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We farmers sometimes have an inferiority complex. We feel taken for granted considering what we produce is one of the most important things humans need.

Several years of low commodity prices are making life difficult on the farm, and small towns across the country face serious challenges to modernize their infrastructure.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about borders and what to do with them. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a paper recently that provides one of the best suggestions I’ve heard yet--invest in making borders more efficient.

“And wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong” -The Beach Boys.  Suzy Friedman, of the Environmental Defense Fund, has channeled the Beach Boys in her recent opinion piece in Agri-Pulse, writing a sincere and attractive description of the kind of world where we belong, and yes, it would be nice.

According to the latest agricultural census, the average age of the American farmer is 58 years old, and it is trending upward.

As the Trump Administration continues to name new people to its team and farmers continue to await confirmation of a Secretary of USDA, I know it will be a while before a new Chief for the Natural Resources Conservation Service is named and takes office.

There are some twenty million people at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations. It is the world's most severe humanitarian crisis we have faced since 1945.

On paper, I appear to be the picture perfect stereotype of an east coast liberal: I’ve been working at environmental nonprofits for over 20 years, I’m an Ivy League grad, and I live in the “bluest” county in Virginia. When it comes to first impressions in the world of agriculture, I’ve been met countless times with skepticism and even contempt.

Today the world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever. And yet one in nine people around the world go hungry every day.

I join the agricultural community across the country excited about the nomination of Gov. Sonny Perdue for USDA Secretary in the Trump Administration. He has a very good reputation within the ag industry and he has a strong background in agriculture that will serve him well in this important role.