Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

As a Kansas resident, it seems that the Wizard of Oz and Toto are the only references much of the rest world have about our state. I think we could easily put together an up-to-date version of the old tale. It would go something like this: due to protests from Topeka and Salina – some 300 miles away from southwest Kansas but, dear reader, in harm’s way because of the prevailing winds and the CO 2 that the plant will belch (even with the newest technology, they say) – permits were denied for two new coal-fired power plants in the corner of the state.

There is a chance that it also had to do with the wishes of the “Wicked Witch of the North,” otherwise knows as Governor Sebelius, who is hoping that the next tornado will sweep her and her retinue a bit farther east, like next door to Hillary in the oval office. Instead of “Let them eat cake!” she has said, “Let them settle it in court!” But that’s another tale.

Environmentalists were delighted with the turn of events and immediately started running full-page ads about the “insightful” decision. But wait a minute, as it turns out, the ads were paid for by a gas company, which amazingly wants people to use gas instead of coal. Empowered by the decision, the gas people immediately insisted that, because they do not have enough product, and since coal is BAD, they need to have Alaska and Florida’s coast opened up immediately for gas and oil exploration. By the end of our modern-day Wizard of Oz-fest, all of the Munchkins are over at the new ethanol plant, just a few miles away, shoveling Iowa corn into the boilers to lower the need for gas and oil, which – surprise, surprise – produces as much CO 2.

As we all know, going home again is difficult, even for Dorothy. Meanwhile, we have no new power plants and no alternatives in the near future, so “Let them eat cake!”

All of this has started to make Happy the Coach Driver, AKA Dean the Husband, nervous. When he was a child, a windmill pumped water from a well to the family home where it was used s-p-a-r-i-n-g-l-y. A new wind generator meant they could power up a battery to run the light over the kitchen table, and the sun heated water for the Saturday night bath. Wind and solar power have their benefits, but Dean is hoping that some of the technologies developed in his lifetime will be allowed to stay. He likes some of the new luxuries like heat, lights and hot water, and doesn’t want to start all over. Estimates show that, by 2015, seven percent of the electricity in the U.S. could be produced by wind power. WOW!!

We would like to thank Cargill for allowing us to publish their article on managing high-risk cattle in your feedyard. The article is timely and provides information that our readers should find useful.

Finally, the response our tributes to W.D. Farr and Fred Johnson in our last issue prompted many of our readers to share their comments and stories. Bill Chandler, W.D.’s grandson-in-law, shared one of his most recent memories: “I was fortunate enough to visit twice with W.D. a couple of weeks before he passed. We talked about the cattle market, our family (especially his great grandsons) and fishing … [On our last visit] it was very apparent he was getting tired so I told him I would let him rest. As I walked out of the room, he raised his voice the best he could and asked, ‘What about this Chinese hog thing?’

I couldn’t believe it … and then I wasn’t surprised considering it was W.D. I was talking to. Ninety-seven years old and in failing health, but he still knew about key issues in the market and, even more so, wanted to know the details. I sat back down and spent another ten minutes explaining what I knew. After a few questions, he was satisfied and I let him rest. This was a wonderful, wonderful memory for me and one I will never forget.”