Rural Missouri - February 2025 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 78 | February 2025 | Number 2
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Sara Schafer, editor
sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Jim McCarty, editor emeritus
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Ricki Spargo, social media editor
rspargo@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 $1.08, 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 2025,
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 589,659
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Life lessons at work
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
A
nyone who lives on a gravel
road knows what happens
when it snows - your road
isn't getting bladed until
all the blacktops are cleared. This
past snowstorm had me holed up at
home with my family.
After watching a few musicals
with my daughter and teaching
my son how to play cards, my wife
decided it was time for us to get outside
and out of her hair. I knew it
was the perfect opportunity to teach
my kids a valuable life lesson: how
to split wood. While their technique
could use some fine-tuning, they
certainly didn't lack enthusiasm.
Growing up, my brother and I
spent countless hours cutting and
splitting wood. What started as a
necessity to keep our house warm
turned into a way for us to earn
some extra money. We sold each
truckload of firewood for $50, delivered
and stacked. When we dropped
off that wood, our customers only
saw a neat pile of firewood ready to
keep their homes warm.
What they didn't see was everything
that went into it - sharpening
chainsaws, getting the truck
unstuck from muddy woods, shattering
the back glass of the truck
(twice) and smashing fingers while
loading the wood. Every stick of
firewood carried with it the marks of
hard work, a few bruised knuckles
and lessons that stayed with us long
after the woodpile was gone.
A lot of that same dedication
and effort goes into turning on your
lights. Your electric cooperative
works tirelessly to ensure that when
you flip the switch, the lights come
on. It's easy to take for granted the
complexity of this process.
Behind the scenes, there are talented
people focused on serving you,
not to mention investments in wires,
transformers, bucket trucks and
cutting-edge technology. These big
investments are all made to achieve
a vital goal - reliable and affordable
What better life lesson can a kid learn on
a snow day than how to split wood? My
daughter, Charlie, turned out to be a natural.
electricity. There are plant operators
calibrating the generators, linemen
braving rain, snow and 100-degree
weather, engineers solving intricate
switching problems and office staff
coordinating efforts. Everyone on
your electric co-op's team works
hand in hand to consistently deliver
electricity to your home.
Today, almost everything you buy
comes with a cord that plugs into
an outlet. That makes it really tough
to be without electricity. That's why
your co-op does everything possible
to make sure any outage is measured
in minutes, not days.
Like those stacks of firewood,
electricity seems simple when it
arrives at your home. But the dedication,
teamwork and resources that
go into ensuring reliable power are
extraordinary. Your cooperative is
committed to keeping the lights on.
While I hope your electric co-op
never throws a stick of firewood
through the back glass of a 1978
Chevy farm truck, rest assured
they're just as dedicated to getting
the job done. And just like that
truckload of wood kept homes warm
without the buyer lifting a finger,
your cooperative is here to keep
your home energized, rain or shine.
Caleb Jones is the executive vice
president and CEO of Missouri Electric
Cooperatives. He is a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
FEBRUARY 2025 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - February 2025

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