The reading kick I have been on for the last 10 months probably places me in “low-key” obsessed territory – my love for reading has been thoroughly rekindled. I recently stumbled on an author with three decent sized series of my favorite genre – Action/Fantasy/Romance. Since I picked up her first book, I have flown through all her series, then expanded to authors with similar material. You can catch me reading whenever I have a few minutes to spare – seriously even if it’s only 5 minutes, I will crack that book open. In the evenings while supper is cooking, while the kids are playing in the living room, before bed (staying up way too late) and whatever spare time I have on the weekends, my nose will be in a book.
I found out there are social media accounts that people create to express their love/ recommendations for whatever books they are reading or have read in the past. It is addicting. From what I have gathered they call it “bookstagram” or “booktock” (Instagram/tick-tock) and it is an awesome way to find new authors or books that are in your preferred genre. People post quotes, or aesthetic reels with fanart or pictures of what you can expect to be reading about, along with their personal thoughts about each book. Such a cool way to find yourself a new book to read, with the help of these suggestions & feedback from people who have already read these books.
My growing stack of “completed” books got me thinking of what type of benefits reading provides – besides the obvious entertainment. After doing some Google searching, I am pleased to say that my time spent engrossed in a story is at least “healthy” for me.
Reading reduces stress – It has been confirmed by studies that reading can reduce stress & lower your blood pressure. One study even found that 30 minutes of reading is as effective at lowering one’s stress level as doing 30 minutes of yoga. This seems obvious, right? We are usually sitting or lying down while reading, allowing our breathing to slow & making our bodies take a break. And since we need so much of our concentration to comprehend what we are reading, we turn off the part of our mind that is worrying, planning, prioritizing. Giving yourself a mental break is important.
Reading sharpens & strengthens your brain – The focus and engagement your mind uses while reading any type of book or material helps to create new neural connections & expands our imaginations. There have been studies that show that stimulating your mind through reading can have a big impact on your mind later in life, with things such as memory loss.
Reading expands your vocabulary & perspective – It’s commonly known that individuals who read more have access to more words in their vocabulary. Reading gives us a better understanding of words we may not often use in our day-to-day dialogue, and improves our conversation skills, whether it be verbally or written. Reading can also enhance your perspective & allow you to become more empathetic and understanding of other people and situations.
Reading gets you off your phone – We have become very attached to our mobile devices as a society. Anything that gets you to put that phone down or provides an alternative to more screen time is a healthy choice, mentally and physically. The blue light from phones and computers is not great for our eyes, and since lots of us work on computers all day – switch it up and read on good old-fashioned paper.
So here is me not so subtly nudging you towards taking some time to stimulate your brain & feed your imagination. Get lost in a story or someone else’s world for a little bit – you won’t regret it.
Because Farming is Forever
Danielle Barnes
Market Report – Ashley Tompkins
Well forecasted rain for the corn belt sure made prices go crazy this week. We were heading into this week on a bit of a high with prices on the rise for both wheat and canola, but the markets took a dip with reports of rain in the long-term forecast, creating uncertainty in what was projected to be a very dry year. The drop in the corn market is wreaking havoc on the wheat market. It seems the two-go hand in hand these days, corn goes up, wheat goes up, corn goes down, wheat follows close behind.
On a more positive note, the feed barley market has seen a bit of an uptick in the last few days. Old crop barley prices can be seen as high as $415MT-$420MT DLVD Lethbridge with areas around Edmonton seeing prices around $8/bu or better picked up, and areas around Calgary seeing prices around $8.50/bu picked up. The real question is how long will the slightly higher prices for old crop barley last? There hasn’t been the same increase carried over into the new crop barley prices, as there has been for old crop. Many buyers and sellers are continuing to play the wait and see game.
Oats, what can you say about them, other than not much has changed, there is still a large inventory of oats out there, and the buyer demand exists but the prices continue to stay flat, leaving many to wonder do I sit tight or sell? Stats Canada released their crop projections and while there weren’t many surprises, it seems the oat acres are much lower than they had originally projected, with only 2.5 million acres planted, a stark contrast from the 3.9 million acres planted in 2022.
Seller’s tip: Harvest is coming sooner than you think! Now is the time to start thinking about cleaning out the bins and moving any grain you still have in the yard. July movement is filling up very fast. Placing a target is the best way to ensure you are maximizing the upswings in the market. Call us today 1-888-969-5552.
