Mychal Wilmes
Agweek
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Past articles by Mychal:
Faith remains a solid bedrock in times of change
Mychal Wilmes recalls the changes seen to rural America from the loss of churches and Main Street, to the isolation of families and friends. → Read More
Frank was a master mechanic, but you'd never guess it by his truck
Mychal Wilmes remembers the bachelor who filled his yard with cars and his barn with parts. He could fix just about anything thrown at him. → Read More
Farmers never really retire
While author Mychal Wilmes was normally quite agreeable with his parents, a debate over his desire to enlist in the Army caused quite a kerfuffle. → Read More
The great seed catalog debate has begun
The author debates matters of national security while seeking out compromise with his wife over her 2023 seed and plant selection. → Read More
The family car was at times the truck and tractor
Mom's car was not off limits when sheep and ducks needed to make it to market. → Read More
Lost causes found a home at the family farm
Lame piglets, a maimed fawn, and weeds in the fields were all part of the never-ending battle with difficulties. → Read More
Mom and Dad had it hard, but they lived life to the fullest
The author recalls a time when the only thing that really mattered was putting food on the table and sharing it with others. → Read More
Few appreciated 'what the dog dragged home'
Some found Daisy to be an uninviting dog. But what she brought home was even more off putting. → Read More
Debating farm bill flaws over coffee and cookies
While the adults opined over the government's role in farming, the author recalls the kids loosening teeth in a good game of king of the hill. → Read More
Some cattle and people share similarly stubborn traits
The author takes a look at taking an opposing stance from time to time, even when it seems wrong. → Read More
Celebrating a new year on top of the world
After surviving a rough New Year's Eve party, the author recalls that the cows must still be fed even on a frigid New Year's Day. → Read More
Santa's gifts and my Christmas wishes didn't always match
Dad could be stubborn about spending money that he didn’t have. That sometimes meant Christmas gifts were recycled from days gone by. → Read More
It was all fun and games until chore time returned
Mychal Wilmes recalls the games and chores growing up on a small Minnesota farm. → Read More
Mother's work was unending and sadly underappreciated
We might have been considered poor, but we were rich in things that mattered. Mother served duck, geese, ham, and pie for Christmas dinner, and the house was warm with laughter. → Read More
The importance of hoarfrost, beards and keeping up appearances
Mychal Wilmes learned as a child that hoarfrost happened when angels descended to touch the earth with heavenly beauty. The women in his life have not found "heavenly beauty" in Wilmes' attempts at wearing a beard throughout his life to combat the cold. → Read More
Fruitcake and mishaps surround memories of the season
Mychal Wilmes remembers how his mother's baking was a balm even when things went wrong. → Read More
Protecting livestock from disease is an important job
Mychal Wilmes reflects on "metal illness" and other things that can hurt livestock and the livestock industry. → Read More
1980s farm crisis led to big changes on farms and in communities
Mychal Wilmes examines how his brother and other farmers survived -- or didn't survive -- the 1980s farm crisis and what changes agriculture, ag lending and rural communities have seen since then. → Read More
Rural economics have fluctuated with grain alcohol uses from bootlegging to ethanol plants
Ethanol production is by many measurements the best economic development tool in rural America outside of farming, Mychal Wilmes says. But he also revisits the impact Prohibition had on rural areas. → Read More
The faith and heritage that built rural America remains as a link to the past
"The heritage that we who are deeply rooted in the land cherish links us to the past and to what is to come," Mychal Wilmes says. → Read More