Agriculture and brain health.

When we first started throwing ideas around for our 2024 theme, my initial thought was that brain health in ag didn't feel like a great fit. I didn't want a doom-and-gloom issue, particularly in February when we're all just doing our best to get through the winter blues. As the story ideas came in though, I realized I was wrong. This was so much bigger than I imagined. And frankly, so much more important.

Keeping our brains healthy encompasses so many things, from reducing stress and getting enough sleep, to eating right and just doing more of what makes us happy. And as you'll see in a few of the stories, being kind to others is beneficial both to those who give and those who receive. And, well...it can feel pretty darn good, too.

In our cover story, Steve Werblow details how to fuel and maintain our brains. We're also looking at the emotional elements of our brains from several different angles. For instance, Katie Knapp shares her very raw experience with grief, and Lorne McClinton gives us some tips for keeping our tempers in check.

Farmers and ranchers aren't known for discussing their ailments—physical, emotional, or otherwise. It's our hope that a story or two in this issue will prompt readers to think twice about what matters and give their brains some thought.