Monday Roundup

Greetings Rural Republic goers and happy Labor day! I hope y'all are enjoying the extra long weekend. Here's a little back ground to the holiday that people have come to see as the signal that Summer has ended and that Fall in all its glory, Football, harvest and post season Baseball, is upon us. Growing up in rural America on a farm, all I can basically recall is that it was just another day with work to be done. So we celebrated our holiday by, you guessed it, laboring! Now to the stories of the day...

As harvest rolls on across the fruited plains, a new yield report has been released by Informa. The new yields could have a substantial impact on grain prices. It also leads nicely into the next story.

As the world watches commodity prices climb the UN has called a meeting over the looming concerns that food prices will rise. The impact of the Russian export ban is still being felt along with anticipation of wheat yields from the southern hemisphere.

The quality and safety of our food is a major concern to us all. The latest egg recall illustrates just how delicate this balance can be. We charge todays farmers and ranchers to provide us with safe, quality staples and usually never give it a second thought. Recently the FDA has developed new guidelines for the judicious use of medically important antibiotics used in the raising of livestock. The Competitive Enterprise Institute illustrates how detrimental the new guidelines would be to meat production in this country. So as you grill up that burger today, remember to thank a rancher for supplying you with such a safe, quality and inexpensive product.

I hope y'all are enjoying the last of the extended weekend. I wish you the best of it with BBQ's, a little R&R and good times with friends and family. Thanks for joining us.