Reporting from Bagram, Afghanistan…

Seasons, technology and change I can always tell when fall is finally here. Workdays begin in long, not short, sleeve shirts. Workweeks end with the excitement of football, both for hometown high school heroes and proud professional fanatics. Skies are a bit more cloudy, and days grow shorter and shorter.

College life. Now that is a statement that brings back many fond memories of trudging up and down Old Main Hill to a variety of classes at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. It is a place that changed the course of my life and is very much responsible for me writing this article today. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.

As I stare at my bank account on the computer using online banking, wondering where my next dollar is going to come from, I can’t help but ask, “Why wasn’t I born in the lap of luxury?” You know the place – where silver spoons and golden plates are plentiful. That place where money is the last thought on anybody’s mind – the minks, diamonds and Mercedes crowd who glitter when they walk down the street.

Dear Editor, It is time to give you and your magazine the boot.

Reporting from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan …

Back in the late 1980s, Wendy’s hamburger chain ran a series of commercials which featured three old ladies contemplating big buns and little meat patties. The catchphrase that swept the country became, ‘Where’s the beef?’ What’s funny is it’s probably more applicable today as we look at the latest monthly milk production reports from the USDA.

As a person who’s been at both the end of a halter and as a judge in the center of the show ring, I’ve been exposed to many showing “techniques.” Many of these don’t fool the judge, but have become common practice.

I travel in military vehicles only. Our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) has armored Humvees and armored tactical SUVs. But sometimes I must get out of the weeds. So our operations officer schedules a Black Hawk helicopter, and we go up. There are other kinds of tactical and nontactical vehicles here. But these three take me where I need to go.

When we started putting together this edition of Progressive Dairyman, I initially thought along the lines of the physical expansion of the dairy industry. Many producers have expanded operation size over the last several years as many others look at similar moves today. For most, it is finding a way to remain in a business they have a passion for. For all of you, this issue speaks to those themes.