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November 2026 | Making Choices That Power Our Future

Posted: November 1, 2026 at 9 a.m.

By Sean J. Vanslyke | sean@gosemo.com

In this month’s book recommendation, The Content Diet, Matthew Kelly writes: “Life is choices. We build our lives one choice at a time, one piece of content at a time. We build our character, our habits, our relationships, and our future selves one choice at a time, one piece of content at a time. Make choices that are easy to live with. Make choices that your future self will thank you for making.”

That message applies to more than the content we consume. It applies to how we plan for the future. As your local electric and fiber cooperative, we are making choices today that will affect the reliability and affordability of electricity for years to come. Electric demand is growing, especially during extreme heat and cold, as homes, businesses, and new economic development rely on more electricity.

That is why Associated Electric Cooperative, our power generation cooperative, is investing in new natural gas generation across our three-state system. These energy centers can provide significant power quickly when demand is at its highest.

Every investment is carefully evaluated because the costs are shared across our cooperative system. Our goal remains the same: reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost. Associated is not an outside company selling us power; it is part of our cooperative family. Through our three-tier, member-owned system, your local cooperative has a voice in how electricity is generated and delivered.

Camp SEMO is another way we invest in the future. This two-day interactive event gives our partners and vendors a firsthand look at how each department is stitched together to deliver electricity and fiber across southeast Missouri.

Understanding that teamwork helps strengthen the relationships and shared commitment behind the service that you, our members and subscribers, depend on.

As we approach Thanksgiving, blessings to all. May we continue making choices that our future selves—and future generations—will thank us for making.

Thank you for your support—on the good days and the bad days. Keep pushing forward.

Vanslyke is general manager and chief executive officer

of SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber

Sean visits with Robin Rivers, Lead Training and Education Specialist for the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, during a Camp SEMO stop at the cooperative’s Bloomfield campus. Rivers provides financial training for Team SEMO and hundreds of cooperative leaders at national events. She attended Camp SEMO to learn more about the cooperative and its team, helping her develop even more relevant content in the future.
Team SEMO’s Engineering and Technology group—left to right, Jake, Josh, Brad and Cole—led the monthly safety meeting, discussing cybersecurity threats and new tools. They emphasized being thoughtful about the content we consume and act upon, including AI voice phishing, or “vishing.” The key takeaway: slow down and verify before sharing information or taking action.