Farm Futures Summit - 2

I will start with what I consider the highlight of the conference.  Getting to listen to Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh of Kansas State University.  Mentioned during his introduction was that he has visited with every president since Harry Truman.  He is a National Treasure.  I was a bit late getting into a seminar and sat in the back next to an old guy chewing on a cigar.  He introduced himself in a very congenial way. 

The first part of Dr. Flinchbaugh's speech was a "Mad as Hell"  outburst in which he scolded Republicans and Democrats alike for their partisanship.  He claimed that partisanship has lead to problems unsolved.  He thinks that the new Congress may change that a bit because of split leadership between Congress and the Whitehouse.  After that he was eloquent in his discussions about farming, the national economy and the world economy.  His figures show that our economy is growing but still very fragile. 

After dinner, the keynote speakers all filled a panel moderated by RFD channel's Max Armstrong.  Maybe the first question from the audience was "what political situation should farmers be most afraid of?"  Most of his earlier speech had focused on domestic issues so I was surprised to hear him say foreign policy.  Most of the other members of the panel agreed.  The free discussion was great and there was no name calling when there was a difference of opinion.