News

From Washington with John Block

Mother on My Mind

May 15, 2020

Being in lock down like most of our citizens and trying to celebrate Mother’s Day made me think. My mother was so dedicated to my 2 sisters, me and of course my dad. Mom & Dad were married in 1934 and in 1935 I was born. We were living in a small house with no running water, no bathroom and no electricity but we had an outhouse. [READ MORE…]

From Washington with John Block

Virus is Expensive

May 7, 2020

The cost of unemployment and economic hardship from the global coronavirus pandemic is no small change. We have not had to face anything like this since World War II. [READ MORE…]

From Washington with John Block

Tough Times

May 1, 2020

It seems like every day another major meat processing plant is closed. We have farms with hundreds or thousands of pigs ready for market but they can’t find any plants that will take their pigs. [READ MORE…]

Hot Barn Report

Mackenzie Johnston: Fired for Standing Up for the American Rancher

April 21, 2020

I have always believed it is important to speak the truth and speak it loudly. It is essential to speak it loudly when its’s on behalf of someone else. These beliefs of mine propelled me to create two Facebook posts explaining my termination. Somewhere along the line we forgot to protect our independent producers, and this unfortunate situation allowed me to speak up for those producers. [READ MORE…]

From Washington with John Block

Food Industry Challenge

April 17, 2020

One of our nation’s priorities is to keep the food flowing but because of the coronavirus we are facing some serious disruptions. Just last Sunday, Smithfield Foods closed down its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That plant is no small thing. [READ MORE…]