Last week was a really long travel/speaking week. Coupled with tax prep, my prayer meeting with my banker, and long hours in transit, I just couldn't get up the energy. I will offer some miscellaneous observations:
- My new 2011 Chevrolet Equinox is really great. Much quieter and smoother than Zippy (Vibe). Mileage around 27-28 all told.
- Just when you thought you couldn't possibly pay any more for a cup of coffee, you fall in love with one of these contraptions. I had one in my hotel room at AgConnect, and I actually used it.
- The dairy industry is defying financial gravity, it seems to me. One producer told be he still has a backlog of bills, but is at least staying current with new ones. I think we are on the verge of decimating the midsized herds, and even collapse a few very large operations.
- WI farmland prices may be the most spectacularly umm, enthusiastic of all.
- On at least three occasions, my remarks about ending direct payments did NOT meet with hissing and open animosity. Of course, maybe nobody was paying attention.
- American Airlines is flying more regional jets instead of real 3x3-across jets. Many of them used to be Brazilian Embraers. But the new ones are Bombardier's CRJ-700. The cramped spacing is the same on both, but the CRJ seats really kill my back - something I've never experienced. The seat seems harder and curved differently. Maybe it's a good thing it's harder to book flights on AA.
- I am the last person in any major airport without an iPad.
2 comments:
We will be the last people in an airport without a Ipad. At least Phyllis can show her kindle and look much more techy than an old guy with just a plain old phone(without internet).
I think there are hundreds of dairies like ours waiting for a chance to gracefully exit--praying that opportunity comes sooner rather than later--especially on these cold mornings.
Your comments about dairy hit home way too hard. As an ag lender with some 150 dairy accounts in our portfolio. We have the 800 numbers for all suicide hotlines in the counties we serve next to EVERY phone, and on every corkboard. We have taken calls from borrowers who are standing on top of the 80' silos and asking why they should not jump. A husband went to the barn recently to milk the cows and when he came back to the house the wife had removed all her clothing from the house and all the children and their pillows were gone. Can you say STRESS! As loan officers were are not trained in these areas of expertiese, but that is our calling at the moment. Trying to get on the learning fast track.
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