Near the end of 2016 my Facebook page filled up with a lot of "stuff" from people who complained about how bad 2016 was and they hoped 2017 would be better. The Baby Boomer lamentation over the loss of celebrities about their age probably didn't help - we say good bye to them, but also think that every year has its own level of angst.

For agriculture there's not really a lot of time to mope about a tough year. Heck, for many row crop farmers this is year No. 3 of soft prices and market challenges. What do farmers do? Well they don't just stand still when the market tanks, they get out and plan to plant again. They invest in their businesses.

It's time for the 2017 gamble, where you get out there and refire up the operating loan and get to work deciding what you'll plant and what you'll produce. Sure 2016 was bad for some, but frankly it was good for others. Stuff does happen to people, some you can control, some you can't. And farmers are the best at controlling their destiny.

So good luck for 2017, be safe and we hope you prosper.

We prospered with some popular blogs in 2016 we thought you might enjoy revisiting. From culinary adventures of Guy No. 2 to fascinating people our Farm Industry News blog is usually chock full o' good ideas and thoughts.

A blog is an area where we're freer to share our ideas and opinions. It's where we know we can say a little more and you understand it's a commentary on what's happening from our perspective.

We listed the top 10 in reverse order, the last one here is our top blog of 2016, and the one that's there kind of surprised us. The key rule was that the blog had to be produced in 2016. Enjoy our cream of the crop from 2016, we're already working on 2017 ideas.

5 tips for success at the Farm Progress Show

Big shows are a big deal, and in this blog we offer some insight into ways you can maximize the visit. While it talks about the 2016 show, chances are most of this information will have value for this year's show in Decatur too.

A hurricane, a farm structure maker and the future

After Haiti was hit by a devastating hurricane in 2016, Sukup shared that structures it offers for developing markets that can be used for housing stood up to the challenge.

A throwback market? It may feel that way

We delve into the John Deere agreement to become the marketing arm for Hagie Mfg. and some info about what that may mean to the market.

Trying new things for the New Year

Blogger Jeff Ryan (you haven't heard the last of him here) offers one of his culinary blogs and a look at a new restaurant in his area, that also happens to be a customer of his home-grown shrimp business.

10 trending topics from Commodity Classic

Jodie Wehrspann, long time editor for Farm Industry News has departed, but she had her share of top blogs in 2016. This one offers a look at key trends for the year. Check those out.

Technology responsibility and dicamba trouble

Off-label use of dicamba in the South is causing big trouble. There's a lot of blame going around, but in this blog we're frank about who should shoulder some.

10 fascinating people in agriculture

This industry has its share of movers and shakers, here Wehrspann shared her thoughts on people she'd run into during the year.

Snow, skid-steers and an errant chain

The adventures of Blogger Jeff Ryan, or Guy No. 2 as we call him, are always fun to read. He often finds trouble, and interesting ways to get out of it.

Celebrating a life in farm equipment

When you lose a friend it's tough. We mourn the loss of a long-time colleague in this industry who touched a lot of lives, and really made a lot of people laugh too.

EU makes moves on three soybean events

You never know what readers will find interesting. This blog, that offers more insight on Euro approvals on new GMO tech shows it. Farmers want to know when this stuff gets approved. And it's our top 2016 blog.