the last 3 months. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school. You create clever cow cartoon images called “Cowkimon” and market them worldwide.

CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the numbers.

HINDU CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.

FLORIDA CORPORATION: You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who like the brown one best vote for the black one and some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which is the best-looking one.

NEW YORK CORPORATION: You have fifteen million cows. You have to choose which one will be the leader of the herd, so you pick some fat cow from Arkansas.

The "kicked out of band" story

2007-12-05T17:52:00.000-06:00

OK, since you want to know, here's the story about me getting kicked out of band in high school.

It was the fall of 1988. I was a sophomore. Not only was I in band, but I was a football manager with my cousin E.

So, homecoming comes around. Band director wants us to march in the homecoming parade. We decide to hop on the football team float, instead. No big deal, right?

Apparantly this ticked off the band director so much that when we went to get our instruments near half time of the game, he told us we wouldn't need them, because we were kicked out of band.

He also wanted to give us F's for the semester for doing so.

Fortunately, it got changed to "I" for Incomplete.

So, no more marching around in wet grass, no more wearing ugly uniforms, no more getting yelled at.

I think we came out ahead.

E, you can reply if I got the story wrong.

We Got The Beat, or something

2007-12-01T21:09:00.001-06:00

Remember the song "We Got The Beat" by the Go Go's from the early 80's? Catchy little tune. We played that in pep band during basketball games (before I got kicked out of band, but that's a different story).

Tonight I was checking out YouTube and the video for the song was promoted, so I watch it.

Man, Belinda Carlisle was quite peppy in that video, even while wearing high heels.

But, watch another video of the same song, and it looks like she's just phoning it in. "Yeah, we got the beat, I guess, or something."

The amazing thing is that they are 'pert near grandmothers by now. The lead guitarist/keyboardist Charlotte Caffey is 53. Carlisle is 49 (wonder if she still has that baby fat?). 'Course, they were in their mid twenties when their hits came out, and I suppose 1982 is a few years ago by now...

Another bizarre song related fact - Children conceived while their parents listened to Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" are now graduating from high school.

Disconnect with TV Land

2007-12-01T09:17:00.000-06:00

So, when I came back in from moving equipment this morning, we had The Today Show on to check for updates about the weather. Now, other than a few kids DVD's, we hardly watch TV anymore. We only get 3 channels, and I won't spring for a dish at this point.

So, the Today Show had a couple of segments. One had a guy telling us about high priced cheese. Stuff that costs $25/lb and can be found at a "cheese store". He also informed us about what accessory foods should be bought with the cheese, such as bagettes (sp), not to mention wine, etc.

The other segment was another fellow giving tips on decorating the house for Christmas. He tried to be funny by loading up some old plastic Santa decorations and leaving them on someone's front step.

Other than the "foo-foo" nature of the topics of these segments, I had to ask out loud: Could NBC find any more gayer men to do these segments? OK, maybe metrosexual (their persuasion was not identified), but man alive, what kind of guy goes on national television and gives us tips on decorating? I can somewhat respect the knowledge about cheese, but again, who the heck gives us tips on selecting wine and cheese and paying $25/lb for it?

OK, I made these observations after I had come in from the icy rain after trying to move equipment around and climbing an ice covered ladder of a grain bin. I had ice buildup on my hood and bill of my cap when I came in. I was cold and soaked. Almost the exact opposite of these foo-foo guys.

I might as well have been watching a lost TV program from Martians - I could not connect with what these guys were doing/offering. Another segment had to do with Broadway - what purpose does signing and dancing on a stage in front of people serve? Compared to what I'm trying to do (feed my family and others, make a little money, etc), it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Note - you can flame me all you want about the term "gayer men". I don't know if "gayer" is actually a word. I'm sure there are some hardworking gay men out there that would work in the ice and cold, and that sexual orientation makes no difference in occupation. Fine. I'm using and perpetuating a stereotype to make a point, and because stereotypes are oftentimes based on the truth, I use it so that many of my readers will understand. (Dig your hole a little deeper, Gunzy.)

December 1st blues

2007-12-01T08:59:00.001-06:00

Sorry for not writing since before Thanksgiving. It's been hectic around here. We are still trying to get corn finished up. The 1% of Iowa's corn harvest that isn't done? That's probably me. We have about 110 acres left to do, or about 3 days if things work right.

The ice and rain we are getting today isn't encouraging, either. I got a load of DDGS yesterday and tried to unload it this morning. I don't think I can move the semi truck even 50 feet down a slight incline to the auger without potentially causing a 40 ton wreck in my farm yard. It's not going anywhere until the ice melts. I need to get feed out to my customers, but wrecking my equipment in the process isn't going to be a viable long term solution, either.

I think the Lord is teaching me a lesson - I'm not in control, He is. No matter how much I want to plan out how things should get done, and try to control things, He is still Lord over all. I must resign myself to that fact and be satisfied, nay, happy that He is looking over me.

No one ever said farming was an easy life. I'm sure even the best farmer of pure black Illinois soil has bad days (maybe his butler locked the keys in the Escalade...). Nonetheless, perseverance is required, even if it is lacking in supply.

I now have some time to spend with the family. I have been missing my children and wife. The funny things that Maddy, our 2 yr old redhead does, or Grady, our 4 yr old engineer-to-be, says about how things work. I can now talk to my wife about what is going on in her life, and we can attempt to parent as a team again.

The corn will get harvested. The feed will get delivered. The cows will be fed. I just need to be patient.

Mike Huckabee's new TV ad

2007-11-18T19:10:00.000-06:00

Huck's team just put this out on Fox News Sunday this morning.

What do you think?

IMHO, it does reach out to the 18-35 year old segment, it's funny, and it's entertaining. Kind of like the Richardson ads, applying for a job.

I hope, however, there are more ads to come that show off his natural leadership and integrity, showing the contrast between him and Plasto-Romney and Rudy-911.

Wildlife during harvest

2007-11-16T21:35:00.001-06:00

Today I was harvesting corn on 40 acres east of my house. All of the surrounding corn had been harvested, so apparently it has become a magnet for the wildlife.

I figure I scared out 3-4 deer, a coyote, and more rabbits and pheasants than I could count.

Nature's cruel ways were on display, too. As some little fluffy bunny would run out into the open cornstalks, a red tailed hawk would often swoop down to catch a little afternoon snack. Ah, life is good. I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I did, I'd want to come back as a hawk (not a "Herky Hawk", but a real hawk). Nobody messes around with a red tailed hawk.

Another odd sight was the coyote who came out of the corn between me and a rooster pheasant - he didn't see the rooster, elsewise he would have had a meal. El Lobo snuck back into the corn.

I heard on WHO 1040 that a few out-of-state hunters have been caught for poaching deer. The DNR dude also said that there are far more applicants for out-of-state licenses than are available. The solution, IMHO? More freakin' licenses for out-of-state hunters! Come on, PLEASE KILL OUR DEER! They are a nuisance, and we can make money off these New York lawyers! I'll rent out space on my combine's roof! :)

King Chad's farming circus

2007-11-09T19:13:00.000-06:00

Today we finished beans on one farm and moved to the last field. When Dad and I were pulling the bean head over, we met another truck pulling a similar, but larger, Case IH head. We wondered who that was, as I'm about the only guy around that has a Case IH combine.

When we left the field to go get the truck, we noticed that a Case IH combine had pulled up to the head and trailer, which was parked across the road from target field (someone else's property, by the way). I thought it was odd, because the bean field across the road was being farmed by the local BTO who we'll refer to King Chad. King Chad has run John Deere equipment exclusively, as I've heard one of his investors also owns a few JD dealerships.

When we came back with the truck, the circus had arrived. A JD 9760 had pulled in and was hooking on to a 635 bean head (35'). The Case IH combine was unloading into a Kinze 1050 cart with floater tires, which was being pulled by a JD 8530, duals all around. A Peterbilt semi and grain trailer was parked on one side of the road, and a Chevy pickup pulling an enclosed trailer (support parts/tools?) was parked on the other side, such that going by them required some manuevering.

So, we went over to the other farm to get our tractor/grain cart and my combine. When I arrived on the scene again, the 8530/Kinze was unloading into the semi. Dust was rolling out like an Iraqi storm. The beans must have been cut down near (or in) the ditches that were conveniently sprayed out by the JD 4920 and 4720 sprayers King Chad has. The field in question was for years a pasture, and probably should still be, but some investors want too much cash rent for it to run cows, and therefore King Chad is about the only one who can afford it (or, really, his investors who he's in debt to so far they can't cut him loose).

So, the grain cart operator got done unloading the dust beans into the semi and attempted to back the cart up to the driveway. He nearly put it in the ditch. I signaled to him that he could pull up to the driveway into the field across the road (once you've tresspassed, why not do it again?), but he finally got the cart backed up and into the field.

So, am I just spouting sour grapes because he can run new equipment and farm 10's of thousands of acres? No. I don't want to be harvesting corn into March, as he's done on occasion. I don't need the headache of millions of dollars of debt. I don't want to be HR for a dozen or so guys. I don't want the trouble. There's more to life than farming, fortunately.

Access to wireless Internet at the new library

2007-11-04T17:17:00.000-06:00

Our town is in the process of building a new library building. Through grants, donations, and volunteer labor we hope to move in to the building early 2008. It is 3 times bigger than the current facility, and will be a great asset to the community.

My wife, the librarian, has discussed with her board of trustees about the possibility of offering wireless Internet service. This would allow a person to come in with their laptop with wireless capabilities and log on. In fact, a person could park outside nearby and log on with their laptop, too.

Because the library is currently only open 16-1/2 hours a week, a traveler through town with a laptop and a need to log on will probably not catch my wife at the library when they need access, and therefore having the ability to log on just outside would be a real positive.

One trustee, however, is concerned that someone could drive up, log on, and surf porno sites via the library's service. Therefore, she wants to limit the power of the signal strength to operate just inside the library's walls. Theoretically, patrons can be "monitored" while inside the library to make sure they are not on inappropriate sites, but control cannot be extended to outside the walls.

Is this too reactionary?

Her response reminds me of about 15 years ago when our church was discussing the construction of a new church building. One old member was worried that during the construction phase kids would hang out there and drink beer, and that we needed to hire guards to watch the place.

Maybe the trustee should also take out a robot insurance policy.

UN Frogs and Ethanol

2007-10-31T19:17:00.000-05:00

Jean Ziegler, the UN's Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food, from the French speaking side of Switzerland, had these things to say about ethanol and biofuels:

"It's a crime against humanity to convert agricultural productive soil into soil producing foodstuff which will be burned into bio-fuel. It is a crime against humanity. And I ask that this thing, this proposition, to create a moratorium that the UN prohibits for five years this transformation, this substitution."

A child that dies from hunger is assassinated.

Even though he is from Switzerland, it is apparent that Mr. Ziegler leans too far to the French side. He really needs to get out of the ivory tower that is the UN and try to make it in the free market of ideas, rather than try to make broad pronouncements.

Unfortunately, the French have no word for "entrepreneur".

Maybe we need a moratorium for five years on French-speaking UN officials saying things they have no knowledge about.

Weirdess survey call ever

2007-10-28T16:43:00.001-05:00

Just got a survey call a minute ago. The caller asked if I would be for or against a proposal in the Iowa Legislature that would provide funding for contraceptives to poor women. I told him I would not be in favor of it.

The next question: Do you know if the Vikings won today?

I kid you not.

Humeston is Dantastic!

2007-10-27T06:47:00.001-05:00

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a library open house in town, and our guest speaker/reader was none other than Dan Wardell of Iowa Public Television.

Now, for those of you that don't want kids programs on IPTV, Dan Wardell is the highly energetic and goofy spokesperson for PBS Kids on IPTV. He did a wonderful job with both the kids and adults at the open house, talking about safety, nutrition, and manners. He even got some of the library trustees involved, too.

Here's a link to some of the pictures from the event. My wife is standing next to him at the front door of the library.

Spy on an ethanol plant

2007-10-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to a couple of live-linked cameras pointed at the scalehouse and the plant of Hawkeye Renewables' plant at Fairbank, IA.

Just watch the steam roll out of that place and know that somewhere a member of the Royal Saudi family is weeping in his cous cous.

Semi trucks for the really rich farmers...

2007-10-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

In my analysis and search for a semi truck for the farm, I came across this site - Shelby Elliott's Used Trucks of Sikeston, MO. Shelby doesn't sell just any kind of semi truck; no, he sells the type of trucks that would make a hip/hop artist drop his bling-bling in lust and desire.

Need a late model Peterbilt with built in shower/toilet, stove, and 550 horses of Caterpillar power? Shelby can fix you up. Want a rig that needs 40 acres to turn around but will impress the lot lizards? He's got what you need.

The price for these rigs? Money is no object for those who feel the need to bake a sheet of cookies while hauling a load of corn to Eddyville. At $160K, you'll be riding like a king.

I'm being a bit silly here; there are probably owner/operators out there that enjoy these big rigs, especially when driving across country. My guess is that they've saved enough money to own one, especially toward retirement, and want something they feel is part semi truck, part RV.

However, it is often easy to see semis with large sleepers pulling grain trailers. If the point of having a grain hauling rig is to maximize the amount of grain on a load (thereby reducing the number of loads), then why waste space and weight with a sleeper? Get a day cab, aluminum wheels and lightweight engine and haul 1000 bushels legally instead of only getting 890. What do you think, Windy?

Overused words

2007-10-17T19:18:00.000-05:00

Remember back in the floods of 1993 a new word that was introduced to our common vocabularies? What was is?

Inundate

Des Moines' water treatment plant was inundated with flood water. The media repeated this word on every news report to the point that most of us had to reach for the dictionary to see what the heck it meant.

Well, there's a new word out there, ready to be over used, and oh, how it fits today's political environment.

Impugn

Phonetically, it should probably be spelled "impewn". What purpose the "g" has is beyond me; probably French in origin.

What other words are being introduced into our vocabulary that are becoming over used?

Redneck rabies?

2007-10-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

OK, this has nothing to do with Southern Iowa, except that we are near the South (Missouri, you know).

It seems that there is a study by the House Homeland Security Committee about health risks at heavily attended gatherings. Football games and music concerts were not considered, but NASCAR events were subject to analysis.

Staffers from the House were sent to the recent Bank of America 500 in North Carolina to investigate.

The Democratic staffers, however, decided that they required to inoculated against several rare diseases and a sexually transmitted illness. The Republican staffers refused the treatment.

What the heck? Do these holier-than-thou staffers think that they'll be infected with the Black Death if they step foot in North Carolina? Were they planning on having close liasons with the locals and thought extra protection was needed?

Of course, the D's say they were also visiting medical clinics and such, and that this type of immunization is simply a precaution and is standard procedure.

Maybe so, and it's not a bad idea, but lumping NASCAR events in with medical clinics for personal health care protection an insult to a large part of the country.

What to do?

2007-09-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

I am in an organization that sometimes has different official views than I do. I can accept these differing view points, as long as I get a chance to express mine in hopes of persuading the group toward my beliefs. Of course, this can cause some tensions, but I try to keep it above water and not let things get personal.

However, a recent online discussion among some members and myself has led me to believe that the leadership of this organization does not really care about free discussion, but rather personal attacks and partisan allegiance.

I was recently told by a fellow board member that I was greedy for wanting to see some CRP land released to crop/pasture/hay production, that I wanted to rape the environment, and that I was a Republican asshole. I replied that I didn't see how this helped the discussion and asked for an apology. He insisted I apologize for him, and later, told me to "go to hell".

If an organization has a person on the board that cannot control his anger and lacks the ability to debate the merits of a topic, then what good is that organization if that person stays on the board? It tells me that the organization is not looking for the best possible answer but rather wants to lie in bed with one political organization at all costs. It tells me that dissent, the very reason our country was created, cannot be allowed in the organization.

So, should I keep putting up with this BS? If my views are not respected in the organization, why should I spend time and money going to board meetings in Ames and get slammed by others? I thought our goals were the same; to help the family farm. But apparently, one board member, and possibly the rest, think that my views and beliefs are dirt and shouldn't be paid attention to.

I joined this organization because my wife worked there, and I had similar beliefs in it at the time. I became a board member because I thought it would give me a chance to develop leadership skills. But, if I'm going to be told that I'm an asshole for holding the beliefs I do and that I should go to hell, then what benefit am I getting?

What do you think?

Basketball or football?

2007-09-29T17:24:00.000-05:00

Here's the score from our boys 8 man football team game last night:

Mormon Trail (Garden Grove) 82, East Union 76

What the? It was an away game, and I haven't had the chance to talk with anyone about it today (been out delivering feed), but is this for real?

Usually we see scores like this in basketball games, college nonetheless.

Anyone know where the defense was? For either team? Did they substitute the cheerleaders in for defense? Maybe they brought in the 6th graders?

Kind of reminds me of the time I beat cousin E in Atari Football 132-7. He won't admit it, however.

Pathetic attempt to satirize the 1980's

2007-09-21T22:26:00.000-05:00

I know, I should have some insightful information about the start of harvest (500 bu picked today, 25% moisture), the cost of inputs ($600/ton NH3, $230+/bag corn), or political commentary (Hillary scares the Mt Dew out of me).

Instead, I give you this.

Our town in the Des Moines Register

2007-09-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday my uncle, wife, and I were interviewed by John Carlson of the Des Moines Register to talk about the recent projects that have been taking place around town. For you out of towners, this article, published Friday, will give you an idea of what's been going on around here.

The article was pretty good, considering the usual bias supplied by the DM Redstar (usually from the editorials). John Carlson is a good writer, not a typical Gannett-oid.

Anyway, enjoy the article.

Find your candidate

2007-09-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

I found this over at State 29. It's suppose to help you find your presidential candidate by matching your preferences on hot-button topics to the supposed leanings of the various lemmings.

Who did the calculator say was my candidate? Ron Paul, at a 77.61% match.

Tom Tancredo was second at 73.13%. Next was Brownback at 72.39%, and my chosen favorite Mike Huckabee at 69.40%.

Chris Dodd was the lowest at 20.9%, next to Edwards, Hillary, and Richardson.

What is funny about Ron Paul being my "top" choice is that after I came back from the Straw Poll, I told my 4 year old son about going around to the different candidate's tents. We reworked it into a story where he would drive his battery powered JD Gator around to the tents to visit the candidates. However, it has since morphed into Ron Paul chasing Graydon in Paul's own Gator, and not just at the straw poll, but around the farm and in the town park! I have no idea why he thinks that Ron Paul is out to get him, but he does!

Anyway, take the test and see who is your "favorite" candidate, and post. That means you, Richman!

Reflections on Labor Day

2007-09-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

I really don't like holidays too much; they get you out of your rythmn of eat/sleep/work/repeat by throwing an odd day of "rest" into the schedule. So, not only are you not supposed to "work", but neither is anyone else, and therefore you can do little but sit at home and watch the grass grow, paint dry, or some other useless activity.

However, I was able to beat this holiday's blues by laboring on Labor Day. Yep, instead of taking time off to go drink beer at a BBQ grill, I sat in a tractor and disked ground for preparation for seeding to pasture most of the day. The A/C wasn't even working properly, so it was even more labor.

However, by the end of the day, and through my usual self-entertainment of surfing Wikipedia, I came to realize that yes, the Labor movement in this country did have some good points, and working conditions, as well as safety standards, would be a lot worse if some people didn't band together, walk out and say we're not going to take this anymore.

Being a dog-gone independent farmer, it's tough for me to understand why anyone would throw his or her livelyhood together with complete strangers to increase their chances of betterment when I can have about the same chances on my own with out paying dues. Same goes with safety standards - you learn very quickly around the farm to not stick your hand in certain places, so why do we need a federal office to get in the way of productivity?

But, when I read about the struggles that some went through, either in labor or safety violations, injuries, and deaths, I realize that sometimes intervention from within or above is necessary for the whole operation to keep moving forward.

Hamlet Chicken Processing Fire - 25 people were killed and 54 injured when a hydraulic line ruptured, creating a fire that swept through an older plant. Doors and windows are locked to ward off theft, but they don't allow workers to escape properly.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - 146 workers, mostly women and girls, were burned or jumped to their deaths because doors were locked and fire escapes were few and incapable of handling the crowd.

Radium Girls - US Radium Corporation used women to paint radium onto faces of watches, providing no protective covering, while the owners and chemists are careful not to come in contact with the material. The women are not warned of the radioactivity of the material, and the company used disinformation to keep radium poisioning from being discovered.

Love Canal - Local school district built an elementary school on a former toxic waste dump. Children have higher levels of maladies than normal, but the school district and chemical company claim nothing is wrong.

Because of gross mismanagement and opportunism on the company's part, workers and community members came together to fight their injustice. In many cases they were told to sit down, stop rocking the boat, or you'll get fired, kicked out, loose your school, etc.

Sometimes accidents happen, but responsibility should be taken for them immediately; this is basic stuff my 4 year old is being taught in pre-school and at home. But, when corporations don't take responsibility for their messes, their short-sightedness, their purposeful ignorance, and people are hurt or killed, the companies need to pay.

I don't like regulations any more than the next person; I am a big believer in common sense and personal responsibility. But when common sense is lacking, and personal responsibility is not found, we need a higher authority, the government, to step in. That's why departments like the EPA, FDA, OSHA, National Labor Relations Board, etc were created. That's why groups like the AFL-CIO were originally created as well - to put right what has been made wrong.

We may not agree with how these groups go about their work; I think some of the things OSHA does are very intrusive into a workplace. But, they do play their part, and overall, they do make things safer and better for workers, employees, and customers. Yes, there is more bureaucratic BS and hoops to jump through, sometimes more than what we are comfortable with.

But, if groups like these had not come along, we might still be plucking chickens with our hands for pennies a day and worrying if we'll fall asleep and tumble into the lard tank.

Sierra Club and CRP

2007-09-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the hiatus from the blog, folks. Sometimes I get extended writer's block, even while interesting events pop up, like the destruction of Western Civilization by Judge Hanson in Polk County. I'll get around to that later.

About 10 days ago I attended our state Farmers Union convention in Des Moines. During the workshops I spoke with some of the various people who were responsible for booths there; the Edwards campaign, the Dodd campaign, the Biden campaign, Leopold Center, etc.

However, when I walked up to the Sierra Club's booth, I was asked by the attendant:

"Would you like to sign a petition to increase CRP enrollment?"

Oh buddy, you asked the wrong fellow.

I'm from Wayne County, IA, the county that has the highest enrollment in CRP in the state. We have approximately 56,000 acres in CRP, and 102,000 acres in corn/soybean production. That means we have about 35% of our potential crop land in CRP. There is CRP land within a 1/2 mile of my farm in one direction. There are large tracts of land in my area that are enrolled already in CRP.

And these guys want more?

I explained to the young skull of mush that we don't need to increase CRP acres, but rather we need to reform the process and get productive land OUT of CRP and maintain conservation plans on the rest that restrict them to high residue cover programs, ranging from no-till rotations to meadow/pasture, depending on the severity of the erosion potential land. I told him that whole-farm enrollment in the 1980's allowed landowners to put their entire farm in the program, regardless if some of the land was highly fertile and non-erodible; just some of the farm had to be classified as "highly erodible land" to get it to qualify. What's worse, the landowner is paid MORE to include these more productive lands by the government because of the lost crop production.

I told the Sierroist (Sierra + environmentalist) that Uncle Sam is the biggest land hog in the area, and is a detriment to beginning farmers to be able to rent and own land. A lot of farmers in this area got started raising livestock, and keeping this potential pasture and hay land out of the market shrinks the opportunities available.

The Sierroist mentioned that when he had spoke at the local Isaac Walton league about increasing CRP, it was met with enthusiasm. No kidding! I like the Ikes as much as any hunter, but these guys are urban-based; they don't attempt to make a living off the land like we farmers do. As far as they're concerned, they could care less if a farmer is trying to making a living out here, especially if it gets in the way of driving the new Expedition out, putting it in 4wd for the first time, donning the custom made Cabela's camo gear, and experiencing the great wild for a few days in the fall so he can feel like a man.

While I remained calm and explained the situation to the young Sierroist, hoping that he would see the light, I am reminded that he, like a lot of other environmentalists, are insulated from the environment they so want to keep us from hurting. They would rather attempt to command us underlings from on high, rather than come out and see the situation for themselves. No, keeping ignorant about the truth is helpful in their case, especially when that ignorance can be used to dupe unsuspecting accomplices to go along with their agendas.

The moose are to blame!

2007-08-21T19:19:00.000-05:00

According to Norwegian technical university research, a grown moose in Norway produces 2100 kilograms of carbon dioxide a year through its belching and farting. In more common units, that's about 4600 lbs of CO2. How this was determined is not listed, but I bet it wasn't a fun job - probably some grad student had to do it to write his thesis.

To offset the carbon footprint of these gastronomic impaired beasts, I'd have to plant at least two acres of no-till corn for each grown moose. Of course, that no-till corn will be made into Earth-saving, life-giving ethanol and DDGS (nevermind the CO2 release from the plant).

So there it is: The moose are to blame for our ills. Liquidate the moose, and life will be peachy.

But what if they drove Prius? (What's the plural of Prius, anyway)? If they drove them over 100 mph, like the co-founder of Apple did, then I'm sure their carbon footprint would be bigger than the tundra-pies they leave behind.

Sales tax increase passed

2007-08-21T11:31:00.001-05:00

The sales tax increase, voted on August 7, was passed 606 to 215. This one cent increase, to be in effect for 20 years, will go to pay for a new jail located in Corydon.

Although I'm not a big fan of increased taxes, we do need a new jail. It's either this or we spend $$$ on transporting prisoners to other facilities. Do we want deputies patrolling the roads and streets or driving ner' do wells to Osceola and other locations?

Feed truck ready to roll

2007-08-21T11:28:00.000-05:00

I think I've got the truck ready for the road for the most part. I re-did the hydraulic lines yesterday, and except for one, the leaks have been taken care of.

Went to courthouse to get plates this morning - OUCH! A little over $1000 to register it for 25 tons.

Pipe Sealants

2007-08-17T17:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight I'll try to disassemble, clean, apply Permatex #14 Thread Sealant w/PTFE to all joints, and reconnect all of the newly added hydraulic lines on the feed truck. That's the one on the blue card.

The Pnuematic/Hydraulic Sealant looks like its more of a liquid, which would probably work better on smaller high pressure hydraulic lines than the #14 paste. I think the #14 paste should work better on the pipe threads that I'm dealing with.

Thanks again for the great technical discussion.

Feed truck update

2007-08-15T19:37:00.001-05:00

Here's an update on how the new feed truck project is going.

Got the feed body moved over to the new truck last Thursday with the help of the guys from Agriland FS. They brought their forklift out and we were able to put the feed body on the new truck. In the process, however, it tipped over and dented a couple of the compartments, but I should be able to hammer them out in the future.

Started mounting the hydraulic tank Monday when I noticed it had a leak in it. I was going to Des Moines on Tuesday, so I got a new aluminum tank for it. I got it mounted on the truck last night right before dark.

Today, I plumbed up the hydraulic lines, put oil in the reservoir, and started it up.

Nothing.

I realized that the rotation of the pump was reversed from when it was on the old truck, and therefore, it was sucking when it should have been pushing, and vice versa.

So, I spent the afternoon re-plumbing everything, switching the lines from side to side. I finally got it finished around 6 PM. Loaded some feed on the truck, and off I went to deliver some DDGS to a customer who was past overdue needing it.

I got to the farmer's place and started unloading. Everything was OK, but then I noticed a fairly good stream of hot oil coming out of one of the many joints in the plumbing. Then, the PTO stopped working. My guess is that the set screw on the U-joint to the PTO slipped out. It was too hot to work on it tonight, so I got a ride back home from my father.

So, after working on this rig for the last three weeks outside in the heat, sunshine, and mud, and a limited number of tools, I finally got something to work. Sort of.

Does anyone know if a special pipe joint compound is required for high heat demands, such as hot hydraulic oil? I'll research on the 'net, but any advice would be great. Thanks!

State 29 is back!

2007-08-15T07:21:00.001-05:00

Back from his month long vacation, State 29, the blogger that tells it like it is about the scandals in Iowa, returns with a newly formated blog.

Welcome back!

That's her real name

2007-08-14T17:52:00.001-05:00

From the Polk County Jail website:

Name: PEACHES MARIE GRINDSTAFF
Book Date: 8/6/2007 10:07:30 PM
DOB: 10/13/1979
Height: 5' 03"
Weight: 125
Race: White
Sex: Female
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

FE213790
THEFT ALL OTHER-2ND DEGREE
$9,750
Cash or Surety
FE213790
FALSE USE OF CREDIT CARDS/ATM CARDS
$6,500
Cash or Surety
FE213790
THEFT OF IDENTITY
$6,500
Cash or Surety
SR210429
PROBATION VIOLATION
$0
No Bond
SR211405
PROBATION VIOLATION
$0
No Bond
FE211551
PROBATION VIOLATION
$0
No Bond
THEFT ALL OTHER-2ND DEGREE
$9,750
Cash or SuretyCHARGES

Cost per vote at the straw poll

2007-08-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

It appears that Huckabee had the lowest cost per vote at the Straw Poll yesterday, at around $58/vote, according to this article. His nearest competitor, Sam Brownback, spent almost three times that amount to get his votes. And, Romney eclipsed all of them at over $440/vote, maybe more, as his team has not released the amount they spent at the event.

So, maybe I shouldn't complain about the small tent and lack of t-shirts at Camp Huckabee. It shows me they have a team that uses money wisely. Sounds like a team I'd want to have in the White House directing the budget, wouldn't you?

The article claims that Romney probably had the greatest cost per vote. I would disagree and say that John Cox has that position. I don't know what Cox spent, but lets say it was around $50K, possibly more (I don't know what it cost a candidate for just the space). He got 41 votes. That's $1219 per vote. Ouch! Heck, I'm wearing one of his t-shirts right now, worth, say, $10 (I got it for free), and he received no vote from me. Not a good return on investment, Mr CPA.

Romney sons tour of duty

2007-08-12T18:08:00.000-05:00

Here's a clip from the Daily Show concerning how the Romney boys are serving their country by traversing our fair state in a Winnebago.

At the Straw Poll

2007-08-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today I ventured north of I-80, out of the comfortable confines of The South of Iowa, to the Ames Straw Poll. Here is an account of what I saw and heard.

I met my friend Greg and he, two of his children, and I left their rural Ames home and caught a ride on from the east side Hy-Vee parking lot via Mitt Romney sponsored buses. Greg had signed me up the night before, but I apparently had to fill out the paperwork again, including pledging that I'd vote for Mitt once I got there. Hmmm. I also got some water and a free yellow Team Mitt t-shirt. We boarded the bus, and once we got going, our hostess, Emily, informed us that once we arrived at the lot, someone would shuttle/guide us from the bus to the Romney tent, then on to Hilton to immediately vote for Mitt. Hmmm.

So, once we got there, I told Greg there was no way I was going to be herded like cattle and promised to meet up with him later. Off I went, looking for the Huckabee tent. On the way I passed through Brownback territory. A B-Back staffer immediately saw me and asked me if I had voted yet. I replied no, and upon hearing so, she asked who I was planning on. I told her Mike Huckabee. She replied that Brownback and Huckabee were so close to each other in values, why not vote for Brownback instead, and that she had come all the way from South Dakota to support B-Back. I politely told her thanks, but I was pretty certain. She followed me for what seemed like half a block or more, almost over into Romney's area. I was finally able to shake her.

So, up to the Fair Tax tent, which was easy to spot - it had a Ferris wheel in front of it. Slipping inside, I noticed that it was cooler inside the tent - they must have had some sort of A/C going. They also had great grub - grabbed a burger, chips, and Mt Dew, and I was set. Afterwards, I slipped outside and found a gal handing out Fairtax caps, t-shirts, and bags. I asked what I needed to do to get a t-shirt; she said just smile, so I did and dropped a small donation. Cool, free t-shirt #2. If anything, I'm going to walk out of here with a new wardrobe of work shirts.

I headed north out of the Fair Tax tent and came across my first taste of the Ron Paul militia. They were marching along, with a leader yelling a charge, and the crowd responding "RON PAUL!". "Who's our leader? RON PAUL! Who do we want? RON PAUL! Who's your daddy? RON PAUL!" Or something.

After seeing this, I found the Ron Paul tent just around the corner, near Fisher Theatre. How could you miss it? Signs all along the way with great quotes of great thinkers. Across the sidewalk was Tommy Thompson's area. It was quite vast, with a large tent, play equipment for kids, etc. Problem was, not a whole lot were there.

Heading east on the north side of Scheman I noted John Cox's tent, also quite deserted, and then Tom Tancredo's. To be honest, Tancredo's area looked a little imposing, with his gaze fixed upon you like he's going to deport you if you're not a 4th generation American. He also wanted $15 for his shirts. No way, dude, I want free shirts!

Next up was my man Mike Huckabee's area. I got my straw poll ticket there. Also, at the same time, Paul Shanklin, the guy who does the parody songs on Rush Limbaugh's show, was just taking the stage. Funny stuff. I tried to get a t-shirt from the Huckabee campaign, but they had run out. Same with buttons. I guess that's a good thing - a lot of people wanted them, and he didn't spend too much on SWAG to give away. Huckabee had a good area and good turnout, but a larger tent would have been nicer. Oh well, no big deal.

Duncan Hunter was further down, in the corner, and honestly, didn't look too appealing. I skipped it.

I also cruised around the smaller tents/booths between Scheman and Hilton. I shelled out a few bucks for a "Recruit Alan Keyes" shirt, got a free book that's about 3 inches thick from a guy named Blankenship, tried to score a free shirt from the Iowa Pro-Life group, but they were out of my size, and basically took in the circus atmosphere.

After this, I scaled the steps of Hilton to vote. I provided my driver's license and ticket to the folks at a table, and after scanning them, they gave me a ballot. I headed down the hall, checked Mike, pumped the sheet into the ol' reliable Diebold, and off I went. I cut back to the north steps again, went inside Hilton again for the rally, and found a spot to listen to the speakers.

First, Romney. Very polished. Very...over-the-top, trying-to-be-a-conservative. Some things I agreed with him on, but he also has some social issues that I thought were a bit too imposing. Yes, the family needs strengthening, but I don't want the gov't doing it for me, telling me what I can and cannot read, even if I don't in the first place.

Next up, Tancredo. His army marched in. His message was all about illegal immigration. Maybe he should have had the Emperor's March from Star Wars as his theme music. I know he's passionate about this issue, but dang, he's downright scary to me.

After this, Cox. Who? Huh? His introduction music included a remake/parody of Led Zeppelin's "Ahh ehh ahhh, ah!" song (Immigrant Song). Then it changed to a Rocky Balboa image with his face on it. Call in the men with the white coats, folks. He wants to be a Reagan II, but I don't buy it.

After Cox was some real fun - Ron Paul. If Tancredo has an army, Paul has a militia. The Paulines chanted his name into and out of the coliseum. Paul had a lot of good things to say, and I don't disagree with him on them. The problem is, how do we get to that point? Laura Ingraham, the MC, made some comments about Ron Paul's group that some felt were not so nice.

Then, Gov. Huckabee took the stage. Unlike the other candidates before, he focused on a general theme, and did not go into super detail. He was positive, hopeful, and full of passion about how America can do better. It was almost like listening to a sermon, which he's good at, too. He got a good amount of applause, but not as often as the other speakers.

After listening to Mike, I left and caught up with Greg and the kids over at the Fair Tax tent. We zipped around the grounds one more time. I was able to score another free Fair Tax shirt, a John Cox shirt, and did buy a Ron Paul Revolution shirt. After this, we headed back to the Romney bus, then to Hy-Vee, and onto home.

Greg had a great comment - "This place is surprisingly clean, considering the number of stickers, signs, food, and balloons here. It's cleaner than a Democrat Earth Day celebration!" I guess conservatives have a few good habits, including picking up after themselves.

So what did I learn? Brownback continued to turn me off, not only with his attacks on other candidates but by the way his volunteers went after me (or maybe she was hitting on me...? Naaa.) Tancredo is a single issue candidate that should scare the tinkle out of anyone named Jose or Maria. Ron Paul attracted a good following of rabid young adults. Tommy Thompson's area looked like a good place to retire to. John Cox is a nut case. Duncan Hunter should just campaign for Sec of Defense instead of President. Huckabee has a great message, but could have had a bigger tent. And Romney and the Romulans had a well presented, slicked over, easy selling message.

If you haven't seen the results, here they are:
Mitt Romney 4516 31.5%
Mike Huckabee 2587 18.1%
Sam Brownback 2192 15.3%
Tom Tancredo 1961 13.7%
Ron Paul 1305 9.1%
Tommy Thompson 1039 7.3%
Fred Thompson 203 1.4%
Rudy Giuliani 183 1.3%
Duncan Hunter 174 1.2%
John McCain 101 1.0%
John Cox 41 0.1%

14,302 Total Votes
26,000 Total Tickets Sold

John Cox, Duncan Hunter, and Tommy Thompson should probably throw in the towel. Just my humble opinion.

Responsibility to the community

2007-08-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

This topic has been brewing in me for a few weeks. It involves the question of what responsibility does a person have when they belong to a community.

First, what is a community, and who defines it? Well, a community in rural areas (like this) might be defined as a town, a school district, or a county. In a larger city, it could be defined as a neighborhood, a sub division, maybe by interests and beliefs.

Almost everyone belongs to a community, possibly more than one. I suppose if you lived by yourself on the tundra of the Yukon you might have a rather dispersed community, but once in a while, you'd run into the same person again and find common items to share.

What benefits does one derive from belonging to a community? A number of tangible ones, including water, sewer, police and fire protection, roads, representation in government, etc. Intangible benefits include a sense of place, sharing of common happenings and events, like minded people to talk to, and more.

So, what responsibilities are there in belonging to a community? For the tangible ones, maintaining the benefits, such as paying taxes, fees, and dues as required. We may not like doing these things at times, but overall, they contribute to the well being of the community. For intangible benefits, attending meetings, participating in events, and being involved.

So, can one belong to a community, enjoy the benefits, and not participate in responsibilities? Yes, it's possible for some to "free load", but it's not sustainable, especially if too many do so. It puts a great amount of pressure on the few to provide to the plenty. Of course, not everyone is able to contribute equally, due to work, health, age, or involvement in other communities. But, in order for a community to be healthy and vibrant, all members should contribute what they can.

Of course, an extreme libertarian might say that one man is beholden to another, regardless of location or decision. However, when you decide to join a community to enjoy its benefits, responsibilities come with it, and so does a certain level of "service" to your fellow man to gain these benefits.

And, I am not talking about some sort of communist workers' paradise, either. Communities are not forced, or at least do not thrive and grow through outside coercion. Government has its place, but not to the point where it is intrusive and overbearing. A reasonable balance is necessary.

So, it bothers me when I hear certain individuals say they don't need to have a town, that they could get along without it, that it doesn't matter to them. If the main reason for existence is to farm large tracts of land or huge hog farms, then what need is there for a town? What use is a church? It just takes up valuable farm land. In fact, why do we need a fire department, roads, streets, sidewalks, and schools? There's certainly no need for clubs, town celebrations, and informal discussions over coffee, of course. Work is all that is required and needed, work to further a selfish goal.

There is more to life than building a bigger bottom line. There is peace and enjoyment of knowing your neighbors, interacting and sharing with them, and experiencing common opportunities. Yes, everyone can and should do their own "thing", such as employment, worship, family, politics, etc, but we must respect those things that are shared between us, that are the "glue" that hold us together. We gain benefits from this glue, this interaction, but in order to maintain it and keep it going, we have to put a little effort into it once in a while.

America's Top States for Doing Business

2007-08-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

I found this on CNBC's website.

According to this data, Iowa is ranked 11th best state to do business. I'm rather surprised that we ranked this high. Our corporate tax system is not known to be friendly to businesses as compared to others. But, there must be worse states out there, as this survey claims we are 10th best in Business Friendliness. The report also says we are 5th best for Cost of Doing Business. Hmmm.

I'm going to guess that this data was skewed a bit, however. What state was ranked 1st in Quality of Life? New Jersey. I guess the authors must have some "connections" with the Sopranos.

Which state had the best transportation system? Florida. Again, I don't think this the best state for roads; probably not the worst, but first? Don't think so.

California ranked 1st in Access to Capital. While its true there is a lot of money floating around California, they cannot, by law, hold Iowa ethanol equity drives like we've seen recently. It must be raised privately, and not advertised via radio, TV, or newspaper. Having talked to a entrepreneur from Long Beach who wanted to start a biodiesel plant using chicken fat, I learned that they can't do the ol' fashioned equity drive like we do here.

The worst place to do business, according to the survey? Alaska.

The Breck Girl getting paranoid in Southern Iowa

2007-07-27T18:05:00.001-05:00

Found this on Drudge...He was speaking in Creston, which is about 60 miles from here. So that was where all those black helicopters were headed the other day...!

By the way, nice hair, John. Oops, more silly frivolous stuff.

The Congressional Order of Merit for little ol' me?

2007-07-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

I came back to the house this morning from delivering feed to find a message waiting for me on the phone. I listened to it, then had to play it again to make sure it was correct.

The caller was from a Representative Tom Cole's office and the National Republican Congressional Committee and was offering me the Congressional Order of Merit. I was to return his call as soon as possible.

Wow, an award, nay, a Congressional award! Must have been that hard hitting blog I wrote about those in Lineville who don't have running water...forget the fact that I'm still technically a registered Democrat from 2006 when I switched before the primary to support Ed Fallon.

(Note to self - switch to Independent immediately lest thy be inundated by mailings from Hillary.)

But, a little search of the Internet helped burst my visions of banquets, awards ceremonies, and schmoozing with the elite.

Come to find out, you have to donate to the NRCC to get your Congressional Order of Merit. $200, $300, maybe $495 will get you the prestigious award, suitable for framing.

Forget that, buddy! For $495 I want some real sway with my congressman, like a big dinner at 801 Steak and Chop or something. This is phoney baloney BS, and what's worse, it comes from the Republicans. Boo on them.

Supporter-created ad for Huckabee

2007-07-23T07:06:00.000-05:00

This is an ad put together by a blogger and supporter of Mike Huckabee. It says it all about abortion:

If a country cannot even protect the innocent unborn children, how do we then believe it will protect the rest of us?

Some would like to frame the abortion debate as a religious one, and say that it's your religious belief to say abortion is wrong, but who is to say which religion is right...

The issue of abortion is better framed in a civic debate - that is, the fact our government allows, condones, and prevents states from criminalizing, the mass murder of unborn children for the sake of convenience for the "mother" shows that it is marginally (if at all) able to protect the rest of the citizens of this country.

We kill more unborn children in this country in a day than have died in Iraq so far.

RAGBRAI

2007-07-23T06:15:00.000-05:00

My wife Jackie is on RAGBRAI this week. She is and will be blogging about her experiences on the ride through her own blog, which you can reach here.

A new rig...

2007-07-20T19:41:00.001-05:00

I mentioned before that my feed truck had died due to a scored cylinder. It was towed back here to the farm last night, so that will make it easier to remove the feed body and associated parts.

Today a friend and I went to Des Moines to get the replacement truck. It's a 1999 International F4900 with a DT466E 250 hp engine, 9 spd tranny, tandem axles, and a 24' van body. I got it from Ryder; this truck, according to its history, moved paper products around Conneticut and New York, then later to Chicago. It came off lease in Millwaukee, and it came to Des Moines from there.

The van body is for sale on EBay if anyone is interested. If you're interested in the dead truck, let me know as well. bob (at) gunzenhauserfarms.com

I think I have a strategy to remove the body in pretty much one piece and set it on the ground. I'll have to add a PTO to the new truck, and I'm trying to get the old one off the dead truck to see if it will fit. The exhaust system may have to be moved a bit, and Lord knows what else I'll run into. But, it should be an interesting week coming up!

After driving the rig around tonight, I feel like it is stable enough to drive further distances to pick up and deliver feed. I might look into getting an apportioned license so I can LEGALLY drive in Missouri in order to serve a larger customer base. Anything to pay its way.

A phone conversation with Mike Huckabee

2007-07-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

Today I was heading back from town to the farm when I got a call on my cell phone from none other than Mike Huckabee, Republican candidate for President. I had contacted the campaign staff about doing an interview with the former governor, possibly by submitting questions via email and getting a reply. I wasn't expecting a phone call, but I was glad I was able to take it.

I asked the governor primarily about agriculture policy and trade, two issues that affect what we do here in The South of Iowa. After getting home to the computer, I was able to record some of his responses.

Huckabee said there were three things that must be produced at home in our country if we are to maintain our country: The ability to feed ourselves, the ability to fuel ourselves, and the ability to protect ourselves (i.e. domestic defense production).

Governor Huckabee is a supporter of free trade, but our trade policy is not free because it is not fair. In regards to China, Huckabee would want to see that country start to adopt similar safety, health, labor, and environmental standards that we have in this country. They are basically on a different playing field, and because they can skirt standards that we have to live by, they can exploit those differences and produce cheaper products.

Governor Huckabee is also a support of Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, for food products. This is especially important in light of contaminated feed and food products brought in from China.

Relating specifically to farm policy, Huckabee did not have a specific comment about farm program payment limitations. Here in the northern states, payment limitations are favorable, as they would only affect the very large farms. Medium sized farms in the South, however, would be affected quicker by payment caps due the high level of subsidies for cotton and rice. Huckabee did say he did didn't want drastic changes to be made to the farm policy that would potentially put farmers out of business overnight. When I suggested that we should have a regional farm policy, with different caps and programs for different regions, he was favorable to that.

Huckabee also had much to say about his proposed FairTax program. He cited this as a way to bring our national debt and foreign trade deficit in line by eliminating barriers to internal investment.

I would encourage everyone to take a serious, hard look at Mike Huckabee for our President. He has a solid message to get across, and one that I believe can cut across party lines. Support for COOL and for fair trade is not something found often in the Republican party, but it shows that Huckabee does see how so called "free trade" policies have hurt our nation, not only its people but its sovereignty.

Mike Huckabee is the real deal, folks. Check him out at www.explorehuckabee.com.

More on Iowa Farm Bureau's E-85 chopper...

2007-07-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

I reported a while back about the Iowa Farm Bureau's E-85 powered chopper, custom built by Orange County Choppers. It is billed as the first renewable energy chopper. It is being taken around the state of Iowa this summer in an attempt to raffle it off.

Being the nerd I am, I totalled up the number of miles this rig will have to be hauled this summer from one showroom to a parade to another.

2850 miles.

I wonder if the vehicle pulling this thing is also E-85 powered? I don't think half of the towns it is going to have E-85 pumps.

Also, word from respected source is that while this chopper is supposed to run on E-85, it will overheat very quickly if allowed to run very long on the fuel.

That's right, folks - the first renewable energy chopper cannot even run effectively on the fuel it's touting.

Are you sure you want to buy that raffle ticket?

More ethanol bashing

2007-07-16T07:50:00.000-05:00

It appears the London Times has jumped on the anti-biofuels bandwagon with their latest article. They claim that ice cream prices are rising because of increased milk prices, which is caused by higher corn prices.

This is false, and shows how the media doesn't perform their due research.

Yes, milk prices have increased, but primarily due to the increased worldwide demand of milk protein products. As many farmers can tell you, the market price of their output and the cost of their inputs have little or no correlation.

Of course, the British press wants to scare their citizens into thinking that their ice cream will be priced out of their reach due to us rich American Farmers and our desire to *gasp* make a profit.

Either the press is ignorant/stupid, or they have an agenda. Or both.

Heil Bert!

2007-07-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

In an attempt to entertain my kids, I went on YouTube and found videos of the new Tickle Me Elmo Extreme. They LOVE Elmo on Sesame Street, and of course, they were entertained by the TMX Elmo videos.

Then I found a video with the TMX Elmo and what was called the KMX Ernie. I don't know what the "K" stand for, but in the video, Elmo was laughing in English, and Ernie was in Spanish. OK, no problem.

But then, I found a video for KMX Ernie in German. Wow, you talk about things not translating from one culture to another and back. Here's the vid:

For those of you not fluent in Toy German, let me translate:
- Ha, ha, we are the master race!
- We shall reclaim the Sudetenland!
- The Beer Hall Putsch was compromised by Big Bird!
- Heil Bert!

Or something.

To be honest, would you really want a toy that sounded like an old man hacking up his left lung, grabbing its crotch, and saluting the Fuhrer?

There is just something wrong with hearing a toy laugh and speak German, the language of obedience, and flail around on the floor at the same time.

Lies, darn lies, and statistics

2007-07-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

I came across this website discussing how much carbon dioxide various states put out, and their CO2 emissions per capita are.

According to this, we Iowans put out 27 tons of carbon dioxide per year. We are the 15th highest carbon dioxide producing state per capita.

I don't exactly know how they came up with these numbers, but as Mark Twain once put it, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."

I guess the authors of this website failed to mention that because of the great amount of corn and soybeans we produce here, all of which take in CO2 and expel oxygen. Corn and soy love CO2, and can convert this gas into carbon building blocks for plant growth.

However, if these figures are true, then I am doing my part to reduce my "carbon footprint." With the 700 acres I have signed up in the Chicago Climate Exchange to keep in no-till for 5 years, I am sequestering 350 tons of CO2. So, that pretty much covers my family and 9 others.

Of course, if you are no-tilling, but have not signed up with the CCX, then you are continuing to pollute the atmosphere with deadly CO2. Only by signing up your acres will you actually start saving the planet. Jumping through bureaucratic hoops is the only way to save the planet, you know. I'm sure watching "An Inconvenient Truth" will also reduce your carbon footprint, too.

Or something.

OK, I'm being a bit facetious here. I will not disagree with anyone who thinks the CCX is simply trading paper (or electrons) for profit by others. But hey, if they're offering $$$ for me to do something I'm already doing, why not?

Anyway, in this big debate about carbon dioxide pollution and carbon neutral footprints, there are going to be claims thrown out there, usually with numbers, in an attempt to convince you one way or another. Statistics are just another way to get you to believe a certain way.

Of course, a recent statistic said that 90% of all statistics are skewed or used to pursuade and influence decisions.

What's been happening

2007-07-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a bit of an update of what's been happening here.

My father-in-law passed away last Friday at his home in Tripoli, IA. It wasn't necessarily unexpected, but it wasn't something we prepared for a long time, either. He died of congestive heart failure, probably brought on by an infection he had in his toes and foot. One toe had already just been amputated, and if the infection wasn't brought under control, the leg may have come off as well.

So, my wife and kids went up on Friday of last week, and I joined her on Monday. We had the visitation and funeral on Monday and Tuesday, then the reading of the will on Wednesday.

Am I sad that he passed on? To be honest, I'm glad God called him home at this time, rather than having to struggle through a possible further amputation and the stress it would have caused on everyone. He relied on my mother-in-law for everything, to the point where he didn't take care of himself as well as he should have. Getting out and walking, doing some exercises, not sitting around and watching TV probably would have helped. He probably took 20 pills at a sitting, trying to control blood pressure, cholesterol, you name it. I half wonder if he went cold turkey on the pills he would have done better.

My wife, her siblings, and their mother are doing pretty well. I think Grandma will find a level of stress taken off her shoulders, one that she has carried for 39 years. She's looking forward to watching the kids while Jackie is gone on RAGBRAI in the next week or two. I think it will be good therapy for her.
----------------------

On the same day my FIL passed away, my feed truck decided to pass into the afterworld as well. Or at least try to.

I was unloading some DDGS at a customer's when I noticed it was losing power, the temperature rising, and some oily smoke coming out. I stopped unloading and told the customer I'd run it down the road to see if it would cool down - it was a hot day, and I thought it was simply overheating.

I drove the rig down to the town of Lucas. By this time, I could tell a noticeable knocking sound, especially when I accelerated. I parked the truck in the lot of an empty factory and turned it off, then tried to immediately turn it back on again - it wouldn't turn over.

So, I called a friend who knew of a mobile repairman, going by the name of Smiley. I called Smiley, left a message, and finally talked to him later in the day. After describing the conditions, he thought it was a scored cylinder wall. Ouch.

To make a long story short, I decided that yes, I could fix this truck for not a great amount of $$$, but I'd still have an old truck (1979 International F2275 w/890K miles). On the way back from Tripoli, I stopped at Ryder trucks in DSM. I found a used 1999 Intl 4900 for sale that would suit my needs. It has a 24' van body and a lift gate on it, but that can come off easily.

The tough part will be moving the feed body to the new truck, especially with 4 tons of feed still in it! If any of you out there have any ideas on how to do this, I'd be eager to know.

---------------
I was glad to hear that Project Destiny failed. And failed miserably, I might add. I like the fact that a few towns, like Granger and Carlisle, voted 100% against the project.

Unfortunately, we've lost another great blogger, State29. He's hanging it up for the time being, but man, I wish he wouldn't - he is a source of cutting wit and analysis, even if he is a bit crude at times.

And they are called rocket scientists?

2007-07-13T11:45:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I am a bit of a stickler about spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It is important that Americans have a command of the English language, and this command increases as the level of responsibility increases.

I will also admit I am not perfect, and we all make mistakes.

Having said that, check this out:

It appears that even rocket scientists have problems with language. Granted, "Endeavour" is not a word we use every day, and phonetically, the extra vowels don't appear to be required.

But, nonetheless: You'd think they'd have the spelling of one of their greatest projects down pat by now.

Oh well, we could be in Kansas City and see a sign saying "Go Chefs".

A fight between rats and snakes

2007-07-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

As I sat down to supper last night, I looked over the latest copy of the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman. In the "Opinion" section I found this article concerning a protest action by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement against Prestage Farms in Webster City, IA.

As the article reads, ICCI sent a chartered busload of activists to Webster City to protest the approval of a 4800 hd hog facility owned by Prestage in Cass County. They brought signs, chanted slogans, and entered the office without permission. One of the flyers handed out included the farm manager's personal contact information. After the Hamilton County Sheriff's office was called in, they scurried off to a nearby park for a pizza lunch.

So, why is this a fight between rats and snakes?

The RATS, ICCI, are not doing anyone any favors by pulling stunts like this. It comes off childish, unrestrained, and doesn't create any real solutions. What, do you think the manager, right there with your 50 activists, is going to say, "Yup, yer right, we're gonna not build that hog house after all 'cause you changed my mind"? Come on, Hugh Espy and Co! You are just making yourself look like a bunch of idiot Move.Org wannabes. You blow any sense of credibility with Mainstream Iowa when you invade other people's turf and publish personal information. I don't care how much you don't like them, that's not the way to get things accomplished!

The $NAKE$, Prestage Farms, has enough money to defend themselves without their co-SNAKES, the IFBF and Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers, carrying the water for them. The article didn't tell you that Prestage is basically a tool of Smithfield. This is not a family farm operation, folks. This is a factory farm. The article talks about how good this farm operation will be to local producers and feed mills. The farmers, at least the ones who contract with Prestage, sign up to be screwed over with contracts that are weighed heavily to Prestage's side. The feed mills are offered contracts that leave very little profit potential for themselves, just volume sales (quicker to wear out equipment, trucks, and roads). Who makes the money? Smithfield and Prestage do.

Neither one of these groups are angels. Neither one comes out of this smelling like roses. ICCI has evolved into a group of misfit activists on the brink of sanity and respect. Prestage and their corporate shills, IFBF and CSIF, represent the other extreme; $$$ at any cost, including setting up hog operations far away from their stockholders and pretending it will all be good for the local community. Instead of one 4800 head facility, why not support TEN 480 head family farm operations? That would mean ten families in the community, paying taxes, going to school, contributing to the general good. Instead, we have outside investors coming into an area, telling the locals how they want the game played, and using big bucks to do so. People don't matter, just the benjamins.

Started wheat harvest

2007-07-03T22:16:00.001-05:00

Got everything ready today and started cutting wheat across the road from our house. After the normal go-stop-fix-go-stop-go that occurs when you start any process, we got maybe 10 acres done. The field is pretty weedy with ragweed, so I can't go too fast lest I slug the rotor and have a real freakin' mess. Fortunately, this 2188 has a lot of power to get through this stuff. I estimate the field is doing around 50 bu/ac, which is what I expected.

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Why do people own horses? Looking at them objectively, unless you are using them to herd livestock, traverse terrain a machine cannot, or you're Amish, owning a horse really makes no sense. Owning more than one horse makes even less sense!

And the money these folks put into these walking glue bottles! The trucks, trailers, tack, clothes, not to mention the feed and grooming supplies.

Now, I can understand a smaller animal, like a dog or cat, but a big animal like a horse will nearly put you in the poorhouse (well, at least until the state did away with them - maybe the term should be "put you on welfare").

Oh well, I should consider them a potential customer for my wares at some point...what makes no sense still can provide an income to others, I suppose.

-----------------------
I think the Democratic outrage about Scooter Libby's commuted sentence is great fun and entertainment. Jesse Jackson Jr calling for impeachment, Hillary and Mr. Hillary speaking out with indignation, as if Bill wasn't in the same hot water before.

I think G Dub ought to do more things like this, more so toward the end of his term. Really turn the screws on the D's. It might backfire, however, if doing so costs the Republicans the election. But, anytime you can make a liberal Democrat squeal is great fun and frivolity.

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Just got done watching the town's fireworks display with my wife and 2 year old daughter. The display was just over a mile away from our house (I counted the seconds between the explosions and the "boom", and it was between 8 and 9 seconds, just right!). It was fun to hear her say "boom", "pretty", and "rellow" (red and yellow). She really enjoyed it, and we did too. While going to the display would have been "proper", it was nice to be able to sit in our house, have a quiet conversation, and hear everything that popped out of our little redhead. The boy had already gone to bed, and while it would have been interesting to hear his thoughts about the fireworks, he probably would have started picking on his sister at some point, and there goes the fun. We'll try to take in a parade tomorrow and see how they get along.

Have a safe 4th of July, and remember the true reason we observe it: To help Lee Greenwood keep milking that cash cow of a song called "God Bless The USA".

Or maybe it's our declaration of independence from England. Yeah, let's go with that one.

JM and me

2007-06-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

Since the mid 1980's, I've been a fan of John Mellencamp. I think Scarecrow was one of the first albums I purchased, and Uh-Huh was not far behind. I don't have much of his recent work, mostly mid 80's to mid 90's.

Recently, I started playing his CDs in my truck as I went to do business, starting with Scarecrow and up to Big Daddy. Doing so brought back a flood of memories.

I cannot hold back a tear when I hear Scarecrow. Something inside of me connects to that time in the 80's when we were on the verge of losing our farm and that song. The sound of creeking gates, the drums pounding...97 crosses planted on the courthouse yard...that was in nearby Lucas County. Minutes to Memories also holds a wealth of advice that I cannot ignore to this day. It helped set my life in perspective.

Lonesome Jubilee was the soundtrack to my mid high school years. I can still remember its songs playing through the soundsystem in my 1966 Ford Mustang, on the way to basketball practice or golf. It was different than Scarecrow, with more biting commentary of the Reagan era. Same with Big Daddy. Country Gentleman pretty summed up the way I felt about Ronaldus Magnus back then. David Stockman was on my hit list at age 12...can you believe that?

His songs helped shape the person I am today. What he wrote in 1985 is now hitting me today at the same age he was then. The burden and excitement of parenthood, the transition from youth to adult, the national politics that somehow needle their way to your plain existence in nowhere Middle America. Back then I was too young to understand everything he said. Now I have an idea about what he was writing at the time.

I might not agree today with John Mellencamp today on every issue, but I will respect him for his music and his views. He's come a long ways, and he's brought us along for the ride. He does give us a unique perspective into Middle America that is oftentimes dimmed out by the likes of Brittany and Eminem. His songs, at least for me, helped provide definition and direction.

Your Farm Bureau dues to a good use

2007-06-29T12:23:00.000-05:00

State29 is a great blogger; he cuts through the BS and gets to the heart of the matter.

His latest blog concerns the Orange County Choppers E-85 chopper the Iowa Farm Bureau has commissioned and is raffling off. It's being hauled around the state to promote the use of E-85.

This makes as much sense as painting racing stripes on a turtle and using to promote the Indy 500.

Read the blog and you'll see how stupid the idea of raffling off a $100K chopper is. I'd be afraid to win the darn thing - not only would you have a white elephant sitting in your garage, you'd have $38,000 in taxes due, too. Hope Craig Lang is happy.

Tractor ride through town

2007-06-27T16:05:00.000-05:00

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the 2007 WHO Great Iowa Tractor Ride that passed through town on Monday. My son and I went out in the morning to see the tractors passing through. We only saw the first group (I heard there were ten), but of course, once you've seen 40 different antique tractors, you've seen pretty much all of them, right?

Here are a few shots I took:

Rantings of a progressive conservative

2007-06-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

Hello, I'm Bob, and I'm a progressive conservative. Yes, I am a living breathing oxymoron (and for those of you in East Peru, that doesn't mean I'm an oxygen breathing moron...well, maybe it does).

Progressive conservative...isn't that like two polar opposites? Liberals oftentimes like to call themselves "progressives" to shed off the "liberal" shellac that has been applied to them by the neighbors across the hall. Doesn't "Progressive" + "Conservative" = "Moderate"? Not in my case.

Here's my thinking - through conservative principles we can progress ahead. By using the guidelines that our forefathers put forth, we can forge a better country for all without having to resort to socialism/communism, fascism, monarchy, or anarchy.

First of all, I believe in the sanctity of life. I don't believe anyone has the right to take that away from you. That's why not only do I believe abortion is morally wrong but so are state sponsored death penalties. We should avoid at all costs killing others. Of course, in times of war, when we must protect our own (and our families') lives, killing to defend is unfortunately one of the few means of defense, and must be done so if needed. But I do not believe in the profiteering of killings unborn children nor putting to death criminals, no matter how despicable they are. Life should be protected and defended.

Second, I believe that man is fallible, and the bigger the organization/project/task he takes on, the more likely it will really screw up and hurt others. Those who believe that through better thinking, modern technology, and advanced scientific analysis (along with billions of taxpayer dollars) we can cure all diseases, wipe out poverty, make everyone geniuses, and eliminate acne are deluding themselves. Life will NEVER be perfect here on Earth; we can only attempt to alleviate some of the pain and misery.

Now, I'm all for scientific discovery, and modern technology is pretty cool, too. If we can cure diseases, lower poverty levels, and attempt to stop malnutrition, that's fine. However, we must realize that we are not smart enough to conquer every problem; there will always be fine nuances that buck the system and fall through the cracks. It's the old Pareto principle- it takes 20% of the time/money/resources to solve 80% of the problems and 80% of the resources to solve the remaining 20%. It will take the greatest amount of resources to solve the final 1%.

In relation to government, I believe that some government is necessary, but the level we have today is far over-reaching. Government should not be a nursemaid to wipe our little noses, but be there to provide a framework in which to work; Provide basic infrastructure (roads, police, fire protection), justice, and defense of the nation. Handle these things so individuals don't have to worry about how to get from point A to point B without being mugged, shot, or fall into a pothole.

I think our society can progress based upon keeping government simple but responsive. Individuals do their best when given a certain amount of freedom; teamwork is not to be excluded, of course, and organizations do present a certain amount of leverage that an individual may not, but having minimal artificial influence from government is important.

Ah, but here's the catch.

In order for our society to be progressive, just, righteous, and mighty, it must be responsible. Because man is fallible, and therefore will cause issues to others, we must strive to be responsible citizens that do not tread on others. Take care of your stuff, I'll take care of mine. Of course, we all make mistakes, and I will trespass on someone else. That is where government comes in; allow justice to be determined and assist in making things right.

Some would like to believe that our current government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. I don't think that is true anymore. We are not treated as citizens but as servants and serfs. Why is this? Because we either have given up responsibility to maintain ourselves, or the rights that create these responsibilities have been taken away. In either case, we are kept under the thumb of the government instead of the citizens controlling it.

So, you can say I don't trust our current government. The principles by which it was created have been bastardized and corrupted. Our founding fathers wouldn't recognize it anymore. Go to any government office that deals with the public and find evidence of this statement.

In being a progressive conservative, I believe that rediscovering the original principles of this country will give us an opportunity to restore our rights and maintain our responsibilities. It does not mean going backwards, but rather forwards, where the liberties and opportunities envisioned by Thomas Jefferson and others can be realized. The socialistic tendencies of liberalism is the wrong path, and its cheerleaders, Clinton and Edwards, use it to take away rights from the people. Both will do and say anything to get elected. Of course, they are not the only politicians that are like that.

Giving amnesty to border jumpers will not get us there. Continuing to kill millions of unborn babies will not, either. Nor will continuing to run a trade deficit with a country that also carries most of our national debt. It means truly drawing a line in the sand and saying, "No more, we will no longer stand for this. We want our country back."

Hay making time

2007-06-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

While I don't have any hay this year, a lot of local producers have been cutting, raking, and baling hay for their cows. Until the rain yesterday this has been about the best time yet to put up hay. Quality is not too bad, considering the late frost that damaged a lot of alfalfa, and the tonnage is there as well.

I've been selling a fair amount of net wrap at the office, too. A lot of it has been going to customers with newer John Deere and Vermeer round balers.

I am fascinated, however, by the technology our bretheren across the pond use to make hay. A lot of custom work is done there by "contractors", so there it is mostly large, sophisticated, and expensive. No dinking around with 9' wide mower conditioners behind a 70 hp tractor. Check out these videos:

You got to admire the Europeans' use of techno music in ag machinery commercials, eh?

Signs the apocalypse is upon us...

2007-06-19T12:06:00.000-05:00

I found these three entries on the Drudge Report this morning:

'You're fired," man hears after saving a woman's life
The leasing agent for an apartment complex heard screams early in the morning, grabbed his 12 gauge shotgun, and helped save a woman's life. The next day, he was fired from his job because he carried the gun with him to the scene and did not report the incident immediatly to his supervisor.

SHOCK: Goat slaugthered in restaurant kitchen
A restaurant in China Grove, NC has been shut down because it was discovered that a goat had been slaughtered in the kitchen. The restaurant had also been cited for spreading E Coli, which sickened 20 and killed one. The goat was supposedly not served to patrons.

NYC poor to get cash for good behavior
$300 for doing well on a test, $200 for going to the doctor, $150 for holding a job.

On a side note, Jim Nussle is heading back to Washington to be Bush's budget director. Wonder if his "Nussle Hustle" can finess the spending on Iraq into the budget or not.

Register's ethanol bashing redux

2007-06-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

I should never read the Des Moines Register. It gets me too worked up.

However, I decided to go over to their website this morning and found their "watchdog" entry about biofuels. I also checked out some of the comments made by their "Biofuels Brain Bank" team and replies from readers.

It is easier to be the armchair president/CEO and make make/impose decisions on others than to actually be in the "trenches," put your own money on the line, and make it happen. Less energy is expended by jawboning about what other people need to do than to make the changes yourself.

The commenters all think they know what is right and wrong and of course, the way things are now are ALL wrong. If only they would be given the opportunity to make things better, along with an unlimited amount of cash. Why, they'd save us all from ourselves.

There is a disconnect between what "is" and what "might be" in this discussion. Platitudes and promises from politicians only serve to muddy the waters, and rhetoric from environmental non-profits do nothing to solve the issues at hand.

Just so you don't think I am beating up on all environmentalists, one of the brain-bankers, Rich Dana, is a friend of mine - he was our lobbyist at Iowa Farmers Union for a while. He is a sharp guy, and has done things on a personal level like make his own biofuel and work on solar collectors. He practices what he preaches, as much as he can.

However, the fact that the DM Register puts this profile in the "Watchdog" area of their paper tells me they are more interested in crusading than in telling the truth as it really is. How many times have you seen a "watchdog" bark incessantly when there is nothing to bark at? Such is the case with the Register - barking at shadows in an attempt to drum up more business to stave off their faltering readership.

A day of contrasts

2007-06-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today I went to Osceola around noon time to get some plastic tarps at the Farm & Home and possibly a new ink cartridge for my printer at the computer store. Got to the computer store too late, but did pick up the tarps. I decided instead of going to McDonalds for my lunch, I'd pay the Chinese restaurant on the square a return visit.

As I entered, I noticed a large group of youths had just come in before me. It occurred to me that they were a group of Mennonites, as the girls were wearing long dresses and bonnets or head scarves, and the boys were wearing polo shirts and jeans. If they were Old Order Amish, the girls would have appeared about the same, but the boys would have been dressed in black.

Anyway, they sat together at a group of tables put next to each other, then after receiving their drinks, went up in small groups to the buffet line. They came back to the table, waiting for all to return, then bowed their heads and prayed silently.

During the meal, I picked up little bits of their conversations. The boys talked about cars or tractors, and girls smiled and giggled quietly. None of them were overly boisterous, but kept their tone to a respectable level. There was even a period when all were eating and no one was speaking - a table of teenagers being quiet!?!?

The girls were attractive in their plainness - they had no need for makeup, jewelry, and revealing clothes to impart that they were females. The boys were slim, muscular (probably from working on the farm and not playing XBox), and didn't need baggy jeans and wife-beater shirts to show they were male, either. These kids were respectful and kind to each other. There were no cell phones interrupting their quiet conversations, no rude interjections, just simple talk and enjoyment between seemingly mature and considerate people.

To say the least, I was impressed. I now regret not going to them and commending them for their behavior. They didn't need to show off who they were, but yet, they were not ashamed of their backgrounds. They were polite, considerate, and not overtly sexual in nature (unlike some youth their age). I don't know what the occasion was for the outing, and where they came from; There is a group of Mennonites near Leon, but my guess is that the occasion was a planned event between two or more communities to introduce themselves to each other.

On the other hand, I had an interesting experience this afternoon. The wife decided we were going to get Casey's pizza, since we had 10 box receipts that entitled us to a free pizza. She placed the order, and after doing some work at the office, I went to Casey's to pick it up. Then I realized I had forgotten something - the big motorcycle ride.

Every year for the last six there has been a motorcycle ride, called the John Dale Clark Memorial Ride, that starts in Chariton and ends up at the Humeston Lake. It has apparently gained in favor, as there were many more bikes parked at Casey's and zooming past on their way to the lake. They even had t-shirts this year. I had to stand in line for about 10 minutes while the cashier processed six packs of beer, beef jerky, and bottles of soda.

Now, I don't have a problem with bikers - you do your thing, I'll do mine. You go there, I'll stay here, and we won't have any issues. And they were riding in memory of a friend that died of cancer.

But here's the contrast - A group of Mennonite teenagers, at the prime of being potentially rebellious and sexual youth, but acting constrained, polite, and considerate
vs
Middle aged parents wearing bandanas, skimpy clothes, drinking beer, and riding loud motorcycles that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Hmm. That is a contrast. All here in The South of Iowa on a single day.

Not to mention the Chariton Classic bicycle ride that passed through town earlier in the day. Jackie rode in it for her preparation for RAGBRAI. But that's a different story, one that I'll have her guest-blog about sometime.

Price of crackers

2007-06-14T16:56:00.000-05:00

If you go to your favorite restaurant in the near future and see a sign at the salad bar saying "Crackers - 10 cents each", you can blame me for that.

I sold 1000 bushels of soft red winter wheat today for delivery in July to Trenton, MO MFA elevator for $5.18/bu. That is like...a lot. Last year I sold for $3.87/bu, and that was a lot more than earlier (around $3.20/bu or so).

Since SRWW is used to make crackers and such,the higher costs of wheat will surely cause the price of condiments at the salad bar go up as well....

...At least if one follows the logic presented by food processors. The minimum wage increase, fuel costs, inflation, interest rates...these do not make the price of food go up, according to them.

It's those darn greedy farmers who dare take the price given to them by the market! We need subsidies to keep food prices low...oh wait, we already have that. Well, we need price controls!...uh, had that, didn't work.

I guess we'll have to deal with it together, folks.

Finished with planting

2007-06-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

We finished up planting today. Hoorah! I realized I've been planting steady each day for the last week. Now we can pack things up, clean out the boxes, and watch things grow (hopefully).

Tonight around dinner time I got a call from the Clinton 2008 campaign. The caller wanted to talk to me, as I am on the board of the Iowa Farmers Union. He wanted to see if I had any questions about Hillary's ag policies.

He also asked how I thought the caucuses were going so far. I told him the caucuses hadn't started yet, they were yet to take place in January 2008. I know, I was being snotty, but ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer.

I further told him that while the IFU is typically a left-leaning organization, I was the odd ball conservative in the group, and that there was no way in h___ that I would ever vote for his candidate. Furthermore, I told him if she is elected president, I'd consider moving out of the country or work on a secession plan for southern Iowa to remove itself from the Union/Estrogen-based Dictatorship.

There are fewer things I despise more than political phone calls around supper time. In 2003-2004 time period, a Democratic pollster called my parents' place. I was there and answered it for them. I told them my mother was supporting Edwards, but Dad was leaning towards Al Sharpton. He actually wasn't, but I figured that my response skewed their numbers a bit.

"Wow, an upswell of Sharpton support in Decatur County! Sharpton commands 20% of the votes in this poor southern Iowa county!"

Work on Sunday...

2007-06-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

...Fix on Monday.

I thought I'd try to get the rest of the Cambria farm done today. It involved moving the tractors and planters from the west side to the east piece. Simply drive it down the road, right? Naw, that would be too easy. A narrow bridge in between the two pieces prevents simply going a 1/2 mile to the other side. Instead, it requires driving north 2 miles, east one mile, south 2 miles, then back west 1/2 mile. I knew this was necessary, but another pain in the butt.

So, I started out, got to the other side about 15 minutes later, unfolded the planter, and started going. I was watching for Dad to come along as well with his tractor and planter. Unfortunately, he showed up with his pickup.

He had two tires go out on the Kinze planter as he was passing through town. He got a ride from a neighbor and got his pickup. I would have gone ahead and planted the field with my 12 row 30 planter, but I didn't have enough seed - the Kinze had the rest. Hmmm.

So, I continue planting what I could until my number 1 row alarm goes off. I check it, and lo and behold, the bracket that holds the drive sprocket for that row has broken, and the chain will jump off, causing no seed to be planted for that row. It requires a replacement.

Guess what? John Deere and the tire stores aren't open on Sunday.

So, Monday I will get three tires fixed at the tire shop (the two from the Kinze and my tractor's front tire from two days ago), Dad will get a new sprocket at John Deere, and we'll attempt to finish the field in between the rains.

So, the old adage holds true once again.

On a side note, I am enjoying using the XM radio in the tractor. You'd probably have me pegged as having it set to every talk show channel, or at least that and country music. In fact, I've got a couple of techno/pop/dance channels set. I heard a great song yesterday, wrote it down, and found the video for it on YouTube. The singer, a Swede going by the name of September, probably never thought her music would reach the hinterlands of the South of Iowa, much less in a tractor, but the wonders of technology never cease.

Here's the video.

I think she's better than Shania Twain. What do you think?

Rocks, hills, planes, and flat tires

2007-06-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

My father and I are trying to finish up planting soybeans. As of today we have 100 acres left at two farms, so about 2 days worth of work left. The farm we've been working on has been a challenge, however. It's about 160 acres tillable acres out of 240 acres total, if that gives you an idea of how many ditches, trees, etc there is on this place.

Here's an aerial photo of the farm - not quite the nice quarter sections of north central Iowa, eh?

Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful to be able to rent any land, but this farm would not be considered "choice" by any means. It has a plentitude of rocks on it. We find more and more every year. Dad picked up some for my mother's outdoor garden railroad display.

I found I had a flat tire on the front of my JD 4450 last night. Knowing that the tire shop was closed at that time, and I might have a hard time convincing the owner to open up on Saturday morning (although he probably would have, I don't want to ask too many favors), Dad's solution was to take a tire off a M+W wagon and put it on the tractor. It did the job, although it is smaller than the original. Planted 75 acres that way without any problems due to the tire.

It's been an ordeal.

On a more interesting note, when we moved equipment yesterday from one farm to this, we noticed a crop spraying plane flying over my home farm. I was following Dad in the truck, so I went over there while he drove on with his tractor and planter.

A crop duster had started spraying on my neighbor's to the north, as I found out as I got closer. He's been having trouble with cutworms, and he's not the only one in the neighborhood with them, unfortunately.

I was totally fascinated by the spray plane and the pilot - this guy was probably going 200 mph about 12 feet off the ground (or at least it appeared). At one point, I stopped the truck on the road at the end of one of his swaths and watched him buzz over me. That probably wasn't smart, as I would have been the first thing he would have hit had he lost control, but it was great seeing (and hearing) the plane.

I left and headed back over a few miles to catch up with Dad. As luck would have it, the crop duster had another field to spray, and it happened to be near where I was going. Again, he made a pass and flew right over me as I was driving down the road! I even had a few drops of spray hit the truck (although nothing major).

So there you have it - rocks, hills, planes, and flat tires. Such is my life these days.

Farmer's share of the retail food dollar

2007-06-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

One of the anonymous posters from my previous entry mentioned something about the cost of food going up because of ethanol. If prices do go up on food this year, it won't be significantly due to ethanol.

From the National Farmers Union June 2007 issue:

Item Retail Price Farmer's Share
Multi-purpose flour (5 lbs) $1.95 $0.51
Bread (Wonder, 1 lb loaf) $2.49 $0.10
Wheaties (18 oz box) $5.05 $0.08
Milk (1 gal, fat free) $3.69 $1.31
Potatoes (Russet, 10 lbs) $3.29 $0.84
Potato Chips (Lays, 13.5 oz) $3.49 $0.12
Cheddar Cheese (1 lb) $4.49 $1.60
Boneless Ham (1 lb) $4.29 $0.46
Bacon (1 lb) $3.29 $0.46
Top Sirloin Steak (1 lb) $5.99 $0.95
Eggs (1 doz A-XL) $2.19 $0.72
Carrots (fresh, 2 lbs) $1.89 $0.57
Lettuce (head, 2 lbs) $1.79 $0.37

I don't know the farmer's share of the price of corn flakes is, but I'm sure it's about the same as Wheaties.

The point is, a lot of the cost you pay for food is for processing, marketing, and transportation. Not that those things aren't important, and that those who do the work shouldn't be compensated, but to say that the cost of Corn Flakes is extremely tied to the price of corn is absurd. Corn could go to $10/bu and the cost of cereal would only need to go up a few cents to cover the move. Instead, manufacturers take advantage of input changes to take everyone to the cleaners.

The American Meat Institute recently promoted a research piece that said because of ethanol, food prices for the average American will rise $50/year over the next year. The AMI is upset because now that corn prices are where they should be, they can no longer get cheap corn to feed livestock. Maybe they'll have to start paying a little more, eh?

$50/year is hardly worth mentioning - that's about $4/month. If you use 50 gallons of gas a month, and the price moves up 8-9 cents, you've just spent $4/month more than last. How many times have we seen gas prices move up 8-9 cents in a month? How about in a week?

The point is - Retail food prices are not strongly correlated to the cost of the grains, vegetables, oilseeds, and meats produced on the farm. A greater expense than the original input is the labor to haul, process, market, and haul again. Don't blame the farmer for wanting to make some money and reduce our dependence on foreign oil - look in the mirror instead.

DM Register's attack on biofuels

2007-06-03T19:12:00.001-05:00

As I went to the checkout counter of the local Casey's with my primary vice, a 32 oz of Mt Dew, I noticed a peculiar smell eminating near where I sat down my drink. Scanning across the counter top, I spotted the source of said odor, a vile combination of half truths and liberal spin. There in front of me was a stack of Des Moines Sunday Registers. On the front page I spied a graphic of a fuel nozzle covered in mud. My interest piqued, I held my nose, reached into my wallet, and purchase the copy along with my source of caffeine.

Upon returning home, I found a special insert called "How Biofuels Pollute". Ah yes, what a perfect title for a hatchet job.

It appears that the Register's lead ag writer, Perry Beeman, has written a series of articles attacking Iowa's burgeoning industry, including various journalism techniques, such as using alternative calculations to make data appear worse than it really is, buzz words to fan the flames of passion, and of course, forgetting about the other side of the debate, as if it didn't exist.

I'll start my critique with a graphic and text called "Environmental Impact of Biofuels".

1) "Distillers' Grains - A byproduct of the process, dried distillers's grains makes great feed for cattle, but is high in phosphorus, meaning more pollution from cow manure."

I regularly test the DDGS I sell, and it's phosphorus content is not any higher than soybean meal, which is commonly used as a protein source in hogs and cattle. While one can use more DDGS in a ration than soybean meal, the total addition of phosphorus to the environment is not THAT great. Overfeeding DDGS can be a problem, but not just to the environment, but to the cow as well. And don't we have manure management plans in place for most feedlots anyway?

2) "Less Habitat - Plowing trees and native grasses to plant more corn could reverse decades of work to protect rivers and lakes from crop-related pollution. This could increase soil erosion and chemical runoff, and reduce wildlife habitat."

This is kind of like saying "Eating uranium-laced brownies could kill you." Yes, but no one in their right mind would do this. Farmers are not "plowing trees and native grasses" to plant more corn - that would be too much work for small acreage gains, and besides, it would probably violate their conservation plans they have with the NRCS, resulting in big $$$ fines.

Notice how Beeman includes "native grasses", instead of saying something like "multi-flora rose" or "introduced species"; "native grasses" sounds more environmental and therefore needs to be protected against evil plows.

3) "Auto Emissions - Trucking crop material to ethanol plants and waste material away from the plants adds to vehicle emissions. Truck traffic can stir up roads, sending lung-harming dust into the air."

So, where is all this crop material going now? Just sitting on the farm, waiting to rot? It has to go somewhere. Wouldn't it be better to be taken to the local ethanol plant 20 miles down the road than to haul it 100 miles to the grain terminal on the river? As for "lung-harming" dust, I should be dead by now from all of the road dust I've enhaled. Big trucks or small cars, they both send up dust. At least I know I'm getting enough calcium in my system.

Later, Beeman includes an article titled "Drive to increase corn acres could damage soil". He throws in a quote from Duane Sand of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation that for every gallon of ethanol produced, 20 pounds of soil is lost. Let's do the math - 2.8 gallons of ethanol produced per bushel of corn, assume 150 bushels per acre of yield. That's 4.2 tons per acre of soil loss. While it's not good to loose any soil, 4.2 tons is less than the 5 tons/acre that is created every year through growth and recycling of crop materials. So, one could say that topsoil is being created while producing crops for ethanol!

What's even better, continous corn on corn will produce more residue for trapping sediment and regenerating the soil. That's got to be a good thing, right? But no, the P-man conveniently leaves out this little factoid. That's a little example of spin, folks.

In the next few days, Perry Beeman will gain accolades from his fellow staff writers at the Register for attempting to slay the sacred cow that is Iowa's renewable fuel industry. And while his insert did include some issues that need to be addressed (water usage by ethanol plants, CO2 emissions, etc), he didn't attempt to compare the environmental issues of biofuels to the known problems of the petroleum industry that biofuels are attempting to surplant. He'd rather focus on various issues in this developing industry and thus paint the entire process as harmful and wrong.

The blatant spin and use of buzzwords in this special edition further illustrates the bias the Des Moines Register has. It no longer cares about objective reporting, but rather in creating a straw man stuffed with "environmental offenses", and then taking on the role of protector of the people. Sadly, if this is how the Register much operate to gain readership, then it is no better than the National Enquirer.

Mike Huckabee, my new favorite presidential candidate

2007-06-02T17:05:00.000-05:00

Only getting three TV channels, and rarely watching any programs except "Clifford & Friends" or "Curious George" with the kids, I don't get to see many political commercials. However, having spent time in the cab of the tractor or truck, I do hear commentary on talk radio about the candidates.

And although it is still early in the presidential race, my interest has now turned to the former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. I've heard his soundbites from the various debates, especially in regards to John Edwards' haircut. But more importantly, I've researched him through his webpage and other sites.

Here's what I like about Huckabee:
1) He was a Baptist minister before getting into politics. He is a Christian, not backing down on his faith, but also not flaunting it, like Pat Robertson did years ago.

2) He is pro-life through and through.

3) He understands what the 2nd Amendment really is; not to protect hunters, but to provide self-defense and protection from tyranny.

4) He wants to secure our borders and is against the current immigration bill (but then again, who isn't?)

5) He will work for energy independence.

One thing that I am unsure on, however, is his favor of the Fair Tax. Maybe I don't understand the workings of this plan quite yet, but the way I see it, it moves the burden of collecting taxes from the IRS to the retailers. Yes, a lot of retailers are currently collecting state and local sales taxes, and maybe there would be no net gain/loss in paperwork, given the employer would no longer have to pay income taxes for their employees (but still FICA and unemployment). As an ag retailer, I currently don't collect sales taxes as nothing I sell is taxable here in Iowa. Since the majority of what I sell are "inputs" (feed, seed, etc), would these be taxed or not?

Well, at least one thing is for sure; Mike Huckabee doesn't like the current tax system. I can agree with him on that.

Finally, Huckabee is not "Rudy McRomney". The three men that make up this triad of Moderatism are not going to gain my vote because of their pro-choice, flip-flopping, big money backgrounds. Huckabee is the real deal, a guy who hasn't spent his entire life in Washington or in boardrooms.

In supporting Huckabee I am in no way dissing guys like Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, John Cox, Fred Thompson (who may or not may not be a Rudy McRomney wanna-be), or Ron Paul (who I believe is the most principled candidate out there). These guys are on the right side of the issues for the most part. I just believe Huckabee has a better chance to move forward than the rest.