I last talked to Angela 32 years ago. It was the evening of April 20, 1991. She called to let us know she would be coming home the next day from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. more

Tax Freedom Day this year is April 18. The day marks when the nation has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. Tax Freedom Day takes all federal, state and local taxes and divides them by the nation’s income. more

Spring and Easter are times of renewal. We think of baby bunnies and chicks, smells of fresh-cut grass and floral scents from blooming flowers. We celebrate the risen Christ with special church services, dinners with family and egg hunts for the children. However, this time of year has brought me a heavy heart over the past eight years. more

“The only thing we have to Fear is Fear Itself.” — President Franklin Roosevelt, March 4, 1933. more

Moveable electric fencing has become an important grazing management tool for cattle producers over the past half-century, or so. more

“Because that’s how it’s always been done” is a terrible phrase. Everything about it goes against the grain of improving upon the work for which we are responsible. Innovation is stifled and progress is delayed because of such expressions. If farmers lived that way, they would still be putting seeds into the ground by hand one by one. If farmers never adapted to changing practices and technology, the world would not have the abundance of food, fiber and fuel it enjoys today.  more

I grew up in Dallas County; however, I now live in California and have for many years. I would like to express how much I enjoy reading the Buffalo Reflex each week. My husband, a California native, enjoys the editorials and all the other articles, also. more

I graduated in 1979. I lived through the ’70s during my school days. Today, many everyday 1970s objects are considered out of fashion or extinct. So let’s look at consumerism from the eyes of that kid who wanted to grow up, have a wood-paneled living room, and eat as many Lifesaver Cremesavers as she could manage. more

Isn’t it scary that our political leaders can pick which incidents they choose and make criminal offenses of them. I guess it depends on who is involved, but it is definitely used as a political ploy. more

A couple of weeks ago, my wife, Carol Ann, and I made a trip to northeast Missouri for her to check up on one of her public administrator’s wards and visit with the MAC (Missouri Association of Counties) immediate past president, who is the county clerk for Scotland County. We experienced something along the way that got me to thinking and comparing a portion of the drive to the facets of life. more

Before this latest freeze, I thought I felt a touch of spring in the air. more

As the legendary college football coach Lou Holtz once said, “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.” Last week was the annual legislative spring break, marking the symbolic halfway point in the 2023 spring legislative session. Looking at the first half, we saw progress on a number of Missouri Farm Bureau priority issues.   more