From the Editor

As we head into the Christmas season, I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions. This is my first Christmas as a wife. My husband, Scott, and I began compromising on family traditions last Christmas as an engaged couple, but this year it feels a little more official.

Thanks to technology, we can talk to each other any time and pretty much anywhere, but what good does that do? Have you ever stopped to think about the difference between communicating with someone and just speaking at them? I didn’t – or at least I didn’t realize how big that difference is until recently.

Here are a few thoughts on three articles I suggest you don’t miss in this issue:

Harvest season is upon us, and while you may be counting your corn silage by the ton and beans by the bushel, I’m counting my zucchini … on one hand.

It started with a press release from the USDA titled “USDA Announces Safety Net Assistance for Milk Producers Due to Tightening Dairy Margins.”

More than a year ago, we began preparing for a redesign of our magazine. I would liken the process to the planning that might go into a parlor renovation or a calf barn update. There were many opinions about how it should be done and what was best.