Joel Millman’s front-pager on sawdust in the WSJ is everything a WSJ A-hed should be. As the construction industry slows down, there’s much less sawdust to go round, and that’s having devastating consequences in all manner of unlikely places:
The shortage of sawdust and wood shavings has boosted the cost of boarding horses at the Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Okla. Two years ago, the Lazy E paid $950 per load of wood shavings for its horse stalls. Last month, Butch Wise, who manages the ranch, paid $2,650 a load. The ranch needs three loads a week.
The story is meticulously reported and compellingly written; do go read the whole thing.