I see America, not in the setting sun of a
black night of despair ahead of us, I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision.
~Carl Sandburg~
(1878-1967)

Seven days and counting until Election Day as I sit down to pen this month’s editorial, and I’m hoping no matter the outcome, the election of a new president will serve as a healing balm to the economy and provide the people of this country a reprieve from the battering our spirits have received. I find it daunting to turn on the TV or even listen to the radio these days. The campaigns are appalling and our liberal media in my estimation continually crosses the fine line of reporting the news versus trying to sway the outcome.

It was on one particularly tough afternoon after cattle prices dropped, the Dow Jones took a plunging dive, paper costs shot up and one of the bulls took out an irrigation line that would have to be replaced that my usual “the glass is half full” optimism plummeted.

The next day I was leaving early to drive to Sun Valley, Idaho where Mercedes and I would catch up with David Stoecklein to judge the Western Cowman Photo entries. I was actually looking forward to the ten hour road trip and taking some routes in areas I hadn’t already seen, although I was still finding it difficult to escape my black cloud. As Mercedes drove, I studied the photos, looking for the one photo that would be the “Editors Choice.” With frustration I gave up trying, as there were simply too many extraordinary photos to narrow it down to one. At this point Mercedes suggested that I lean on David to assist me in making the selection. It was a brilliant suggestion and my dark cloud got a bit lighter.

I was able to take in the landscape and appreciate the changing countryside flying by me. Whenever I travel across our states, it never fails to provide me with a sense of what an amazing country we live in. The following day we met with David and had a great time with him as he made his decisions. Then it was time to select from the final five photos before us: the Editors Choice award. I believe it was fate that we both made the same choice at the same moment for the winner pictured on our cover. While it’s true the USA has taken some pretty tough knocks, we both agreed that somehow this photo was able to transport us back to the patriotism and pride that we feel for America, and the timing could not have been better.

My congratulations to Carrie Gruver, Twin Falls, Idaho for her magnificent photo; it captured our imaginations and pulled on our patriotic heart strings. My congratulations to all of the finalists, this has been a contest to remember. You’ll find all of the Photo Contest Results in this issue and on our website. My thanks to each and every person who took the time and energy to send us your photos.

Photos aren’t the only thing you’ll find in this issue. We’ve got an excellent article on dealing with the cold stress our cows are going to soon be facing and then we have some tax tips that will leave you feeling smarter for reading it when April 15th rolls around next year. You’ll not want to miss this month’s Hooter, I guarantee it will leave you smiling.

I’m going to continue to stay the trail, because there are some things that will always remain certain: the scenery will forever be changing, the dust will eventually settle, the sun is bound to come up, and time has a way of making things better. Stay faithful, stay steadfast and have the best Thanksgiving ever….Happy Trails.