The turn of summer into fall isn’t an overnight makeover but more like the gradual creation of an autumnal artist. It starts subtle with splotches of yellows, oranges and reds dotting the green canvas....

I’m putting the blame squarely on Mother Nature’s shoulders, but it’s happening again this year, despite my best efforts to prevent it. This gray tree frog recently emerged from hibernation on...

Can anyone honestly say they are really surprised that Old Man Winter isn’t quite done? As of this writing on the morning of April 17, there are 14 inches of snow outside driven by a strong northwest...

Late season snow storms always take me back to March 24, 1979 in the tiny town of Franklin in Jackson County. My feet were wet, and I was beginning to shiver as the three of us stood at the dark back door...

Experience is the teacher of all things. These words from Julius Caesar proved all too true recently when I tackled what I thought would be a simple task on the farm. The job at hand was to remove a...

Being Wisconsin born and raised on a farm, I can honestly say that I’ve dealt with much of the worst that winter can offer. I have cut wood in snow up to my waist, pounded on frozen manure spreader...

While politicians and others way above my station and pay grade continue to debate, expound upon and expunge homosapien influence on the stratosphere, one thing I know for sure. The winter weather has...

I have completed my quinquennial agricultural legal reporting duties with a week to spare. My 2022 Census of Agriculture – with a deadline of Feb. 6 – is in the books, a mandatory reporting requirement...

There are quite a few Chris Hardie’s in the world – or at least a few others that share the same name. Years ago when social media was new, I sought a few out and we exchanged some messages. But...

I don’t play the lottery and don’t frequent casinos, but if I were a betting man, I’d lay odds that sometime in the next few years I will be involved in a deer-vehicle collision. A deer crash...

A lot of time and money has been spent in our country coming up with increased security and contingency plans for the possibility of a terrorist or cyber-attack on our electrical grid. With winter weather...

Thanksgiving has come and gone but perhaps this can be the year that we turn a day of thankfulness into a holiday season of gratitude. I can see, smell and hear the ghosts of Thanksgiving’s past when...