Weekly Round Up – The one with immigration and the presidential campaign, National Pig Day, potential Ag Ed funding cuts, and confessions of a city-dweller.

Happy Sunday, all! Coming to you this weekend a little late because I’ve been doing the horse thing all weekend and hanging out at the Illinois Horse Fair.

But, as they say, better late than never! Let’s get it started…

• First, take a look at this story from CNN. It’s all about dairy farmers, immigration and the presidential election. And yes, those things are all connected.
• This, which is totally awesome.
• These two stores, from WEEK and Prairie Farmer, which talk about what potential cuts could mean to local and statewide agriculture programs. If you haven’t heard, the governor has proposed to zero-out the ag ed line item again. And, if you’ve spent more than five seconds here, you know it’s a move that makes me uncomfortable.
• This, because it’s true.
• This, from Fox 2 out of St. Louis, because I know these people! I grew up showing cattle with the Marcoot sisters and have many fond memories of Illinois State Fairs and junior barn shenanigans. Now, instead of showing, the girls and their folks have transformed their family dairy into a cheese-making venture – and it’s AWESOME! Their story is a great example of how farmers are diversifying to stay relevant in an increasingly difficult economy.
• This, because it’s true, regardless of your background.
• And finally, this blog post, from my new favorite blog, Rural Gone Urban. Author Brooke grew up on a farm, but is now a city dweller, and her perspective as a now-city dweller is an excellent one. Plus, she’s super funny. Seriously, check it out!

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