Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture. For how long I ask?

Question of the day. When will he contribute to the unemployment statistics. Answer NOT SOON ENOUGH. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some harsh words for rural America: It’s “becoming less and less relevant,” he says. A month after an election that Democrats won even as rural parts of the country voted overwhelmingly Republican, the former Democratic governor of Iowa told farm belt leaders this past week that he’s frustrated with their internecine squabbles and says they need to be more strategic in picking their political fights. “It’s time for us to have an adult conversation with folks in rural America,” Vilsack said in a speech at a forum sponsored by the Farm Journal. “It’s time for a different thought process here, in my view.”

Get the real feel of life in Rural America from Linda O'Connor from Sharon Springs, KS and grew up in upstate New York. Click here to listen to Linda on Loos Tales Dec 11, 2012.

You know that feeling of relief when the cows out are not yours? THIS TIME.

Today is wean day here for sows... About time geez.

Pictures from NFR Vegas 2012

This sign is no way shape or form reflects the attitude of my travel buddy Kelli Loos in Las Vegas 2012.

Mickey Hayes my guest on Loos Tales Monday Dec 10, 2012. Certainly a "stache" much wilder than mine.

While so many go to the rodeo for the bulls my events are saddle bronc and bareback and the first horse out of the chute indicated a great horse bucking night.

138 exhibtors ride in the Grand Entry as a record attendence crowd of more than 17,500 are ready to rock the house.

The National Anthem being sung by Susie McIntire right after a tremendous "cowboy prayer" to kick off the performance.

Truly a well-run, entertaining show NFR Dec 8, 2012.

Quite possibly geared more toward the female palate, the water show in front of Belagio was huge draw on street.

All Food has hormones, or it is not food.

Last night I truly enjoyed a small group of young agricultural enthusiast at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Block and Bridle meeting. Prior to the meeting we went to eat at Cheddars and I did not throw a big enough fit. Think I will be going back there one item listed as "Natural, hormone free beef" Nothing of value is hormone free. I had a discussion with waiter but we were in hurry. Stay tuned more to come

It has just "dawned" on me... This 2 year out of ToHinto and Lady Blue is nameless. I should come up with his name.

Dec 2, 2012 and I am driving through the Sandhills of Nebraska with my window down. Not good I say.

Skyrocketing beef prices today are not a result of the drought...Stay tuned for more on this subject but don't believe major media. They caused high beef prices more than Mother Nature.

Feeding corn that was baled last summer due to the drought. Yes I mean the whole corn stalk because it would not make grain. Great cow feed though. Nitrates okay. Lets "FACE" it, if every day was 55 degrees no wind clear blue skies the "need" for gestation crates may be less. But Mother Nature is not that cooperative.

HumaneWatch.org reporting information from IRS 990 on HSUS.. Here are points of interest. Here are the nuggets—lowlights, really—from the tax return: ■ HSUS spent less than 1 percent of its budget on grants to pet shelters. ■Meanwhile, HSUS had fundraising-related expenses of $48.1 million, or a whopping 38 percent of its total budget. If that doesn’t tell you the real priorities of HSUS, nothing will. ■ HSUS paid $7.7 million to Quadriga Art, a fundraising consultant recently exposed by CNN that is reportedly under investigation in New York and California. Between 2009 and 2011, HSUS paid Quadriga about $25 million. ■ HSUS also reported paying about $333,000 to Infocision Management, whose questionable practices were exposed by Bloomberg this fall. ■ HSUS added another $2.4 million to its pension plan, bringing the total to about $17 million since Wayne Pacelle took over as CEO in 2004. ■ Speaking of Pacelle, he pulled in just under $300,000 in compensation. That brings his total haul since joining HSUS to about $3 million. ■ In all, HSUS had 24 people who received more than $100,000 in compensation. ■HSUS’s “All Animals” magazine had a circulation of about 530,000. That’s a good estimate of HSUS’s true membership size, since the magazine is included with a $25 membership. (HSUS likes to claim it has a “constituency” of 11 million, which inflates its influence greatly.) In short, HSUS as usual had plenty of money to spare for overhead. But its giving to pet shelters—which desperately need resources in this economy—was once again scant. Link here to full HumaneWatch.org report.

Why does that bucket look so dirty? Because it is the hogs got it down and do what pigs do.

Of course the perfect time to dig a water line when the lows are single digits.