When I was a kid, I wanted to be … Illinois Director of Agriculture. When I was growing up, the director came to our neighbor’s house and talked about all the ways to help the agriculture community.

What would you rather be doing right now? Flying to South America to see old friends that I met and worked with to eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease.

Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone that … I feel very self-conscious when I go to town to a local restaurant or business where a lot of farmers and people are gathered. It is less stressful to speak at a government hearing in Washington than to sit down with some of the local people. I do not know why, but local people are my friends for life and I am not so concerned about people in other parts of the world.

Other than your wedding day and/or the birth of your children, what was your proudest moment? When I was able to pay off the contract for deed on my first farm that my uncle sold me. Also, when the local bank, Farmers National Bank of Griggsville, was given a top rating by the bank examiners.

It really stinks when … a person tells me they cannot work or help with a community project and I see them sitting at a restaurant or bar for several hours.

What word in the dictionary would your face be next to? Driven/motivated.

I always laugh when … my grandchildren say something that is just a little smarter than we adults say. (Grandpa, if you were going to talk for a half hour, why didn’t you sit down in the chair?)

Invite any three people, living or dead, to dinner. Who are they? My grandfather, my father and my brother. They are all gone now, and there are so many things I would like to ask them.

At the end of a really long day at work, I like to … watch a good funny movie such as “Herbie and the Love Bug” and “A Weekend at Bernie’s.”

People who knew me in high school thought I was … windy — talked a lot.

My most unforgettable brush with greatness was … I have met seven presidents of the United States. It is hard to say which one is more unforgettable. Attending the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, where I met most presidents and prime ministers in the Americas.

I would drop all my plans tonight if I had the chance to … travel to a less developed country if I thought I could help the people have a better opportunity to have a better life.

If someone gave me a million dollars, there is STILL no way I would … sit around the house or bar doing nothing.

America should be more concerned about … keeping our freedom. Less government control. Thomas Jefferson said “a government big enough to give you anything you want is big enough to take everything you have.”

I’m OK if there’s ever a national shortage of … I cannot think of anything I have an excess of.

When I’m on the Internet, I always go to … my emails and Ag News and Markets. I like to keep up with what is happening around me.

What is the most useful piece of advice you have ever received? “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.” A coach at Western Illinois University told me that while I was attending WIU 60 years ago.

When I’m cruising down the road, I’m likely listening to … I always listen to news and talk shows.

I always get sentimental when … I always tear up when someone has something very special happen or something terrible.

The older I get, the more I realize … how much we depend on each other. No one does anything alone.

If I had one “do-over,” I would … have more aggressively pushed the USDA to stop African bees (killer bees) at the Isthmus of Panama, while I was chairman of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s Advisory Committee. I always wish I would have bought a neighbor farm when it sold for $1,200 an acre.

My favorite item of clothing is … my Wellington boots. I purchased a pair in 1976 and a pair in 1978. I still wear them today. I have had them repaired a number of times. It upsets my wife Linda because I wear boots with patches!

If I’ve learned anything at all … it is to not take yourself so seriously, and there is always someone willing to help you when you need help. People are basically good all over the world.