December 30, 2024
Good morning! It was 49 degrees (F) in our shaded backyard this past Saturday. Best movies? Best books? Best songs? Best jobs? Best colleges? Are you getting a bit annoyed at all the lists? Not Franz, of course, but all the others? Can you name the winning Pop Tart? (Did you see the movie? Awesome!)
- Among my more faithful readers is a woman who cooked — and shared — the best fudge of 2024.
- And, long-ago State of MN Championship Basketball player and regular reader, Brian, shared a gourmet gift box of his Grinch-inspired cookies, along with…
- … a platter of vintage fruit cakes dating back to 2019!
- (We still have a few bites from previous years going back to 2009!)
- Four days ago a faithful and trusted reader told me, “I like the format you use…”, and she seemed sincere.
- Since I’ve had others urge me to use a prettier, fancier, more sophisticated format, I’m embracing her counterpoint.
- We are not likely to switch to a more professional-looking template anytime soon.
- It would appear U.S. consumers finally have enough containers to hold other containers inside their closets, refrigerators, garages, tool sheds, and pantries.
- And as such, the bell tolls for thee, you and me… (Donne, of course — and then Ernie)
- The Container Store has filed for Chapter #11 bankruptcy protection in a Texas court.
- “The Container Store is here to stay.” said Malhotra, CEO of The Container Store.
- My friend (too presumptuous? An acquaintance, at least…) Jack Uldrich is a professional predictor of things.
- I’ve followed him for years and had a voracious appetite for his first novel, The Gibraltar Conspiracy (2000); it’s still an excellent read, set in Minnesota.
- Jack is applying a few of his Nostradamus skills to agriculture… and I do love and appreciate agriculture.
- Here are a few of Jack’s prognostications for things that will have a significant impact on farming in 2025:
- Satellite Technology – speaks for itself
- Weather Forecasting — but will greater accuracy make a difference when your wheat field is about to be destroyed by 80 MPH winds?!
- Biologicals –naturally-occurring components of soil (terroir) and atmosphere still unknown and unlocked, but will be…
- Regenerative Agriculture
- PFAS = a negative, of course… will it be possible to ever clean up this forever mess?
- Short Corn = will withstand more wind
- Gene Editing = new and improved/ more efficient foods
- (Can soybeans be any tastier?)
- Quantum Computing = the potential for unlocking the mystery to foods that pack a bigger punch
- Parametric Insurance — Analogy = HMO for crop insurance — or, a specific, pre negotiated coverage limit for a triggering event
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel — it has already been tested and passed the test…
- Map and Zap — for the eradication of weeds per computer sophistication… maybe down to the one-tenth of an inch
- (How about this technology for weeding a backyard garden?!)
- Resilience = nothing new, but guess what? Farmers gotta still have it, lots of it! (Informed by Uldrich; thanks, Jack)
- In less than two decades (from 2005 – 2023), worldwide use of the internet grew by 440% — from 1 billion users to 5.4 billion users.
- And, this deserves an Al Gore quip, but I can’t think of one. Anyone? (World Bank, 2023)
- Oh, we promised a review of the best business opportunities for 2025, but we will defer again until January 6th and beyond.
