When I was getting ready for my college graduation, I never would have guessed the journey my life would take. I guess everyone says that, but it really is true in this case.

My son Paul recently came home from a trip to Bulgaria. He has had a hard transition into American culture ever since he was a boy. He started his life on the streets of Varna, Bulgaria, where his gypsy ancestors spent their days.

It is a beautiful day and age to live in. Bill Gates once said, “Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.” The age of innovation is now. It does not matter if a person is making reference to computers or dairy equipment – technology is changing both of these industries at a rapid pace. Technology aids in doing more with less manpower and in less time than ever before. Industries are changing, and the technicians that accompany them must change as well.

I held the phone in one hand on the table and with the other propped up my forehead. Even though the receiver was an arm’s-length away from me, I could hear Paul breathing – or imagined I could – as he waited for my answer. Finally, I brought the phone back to my ear again.

A father has a responsibility to pass along to his male offspring those mechanical, philosophical and verbal skills to attract and select a suitable mate and mother for his future children. But where can a busy young cowboy begin his search? Craigslist? Ponying horses at the race track? Want ads in the Mounted Shooter magazine? My friend, I’ll call him Bob, has a busy teenage cowboy growing up in his house. Bob is pondering his son’s future and proposed designing a “Girlfriend Training Enterprise.” It is based on his own horse training and trading business. A typical ad might read:

Whenever we introduce a new horse to the ranch, it often takes a while for them to adjust. The country where I live is pretty brushy, meaning cat claw, mesquite and cactus of all kinds. It is also riven with steep sides, arroyos, canyons and jagged rocks.

Reporting to you from Juba, South Sudan, Africa … One realization of my assignment is the number of aid organizations working here in this new country. They may be divided into three groups.

The American Bankers Association’s (ABA) annual Farm Bank Performance Report showed that farm lending posted solid growth during 2011. The nation’s 2,185 farm banks increased farm and ranch lending $3.8 billion or 5.6 percent in 2011, for a total outstanding balance of $72.3 billion. "The growth in farm loans shows banks continue to meet the credit needs of both large and small farms and remain the most important supplier of agricultural credit," said John Blanchfield, senior vice president and director of ABA’s Center for Agricultural & Rural Banking.

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”