By the Numbers

All Column Articles

  • Meredith Bernard (right) and her best friend. (Photo courtesy of Meredith Bernard)

    Blogger Meredith Bernard says cultivating rural friendships can be hard. It may take opening your life to someone whose life is different than yours to find common ground and a new friend.

  • Blogger Meredith Bernard says September isn't a bad place to be, because of many reasons including this may be the start of an early calving season. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Meredith Bernard)

    Blogger Meredith Bernard says there's a beauty in September being the middle month between a laid-back summer and the orderly routine of events of the fall.

  • Blogger Jennifer Campbell says for her, September's the time for mornings on the porch and evenings on the patio without the humidity holding her hostage. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jennifer Campbell)

    Blogger Jennifer Campbell says September sometimes feels like an underrated month, a quiet, calmer atmosphere. It's the month that feels more like a fresh start and a new year than January.

  • Blogger Jennifer Campbell talks about why she likes to put on a good pair of work boots and then put one foot in front of the other to get the job done. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jennifer Campbell)

    Blogger Jennifer Campbell says if you suffer from imposter syndrome, find ways to boost your self-confidence to overcome your doubts.

  • Blogger Tiffany Dowell Lashmet says while she likes to declutter, she hates being wasteful. So, if something has more life left, she likes to donate. (LifestyleVisuals, Getty Images)

    Blogger Tiffany Dowell Lashmet says with the renewal that spring brings, a desire to clean and declutter soon follows.

  • Blogger Jennifer Campbell shares why she has been filling desk drawers with photos of several generations of family members even though her sweet granddaughter may be too young to enjoy the pictures now. (DTN photo by Jennifer Campbell)

    Hang on to old photos, or make new ones, to trigger memories for you and your family in the future.

  • Lawrence and Meredith Bernard. Meredith says if you have someone who needs to know you love them, it's never too late to do it your own sweet way. (DTN photo by Wesley Bernard)

    Blogger Meredith Bernard encourages you to express and receive love the best ways that you can.

  • Blogger Katie Pratt shares how generations of her family have created fun winter memories. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Katie Pratt)

    Blogger Katie Pratt says to combat the always-on-the-go mentality of modern life, squeeze in time dedicated to fun.

  • Blogger Meredith Bernard says one of the hardest lessons she's had to learn as a farm wife is that the farm comes first. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Meredith Bernard)

    Blogger Meredith Bernard says one of the many unwritten laws of farming is that if it's going to go wrong, it's going to be at the worst possible time. The perspective we take while handling those things can create its own blessing.

  • Blogger Jennifer Campbell says lucky isn't a word often associated with cancer, but she uses it all the time. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jennifer Campbell)

    Blogger Jennifer Campbell celebrates life but reflects on her cancer diagnosis and years of recovery.

  • Blogger Tiffany Dowell Lashmet shares how her son decided to take a chance at the fair, following his grandmother's footsteps into the kitchen. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Tiffany Dowell Lashmet)

    Blogger Tiffany Dowell Lashmet is proud of her son carrying on a tasty, award-winning family tradition.

  • A red barn no longer red but weathered gray holds special memories for blogger Katie Pratt. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Katie Pratt)

    Blogger Katie Pratt says this holiday season raise a glass to your memories.

  • Blogger Jennifer Campbell shares her mottos in life she gained from a church and a rock song, including why she selected the ones she did. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jennifer Campbell)

    Blogger Jennifer Campbell says don't wait for happiness to eventually happen; instead bring happiness along with you as you journey through life.

  • As blogger Meredith Bernard's number of horses expanded, so did the need for more horse-quality hay. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Meredith Bernard)

    Blogger Meredith Bernard says restoring old equipment can be rewarding both financially and emotionally.

  • Blogger Katie Pratt shares how this year a litter of barn kittens has differed from past cats on the farm. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Katie Pratt)

    Blogger Katie Pratt says kittens and barn cats can scratch their way into our hearts.