Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

I was amused with an article in one of the livestock publications recently that tackled the effects packing plants and immigrants have on communities. It was long and involved and obviously the writer had spent a great deal of time researching the issue. The article began by discussing the impact the packing industry and its workforce has had on Dodge City, Kan., and then moved on to other locations where packers, workers and communities interact. According the article, the decreasing poverty level in Guymon, Ok., can be directly attributed to the 600,000 head of cattle in the area around the Seaboard Plant. However, Seaboard processes hogs … Duh! I was reminded of the political debates we have been subjected to recently that are also completely off point and full of totally unrelated facts.

When Jim Whitt called to tell me he was going to write about Korczak Ziolkowski in his “Whitt and Wisdom” column, I had to tell him about a summer afternoon I spent years ago on the mountain that Ziolkowski and his family were carving into Chief Crazy Horse. I had lunch with the family and then got into the pickup for a tour. Ziolkowski carefully explained his respect for American Indians and that he was building the monument to honor them. He said Indians selected their leaders for their ability to get the tribe through the winter, which is much different from how we “white men” do it. He then said – and it was the first time I had heard the term – “Just wait until you see what happens with Watergate. ”

One of my relatives, five generations back, wrote back to the family from the Continental Congress and said,” We have not yet elected a President and I am not sure it is absolutely necessary.”

I know it’s necessary, but just realized how much I am dreading the next 14 months. 14 MONTHS!

I’ve been with CALF News Magazine for almost 18 years and in that time I’ve had the opportunity to interview and become friends with many of the giants who started the cattle-feeding industry. People like Leo Timmerman, Willard Wall, Ladd Hitch and Eugene Schwertner were one of a kind and made for treasured memories as well as good material. I never knew Louie Dinklage, but I had the chance to visit with lots of people who did. My visit with Bill Foxley was like no other.

This issue was really hard to write because we lost two more industry leaders. W.D. Farr was a giant to me and to the cattle-feeding world. He knew more and saw more and understood more in his almost 100 years than any of us can even imagine, and he did it with grace and dignity. He always recognized his friends, even after his eyesight had failed. He always listened and he always made you glad you had gotten to spend time with him. What a talent.

Just as I finished writing the story on W. D., Sam Johnson called to tell me that his father, Fred, had passed away. Fred Johnson was equally as smart as Farr, but he had an entirely different set of social skills. He was sharp, opinionated, full of energy and a delight to spar with. Each influenced their segment of the industry profoundly and they will be missed.