J. Davy Crockett III

“Rights! We demand our rights!” is a cry often heard in these tumultuous times. Citizens do have rights in the United States of America not found in many nations around the world.

The importance of growing food and fiber for a burgeoning population is often lost on city- and suburb-dwellers. Yet, as troubled times bring rising food costs and commodity shortages, people may focus more attention on the details of production, processing, and distribution of basic agricultural necessities, including vegetable produce, poultry, meat, and dairy products. It all starts with the soil, which must be tilled and cultivated to bring a successful harvest.

Smell the smoke? Hear the pop-pop-pop of gunshots? Is that the wailing, grieving parents surveying a bloody scene? Is that the sound of breaking glass? Do you hear sirens of first responders and law enforcement? That must be the chants of protestors you hear along with the smell of tear gas. The summer sounds of tree frogs, crickets, and night creatures have been drowned out by the elements of an incredible crime wave in many cities in America. Or is it Paris, the streets of Britain, or some other urban area in the world where violent civil unrest has become commonplace?