Rural Missouri - November 2023 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 76 | NOVEMBER 2023 | Number 11
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: 584,224
RM | PERSPECTIVES
The best laid plans
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
s any dad knows, when
your darling daughter looks
up at you with her beautiful
blue eyes and sweetly asks
if she can have a kitty, it's not a
question of if, it's a question of when
you are getting a new pet. Earlier
this summer that was the situation
at the Jones Farm, when my daughter,
Charlie, announced she wanted
a few barn cats.
Growing up on a farm, barn cats
A
were a way of life. Barns equal mice.
Hence the need for barn cats.
So, I bit the bullet and arrived
home with three " adorable " kittens
(Charlie's words, not mine). On a
Friday afternoon, as I loaded them
up for a trip to the vet for their
shots, one of those precious critters
sank its sharp little teeth into my
hand. By the end of the weekend,
my hand was swollen enough to
look like I was wearing a Mickey
Mouse glove.
After a trip to the ER, a session
with a hand surgeon and five days
in the hospital receiving antibiotics,
I was patched up - just a little
slower at texting. This story is a
perfect example of best laid plans.
I wanted a happy daughter, not an
infected finger. But sometimes even
the best intentions fall short.
That can be true in life and in
business. I have a front-row seat to
how electric cooperatives prepare,
plan for and overcome even the most
unexpected obstacles. We build our
lines to exact standards to ensure
they stand up to the most extreme
conditions.
Then we get hit by storms, heat
waves, blizzards or your neighbor's
kid who is learning to drive and
takes out an electric pole with his
mom's minivan.
For most people, the mantra is
" plan for the worst; hope for the
best. " That's not good enough for
your electric cooperative.
As we head into winter, employees
at your electric co-op are
My daughter, Charlie, has a soft spot for cats,
even if I don't always share her enthusiasm.
working out the widgets and focusing
on preventative maintenance.
They winterize equipment and trim
back trees that could snap power
lines during a heavy snowfall. In the
office, they cross-train their employees
so no piece of the puzzle is missing
or delayed.
At our power plants, we use hightech
tools such as robots, sensors,
vibration analyzers and ultrasound
guns to find those gremlins that
otherwise would sneak in and interrupt
your supply of electricity. This
constant work has the added advantage
of keeping employees safe.
As we enter the month of Thanksgiving,
we all have a lot to be thankful
for. I'm thankful my daughter
has a vicious little ball of fur that
she loves, and we should all be
thankful for the dedication our electric
cooperatives have to providing
reliable electricity.
Kittens should be cuddly, and
your electricity should always
be available. Let us all stop and
remember everything we should be
thankful for this month and always.
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.
NOVEMBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - November 2023

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