Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 5
MISSOURI
RURAL
Volume 76 | OCTOBER 2023 | Number 10
EDITORIAL STAFF:
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sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Jim McCarty, editor emeritus
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Angie Jones-Wheeler, associate editor
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CONTACT:
Rural Missouri
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ostmasters end address changes to Rural Missouri,
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is published monthly by the ssociation
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T
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Empty fields and blackouts
photo courtesy California Democrat
In the early 2000s, the Jones brothers were back-to-back hay hauling
champions at the local county fair. After I won, my brother Clayton (in the
white T-shirt) felt obligated to try to outdo me.
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
here is nothing more stressful
to a farmer than a field
of suare hay bales all lined
up in ros ith dark storm
clouds in the sky. roing up
spent many hours chasing square
balers through fields and all too
often spent hat felt like days suirreled
aay in some loft shoving hay
bales in beteen rafters.
t takes a certain skill set not usually
taught in schools to load that
truck bed full of hay so you don't have
to come back ith another trailer.
ach bale had a very specific place
it had to go in the truck bed to make
sure you eren't reloading it halfay
home. or my brother and this as a
science. t one point the ones brothers
ere back-to-back hay hauling
champions at the local fair.
his year the drought in many
Circulation of this issue: 584,339
areas caused a hay shortage. mpty
barns forced folks to ship in hay
from other counties and states. ll
too often the talk around the local
coffee shops as focused on important
uestions o have enough hay
to feed through inter re there
enough hay fields for everyone
imilar discussions are going on
ith the electric grid. cross the
country we are seeing utilities shutting
don coal and gas plants and
building solar farms. his looks like a
great opportunity but hat happens
hen the sun isn't shining
he anser is scary. tilities all
around us are sending out arnings
to their customers preparing them
for blackouts. ust last eek a friend
told me his electric company shut
off his air conditioner for a couple of
hours in the middle of the day e
can talk about ho a utility shuts off
air conditioners later. We live in the
greatest country in the orld ho
did e get to a place here poer for
some can't be taken for granted
The right explanation is often the
simplest. We have more cos than
ever but are getting rid of hay fields
expecting someone else to supply us
ith hay. ikeise hy ould large
parts of the nation shut don reliable
generators and hope someone else
can help them through crisis times
he good nes is issouri's electric
cooperatives kno hy electricity
is vital. ather than shutting don
poer plants and replacing them ith
something that only orks hen it's
sunny e are building to ne gas
generation plants to provide you our
member-oners reliable electricity.
ood farmers do hatever it takes
to make sure their cos eat. ikeise
your local electric cooperative is doing
everything it takes to make sure you
have the electricity you need on
sunny and cloudy days.
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives and a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
OCTOBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - October 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - October 2023
Contents
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - Contents
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 4
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 5
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 6
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 7
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 8
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 9
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 10
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 11
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 12
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 13
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 14
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 15
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 16
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 17
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 18
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 19
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 20
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 21
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 22
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 23
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 24
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 25
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 26
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 27
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 28
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 29
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 30
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 31
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 32
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 33
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 34
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 35
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 36
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 37
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 38
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 39
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 40
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 41
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 42
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 43
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 44
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 45
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 46
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 47
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 48
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 49
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 50
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 51
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 52
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 53
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - 54
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - October 2023 - Cover4
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