Farm Family Life

Here we go again. Because of the avian influenza, many hens have had to be culled, leaving fewer to produce eggs. Supply and demand being what it is, the price of eggs has jumped up again because there are fewer eggs.

Zoe Kent hopes people get a little joy out of her talking about farming on the Internet. In one of her latest videos, she compares pesticide application to dry shampoo. “Farming is for the girls,” she quips.

A children’s tractor magazine that ceased publication in 2023 after 17 years has been given a second chance.

Sharing our agricultural journey is not only rewarding, but also serves as an opportunity to educate and inspire others about the importance of farming in our daily lives.

Over his 30-year career, Tim Harris has never strayed far from his multigenerational family farm southeast of Princeton, but his volunteer work for various organizations and his impact expands far beyond Bureau County.

Indiana Pork presented two awards to individuals who have dedicated time to advancing the pig industry.

I have seen many patients with stomach cancer and have never seen this degree of weight loss, but weight loss is very common after removing the stomach.

After many years at the same cost, AARP increased their membership fee to $20 at the beginning of this year. But it’s still a bargain when you consider the additional benefits, savings and discounts that are available.

It’s probably no surprise that the tea trolley emerged in Victorian England.

We have completed the shop renovation project we started a year ago and got the heaters installed. This overdue improvement is a game changer.

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?

Donald Prill, 92, of Platteville, Wisconsin, passed away Feb. 7. He married Nancy Dinelli in 1962. She recounted her life and adventures with “The Farmer” in a popular weekly column in AgriNews for over four decades, until she retired in 2018.

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.

It’s sweets for the sweet on Valentine’s Day. Believe it or not, you only need two ingredients to create this rich, decadent chocolate torte — yes, just two.

Avid readers, do you find yourselves in a pickle when you lose your place in a book? All right, maybe that’s a little labored. Still, a brightly colored pickle-shaped bookmark can get your attention no matter what you say about it.

Stress testing may be done for several reasons, but the most common is to determine whether there are blockages in the arteries in the heart that are severe enough to limit blood flow.

T-L Irrigation Co. celebrated not just a new year on Jan. 1, but its 70th year of supplying innovative, reliable irrigation solutions to farmers the world over.

With U.S. and Illinois pork producers being some of the first to be impacted directly by news coming out of Washington, D.C., Jennifer Tirey is ready to arm producers and allied industry with timely information.

It’s coming up on Super Bowl weekend, and if you know me, you know I’m all in for two reasons: the commercials and the food. Any excuse to host a party, right? And what’s a game day party without a big, cheesy platter of nachos?

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.

As I write this, snow is falling outside my window, and I feel like I just stored my gardening tools and patio umbrella for the season. And yet, with the winter solstice in the rearview mirror, it’s already time to start preparing for spring.

Sesame chicken is a dish that brings the perfect balance of crispy chicken and a glossy, savory-sweet sauce, and when you make it at home, you’re in charge. You decide the ingredients, whether to add veggies or not, and the sodium level.

DMSO is indicated by the Food and Drug Administration for the symptomatic relief of interstitial cystitis, a chronic and painful bladder condition.

It looks like we’re in for a long winter, with extremely cold temperatures in several places. Many of us are already realizing that we just don’t want to go out in that. But what shall we do to occupy ourselves while we’re at home?

He’s not an official symbol of Valentine’s Day, but it seems like the right time to have the King of Hearts make an appearance. This King of Hearts enamel was made in 1946 by Kenneth Bates.

AgriNews and Beck’s proudly recognized the Frame family as the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year.

Tim and Julie Frame, the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year winners, have a bustling farm that serves as a hub for community activities.

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.

My father began retiring long before the sale of our farm’s dairy cows in 1989. Began is the appropriate word because his exit from dairy farming was “slower than molasses in January,” as he liked to say. Years slow, in fact.

Sylvester and Sabrina Friend of Prairie Hills Farm in Selma were honored as a finalist of the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

The Hayden family of Hayden Grove Farms was honored as a finalist for the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

The Warner Family Farm was honored as a finalist in this year’s Indiana Farm Family of the Year competition.

I have said it many times: farming is not an easy life’s work and certainly not for the faint of heart. Farming can push you to your physical and emotional limits. It can nearly kill you. It can save your life.

Shepherd’s pie is a beloved British classic — easy, thrifty and downright comforting. Traditionally made with lamb, it’s technically known as cottage pie when prepared with beef, but no matter what you call it, it’s the ultimate midweek meal.

There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and not all of it is good. We need to be aware of what’s going on around us, especially with the important things like our food.

Amethyst, a variety of quartz with a vivid purple color, is the birthstone for February. Purple is a highly sought color for decorative glass.

Proton-pump inhibitors like pantoprazole are often used in people after surgical treatment for esophageal cancer. They reduce acid reflux.

Scott Halpin’s term as Illinois Farm Service Agency executive director concluded with the change of federal administrations.

Developing a transition plan can be a stressful activity for farm families. Different types of stressors impact people including normative stressors.

The year is off to a roaring start when it comes to scams. To hear the experts tell it, we have AI to thank for a lot of it.

I often recommend the vaccine to prevent shingles, but the vaccine isn’t perfect.

Snails have a lot of negative associations. Their slow movement makes them a symbol of laziness and inefficiency. They are garden pests, eating plants and oozing slime. And yet they often appear in decorative arts.

Here’s what I know for sure: Meal planning is the key to saving time, money and stress in the kitchen while ensuring your meals are nutritious and delicious.

Pilar Bravo from Marion County was crowned the 66th Miss Indiana State Fair at the Corteva Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center. It is the first time since 1981 that a contestant from Marion County has won the title.

The U.S. National Parks Service recommends getting firewood within 10 — and never more than 50 — miles of its destination.

Happy New Year! If you’re anything like me, you might feel like you need a full-body cleanse just to shake off all the pumpkin spice and peppermint bark still lingering in your system.

Dementia is diagnosed presumptively by a clinical exam that notes impairments in cognitive functioning such as memory, language and attention.

It appears that our beloved dark chocolate candy bars can contain dangerous amounts of lead and cadmium — the dark chocolate we intentionally chose for its health benefits like lower blood pressure and antioxidants that protect cells from damage.

It’s a current trend to buy inexpensive old furniture and alter it into something new. Some people may see this as disrespectful to history, but it’s a practice that has been going on for hundreds of years.