I have a farmer who called me a couple of years ago about a problem on his farm, and I have been working with, and advising him, related to it since that first call. He had a gas transmission line that ran through the top of a hill on his property above a pasture. There was a break of the earth that was starting to slide down the slope at the gas line, which was causing a danger to him and his home and neighbors as well.

He called the gas company, and they came out and tried to convince him there was not a big problem. Then he called me back and asked that I come out for a farm visit, which I did. We toured the problem area, and he had many questions, which I advised him on.

After reconnecting with the gas company, they sent new people out and agreed to fix the issue. During the repair work, he requested another farm visit, which I did, and met with a gas company reclamation rep. At this point I gave him, and the gas company rep, pasture variety and rate recommendations, some erosion prevention suggestions, fertilizer recommendations, etc., focusing on the agronomic side of things.

Since then, I have made a couple of more visits and he is fairly pleased with the finished product and has expressed his great appreciation for my advice over the course of this ordeal. He firmly feels that if I had not come out, he would had gotten very little done on this problem, and what done would not have been done to his satisfaction, which was just to have his pasture back in a usable condition and he and his being safe.

On the last visit, he said that the gas company has told him they have spent over $250,000 on this project. This is money he would have had to have spent if they had not corrected it, and again, he credits me with knowing what to ask and ask for in getting them to fix it. He says that when I met with him and the gas company rep the first time, their attitude changed and they were mush more amenable to do the job to his satisfaction.