During National FFA Week, many of us recall those years we spent wearing blue and gold jackets with the FFA logo emblazoned on the back. I still have mine, a hand-me-down from my sister, hanging in a closet somewhere in this old house.

The groundhog saw its shadow on the second day of February, so we are all supposed to buckle up and get ready for six more weeks of winter. Have you ever wondered why so many people trust a rodent’s shadow as the portent of winter weather?

It’s hard to believe I’ve been serving as the National FFA president for close to three months. On one hand, it feels like just a day since I heard my name called and put on the blank jacket for the first time.

We need your help in convincing Congress and the administration to help reverse the decline of our nation’s cattle and sheep farms and ranches, and your calls and letters to Congress will certainly help.

We have officially wrapped up the 106th American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, Texas, and I’m so thankful for another incredible week with our Farm Bureau family as we looked for ways to step up and drive forward.

Just weeks into the Republican takeover of Congress and the White House, Project 2025 is the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s governing plans.

I love living in a part of the country where we get four seasons every year. However, I would be willing to trade in a few of the colder days of winter for some extra days in spring, the season of new beginnings.

The Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, platform is generating a lot of interest in how our food is produced. Farmers and ranchers welcome a healthy discussion — we always have.

With a new Congress and administration sworn in, it’s time to get back to work in Washington. Just like there’s never a shortage of work to be done on the farm, there’s a full list of issues that our lawmakers need to tackle.