April/May 2022
From the President and CEO
Guided by Dairyland's Strategic Priorities and Brent's CEO goal of Sustainability, Dairyland employees are daily navigating our complex industry to serve members with safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity. This requires Laser Focus and is the inspiration for Dairyland's 2022 Annual Meeting theme. Join us June 8 at the La Crosse Center.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Government Relations Manager Jennifer Shilling joined cooperatives from Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois attending the NRECA's 2022 Spring Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. States are reaching the end of their sessions for the year with a push to get last-minute legislation passed.
Recognize #EconDevWeek, May 9-13

Economic Development Week is May 9-13. The event was created by the International Economic Development Council in 2016 to increase awareness of local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and improve the quality of life in communities everywhere. Cooperatives who wish to highlight some of their local economic development projects can also use the hashtag #EconDevWeek on social media.

Dairyland and some of its member cooperatives in northwest Wisconsin are supporting a reception on May 12 to recognize and thank economic development organizations in the Chippewa Valley. Supporting cooperatives include: Barron Electric, Chippewa Valley Electric, Clark Electric, Dunn Energy, Eau Claire Energy, Jump River Electric and Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services.

Dairyland's team of three economic development experts are available to support Dairyland's 24 member cooperatives with their next economic development project. Be sure to check out Dairyland's Economic Development site to learn more about available programs and opportunities.
Manager, Community & Economic Development
Sr. Economic Development Specialist
Sr. Economic Development Specialist

Current chairperson of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association
SAVE THE DATE: May 24-25, 2022
In-Person Communications
and Member Services Meeting!

It's been over two years since Dairyland has hosted an in-person communications and member services meeting. Plans are still in the works, but mark your calendars for May 24-25, at the Cranberry Country Lodge in Tomah, Wis. The first day will begin at 10 a.m., and the conference will conclude by noon on May 25. Click here to register. A list of attendees is below.

We can't wait to see everyone! Contact Dana Bolwerk with questions.
Dairyland, Riverland Dedicate Fast Charger
at Holmen Kwik Trip
Dairyland Press Release

Representatives from Dairyland Power Cooperative, Riverland Energy Cooperative (Arcadia, Wis.) and Kwik Trip gathered on Earth Day (April 22) to dedicate Wisconsin's first electric vehicle (EV) fast charger at a Kwik Trip. The Level 3, 180 kW ABB Fast Charger is located at the new, Holmen Kwik Trip (1760 Tempte St.).

Riverland serves the site and is also the EV fast charger operator. Dairyland partnered with ZEF Energy as the vendor for the ABB fast charger.
Dairyland, Jump River Partner on Osprey Platform, Camera Installation

Dairyland has helped launch an Osprey Cam near its Flambeau Hydro Station on the Dairyland Reservoir (Ladysmith, Wis.). Just like our Peregrine Falcon Bird Cam, the live feed captures "real time" online birdwatching at the Osprey stand. Both Bird Cams are on the home page of Dairyland's website.
The new Osprey Bird Cam is a cooperative effort between Dairyland, Jump River Electric Cooperative (Ladysmith, Wis.) and the Raptor Resource Project. The poles and Osprey stand were donated and installed by Jump River near the Dairyland Reservoir. Dairyland provided the camera system which was installed by the Raptor Resource Project and went live in April.

Falcon News ...
A peregrine falcon was spotted on March 1 at the Alma Site (Wisconsin) nesting box. It and its mate are a returning pair from last year. The unnamed female is from a 2015 hatch from Midwest Plaza in Minneapolis; the male is unbanded. The pair is incubating a clutch of 4 eggs with hatching expected in the new few weeks. 
Summer Load Management Season Began May 1

The summer Load Management season is underway and will last through Oct. 31.
 
Full Load Control Reminders
The summer Full Load Control strategy specifically targets the months June, July, and August. If your cooperative uses local media for messaging, please remember to contact your local radio and television stations to update any pre-arranged seasonal Peak Alert / Full Load Control messages to reflect the Summer Full Load Control times.

Load management and Summer Shift marketing materials are available on Members Only under Marketing & Communications -> Marketing Materials.
CHARGETM EV Event Planning Webinar

On April 6, an EV Event Planning webinar was hosted by CHARGETM. With spring arriving, affiliates are preparing to host or co-host EV events. This webinar featured some “best practices” tips from those who have already put on an event, including:

The webinar was recorded and can be accessed below. Any follow-up questions from the event can be directed to the individuals above or Dana Bolwerk. 
NRECA Launching New Broadband Tier

NRECA is forming a new broadband tier of services to help electric cooperatives navigate the challenges of deploying broadband in the communities they serve.

The vision for the broadband tier, based on feedback from dozens of co-op leaders, is to offer additional benefits such as focused relationship-building and lobbying on Capitol Hill and at federal agencies, plus exclusive events and publications and enhanced services and analyses, he said.
Q&A: Navigating Broadband Funding
Scot Hoffman, NRECA (3/29/22)

Enormous sums of federal and state funding are available to help the country’s unserved and underserved areas access fast, reliable internet. In the online article "Q&A Navigating Broadband Funding and Opportunities," NRECA Regulatory Affairs Director Brian O'Hara discusses the breadth of available funding and how it’s changing the equation for electric cooperatives that are well-positioned to leverage opportunities to help their communities.
COOPERATIVE NEWS
We love to feature co-op news and new employees in Current Matters! Please share your latest updates with Dana Bolwerk (dana.bolwerk@dairyandpower.com).
Sleepy Hollow Ford Open House May 6
Vernon Electric, Richland Electric will help dedicate two EV fast chargers
Photo courtesy Vernon Electric

A partnership between Sleepy Hollow Ford (150 Fairlane Dr., Viroqua, Wis.), Richland Electric (Richland Center, Wis.) and Vernon Electric (Westby, Wis.) will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Friday, May 6, to dedicate two DC fast chargers and a one-of-a-kind canopy. This celebration will help kick-off Sleepy Hollow's Open House for their new location, which includes solar panel installations on the canopy and main building.

The Open House begins at 3 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. A full schedule, including music and food is on Sleepy Hollow Ford's Facebook page.
Touchstone Energy Booklets Available

Spring cleaning and Earth Day are great times to remind our members to evaluate their energy use. The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives website is full of great digital resources. Additionally, Touchstone has made their energy-saving booklets available as PDFs to download. Touchstone Energy members can also receive up to 250 copies of each of the books for the cost of shipping. Titles include:
  • 101 Easy Ways to Save Energy & Money
  • Commercial Energy Savings Guide
  • Home Energy Savings Guide
  • Questions to Ask When Replacing Your HVAC
  • The Cooperative Difference
Jackson, Town of Brockway Add EV Chargers
Photo & text courtesy Jackson Electric Cooperative

Jackson Electric Cooperative (Black River Falls, Wis.) and the Town of Brockway recently partnered to install electric vehicle charging stations on Oasis Road in Black River Falls, Wis., at the I-94/Hwy 54 interchange.
 
With easy access to Interstate, the site will allow EV owners to learn more about what Jackson County and the Black River Falls area have to offer. Charging options include
 
Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC) 50 kW
  • CCS and CHAdeMO plugs
  • Credit card swipe or ZEF Energy smartphone app
  • About 150 miles of range per hour of charge
 
Level 2 Dual Plug Charger 11.5 kW per plug
  • SAE J1772 plug
  • Credit card swipe or ZEF Energy smartphone app
  • About 35 miles of range per hour of charge
Clark Electric's "Giant Heart" Featured in RE Magazine

The May edition of RE Magazine shares the story of Clark Electric Cooperative's (Greenwood, Wis.) Adler-Clark Electric (ACE) Community Commitment Foundation. Thanks to an endowment from the sale of the cooperative's appliance and satellite subsidiary nearly 20 years ago, the foundation has awarded $625,000 in donations to community groups.

"You don't have to be a huge system to add a lot of value to where you are," said CEO & General Manager Tim Stewart. "If something good happens in the community, usually the co-op is involved in it."
"Wisconsin Remembers": Traveling Memorial Featured at Pierce Pepin Annual Meeting
Photo & text courtesy Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services

Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (Ellsworth, Wis.) held its 85th annual meeting on Tuesday, April 5, at the Ellsworth High School Cafetorium. Over 185 members and guests attended and were able to view the Wisconsin Veterans Museum traveling exhibit “Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name” to the event. The exhibit is a tribute to the 1,161 Wisconsin service members who died during the Vietnam War.
Jackson Electric Youth Ambassadors
Host Easter Egg Hunt
Photo & text courtesy Jackson Electric Cooperative

Jackson Electric Cooperative hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for employees' children and directors' grandchildren on April 9 with help from Jackson Electric's youth ambassadors.
 
As part of their leadership training, the youth ambassadors were given a budget to plan the event. They planned games, prizes and what to provide for a snack.
MiEenergy Logo
MiEnergy Wins Spotlight on Excellence Award

Congratulations to the team at MiEnergy Cooperative (Rushford, Minn. | Cresco, Iowa) for winning a Silver Spotlight on Excellence Award in Best External News Publication for their monthly member newsletter, MiNews. MiNews staff are:
  • Meagan Moellers, editor, communications specialist
  • Annie Hoiland, communications specialist
  • Brenda Tesch, marketing and communications manager

The Spotlight on Excellence Awards program recognizes a body of outstanding work produced by electric cooperative communication and marketing professionals from across the country. The 18 categories reflect the wide scope and valuable contributions of co-op communicators today. Award winners were recognized at a special reception during the CONNECT Conference in Seattle, Wash., this past week.
RESOURCE CENTER
ENERGY STAR

Straight Talk Materials

Webinar Opportunities
NRECA - Communications Across the Cooperative Network
Thursday, May 19 | 1 p.m. CDT
  • Review the results from the 2022 State of Electric Cooperative Communications Survey. Findings include communications planning, staff size, responsibilities and activities managed, most-used channels and more.

Touchstone Energy - Outage Recovery Workshop with Walmart
Wednesday, May 18 | 10 a.m. CDT
  • While electric cooperatives often collaborate to assist one another, consider the benefits of mutual aid with your C&I key accounts. Walmart and several cooperatives will share their storm stories. Hear about key accounts communications, outage preparedness tactics and restoration best practices.
LinkedIn Learning is free for all Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. The online platform teaches the latest software, creative and business skills through high-quality, online instructional learning resources. Each cooperative has a certain number of licenses. Additional licenses can be purchased for $50/each. More information is available at cooperative.com -> Touchstone Energy Cooperatives -> Education.
Safety Break
This issue of Safety Break focuses on the importance of stretching as part of workplace wellness with kudos to Dairyland crews incorporating stretching into their daily routines.
Safety Break is published monthly by Dairyland's Safety Culture Systemwide Team.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Dairyland's cooperative members are looking for new team members. Click on each title to learn more about these openings! If you would like to have your cooperative's job opening posted in Current Matters, click here. Opportunities will be published in one issue unless otherwise noted.
Mothers Day
Each month, Dairyland's Calendar of Events is updated to include information on meeting dates, formats and cancellations. Please forward meeting information pertinent to Dairyland staff, Board or managers to Peggy Kimani at peggy.kimani@dairylandpower.com.
lemonade_lemons.jpg
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?