Good Old Days 01-15-16

Compiled By Delaney Uhrig

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

50 Years Ago

'Sidney Mill Is Pleased With Soybean Processing Results'

Jan. 12, 1966

Soybean processing - tried for the first time this year at the Sidney plant of the Pacific Vegetable Oils Corp - is proving to be a successful operation, says Ned Robinson, plant manager.

In fact, the company thinks enough of the possibilities that it plans to encourage the production of more soybeans from Kearney west, with assurance that there will be a market for the beans in Sidney.

The plant, built by PVO to process safflower grown in a five-state area, turned to soybeans as an experiment several weeks ago after safflower yields fields turned out poorly for the third straight year.

It was a question of finding something for the plant to do until safflower fields are built up again, said Mr. Robinson, and soybeans may be the answer.

The mill has already purchased 19,000 tons of soybeans in central and west-central Nebraska, and may buy more if market conditions are favorable. Meanwhile, according to Mr. Robinson, the plant already has processed 8,000 tons of soybeans into meal, and has found a market for the feed in Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado.

Many local farmers are buying the meal, he said, and have indicated hay they may try to grow some soybeans in western Nebraska. A few farmers who have tried soybeans in the past appeared well satisfied with the return, Mr. Robinson reported. At a meeting to be held here later this month, sponsored by the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture, soybeans will be high on the agenda, Mr. Robinson said. "We aren't planning to encourage any dry-land farmers to grow soybeans farmers to grow soybeans," Mr. Robinson said, "but we do think it has good possibilities on irrigated farms."

The mill now has enough beans on hand for a steady run until about the first of May, according to Mr. Robinson. If more beans are brought, the season could be extended.

After the soybeans are finished, the plant will process the safflower it has on hand. This would be only a short run, Mr. Robinson reports, because the crop was poor in 1965.

He emphasized that PVO has not given up on safflower as a good replacement crop for this region, but until weather conditions improve and research develops hardier strains of safflower, the plant needs other work to supplement its production program. Soybeans my prove to be the answer, Mr. Robinson believes.

40 Years Ago

'Youth Camp Board To Hear Good, Bad News On Lodge'

Jan. 16, 1976

Marjorie Borcher will have some god news and some bad news to tell board embers of the Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp next week at the group's annual meeting.

The good news, Mrs. Borcher says, is that construction of the camp's new lodge is nearly completed.

The bad news is that it's still not ready for use because electricity has not yet been run to the lodge by the city, and the $45,000 thought to be enough to cover the construction and furnishing of the lodge will be a bit short.

"Right now we're looking for an April 1 completion date so we can have an Easter service for the community here that month," she said Thursday. "The construction is all done with the exception of pouring kitchen floor, and we can't do that until we can heat the place to maintain a constant temperature. And we can't heat the lodge until the city receives a transformer it has on order."

The youth camp is at the east edge of Legion Park in Sidney.

The youth camp board estimated the cost of the lodge to be $45,000, but that figure won't quite pay for everything, Mrs. Borcher said.

"Construction alone cost us $38,000 and major appliances have run $6,600, and we still have to purchase tables and chairs and that sort of thing. We're hoping to raise the extra money with donations and revenue received from a fee charged users of the lodge building."

The lodge will seat 120 persons and sleep about 80, she said. Capacity for dances is expected to be about 250.

"I'd say we've lost about $500 in revenue already just because we haven't been able to open the lodge to people wanting hold their annual meetings, wedding receptions and that sort of thing out there."

25 Years Ago

'Couple Glad To Be Out Of Arabia - Especially Today'

Jan. 15, 1991

The sister and brother-in-law of the Rev. Julian Miguel, pastor of the First United Methodist Church, are right where they want to be today, the 15th of January - in Sidney, Nebraska. Ordinarily these citizens of the Philippines would be in Saudi Arabia.

Mimoteo Usita, the Rev. Miguel's brother-in-law, works as a mechanical engineer at a power plant in Saudi Arabia. He's very pleased about the pay rate, considerably more than is available in the Philippines. Hopefully, his job in Arabia will still be there when he returns from his visit to Nebraska. He is very concerned about the impending threat of war in the region and the Jan. 15 deadline imposed by the United Nations for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait.

Nunitei and his wife, Eleanor, had no relatives or friends living in Kuwait or Iraq when conflict erupted in the region last August, they said. Thousands of Asians working in the area were involuntary "guests" of the Iraqis for a while, and then jumped into Jordanian refugee camps, unable to return to their native lands. The Usitas said that most of the Filipino refugees were eventually returned to the Philippines on planes charted by Mrs. Aquino's government.

Eleanor Usita does not live in Saudi Arabia with her husband. She doesn't like it there at all, and shudders when she talks about the place. She visits her husband occasionally, but the two seldom leave the compound where her husband lives in a comfortable, air-conditioned apartment. Most of the year she stays in the Philippines and helps their three grown sons complete the education made possible be their father's work in Arabia. The Usita's eldest son will graduate from medical school this year, and the second son will complete his degree in mechanical engineering.

10 Years Ago

'Information Linked To Cabela's Success Incorrect'

Jan. 18, 2006

A statement made by Cabela's Chief Executive Officer and President Dennis Highby, via the Internet, Thursday was unclear concerning financial information.

A Jan. 14, 2006 published in the Sidney Sun-Telegraph concerning Cabela's Inc. profits was incomplete.

The confusion stemmed from highboy reporting to investors and interested parties about the company's recent success, based on a mix of 2004 and 2005 information. Some of the statements made during Highby's speech were apparently based on information made form the company's fiscal year 2004 date.

The 2004 and 2005 figures were mixed together as the company will not report on fourth quarter results until Feb. 23.

Since the original story was published on Jan. 14, Cabela's corporate office personnel provided the Sidney Sun-Telegraph with Highby's speaking points, which the original speech was apparently based upon.

Cabela's full fiscal year 2005 results will be provided after the market closes on Feb. 23, according to a company press release.

The Sun-Telegraph will re-examine Cabela's FY 2005 reports when complete information is provided Feb. 23.