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October 2005
Life in the Fast Lane
Yo,
It’s quite a world in which we live. Everything runs 24/7 and has to be done ASAP. Why, even the English language has been shortened to an ocean of acronyms, so we don’t have to take too much time talking with each other.
Just look at the United States Department of Agriculture – today’s USDA. The former loan division that handles all the OL’s, once called Farmers Home Administration or FmHA is now a department of Farm Service Agency or FSA.
FSA also looks after all kinds of farm and conservation programs like direct payments, LDP and CCP, disaster payments and marketing loans all under CCC. Don’t forget about the ever-popular conservation programs coordinated by FSA and NRCS – the former SCS - and sometimes CES, FWS, Nebraska G&PC and your local NRD. They have programs like CRP, WRP, EQIP, WHIP and now CSP. And if things really get bad, they call in FEMA.
There are lots of other useful USDA programs and projects too like SARE, ATTRA, AMS and RC&D. And to be profitable, farmers not only need to know all these acronyms, but they also need to use BMPs like IPM in their fields.
Of course USDA and the FNS are in charge of nutrition programs around the U.S. like WIC, FSP, CACFP, CSFP, FDPIR, NSIP, SBP, NSLP and NPE too.
How we talk about rural entertainment has changed as well. Radio AM was once the mainstay, but now you have FM and even digital satellite. We used to listen to vinyl LP’s and 8-track tapes, but now even CD’s and cassettes are becoming obsolete, replaced by iPOD.
TV has gone to HDTV and those little DSS and Dish Network dishes have replaced your aerial antenna.
I guess the old days when farm families gathered together for picnics after church on Sunday are long gone in many places. Today, we are more likely to interface on a videophone or talk with each other into one of those fancy headset phone gadgets while driving down the road.
Drive-through windows and pre-packaged food called "grab and go" have replaced Sunday dinners at home and email has replaced good, old-fashioned snail mail letters we had to write with a pen. The only thing you have to put a stamp on anymore is a RSVP.
Well, I know you all are very busy, so I don’t want to waste any more of your time chatting. Besides, I think I’d better take advantage of my 24/7 online banking account and complete this month’s Internet bill paying ASAP from my little old PC before my account balance says EMPTY.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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