E-Newsletters

The American flag is a symbol of freedom recognized worldwide. Its 13 stripes and 50 stars stand for more than just one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. It has flown proudly from the Revolution through two World Wars and countless other battles, as men and women have laid down their lives to defend it.

It's a living monument to all who have served and sacrificed so that we might be free. That's why it's so painful to see it tarnished, torn, and burned—especially by our fellow Americans.

Last Saturday, we all watched as a deranged individual came within inches of taking the life of President Trump. If it weren't for the grace of God, I would be writing a very different message to you all today.

In the immediate aftermath, I had hoped that every American would share the same concern for the President's life, the well-being of his family, and the health and safety of the other innocent Americans who were killed or injured. In the days that have followed, I've been deeply disappointed that this wasn't the case.

Our neighbors to the north have seen some absolutely devastating floods these past few weeks. With both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers rising to flood stage, folks in North Missouri are on high alert and preparing for possible flooding. While proper precautions are being taken, we pray that levees, new and old, will withstand the flood waters and do the job they were designed to do. 

Few things in life are more frustrating than waiting on bureaucrats—especially when you’re waiting on a passport, and you have a well-earned vacation coming up.

Getting a passport has always been a slow, burdensome process, but things have just gotten worse over the last couple of years. Nearly every day, we’re getting multiple calls from folks in a panic because they still haven’t gotten their passports. They’re afraid they’ll have to cancel their trip set to start the next morning, even though they submitted everything correctly months ago.

Being a cattleman is more than a job; it's a way of life. It isn't always easy, particularly when you're pulling a calf at three o'clock in the morning or trying to warm up a newborn calf in your dining room because it's ten below zero.

What's easy doesn't always factor into it. You do what's right and you do what it takes to nurture those calves into steers and heifers that will go on to feed other families. When you lose one along the way, it hurts—and not just your pocketbook.

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, under the cover of darkness, American and British paratroopers dropped into Normandy from more than 1,200 aircraft. The largest naval bombardment the world has ever seen began at 5:30 AM, lasting only 40 minutes. American battleships, supported by cruisers and destroyers and the British Royal Navy, shelled German defensive positions around the beaches of Normandy. The sunrise brought with it waves of landing vessels carrying American, British, Canadian, and French troops who stormed over fifty miles of fiercely defended coastline in Northern France.

School has just wrapped up for the year and graduates have their sights set on what’s next. That may be college, or technical school, or going straight into the workforce. For others, they’ve chosen to enlist in a branch of the military. They’ve taken seriously a call to serve, dedicating themselves for a time to safeguarding our nation and putting themselves in harm’s way. For some, that may mean paying the ultimate sacrifice. The very least we can do for these men and women who have chosen to serve is ensure that they have a decent quality of life while they are in the military.