Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This is Randy Russell sitting in for my good friend Jack Block. And now today’s commentary. January is a month to reflect on the past year and focus on the year ahead. This week I’d like to share with you five observations and predictions for 2023—from the economy to the farm bill.

So…. here they are.

First, U.S. financial markets are too optimistic. Analysts reacted to last week’s CPI for December
of 6.5% and said inflation is falling, a…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. Here’s the John Block commentary.

It took a lot of votes and too much time, but we do have a new Speaker of the House. For 2
years with Biden as President, Democrat control of the Senate and House, the liberal leaning
Democrat team had a lot more power to dictate policy. California Republican Kevin McCarthy
was elected as Speaker to lead the House. Power in D.C. is now divided and we don’t expect
very much to get done during President Biden’s next 2…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. Here’s the John Block commentary.

Whenever we step into a New Year, it makes me think about past years and I try to anticipate the future. When I came back from the 101st Airborne in 1960 to our Illinois farm, our principal crop was corn - corn for pigs, cows, and chickens. By the 1970s and 1980s, the industry started processing corn into ethanol and distillers dried grain. Gas your car up and that fuel will probably be 10% ethanol, which is a huge…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. Here’s the John Block commentary. Happy New Year – The year 2022 is all but over.

Overall, it was a very good year for farmers, ranchers, and the ag industry. Grain and livestock prices continue to remain reasonably strong. Egg prices are at a record high. I looked at the cost for a dozen in the grocery store. They were over $4.00. That is because bird flu has killed 40 million of our egg-laying hens.

US farm exports set a new record this year at $194…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. The John Block commentary today will focus on Christmas. Yes – we still have the Covid virus to worry about, but families and friends will becoming together for dinners and parties.

And now today’s commentary.

When I was a ten- or twelve-year-old boy, my mom, dad and 2 sisters would join my mother’s
sister and her family. We exchanged gifts and had a delicious dinner. My father opened the event
by thanking God that we could all be together on the…

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Hello everybody out there in Farm Country. Today I will give the microphone to my daughter Savannah Block. She graduated from Virginia Tech University with a degree in Ag Economics. She has worked on ag issues with Members of Congress and in the private sector. It’s all yours, Savannah.

I want to talk about a very important topic for farmers, ranchers, and rural America:
biotechnology.

Many people who are not familiar with the agriculture world think about “pharmaceuticals”
when they hear that…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now today’s commentary.

Not much time between now and Christmas, and Congress must pass legislation to fund the
government, or we will be shut down. We need an annual budget, but I expect they will just…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now today’s commentary.

Congress is back for the so called “Lame Duck” session. They will be expected to pass legislation
to keep the government funded or it will shut down. But they should not spend…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the
National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association.
They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural
America. Thank you.

And now today’s commentary.

Throughout my lifetime Thanksgiving has been a very important holiday – just behind
Christmas. It is our opportunity to say, “Thank You” to our friends and to God.
The first Thanksgiving…

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Hello, everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now today’s commentary.

It took longer than it should to determine winners and losers in the midterm elections. Looks like Republicans will lead in the House and Democrats in the Senate. The first thing this…

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