This year’s Co-op Month theme, “Owning Our Identity,” provides an opportunity to reflect on what makes cooperative businesses unique in the marketplace. Guided by a set of shared principles and values – among them democracy, equity and solidarity – co-ops are hardwired for economic and societal transformation.
THANK YOU to the over 120 Dairyland and member cooperative volunteers who helped us complete all six service projects on Dairyland's first-ever Cooperative Day of Service Oct. 4! It was the perfect kick-off of National Co-op Month, showcasing our dedication to the cooperative principle, Concern for Community.
Electric Cooperatives 101: All About Us
The Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA), of which Dairyland is a member, provided the basics about what it means to belong to an electric co-op.
What is an electric cooperative? An electric cooperative is a consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric power provider. Each ratepayer/member gets one vote and has an equal ownership interest in the cooperative with all other members.
Why were electric cooperatives formed? In the 1920s and 1930s, large power companies refused to extend service to farmers and rural areas. In order to extend power to rural America, Congress and President Franklin Roosevelt passed and signed the Rural Electrification Act (REA) in 1936. This act authorized locally-owned cooperatives to borrow money from the federal government to provide electric service to themselves at cost.
How many electric cooperatives are there in Wisconsin? Wisconsin’s 24 electric distribution cooperatives serve more than 279,067 farms, residences and businesses in the state. Dairyland is a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides power to our 24 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota - meeting the energy needs of 700,000 people!
Nearly one out of every 10 electric consumers in Wisconsin is an electric cooperative member. Nationally, 930 electric cooperatives serve nearly 42 million people.
How is the cooperative governed? Each year the members of the cooperative elect directors to serve on the board of directors to provide oversight to the cooperative.
How are electric cooperatives regulated? Electric cooperatives are regulated by their locally elected board of directors, subject to federal Rural Utility Service regulations and to all applicable state and federal laws, regulations and codes.
Who can run for director? Any member in good standing can run for the cooperative’s board of directors. If you are a member, consult the bylaws of your particular cooperative for details.