Are there airplanes in heaven?

When I die and if I go to heaven I still want to fly airplanes. I am writing this at the Sterling, Colorado airport having just completed an awesome twin engine airplane flight from McCook. There was no wind at altitude so the ride was smooth. A few high clouds were evident but I could see Sterling from forty miles out. Even the landing was acceptable, at least my three passengers didn't complain. Life doesn't get much better and to think I get paid to do it!

I found an interesting character here at Crosson Field. He flies a Cessna 337 sometimes known as the "Mix-Master" from its arrangement of one engine pulling and the second pushing. I prefer the appellation "pushme-pullyou" and it is appropriate for Vic whose company designs and builds carnival equipment. They are the world's largest manufacturer based right here in Sterling, Colorado. Who'd a thought it?

It was interesting sitting in the McCook City Council meeting last night listening to the debate about permitting a dog breeding facility within the city's zoning responsibility. Obviously the neighbors aren't happy to have one hundred plus barking dogs 24/7. On the other hand the puppy producing enterprise was presented as a small business that, by definition, is good for McCook. The Council on a split vote rejected the dog breeding business permit which will make the neighbors happy but I suspect we haven't seen the end of the matter either.

Flying directly from McCook to Sterling, one roughly parallels Highway 6 and passes south of Holyoke, (I just love that name) Colorado. The Nebraska/Colorado state line is marked on my GPS but one doesn't need high tech to see it. On the Nebraska side one sees miles of pasture land dotted with quite a few center pivot crop circles. It is the same on the Colorado side but in addition there exist a plethora of confinement hog operations. Those distinctive buildings clustered around waste disposal lagoons are located out of sight of the highway so most travelers have no idea that the huge hog industry even exists. Out of sight and out of mind, maybe there is a lesson there for McCook's erstwhile dog breeder.

Interestingly about twelve miles south of Holyoke there is a new upscale, invitation only, eighteen hole golf course. It nestles in an area of what obviously was a line of active sand dunes until recent rains stabilized them with a cover of grass and forbs. From the air the sharp contrast of irrigated greens and fairways give the location of the course away. Flying directly overhead I could also count no less than eleven large hog operations in the neighborhood. Evidently privacy makes for good neighbors whether driven by bad odors or a desire for exclusiveness.

Between the state line and Sterling, the terrain is an endless series of low rolling hills that in their natural state are covered with sagebrush and sparse grass. Add water from a center pivot and the sandy soil produces good crops of wheat, corn, soybeans, millet and alfalfa. Without irrigation the farmers are pretty much limited to wheat and sorghum crops.

Value added agriculture may be the answer to a stable future for southwest Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Rather than shipping the grain that is produced maybe it is better to add value locally by processing as does the milling and ethanol industry or feeding it to hogs and cattle. For some reason Nebraska has been reticent to embrace the hog industry but Colorado keeps it out of sight and out of mind and I suspect enjoys the fruits of a natural economic engine.

That is the way I see it.