Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

I don’t know about you guys, but this seemed like the longest presidential election in history. And they are already talking about who will run next. Can you believe it? A friend of mine keeps saying that if you want to blame change in the world, blame it on transportation and communication. Communication certainly had a great deal to do with the election this time, some tried to use it as a vehicle that could sway the vote. As it turned out, in spite of the millions of dollars spent in the swing states, people still voted on their basic beliefs. As far as transportation, I wonder if some of those fancy Hollywood politicos will see red as they fly from California to New York on their next jaunt. One can only hope, now that the smoke has cleared, that we can get back to business, living in a great land with great opportunity. God Bless America.

Our cover story this time is about the environmental challenges that we in agriculture face. A distinct difference of opinion came to light at my house as my husband Dean and I tried to discuss putting wind farms in the Flint Hills. Dean feels as reverent about the Flint Hills of Kansas as the Sioux Indians did about the Black Hills of South Dakota, and, to my surprise, does not feel that property rights apply to the pristine grassland he holds dear. As I think about it, I feel the same way about the lovely foothills of Colorado that I remember fondly from my youth—small communities from Trinidad to Fort Collins, surrounded by farmland. The urban sprawl along the I-25 corridor makes me crazy, but who can blame that aging farmer whose only wealth stems from the water rights he maintained for years, not the crops he can raise.

My father Harold, the goat herder, was with the Soil Conservation Service for thirty-some years, and he had a mantra “… Keep the water … Keep the water … Keep the water!” He knew, all of those years ago, that water was going to be the wealth of the land, and those who held on to it would prosper. W.D. Farr of Greeley spent his life fighting to bring water to Weld County, where, if you could get water to it, anything would grow. Those old-time farmers wanted the land for its richness. Newcomers want the land for its view. Compromises between the two seem as unlikely as the Republicans and Democrats kissing and making nice anytime soon. Meanwhile, acres of farmland go under the blade. While researching a story in the Salt River Valley several years ago, locals told me that it took the same amount of water to support an acre of alfalfa as it did people. For those of us in agriculture, finding acres will be more difficult with no end in sight.

We have completed a remodel of the CALF News Web Site and hope that you will take the time to check it out at www.calfnews.com

This will be our last issue before the New Year, and we at CALF News want to thank all of our readers and advertisers for their strong support. It has been an exciting and gratifying time for our team and we all wish you the best of holidays and a prosperous New Year. Our industry has lived through our worst nightmare, beginning two days before Christmas last year, but has come out the other end strong and reliant. I’m sending everyone I know my best wishes and beef for Christmas, how about you?