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...

Life is measured by the passage of time and the season of deer hunting gives me plenty of moments to reflect on past memories. This is my 47th year of gun deer hunting and there is no place I’d rather...

It’s as certain as the trees changing colors and the inevitable decline towards winter – the annual invasion of the Asian lady beetles. A warm day after the first hard frost is usually when the...

It’s tempting to proclaim the lawn and garden season over as we creep closer to fall, but the work remains even after the growing season ends. Certain chores have already been suspended – like weeding...

Our topsy-turvy spring weather so far this year has not inspired ambitions of gardening, but the show must go on. At least that’s what my wife Sherry told me recently when she decided it was time...

I was having a conversation recently with a crop farmer who remarked that she was enjoying the calm before the storm. It was early April and in just a few days she and her husband would be busy with...

Moving back to the country 16 years ago brought me back to many tasks and chores I experienced as a farm kid, but it also gave us the chance to try some new activities. One of them was raising pigs...

Even when the icy grip of winter keeps holding on, there are signs of spring around us. One sure sign for me was when my animal waterer that froze at the end of January finally thawed. It’s a relief...

I said goodbye to winter on a bright and crisp morning with the sounds of geese flying overhead. Life seems to be a series of busy moments linked together by the relentless onslaught of time. It’s...

Ralph Lauren needn’t be concerned, but it appears my predilection for old clothes is a fashion trend shared by others. My recent column about wearing clothes until they fall apart found favor with...