Last week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Susan Bazis to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. That vote was a victory for Nebraska, and it was a long time coming. Ever since Judge John Gerrard, who previously held the seat, announced he would retire in February 2023, I’ve been working to find an exemplary candidate to replace him. Judge Bazis is exactly that.

It’s human nature to tell stories about the past, and doctors aren’t immune to that impulse. The second year medical students rotating through my clinic have me reflecting on my own years as a fledgling physician, and the changes I’ve seen in my decades of practice.

The one common thing across the world is food. Every person on the planet requires food to survive. Enjoying food brings delight and satisfaction. A region’s culture is often identified by the food. Nebraska brags on our tasty beef and sweet corn. As families grow and move away from home, the memory of food connects them back to where they are from.

Corn, soybeans, livestock and ethanol are currencies that have powered Nebraska for more than a century, enabling our state to engage in domestic and global markets and ensuring our economic strength. But the challenges our farmers and ranchers face continue to evolve. They must deliver increasingly higher yields to meet demand for food. Like all of us, farmers are paying much more now for the inputs to grow food, fuel and fiber.

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is all about handson, experiential learning. We constantly look for ways to apply what is taught in the classroom.

Last weeks’ temperatures should have coaxed you out of your winter slumber and encouraged you out to the landscape to complete your spring todo list. If the gardening bug has gotten you, there are some things you can be planting now even if it is a little too early to plant all of your plants outside. Starting your own transplants shouldn’t feel like a daunting task. Last time we talked about the homework you have to do if you want to start you own transplants. First you need to decide what you want to plant.

The government closest to the people serves the people best. But too many in Washington stay in Washington, and don’t get back to what I know is “real America.” These people tend to make decisions and policy by listening only to each other.

There is an old joke where a man walks into his doctor’s office and says, “Doc, it hurts every time I do this. What should I do? To which the doctor replies, “Simple, don’t do that!” While the advice seems trite and maybe even insulting, like most jokes, there is some truth in it. Pain is one of the ways your body tries to protect you from even worse injury.

The baking aisle at your local supermarket has grown to include a wide variety of flours. Flour is the finely- ground, sifted meal of grains, nuts, seeds, legumes or certain vegetables— each kind of flour has a different nutritional profile. The cooking and baking properties will vary by the type of flour you are using. The most common flours are milled from wheat, a Nebraska agriculture commodity. But today there are so many other choices says Nancy Frecks Nebraska Extension Food & Health Educator.