Rural Missouri - February 2024 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 77 | FEBRUARY 2024 | Number 2
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 $0.96, 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 2024,
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 583,566
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Easy to forget
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
bout a month ago, my son,
Max, forgot how to tie his
shoes. He's been tying his
shoes like a pro for more
than a year now. So, he and his sister,
Charlie, did what kids do these
days - they looked up a tutorial on
YouTube. The video combined with
a quick refresher from my wife tied
up the loose ends and Max was soon
back in business.
Turns out it is easy to forget
something you've done for years
and take it for granted. Likewise, it's
easy to forget where your electricity
comes from today. We all know
the luxury of just flipping a switch
or plugging in a cord. But it wasn't
long ago those of us who lived in
rural America were in the dark.
The history of Missouri's electric
cooperative system is noteworthy
and one we shouldn't forget. I'll keep
the history lesson brief for today:
In 1936 President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt enacted the Rural Electrification
Act as part of the New Deal.
The REA helped bridge that incredible
divide between country folks and
their electricity-consuming cousins
in the cities.
A
When Max forgot how to tie his shoes, a
tutorial from YouTube and a refresher from
my wife, Lindsey, got him back in business.
In the mid-1930s, 9 out of 10
rural homes were without electricity.
No surprise, for-profit power companies
were not interested in serving
farmers or homes beyond the cities.
So, a group of farmers and ranchers
united by their common values
banded together with a simple goal:
Turn the lights on in rural Missouri.
This group of folks drove miles
and miles of gravel roads, neighbor
to neighbor, asking each of them to
pay $5 to join a " soon-to-be " group
called an electric cooperative. It was
quite a bit of money back then, and
an even bigger leap of faith.
At least five of Missouri's co-ops
were among the first 100 formed in
the country. That's pretty cool.
Today, Missouri's 47 cooperatives
manage the business and the labor
of electric power, allowing you - our
member-owners - to enjoy reliable
electricity at an affordable price.
The employees at each of those
47 cooperatives help power more
than 600,000 homes, businesses
and institutions in our state. From
the lineworkers to the customer service
representatives to the mechanics
to the board members, your
co-op today is powered by people.
Those people are your neighbors,
family and friends, and those men
and women are committed to keeping
the lights on for you.
We're proud to have helped bring
electricity to rural Missouri all the
way back in the 1930s. We are so
lucky those folks took the time to
drive around our backroads and
do the impossible. Our dedication
to bringing reliable and affordable
energy to you continues today and
tomorrow. Like tying shoes, that's
something we should never forget.
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.
FEBRUARY 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - February 2024

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