I’m reminiscing here, but, truth be told, this piece is a plug for the FFA. You live in Texas and New Mexico. In God’s Country. Get your kids into the FFA and watch them grow. Now for my own version of this, for what it’s worth. Starting out, we weren’t much more than a bunch […]
Unwilling? Unable? Or Untrained?
This month, we are going to take a different approach. As Henry David Thoreau said in 1854, sometimes it is necessary to simplify, simplify, simplify. It can be our outlet to reduce life’s unnecessary details, material possessions, and complexities to focus on essential meaningful living. Throughout my career, I have been trained in numerous […]
Fuel for the Road to Success
The Beatles sang about a “Long and Winding Road” leading to their fame and fortune, and what is now the world’s top-producing oil basin—the Permian—has a similar tale. In this story experts from research firms S&P Global and Wood Mackenzie help unpack the deep and wide layers of the Permian’s national and global significance. […]
OFS in Flux
“You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” was the ancient baseball vendor’s cry. Today’s Permian Basin scorecards can only be tracked digitally, which is good, because they’re always in flux. In this story longtime oilfield stalwart Eric Danos, owner of Danos, takes us through the ins and outs of the decision-making process of acquisitions, […]
The Impact of War on the Workforce
Let’s look back to WWII…. By 1944, unemployment was less than 2 percent, and this was the first time women were encouraged to work outside the home. Also, when labor demand is high, wages will rise. Those left behind, much less those on the front line, experienced high levels of anxiety, whether we named it […]
Step Change
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! Stand on a lease road in West Texas long enough and you will eventually see the entire history of the oilfield in one glance: a decades-old pumpjack still stroking, newer equipment tied into older flowlines, temporary gear staged for the next job, and, […]
The Big Three of OFS: How They Fared Q1
The first quarter of 2026 has offered a revealing snapshot of the oilfield services (OFS) sector, as Halliburton, SLB, and Baker Hughes each reported results shaped by geopolitical disruption, shifting capital flows, and an evolving energy landscape. While all three firms delivered respectable profitability—and in some cases beat expectations—the underlying story is one of divergence: between international and North […]
The Basin: Where History Abounds
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! In a past life I spent many years occupied full time in writing/editing/researching about the American West and its people, past and present, and I’m always surprised at how many “crossover” matters I encounter in my present life of writing/editing/researching about the Permian […]
The Yates Field at 100
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! In the long and eventful history of the Permian Basin, few discoveries carry the weight—and the enduring legacy—of the Yates Field. Discovered in 1926, the Yates Field not only transformed a stretch of rugged West Texas ranch land into one of the most prolific […]
Five Real Challenges of Safety
This month we examine the top five enemies of safety and training—aside from lack of follow up, which deserves a category of its own. Complacency How do you measure complacency? Or can you even measure it? You can sometimes recognize it. Is that reliable? Consistent practices in hiring can be one of the most critical aspects of […]
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