The Radke Report

The other day, I asked y'all for your best parenting advice, and it was so good that I decided to follow up with a second question -- what's your best advice for marriage, especially for agricultural couples?

The responses were SO GOOD, and now I'm deep-diving on this topic for an upcoming RADKE REPORT column. Stay tuned!

Today, I wanted to share some of your advice. Feel free to add more in the comments section!

If you're experiencing a rough start to 2023 - take a deep breath! This too shall pass. Dust yourself off. Reset those goals.

Anticipate road blocks up ahead, and take things in stride when your best laid out plans go sideways.

Don’t take your stress out on your family members. Remember you are a team, through thick and thin, and don’t forget that it can only go up from here! Right?

Oh, and if there's one resolution we can all stick to, it's this -- EAT MORE BEEF!

 

It is a shame to see our elected officials be so completely out of touch with what the American people need. It’s not a hiking trail. It’s not an electric car and a carbon credit. It’s safe, affordable, and nutritious food. It’s access to clean water. It’s heat for the winter months. It’s safeguarding the economy to ensure Americans don’t need second, third, and fourth streams of income just to make ends meet. It’s encouraging home ownership, and savings, and the ability to accumulate wealth over time, faster than the rate of inflation. It’s nurturing the nuclear family, and promoting a sound educational system that guides our children in the way we should go.

At every turn, it appears we are on the wrong path, and it’s disheartening to say the least. However, as for me and my family, we will continue to work hard, save our pennies, raise our kids to know and love God, serve our community, love our neighbors, and stick together through the ups and downs that life brings. Maybe if enough of us do exactly that, society and our elected officials will follow suit.

The world is full of goodness if we seek it out! May we never lose sight of that goodness. 

"Sustainability” is the new buzz word that won’t be going away anytime soon. Farmers and ranchers with boots-on-the-ground knowledge of how to manage the land, water, and natural resources should not stick their noses in the sand on this issue. We need to ensure that our voices are heard, and that discussions on environmental stewardship aren’t hijacked by those who want to strip producers off the land with burdensome and costly regulations. It’s time to hold the line, and celebrate what we do well in agriculture, instead of cow-towing to demands from those who make heavy demands with no skin in the game. 

In this two-part Christmas Special featuring Marty Beard, Trent Loos, Amanda and Thorne Radke, we discuss Christmas memories and traditions, the importance of family, and turning back to your faith!

52 Events - 2 New Published Children's Books - Thousands Of Stories Read To Kids - Thousands Of People Met - Priceless Connections & Memories Made - 1 Very Humble & Grateful Heart

This week, a major blizzard is supposed to pass through our community. Everyone is gearing up for the avalanche of snow, wind, and rain. Food is flying off the shelves at the local grocery store. Everyone is fueling up and stocking up on supplies to hunker down until the storm passes.

And if you have cattle, there are plenty of things to do in order to make sure the critters can hunker down and weather the blizzard, too.

This holiday season, let us be the change we would like to see in this world. December can be stressful and chaotic in our need to create the perfect magical moments for our children during the holiday season. But instead of driving ourselves crazy shopping for the perfect gifts and decorations, what if we focused more on spreading kindness and joy through small, simple gestures?

Kindness and goodness doesn’t cost a thing, and yet it’s the most precious gift of all.

So how do we recruit and retain these talented young people? I think it starts by offering these kids a pathway for success into this industry we love. It starts by helping to open doors and create new opportunities. And it lasts by enveloping these kids into the culture and your family, by truly making them a part of the business and the community.

Yes, there are labor shortages around the country. And yes, these problems will continue as the demands of feeding a hungry planet grow. However, I think the best way to get ahead of these challenges is to invest our time in raising the next generation that truly knows how to work and who takes pride in what they do. It starts with you and me investing our time into our nation’s kids.

THIS is the solution for ranchers struggling to make ends meet in a system where the cards are stacked against them. THIS is the solution fo...