annual meeting - verendrye electric cooperativescholarship presentation. ˜ is year’s theme is...

Verendrye Electric Cooperative Velva, N.D.

NetworkNewsVelva: 701-338-2855 • Minot: 701-852-0406 Website: www.verendrye.com

JUNE

201

6

JUNE 2016IN THIS ISSUE

• Capital credits to be distributed

• National Dairy month• Enerbase

completes addition

77th Annual Meeting

is June 9

www.verendrye.com VERENDRYE ELECTRIC NEWS , JUNE 2016 C1

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Enjoy a free meal, entertainment for the whole family and prizes at Verendrye Electric

Cooperative’s 77th Annual Meeting June 9. � e annual meeting will be held in the State Fair Center in Minot, with registration starting at 4 p.m. and dinner being served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

EntertainmentWe encourage members to dance

to the music of � e Dakota Rose Band, which returns this year and will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. � ere will be a special area set aside for people to dance. � e band has been together for 11 years, specializing in

country and gospel music, with a touch of rock ’n roll.

While you enjoy a free concert, your kids or grandkids can play carnival games, jump in bouncing castles, visit a petting zoo and more. Several kids’ prizes, including a bike and a tablet, will be given away.

Prizes� ere will be several door prizes for

adults, including a chance at a $1,750 grand prize. Verendrye will draw from a list of all of its members for the grand prize. If the person whose name is drawn is not in attendance, a prize of $770 will be awarded to a member in attendance in a second drawing.

Voting and business meeting

� e business meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. with voting for directors to commence at approximately 6:45 p.m. You need to be registered and have your voter identi� cation sticker to vote. In the Eastern District, Blaine Bruner and Mark Knudtson were nominated. Karen Hennessy was the only nomination in the Western District and Bruce Anderson was the only one nominated in the Central District. More information about the candidates is included in the annual report mailed in May, in the May magazine and also on our website at www.verendrye.com.

PresentationsWe’ve shortened the business

meeting by eliminating a keynote speaker. Depending on availability, Gov. Jack Dalrymple or Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley will speak, right before Verendrye sta� and the board presents their reports.

� e reports will include information on the � nances of the cooperative and a board and manager’s report, followed by a report by the Resolutions Committee and voting on resolutions. � ere will also be a short Operation Round Up report and scholarship presentation.

� is year’s theme is “Committed to Serving You.” We hope to see you at the annual meeting to hear about how your cooperative is committed to serving its members. n

A petting zoo is one of the main attractions for kids at Verendrye Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting. Bring the whole family to enjoy a free meal, entertainment and prizes for all ages.

ACRE grassroots reception to be held at 3:30 p.m. June 9Enjoy free coffee and cookies and learn how to help your co-op

Do you want to learn how you can help your cooperative � ght for common sense energy policies? Join us for free cookies and co� ee during a reception for the Action Committee for Rural Electri� cation (ACRE) at 3:30 p.m. in the Norsk Room of the State Fair Center June 9.

� e short reception will feature a presentation on how the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan will a� ect cooperative members.

With the backing of grassroots supporters like you, cooperatives have been able to � ght back unreasonable proposals and pass ones that are helpful to cooperatives. ACRE is a national, grassroots network of cooperative supporters.

You can join for only $2.08 a month. Your membership will help us support candidates who support cooperatives. For more information on how to join, call us or come to the reception June 9. n

77th Annual Meeting is June 9

C2 JUNE 2016 , VERENDRYE ELECTRIC NEWS www.verendrye.com

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Verendrye Electric will return $700,000 in capital credits to members this year.

Members of VEC hold equity in the cooperative with capital credits. It is the share of income remaining a� er the cooperative pays its bills. � e amount of capital credits a member holds depends on how much electricity the member purchases each year.

VEC holds on to capital credits to use as working capital. Capital credits help VEC meet expenses of the co-op, such as paying for new equipment and repaying debt. � ey help keep rates at an a� ordable level by reducing the amount of funds that must be borrowed. Because VEC is a nonpro� t cooperative, it returns capital credits to members a� er a period of time.

Each year, the VEC board determines the amount of capital credits to be returned to members based on the � nancial condition of the cooperative.

Checks will be available at the annual meeting, but if you don’t pick up yours, it will be mailed to you. If your capital credit retirement is less than $5, you will not receive a check. � e money will be held until next year and paid out if it reaches the $5 amount. If you have questions about capital credits, contact us. n

Verendrye Electric employees will be ready to give you your capital credit check at the annual meeting. If you do not attend the meeting, the check will be mailed to you.

Verendrye Electric to distribute $700,000 in capital credits


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Dairy cattle at Pay-Dak Dairy near Towner enjoy the sunshine on a nice day in May. June is National Dairy Month and Verendrye Electric Cooperative is featuring both dairy farms it serves. Verendrye also serves Sandhills Dairy near Denbigh.

McHenry County dairy farms celebrate National Dairy MonthBY KRISTIE HOFF [email protected]

Whether it is nourishing milk or delicious treats like cheese, ice cream or

yogurt, dairy products are important staples produced by hardworking dairy farmers in all 50 states. Verendrye Electric Cooperative is highlighting the work of both of the dairy farms it serves to celebrate National Dairy Month.

“I just love the cows, that’s why I do it,” said Samantha “Sam” Heyl, who owns Pay-Dak Dairy with her husband, Jonas.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there are currently 87 licensed dairy farms in North Dakota, compared to 320 licensed dairies in 2006. Verendrye Electric powers two of those farms: Sandhills Dairy, near Denbigh, and Pay-Dak Dairy near Towner.

Pay-Dak Dairy was started in 1976 by Dale and Pat Kuhn, who are Sam’s parents. � e Heyls and their seven full-time employees milk 300 cows every day and have a total of 1,000 head of cattle on the farm. � e dairy grows its own alfalfa, producing

around 3,500 bales a year. One milk cow will produce

approximately 78 pounds of milk per day and eats about 105 pounds of feed every day. Feeding dairy cattle is important not only for their health, but also for milk productivity. Cows are fed high-quality alfalfa and a feed mixture consisting of corn silage,

canola meal, soybean meal and alfalfa haylage. Baby calves are born year-round at the dairy farm and take a lot of work to care for and feed. Calves are fed by bottles and then moved to pails once they get a little older.

Sandhills DairyLee Zimmerman is the owner and

Sam Heyl, of Pay-Dak Dairy, poses next to one of her favorite cows. She and her husband, Jonas, own the dairy, which is a family operation that was started by her parents in 1976.


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operator of Sandhills Dairy. It was built in 1993 by the Towner Area Development Corporation (TADC). It was originally managed by a farmer from Holland and was later leased to Mike and Mary Zimmerman and their family in August 1996. � e Zimmermans leased the facility from TADC for six years and o� cially purchased Sandhills Dairy in 2002. Mike and Mary’s son, Lee, along with his wife, Kristi, and their four children – Ethen, Mason, Bryson and Emerson – are now the owners of the dairy with his sisters, DelRae and Jenny, and local partners Charlie Keller, George Moreno and John Cargo.

Sandhills Dairy milks 850 cows every day. � e parlor operates 24 hours a day with shut-down for one hour during the day and one hour at night when they do a complete pipeline wash and everything is cleaned. � e milk is then trucked to a cheese processing plant in Pollock, S.D., 240 miles one way every day. Sandhills Dairy has its own trucking business, called White Rock Express and owns its own tankers to truck all

the milk themselves. � ey will soon be picking up and trucking Pay-Dak’s milk also.

Dairy producers in north central North Dakota struggle with � nding places to sell their milk. “It used to be easy when Winger Cheese was open right down the road in Towner,” Zimmerman said. � ey have had to truck their milk to Minnesota, South Dakota and even as far as Nebraska in years past.

Industry trendsMarkets play a huge role in the

dairy industry, both locally and globally. “Live, eat, breath and sleep markets, you have to know the markets inside and out,” Zimmerman said. “� e milking of the cows is the easy part, the feeding of the cows, the breeding of the cows—happy cows—that part is all natural, it’s easy. ... It’s the rest of it. You have to talk to others to see what’s new and on the cutting edge to keep on top of it all.”

People in the dairy industry also help each other and stay connected.

“� e dairy industry is a small network of people. We have friends all over that help one another, we talk to one another and see what’s working for them, Zimmerman said. “Bouncing ideas o� of each other about how they’ve been successful in treatment, protocols and how they are achieving these goals and most importantly improving their bottom line.”

TechnologyTechnology has played a big role

in how milking farms have evolved. Barns are equipped with thermostats that are controlled by switchboards. When the thermostat reaches a certain temperature, it sends a signal to either raise or lower curtains on the side of the barns to allow air� ow. Fans are also programmed to allow adequate ventilation. Ports are installed all around the barns that communicate with the thermostat to monitor the barn in di� erent areas.

Scales on feed wagons have also been installed to make sure each pen is getting the right amount of rations. “� ere’s no room for human error, it’s all done on a tablet. You select the pen number and it tells you how much of each product to add, if you don’t add enough, it won’t let you move on to the next ingredient,” Zimmerman said. “� e dairy industry has changed to the extreme.”

Although the industry has changed over the years, what hasn’t changed is the commitment dairy farmers have to taking care of their animals and providing a staple to the world. Both Heyl and Zimmerman are third-generation dairy farmers and plan to continue that tradition for many years to come.

Enjoy the start of summer with some nutrient-rich dairy food and celebrate National Dairy Month! n

Lee Zimmerman, one of the owners of Sandhills Dairy, is a third-generation dairy farmer. He said technology has changed the industry, helping producers take good care of their animals and also find better ways to market their product.

A heifer calf at Sandhills Dairy enjoys its feed. The dairy milks 850 cows every day.


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Enerbase is changing with the times with a new addition to better serve its customers. Established in 1928, Minot Cooperative Oil Company was

formed in downtown Minot. � at cooperative is alive and well today, but under a new name, Enerbase, a division of Cenex Harvest States and Land O’Lakes.

A new addition has just been completed on the north end of Minot at 205-46th Ave. N.E. this spring, with everything from car care, machinery parts and a hardware store located under one roof. � e 24,000-square-foot addition was built for o� ce space and a new hardware store, which was previously located downtown. � e new building not only o� ers a substantial amount of room for equipment and sales to better serve its customers, but safety as well.

“Everything is getting bigger and we could no longer park our tankers on our lot in downtown for safety concerns and moving farm machinery, such as augers, was becoming a problem,” said General Manager Tony Bernhardt. “Safety and growth was a big concern for us.”

In the summer of 2011, everything changed. � e devastating � ood that engulfed the Magic City brought along big problems for Enerbase.

“During the � ood, we still had a business to run,” Bernhardt said. Enerbase was forced to move its o� ces to

di� erent locations in Minot to keep everything running smoothly. � ey were transit for more than 160 days.

� at’s when the idea of moving and building came about. Construction on the new facility started in the spring of 2015 and o� ce sta� started moving in November.

Enerbase believes strongly in the cooperative values. “Grow with the customer and provide the dependable service they rely on, Bernhardt said. “Hopefully this building will serve our customers for another 80 years.” n

Enerbase completes new addition

The new Enerbase store carries many items, including hardware, parts, tools and machinery.

Tony Bernhardt (gray shirt), general manager of Enerbase, gets ready to cut the ribbon on a new addition to the Minot Enerbase office and store at 205-46th Ave. N.E.


There’s a 25 percent chance you will hit an underground utility if you don’t call 811 before you dig. One Olympian was unlucky enough to hit

underground power lines, but lucky enough to survive the accident.

“I felt the initial jolt of electricity and it was lights out,” said Cli� Meidl, a two-time Olympian who spoke at the Excavators Safety Summit held in Minot this spring.

In 1986, Meidl jackhammered through concrete on a worksite and into three power lines, each carrying thousands of volts of electricity. � e accident happened in southern California when he was 20.

“I ended up � ying out of the ditch that I was working in and then I ended up sliding back down into the ditch where

this jackhammer was vertical between my legs and my knees ended up sucking right into this thing,” Meidl said. “I was energized on the power line for about 20 seconds, I had foam coming out of my mouth, my eyes and my ears.”

Eventually, circuit breakers had tripped and the power went out, allowing co-workers to get him out of the trench. He su� ered an immediate cardiac arrest, but was revived with CPR and transported to a local emergency room. He had burns on 15 percent of his body and he lost two toes and one-third of the bone structure in his knees where the electricity entered his body. Initially, the doctors wanted to amputate his legs below the knees, but his mother convinced them to try to save the limbs.

“When I looked down and saw my legs and saw those gaping holes in both of my knees, I knew that my life had changed forever, and what direction it was going to go, I had absolutely no clue,” he said.

Doctors ended up taking part of his calf muscles and implanting them in his knees. Although he couldn’t run or play sports like soccer, he could walk. He decided to � nd a sport that didn’t require extensive use of his legs. He eventually got into paddling and became so good at it that he made the 1996 and 2000 Olympics as part of the U.S. sprint kayaking team. � e proudest moment in his life came in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when he carried the American � ag during the opening ceremony.

Meidl uses his experience both as an inspirational and safety message. He teaches others the importance of calling 811 and for businesses to create a culture of safety.

“It’s all up to us to make sure that not only we are working safely as employees, but we are perpetuating that mindset throughout companies and creating that culture where everybody cares 24/7,” Meidl said.

He urges homeowners and contractors to be aware of the dangers that lurk underground. Verendrye Electric urges people to call 811 before they dig. Verendrye has had its power lines dug into dozens of times each year over the past few years. Fortunately, no one has been killed or seriously injured.

“Believe it or not, whether it is underground utilities, or overhead utilities, we have over 19 million miles of that spaghetti throughout the entire United States,” Meidl said. n

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Hitting underground power lines nearly killed OlympianBY TOM RAFFERTY [email protected]

Olympian Cliff Meidl spoke at the Excavators Safety Summit in Minot about how he was nearly killed when he jackhammered through buried power lines. He travels across the country urging people to call 811 before they dig.


BOARD PRESIDENTBlaine Bruner

MANAGERRandy Hauck

EDITORTom Rafferty

VERENDRYE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVEVelva, ND 58790

Velva: 701-338-2855 Minot: 701- 852-0406Toll-Free: 800-472-2141 Website: www.verendrye.com Email: [email protected]

Wrapping your house in a warm blanket will keep you more comfortable and save

you money by reducing energy costs.Now is a good time to inspect your

home’s “blanket,” says Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineer. Homeowners planning remodeling or re-siding projects this summer should take a look at their home’s insulation levels because those are good opportunities to add any necessary insulation and seal air leaks.

Russ Schell, owner of RJ Energy Solutions in Fargo, who advises small businesses and homeowners about more energy-e� cient practices, discovers missing or inadequate insulation by using a thermal imaging camera to detect cold spots in a home’s walls or ceilings. In one home he assessed, adding insulation to areas where it was missing or inadequate would save up to 35 percent in energy costs, he says.

Homeowners may be surprised at the amount of warm air leaking from their home during the winter.

“Actually, the gaps are sometimes quite signi� cant,” Schell says.

For do-it-yourself detection of cold spots, homeowners can borrow an infrared thermometer from their county’s NDSU Extension Service o� ce to check for air leaks and cold spots. An accompanying publication, “Determining Insulation and Air In� ltration Levels: Using an Infrared � ermometer,” explains how to use the thermometer. It is available at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1373.pdf.

“It’s a nice way to do an initial assessment,” Hellevang says.

Insulation is rated in an R-value, which is its capacity to resist heat � ow. � e higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power.

Insulation of R-49 to R-60 is recommended in an attic space, while R-13 to R-21 is recommended in a wall cavity. � e type of insulation and its thickness will determine its R-value. For details, see the NDSU publication “Insulating to Reduce Heating Costs.” It can be found at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1368.pdf.

Fiberglass batt insulation, for example, has an R-value of 3 to 3.5 per inch, so 3.5 inches of insulation would equal approximately R-13.

“� at’s the minimum insulation level recommended, but it is di� cult to increase that in an existing 2x4 stud wall,” Hellevang says. “You’re typically looking at opening up the walls, either internally or externally.”

Homeowners need to consider the ratio of improvement in the insulation level (future value divided by existing value) as they analyze an insulation project, he notes. While adding insulation may not be economical unless a homeowner is remodeling or re-siding a home, incorporating rigid polystyrene insulation during such a project can increase the R-value signi� cantly.

Homeowners also should be aware of gaps in the insulation.

“It’s always easy to insulate the middle portion of your house attic, but when you start getting closer to the edge of the house, that’s where we o� en see missing insulation in ceilings,” Schell says.

Other areas that may have gaps with inadequate insulation are around windows and doors, behind electrical outlets, near the ceiling in a wall and in corners.

Homeowners should watch for visual clues of insu� cient insulation, such as frost or snow on the roof melting quicker than on neighboring roofs, or uneven patterns of frost on a roof. Condensation may form on cool spots on the wall or ceiling.

“Some of these visual clues are a good message,” Hellevang says.

Homeowners also should look for air leaks in their home, where valuable energy is wasted.

“We can do a good job of insulating, but if we still leave an opening for air to get through, particularly with � berglass or loose insulations, that air will carry the heat through the insulation and out of the living space,” Hellevang says.

Seal openings between the living space and the attic or outside walls, such as openings for plumbing, electrical outlets or recessed lights. Also add foam covers behind outlets, seal the attic hatch, and caulk or weather-strip around windows and doors.

To learn more about sealing a home, check out the NDSU publication “Home Envelope,” found at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1616.pdf. n

Summer is time to consider insulation


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