Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 76 | December 2023 | Number 12
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Sara Schafer, editor
sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Jim McCarty, editor emeritus
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director
mbackes@ruralmissouri.coop
Angie Jones-Wheeler, associate editor
ajones@ruralmissouri.coop
Mike Sutherland, VP communications
msutherland@amec.coop
ADVERTISING:
Mary Davis, production manager
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
CONTACT:
Rural Missouri
2722 E. McCarty St., Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-659-3423 info@ruralmissouri.coop
Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural
Missouri, 2722 E. McCarty St., Jefferson City,
MO 65101. Subscribers: Report change of address
to your local cooperative. Do not send
change of address to Rural Missouri.
Advertising standards: Advertising published
in Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise
that the merchandise and services offered are
accurately described and sold to customers at
the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri's
electric cooperatives do not endorse
any products or services advertised herein.
Advertising that does not conform to these
standards or that is deceptive or misleading is
never knowingly accepted by this publication.
The acceptance of all advertising shall be in
the sole discretion of the editor.
Rural Missouri (ISSN 0164-8578) (USPS
473-000) is published monthly by the
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives,
2722 E. McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO
65101, Caleb Jones,
CEO/executive
vice
president. Individual subscription rate: $12
per year or $25 for three years, taxes and
postage included. Group rate for members
of participating RECs $3.24, plus taxes and
postage, paid from equity accruing to the
member. Delivery as specified by subscriber.
If not specified, delivery will be by periodical
class mail at subscriber's expense. Periodical
Class postage paid at Jefferson City, MO, and
additional mailing offices. Copyright 2023,
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 584,408
RM | PERSPECTIVES
A helping hand
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
T
here's no other place
I'd rather be than rural
Missouri. For me there
is something a little
special about forgetting to grab
the keys from my truck and
knowing it will still be there
when I get back from lunch or
stopping by the feed store to
hear about who nailed the biggest
buck of the year.
I know I don't have to sing
the praises of small-town life
to you, and I know I don't have
to list the challenges. When I
travel the back roads across
the state, I hear about empty
downtowns, a lack of reliable
workers, few childcare options
and nothing to keep young
people in small towns.
What makes rural Missouri so
great is no matter what challenge
each of us is faced with, there are
always friends and neighbors willing
to lend a helping hand.
We had one of our good friends
stop by United Electric Cooperative
in Savannah recently. U.S. Sen.
Eric Schmitt visited the office to talk
about what rural Missouri needs
to be successful. When Eric needs
to know how legislation will impact
those of us who live in rural Missouri,
he goes straight to the source.
Normally I get pretty nervous
about a politician showing up at one
of our co-ops, but not with my friend
Eric. His family owned a furniture
store a few miles from our family
farm in Moniteau County. Back in
2015, when I was a young member
of the Missouri House of Representatives
(and had more brown hair
than gray), I spent countless hours
in Eric's office when he was a Missouri
state senator. Together we
worked through legislation to help
children suffering from epilepsy.
Without his help this legislation
would not have passed.
While at United Electric, Eric
learned how electric cooperatives are
United Electric Cooperative CEO Jim Bagley, left,
recently shared with Sen. Eric Schmitt how his
cooperative provides broadband to rural residents.
bringing much-needed broadband
to rural areas, whether by stringing
fiber on poles or by working to
remove the obstacles that stand
in the way of deployment. He also
discussed how the EPA is trying to
force co-ops to shut down our coal
and gas plants, jeopardizing the reliable
electricity we need to survive.
Down on the farm, a good friend
shows up when the cows are out to
help get them back in the barn. I
have learned it helps to have a good
friend, like Eric, in Washington,
D.C., when the " government folks "
think they know more about rural
Missouri than you.
As I reflect this holiday season,
I'm thankful for good friends and
good neighbors. That team spirit is
what has made rural Missouri and
all of our electric cooperatives successful
in the past and will guide us
in the years ahead. I'm proud to be
part of the team. Merry Christmas
from Lindsey, Max, Charlie and me.
Caleb Jones is the executive vice
president and CEO of the Association
of Missouri Electric Cooperatives in
Jefferson City. He is a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
DECEMBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
http://www.facebook.com/RuralMissouri http://www.instagram.com/RuralMissouri http://www.pinterest.com/ruralmissouri http://www.youtube.com/RuralMOMag http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - December 2023
