Quick hits: As farmers mobilize for protest, one in 1979 is recalled; West Virginia crooner invites folks to visit state . . .

U.S. Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kansas and later secretary of agriculture, left, with prized Polled Hereford bull "King George" and his owner, farmer and American Agriculture Movement communications czar Leon Riffel. (Photo courtesy of Crystal Carson)

As Farmers for Climate Action get ready for their early-March rally in Washington D.C., let's revisit the 1979 Tractorcade. "In early February 1979, David Senter — a fourth-generation farmer from Burleston, Texas — and more than 3,000 other striking farmers from around the country drove their tractors to the nation’s capital to demand parity for farmers. The predominant issues at that time were fair commodity pricing and country-of-origin labeling," reports Dan Sullivan of Lancaster Farming.

Spring planting will soon be upon us. Heirloom seeds are something special to consider as you plan your 2023 garden.

"Don't hesitate, come and see the Mountain State," croons Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. in his latest release, "Come Home to West Virginia." Murphy, who once washed cars, is working to keep jazz classics from what some call "the Great American Songbook" alive and is adding his own creations. He still lives in coal-rich Logan County and finds ways to celebrate Appalachian life through big-band music.

Read something unusual about America's last rural president: "A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue. As a 28-year-old Navy lieutenant, Carter was one of the few people on the planet authorized to go inside a damaged nuclear reactor," reports Gillian Brockell of The Washington Post.

Bison and Montana go together. In this outdoor classroom, a recent bison harvest highlights a growing number of state-level curriculum programs that teach students Native ceremony and food traditions.

Wikipedia map

Moffat, a small Scottish town of about 2,400, "first gained attention as a Victorian-era spa town known for its sulfur-rich springs. More recently, the town’s fame has taken a darker turn—literally. After upgrading its public lighting, in 2016, Moffat became the first European town to receive International Dark Sky Place certification," reports Blair Mastbaum of Atlas Obscura.

Catching Covid-19 may be the best way to avoid the worst of it, a new study from the University of Washington has found. Contracting the disease may offer more durable immunity, reports Julia Marnin of The Seattle Times.

Too hot? Too cold? "Cold is far more deadly. For every death linked to heat, nine are tied to cold," reports Harry Stevens of The Washington Post. It's a complex argument: "If cold was deadlier than heat, and the planet was getting hotter, global warming might actually save lives. But whose lives?"

How do human fingerprints get their special swirls? Their intricate patterns "are produced during fetal development by waves of tiny ridges that form on the fingertip, spread and then collide with each other — similar to the process that gives a zebra its stripes, or a cheetah its spots," reports Heidi Ledford of Nature.

"Phillip Andrew Marx takes care of chickens, ducks, and turkeys in exchange for money to help him graduate college with no student debt. . . . For Marx, he said he believes change starts with farmers, and he’s proud to work on projects related to farming and agriculture," reports Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder. This piece presents a new program in CaliforniaCorps, a job program for students, and it's a program other states can mimic.