by Jan Johnson | Jul 11, 2019 | Farmer Insights
I was at a meeting with farmers the other day and one of them said, “I feel like a young man, but I look in the mirror, and I see an old man. One of us is lying. I think it’s the mirror.” The old saying, “you’re as old as you...
by Jan Johnson | Jun 11, 2019 | Farmer Insights
“I will not be planting this year.” That’s the response I received to my request for some field information on a new project we have going right now. He ended with “Thank you.” It broke my heart. In those simple seven words, a man says...
by Jan Johnson | Apr 17, 2019 | Farmer Insights
All over America, grown men are crying – okay, maybe just on the inside – as they put on a brave face and talk about next year being better. But make no mistake: Their hearts are breaking. Farming dreams. I hope North Dakota is not a leading indicator,...
by Jan Johnson | Aug 30, 2018 | Farmer Insights
I’ve been binge watching Blue Bloods from the beginning of its eight seasons. I am just starting season three. It strikes me that the show might be an analogy for all family businesses, but of course, family farm businesses are closest to my heart and the ones I...
by Jan Johnson | Nov 22, 2017 | Blog
I have come to believe that the closer you are to nature, the more natural gratitude you feel. I think perhaps it’s because nature does what nature does. You can’t order it around, you can’t demand from it, and it doesn’t argue with you. It...
