Rural Missouri - June 2024 - 5

MISSOURI
RURAL
Volume 77 | JUNE 2024 | Number 6
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 specifi ed by subscriber.
If not specifi ed, delivery will be by periodical
class mail at subscriber's expense. Periodical
Class postage paid at Jefferson City, MO, and
additional mailing offi ces. Copyright 2024,
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 587,510
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Our way of life
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
very parent has experienced
this situation. A few weekends
ago, my daughter,
Charlie, had a dance recital
out of town. While I normally try to
make these events, we ran into a
scheduling confl ict as my son, Max,
had a soccer game at the same time.
Lindsey and I had no choice but
to divide and conquer. Not one to
waste a great opportunity, Max and
I spent the weekend playing soccer,
shooting guns and getting out in our
hunting blind to see if we could call
in a spring turkey.
I'm not sure if Max invited his
buddies to enjoy time in the woods
or if he needed witnesses to our
shenanigans. Either way, by the
second day of hunting, I had three
boys in our blind along with six
fl ashlights, three pocketknives,
every kind of turkey call known to
man and enough candy to feed an
army. While they didn't take down
the record gobbler, they had a great
time. It was one of those weekends
on the farm to remember.
It really made me appreciate life
in rural Missouri. Nothing makes
me angrier than sitting in bumperto-bumper
traffi c, but I'll follow a
tractor and planter for 7 miles and
my blood pressure actually goes
down. Maybe it's the lack of parking
meters or the fact every truck driver
you meet on the road waves; whatever
it is, rural Missouri is more
than just living in a house without
close neighbors - it's a way of life.
The hard work, sweat and sheer
grit of those before us helped make
this way of life possible. Roads
were dug by draft horses, neighbors
shared grain bins and electric
cooperatives were formed to ensure
children and grandchildren in rural
Missouri would have the same
opportunities as those in the cities.
Right now, our way of life is being
E
My son, Max, sits between buddies Wheels
and Tyler as we try to call in a turkey. We
didn't bag a big bird, but made memories.
Agency fi nalized new rules on how
electricity can be produced. These
rules will force us to prematurely
shut down our gas and coal plants
and prevent us from building more
in the future. These new standards
are not only impossible to meet, but
all but guarantee blackouts across
our great country. As you can guess,
the people who are going to be hit
the hardest are in " fl yover country, "
a place where I am proud to live.
One of the best things about
growing up in rural Missouri was
knowing you could always count
on your neighbor when trouble was
near. Now is one of those times. We
are going to need your help if there
is any chance of stopping EPA from
shutting down our generation plants
without reliable alternatives.
Please take a few minutes to go to
www.4EnergyReliability.com, read
the proposals and send a letter to
your legislators in Washington, D.C.,
asking them to keep EPA from closing
our power plants and turning
out your lights. As your neighbor,
I would appreciate it, but more
importantly, my kids
would too.
threatened. Not by our brethren in
urban areas or enemies from afar,
but by a government agency. In
May, the Environmental Protection
Caleb Jones is the
executive vice president
and CEO of the Association
of Missouri Electric
Cooperatives. He
is a member of Boone
Electric Cooperative.
SCAN HERE
Scan to
send your
letter.
JUNE 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
http://www.4EnergyReliability.com https://www.facebook.com/RuralMissouri http://www.instagram.com/RuralMissouri https://www.youtube.com/RuralMOMag http://www.pinterest.com/ruralmissouri http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - June 2024
