Could farmers be the heroes of the 21st century? Recently, the United Nations sounded an alarm that worldwide, agricultural land is disappearing for many reasons, and populations are continuing to grow. The report said this shrinkage of farmland coupled with climate change point to a looming disaster. For all its doom and gloom, the report …
John Crowley, the Desert Padre
When we think of Western heroes, there’s a slew of them to consider. Men like Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Juan Bautista de Anza, or Crazy Horse - all were larger life and stand tall in the history of our land. There’s one more to add to that list. He’s an unlikely candidate, a Catholic priest …
Could Farmers End Climate Change?
Cap-and-Trade was a controversial program invented some years ago as a way for big polluters to offset the damage done by their pollution. It’s had its problems being implemented, but It has also had some success in reducing carbon pollution. It works like this: the government sets how much pollution a company can release. If …
Basque Sheepherders in the West
Do you remember sheepherder wagons? I recall seeing them off in the distance, out on the prairie, in those Wyoming hills west of Cheyenne. They were found on open range around the west, on land where cows don’t do well but sheep thrive. That sheep wagon, with its white canvas top, was a beacon in …
Farming Has a Long History in the West
The mysterious cliff dwellings in the American southwest are fascinating places. They are historical registers that teach us just a little of ancient times, of people who were farming here long before Columbus. The people who lived here are the true founders of American agriculture. Some of these dwellings are very remote. A few, …
The Real Western View 