Good News, Bad News

Here at the Roundup we wish we could only cover and write about good news, but that wouldn’t be truthful for our readers, would it? We’re optimists here at the Roundup, as we suspect most involved in agriculture or the business world are, and even in the worst of times there are opportunities. We like to say our glass is half full.
    So, in every issue, we print the good with the bad, but remember what may be good to some may be bad to others. We like good livestock prices if we are selling, but we don’t if we’re buying. We like moisture anytime it rains, especially if we’re dry, but we don’t if there is too much snow or if we’re shipping. And so it goes.
    Nationally, happiness would be seeing President Obama’s picture on a milk carton, but the bad or sad news is that most politicians just point their fingers at each other, along with the blame. We don’t like more government in our lives, that’s the bad news, and the good news is that some programs help some producers improve their farms and ranches, if they wish. The really bad news is that over a third of our citizens claim to be entitled to dollars from the government, and the good news is that our government is more aware and is taking better care of our veterans and wounded warriors. The bad news is that, to have a military victory, which is the good news, you almost have to have a battle – the bad news.
    The good news this past week in our area was the much needed rain that a number of us received, and then the bad news is that some missed out and are still in very dry conditions. Despite the weather extremes here in our area, at least we don’t have the weather of other areas, like floods, earthquakes and tornadoes that destroy homes and businesses. The good news is that the Farmer’s Almanac predicted a cool and wet summer, but the bad news is that the National Weather Service predicts hot and dry for the next 30 days. Take your pick.  
    As I wrote this column before I left for Jackson and the Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, it’s good to get it written for the week, but bad for the Roundup, as the office is unusually quiet – our phone lines are out, so no phone calls or e-mails are either coming in or going out. That is bad, with lost revenue and opportunities for many who have something to sell. Sometimes quiet is not so good.
    We say some days are just better that others, and we believe that, when things don’t turn out well, we are certain they will get better. Remember the average pencil is seven inches long, and the eraser is only one-half inch long; optimism is alive and well in Wyoming and around the area. A wise person once said, “An optimist thinks this is the best of all worlds, a pessimist fears the same may be true.”
Dennis