The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.


The Wisdom Of Barnyard Bruke: "It's Good To be surprised by a picture of someone ya knows!"

Greetings to everyone in western Illinois. I'm a hope'n you all are a gett'n along well. This nicer weather, as we are a have'n it from time to time, seems easy to take.

Keep a watch out however, it yet remains the month of March which can be full of surprises.

It was shore enough "a sight for sore eyes" to spot Ron Stone and his wife Sue on the Quill's front page, March 2 along side of Melvin and Jane Chandler.

Both couples are typical solid good Henderson County folk. A know'n Ron as well as some La Harpe folk do I'm a wonder'n if'n he utilized the 18-hole golf course at "The Fountain of the Sun" and if'n he did, who forked over the fee's, Ron or "Chick"?

Actually, that question is a play on Ron's basically conservative nature, for those readers that have not had the good fortune of personally know'n Ron.

Ron and Sue is listed in my book amongst some of the best couples I knows around these parts.

They have raised a good family, worked hard in their lives, and lifted themselves up by their boot straps as well as helped out our communities immeasurably.

I hear tells Ron was one of the early trainers in bank'n for one of the leaders in the bank'n community up in Stronghurst when that Stronghurst banker first changed over from the move'n industry.

It is always good when someone makes a comment about another person whereby that comment is extra special and complimentary.

James Woodside and is wife, Deloris, after see'n Ron's picture in the Quill, made such a positive comment to one of the boys about Ron recently. It makes a person right grateful to be'in his friend. It also speaks loads of positive thoughts about Mr. and Mrs. Woodside.

Ron has been in a position to do western Illinois a passel of good dure'n his career.

Sue has done her part with nurse'n and help'n folk out.

As for me and the boys as we looked over that picture-we just thought they outa know that we had a heap of good thoughts toward both couples.

I reads in the paper where Illinois Governor Quinn would like to cut our school districts down to less than one-half the number as to what they are now.

Apparently, transportation costs and fuel prices don't scare him and his political cronies none, and the extra expense to the remaining school districts for bus'n kids all over the countryside is not one of his concerns either.

Maybe he feels good about keep'n up the price of oil and the extravagant life style of Cezar Chavez and the Arab sheiks rather than supply'n our chillen's with good home grown teachers?

It's hard to figure that feller's reason'n out and what motivates him.

Does anyone remember a few years back when corn prices were on the rise and Cargill announced they was go'n to import corn up the river from another country even though it would cost more than buy'n the commodity locally?

Aw, come on now. Ya surely don't have that short of memory do ya? The headline news announcement of Cargill bring'n in out sources of foreign grown corn even though it cost more busted the corn market.

It took a tumble for which recovery was a long ways off in come'n back. Several years, in fact, for slight recovery and then only government payments allowed producer profits!

As it turns out that company never shipped in any corn no how. What a farce! It was just a trumped up announcement designed to break the market and provide the profiteers with cheap corn and a quick buck at rural communities expense.

As for me and the boys we've never forgotten that little greedy trick they pulled on our rural communities. The point in bring'n it up is if'n it was done once, don't think it won't happen agin.

When the corn market is high, as well as soybean prices, don't reason for amnute there aren't folk out there connive'n to drive them prices back down to or below producer cost of production.

The government's past cheap food policies will wink at their efforts. In fact it seems those government paper shufflers will likely help drive down prices with a few negative alterations in their statistical reports.

What's the point of this discussion? Well, what's wrong with take'n $7.00-$7.20 per bushel for your corn and pocket'n the profits? So what if'n it goes higher?

It won't likely last at these levels forever and history can repeat itself on fall'n commodity prices and those work'n hard to make it happen.

I hope you didn't forget to sign up for federal crop insurance by March 15 for additional income protection. Enterprise and 75% with fall price options seems most popular.

I sees in the paper where House Bill 148 would allow Illinois residents to carry concealed weapons. On a 12-2 vote the House Agriculture Committee forwarded legislation to the full house that would make Illinois the 49th state to allow citizens their original constitutional right to carry guns as long as they are concealed.

Under the legislation those want'n a concealed carry permit would have to undergo train'n and background checks. It also allows for gun-free zones in courthouses, sports stadiums and arenas, police departments, schools, and government meetin's etc.

Private businesses would have the option of restrict'n people from carry'n within their premises. It's not likely Chicago-area legislatures or Governor Quinn will allow this one to pass as has been the case with other governors and Chicago area legislatures at least five times in previous years.

Well, around our parts down in "Skunk Holler" its mighty handy to have a firearm on special occasions.

Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya Later
Barnyard Bruke