Check out the first new product lineup of 2024.

The annual state convention of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation is usually held around the first week of December every year. As president and board member of my county Farm Bureau, it behooves me to attend the two-and-a-half-day event where state policy is cussed, discussed, developed and argued over.

Every January the first thing that comes to mind to fill this space is a message of prosperity for the new year.

’Twas one of those days that my patience and consideration for most of anything was lacking. I had stopped at the local WinCo supermarket, and the shopping cart on the end of the row refused to come loose.

The USDA announced Dec. 18 that agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year.

Farming and sports both require some grit, brains and luck. Being physically tough is important, but being mentally tough makes a bigger difference. In farming and sports, if you give me a choice between talent and heart, I’ll take heart every time.