Blooming where - Northern Plains Electric Cooperative

N
AUGUST 2014
News from Northern Plains Electric Cooperative
Blooming where
PLANTED
Sheyenne residents Joanna Larson
and Stan Kruger spearhead
the Sheyenne Prairie Dawn
Community Garden and Orchard.
The community garden produces
fresh fruits and vegetables for area
residents to eat at no charge.
N
www.nplains.com
justask@nplains.com
800 882 2500
Cando Office:
609 4th Ave., Cando, ND 58324
Carrington Office:
1515 West Main, Carrington, ND 58421
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
AUGUST 2014 INSIDE
BOARD & MANAGEMENT:
President ..............................................Tracy Boe, Mylo
Vice president ...............................Curtis Wiesz, Heaton
Secretary/treasurer ...........Russell Carlson, Jamestown
Assistant Secretary/treasurer .....Randy Simon, Oberon
District 1 .........................................Mark Brehm, Cando
District 1 .........................................Bruce Olsen, Cando
District 2 .........................................Dave Teigen, Rugby
District 3 ........................................Jack Geske, Pingree
District 3 .................................Curtis Hanson, Pettibone
General Manager ....................................Jay Jacobson
Manager of Engineering...............................Gary Allen
IT Manager...........................................Scott Buchholtz
Operations Manager ................................Craig Rysavy
Director of Communications and
Public Relations......................................Connie Krapp
Chief Financial Officer .............................Bruce Garber
Director of Business Development ...Joann Rodenbiker
Northern Notes Editor ..............................Connie Krapp
Northern Notes Asst. Editor..........Katie Ryan-Anderson
• The world lost a farmer...
• Co-op manager retires
• NPEC sends Christensen to D.C.
NORTHERN
PLAINS
www.nplains.com
Electric Cooperative
N O RTH ER N N O TES , A U G U ST 2 0 1 4 C1
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
Blooming where planted
Sheyenne residents create community garden
BY KATIE RYAN-ANDERSON
PHOTOS BY LEXUS HAUT AND KATIE RYAN-ANDERSON
This sign, hung upon a fence made of vinyl and PVC pipe, greets visitors. Twolegged visitors are welcome, although the four-legged variety are kept out.
T
he shadow-colored fence
gates the orchard, protecting
it from hungry thieves. Those
with opposable thumbs, however, are
not criminals – no matter how much
they take.
For they are, in fact, the reason the
space exists – to share fresh produce
to any human who will consume it.
Incepted four years ago, the Sheyenne
Prairie Dawn Community Garden
and Orchard produces vegetables
like corn, potatoes and onions at no
cost to residents of Sheyenne and
the surrounding area. Fruit trees also
grow, although, with the exception
of one small pear tree, none have
C 2 AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 , N O RT HE RN NOT E S
yet produced.
About 300 people live in the
Sheyenne area. The town has no
grocery store and few options for
dining out.
“This gives all residents easy
access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
It seemed like a perfect solution for
our town – especially the elderly and
low-income,” said Joanna Larson, a
senior at New Rockford-Sheyenne
High School.
Larson, along with fellow rural
Sheyenne resident and Northern Plains
Electric Cooperative member, Stan
Kruger, adopted an acre of land at the
site of a repurposed school.
Using her father’s tractor, Larson
tilled the space. And along with the
help of neighbors and friends, Larson
and Kruger planned the layout, planted
the seeds (in succession, so produce
would be available all summer long)
and maintain weeding and watering.
The price? Free. The limit? What
you can carry.
Funding for the project came from
grants, private donations and some
YouTube ingenuity. That shadowcolored fence? Kruger constructed it
using vinyl fencing, PVC pipe and a
video he viewed on the Internet. The
final price was $2,000, a fraction of
what a fence of similar size would cost
if made of metal or wood. Maintaining
the garden costs about $275 each year.
Since it’s inception, the community
has spent about $10,000 since 2011
on trees, fencing, mulch and other
supplies for the orchard.
And while Larson and Kruger
spearhead the project, several
community members help weed
Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Regular
volunteers include Larson’s 4-H club,
the Trail Riders. And while some
seniors are limited in how much
bending and lifting they can do,
Larson said many still stop out and
keep the volunteers company.
For her efforts, Prudential Financial,
in partnership with the National
Association of Secondary School
Principals, presented Larson with
the Prudential Spirit of Community
Award. Larson, along with Heidi
Deplazes, Fargo, each received
www.nplains.com
NORTHERN
PLAINS
PHOTO COURTESY BUSINESS WIRE
Electric Cooperative
Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker
congratulates Joanna Larson, of Sheyenne (center), and
Heidi Deplazes, of Fargo (right), on being named North
Dakota’s top two youth volunteers for 2014 by The Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards. Joanna and Heidi were honored
at a ceremony on Sunday, May 4, at the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of Natural History, where they each
received a $1,000 award.
$1,000. Prudential chooses two
winners from each state each year.
Along with the money, Prudential also
sent Larson, her mother, Patti, and
sister, Sandra, to Washington D.C.
“Through their service, these
students have not only made a
difference in the lives of others –
they’ve provided their peers with a
powerful example of what it looks like
to be an outstanding youth volunteer,”
said NASSP President Barbara-Jane
Paris in a statement.
Prudential named Hannah Alto of
North Star Public School in Cando and
Morgan Uriell of Lakota High School,
Lakota, as distinguished finalists.
Larson says she hopes for the
copycat effect.
“We’re just really hoping that the
community garden idea catches on in
other communities,” she said, adding
that leaders in other small towns have
already contacted her for advice.
For more information on
community gardens, contact Larson at
joannalarson96@hotmail.com. ¢
www.nplains.com
N O RTH ER N N O TES , A U G U ST 2 0 1 4 C3
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
“My goal in life? To someday be able to step back and see ‘Wehri Farms, Mott N.D.’ in crisp,
bold decals on the door of a semi. To know that what I am doing is feeding thousands. To
wake up every morning and be proud of my accomplishments and excited to start the day.
To be able to look around me and see for miles all the hard work I have put into my life. To
have a loving wife that helped me raise beautiful children to whom someday I can pass it all
down to. Someday.” – Michael Wehri, 2013
THE WORLD LOST A FARMER…
BY LEXUS HAUT, SUMMER INTERN, NORTHERN PLAINS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
A
t the age of only 19, Michael
Wehri knew what he wanted
out of life. He knew his
responsibilities, and he was more
than ready to undertake them. But as
willing and eager as he was, Michael
never got his someday.
He was outside the tractor, checking
the clearance of his equipment, when
the wind took a power line and caught
the sprayer. Without noticing the line,
Michael grabbed the ladder, sending a
surge of 7,200 volts.
He died June 10, 2013.
On that day, the world lost a son,
brother, nephew, friend, classmate…
the world lost a farmer.
Although this happened in western
North Dakota, it’s hitting home
again at Northern Plains Electric
Cooperative in Jamestown. In life,
it’s all about the people we love – and
farm safety is important wherever you
may be!
C4 AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 , N O RT HE RN NOT E S
a one-of-a-kind guy.
What I’m learning
Multiple times, people
in my internship
told me that he was “the
here scares me. The
guy your parents would
number of accidents
want you to marry.”
between farming
Here’s an example
equipment and power
of the type of person
poles has more than
Michael was: The guys
tripled since 2009. In
came into class one day
2013, 134 accidents
and told me I had a flat
were reported.
tire. Of course, I didn’t
Safety is a huge
believe them! I looked
priority here. In
outside and sure enough
addition to spreading
– flat. They gave me
safety messages
Lexus Haut
a hard time. Michael,
through radio ads and
however, without even
billboards, Northern
hesitating, said he’d
Plains will also work
change it during study hall. He even
with members to raise the height
offered to take it to the shop for me
of lines. In many cases, the co-op
when he was done. Once he stepped
will do that work at no charge to
up, the others guys offered to help,
the consumer.
too. Michael was a leader. He was a
Michael Wehri was a classmate of
mine at Mott-Regent High School and role model.
I grew up in a larger town, I didn’t
also one of my best friends. He was
www.nplains.com
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WEHRI FAMILY
Michael Wehri was full of life and eagerly anticipated the day he could farm on his own. Those dreams were cut short after he
died in 2013 when his tractor contacted a power line.
know people would willingly drop
everything to help someone. Michael
taught me a lot about genuine
kindness and doing the right thing.
Coming from Jamestown, there were
many weekends I traveled home.
Occasionally, Michael would be in
Wahpeton or Fargo and pick me up
on his way back to Mott. He’d carry
my bags, hold doors open and hug
me goodbye – just what a gentleman
should do.
www.nplains.com
He was the one to crown me as
queen during homecoming our senior
year, and he always had a thumbs up
of encouragement and reassurance. He
was the most optimistic person I’ve
ever known. During these moments,
in class or on the road, I came to learn
a lot about him – his love of suckers,
his fabulous fashion sense (he had a
thing for watches) and his passion for
music not only playing, but listening
(to Kesha in particular).
Farming truly ran through his veins.
In his free time, he’d read magazines
for farming equipment, or random
manuals. It was just what he loved.
It was his God-given purpose and he
carried that through his last day.
In the end, it truly is the little things.
Those small memories we all hang on
to. The way Mike impacted my life
will live on – this I promise.
Stay safe out there. Your safety
matters to us. ¢
N O RTH ER N N O TES , A U G U ST 2 0 1 4 C5
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
Co-op manager retires
Jacobson began his career as a power lineman
L
ike many relationships, Jay
Jacobson’s affair with electric
cooperatives began with three
little words.
“Do you climb?”
After a 42-year career, Jacobson, the
General Manager of Dakota Valley and
Northern Plains Electric Cooperatives,
retires this month.
An English major who couldn’t afford
tuition, Jacobson dropped out of school
to find work. What he found was a
substation construction site with trash.
Hired on a construction crew his first
job was to pick up the garbage. Not long
after, Jacobson turned that trash into
treasure.
“I knew what job I wanted on the
crew, and it wasn’t that,” Jacobson said.
Motivated, the Rugby High School
graduate worked construction and was
willing to learn. That willingness helped
him climb the ladder, or in this case,
the power pole, of success. He moved
to a job as a lineman for Central Power
Electric Cooperative in Minot and was
promoted to line superintendent in 1978.
In the 1980s, he did hot line work for
Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand
Forks. Jacobson returned to Central
Power in 1984 and continued work as
line superintendent as well as other stafftype duties. He was hired as manager of
operations and engineering in 1991.
RSR Electric Cooperative in
Milnor (now Dakota Valley Electric
Cooperative) hired him as general
manager in 1997.
From there, he led four cooperatives
into the sound sister organizations they
are today.
Like many leaders, the road to
management included long hours,
night classes and juggling work with
obligations to family including his wife,
Lorraine, and grown children Whitney
Sundquist, Milnor; and Dylan Jacobson,
Fargo.
What sets Jacobson apart is his
uniqueness of mind. Ideas he helped
pioneer and saw through to fruition
are now the blue prints for others to
Jay Jacobson began his electric
cooperative career in 1978.
Pictured here is his young family,
wife, Lorraine, and children Dylan
Jacobson and Whitney (Jacobson)
Sundquist.
C 6 AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 , N O RT HE RN NOT E S
follow, said Tracy Boe, president of
the Northern Plains Electric board of
directors.
Cooperative Alliance Management
(CAM) is an example of one of the
ideas Jacobson helped pioneer alongside
fellow co-manager Lowell Stave.
Developed when Northern Plains and
Dakota Valley created their alliance in
2005, CAM employs the cooperatives’
top-level employees.
Jacobson and Stave studied other
models of cooperative partnerships in
other areas of the country and tailored
CAM ideas to make them work in North
Dakota. The alliance meant economy
of scale for Northern Plains and Dakota
Valley. Through the alliance, the co-ops
created efficiencies while still offering
the same quality of service.
“Jay may be retiring, but what he
accomplished as manager will continue
to serve Dakota Valley Electric and
the Alliance well into the future,”
said Richard Schlosser, president of
the Dakota Valley Electric Board of
In 1984, Jay Jacobson worked for Central Power Electric
Cooperative, Minot, as a line superintendent.
www.nplains.com
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
General Manager
Jay Jacobson
retires this month
after a 42-year
career. Pictured
with (left) Dennis
Hill, general manager of the North
Dakota Association
of Rural Electric
Cooperatives, and
(right) Rep. Craig
Headland, R-29
and Northern Plains
Electric member
at Northern Plains
Electric's 2014
annual meeting in
Jamestown.
Directors. “Because of Jay’s leadership
and commitment to the foundational
cooperative principles, DVEC and the
‘community’ of our service territory
are better positioned to address future
challenges and opportunities.”
Under the alliance, Jacobson managed
90 employees within two cooperatives.
The combined service areas include
66 communities from Canada to South
Dakota including 15,000 consumers on
RSR Cooperative (now Dakota
Valley Electric Cooperative)
in Milnor hired Jacobson
as its general manager in
1997. Pictured with Jacobson
is former Board President
Herman Lentz.
www.nplains.com
11,000 miles of line.
“Jay did a monumental job and he
made it look easy,” Boe said.
Following in his footsteps are two
co-managers, Bruce Garber and Darrin
Sand. Garber, the cooperatives’ current
Chief Financial Officer, and Sand, the
Member Services Manager at McLean
Electric Cooperative, Garrison, will
assume their posts this month.
Future plans for Jacobson include
Jacobson, along with former NP/
DV co-manager Lowell Stave,
pioneered the co-manager and
Cooperative Alliance Management
company ideas and made them
work. Those ideas provide
economy of scale for NP/DV.
moving to South Carolina and giving
coastal living a try. He and his wife’s
only plan for now is to see how life is
lived in other places.
“I am proud to have worked for
co-ops who are so committed to
keeping the promises they made to these
communities,” Jacobson said. “The
boards’ focus is keeping electricity both
affordable and reliable. They truly care
about the areas they serve.” ¢
Part of Jacobson’s
job was to
coordinate annual
meetings. Pictured
with Jacobson is
Michael Riedman.
Jacobson commonly visited
with members throughout
the system. In some cases,
he’d travel to visit with them
personally, even after hours.
N O RTH ER N N O TES , A U G U ST 2 0 1 4 C7
NPEC sends
Christensen to D.C.
M
ore than 1,600 students took
to the nation’s capital and
among them was one young
man from Courtenay.
Cole Christensen, 16, is the son
of Frank and Laurie Christensen. He
attended the Electric Cooperative
Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., as
a representative of Northern Plains
Electric Cooperative.
“My favorite part of the trip was
meeting kids from all across the United
States. We went to Arlington National
Cemetery and saw the changing of the
guard and all the graves of men and
women who gave their lives for this
country,” he said.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour
celebrated its 50th anniversary June
14-20, and North Dakota’s electric
cooperatives sent a record 15 students.
For the first time, Dakota Valley Electric
Cooperative, Edgeley and Milnor,
sponsored a student. Cass County
Electric Cooperative, Fargo, sponsored
two students. The group learned about
America’s government, history and
electric cooperatives.
To earn a seat on the all-expensepaid Youth Tour, North Dakota students
entered an essay-writing contest and
answered the following question: “Many
North Dakota electric cooperatives
are or will soon be celebrating their
75th anniversaries. Describe how
rural electrification and rural electric
cooperatives have contributed to the
quality of life in North Dakota and your
local community.”
While on the annual tour, students
participated in leadership training,
engaged in one-on-one conversations
with elected officials, jumpstarted
their national peer network and toured
Washington, D.C. New to this year
was a partnership with Points of Light
and generationOn to launch a student
service-project grant program. One
winner from each state will be selected
C8 AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 , N O RT HE RN NOT E S to receive a $500 grant to fund an
existing service project or jumpstart a
new one.
Pamela Clark-Stein, director of
education and member services for
the North Dakota Association of Rural
Electric Cooperatives, said the students
gained a firsthand understanding
of the legislative process and made
connections with others from across the
country that will last a lifetime.
“Our youth are the country’s future.
Through the Electric Cooperative Youth
Tour program, we can help give them
the tools to succeed,” she said. “As
we celebrate this Youth Tour’s special
anniversary, we continue planning
for the future. We are committed to
continuing the Youth Tour a tradition for
another 50 years.”
Education is a fundamental principle
of electric cooperatives. Boards of
directors and managers say they
believe it is imperative to help students
understand the democratic process and
gain the skills necessary to become
tomorrow’s leaders. By sponsoring
the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour,
North Dakota’s electric cooperatives
are helping high school students
experience government firsthand by
visiting Washington, D.C., meeting
their representatives and senators,
and building a better understanding
of our country and their role as
engaged citizens.
“Representing Northern Plains
Electric Cooperative for the 50th
anniversary of the Youth Tour was
awesome all by itself,” Christensen said.
“But learning what electric cooperatives
are doing for not only our country, but
the world is eye-opening. They are
bringing electricity to places that haven’t
even heard of a cell phone. Thank
you, Northern Plains Electric, for this
opportunity.”
For more information about the
Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, visit
Cole Christensen
www.ndyouthtour.com or
www.youthtour.coop, or call
1-800-882-2500. ¢
N
www.nplains.com
justask@nplains.com
800-882-2500
CANDO OFFICE:
609 4th Ave., Cando, ND 58324
CARRINGTON OFFICE:
1515 West Main, Carrington, ND 58421
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
BOARD & MANAGEMENT:
President........................................................... Tracy Boe, Mylo
Vice president........................................... Curtis Wiesz, Heaton
Secretary/treasurer............................... Randall Simon, Oberon
Assistant Secretary/treasurer.....................Dave Teigen, Rugby
District 1......................................................Mark Brehm, Cando
District 1......................................................Bruce Oisen, Cando
District 3........................................ Russell Carlson, Jamestown
District 3.....................................................Jack Geske, Pingree
District3...............................................Curtis Hanson, Pettibone
General Manager.................................................. Jay Jacobson
Manager of Engineering.....................................Seth Syverson
IT Manager......................................................... Scott Buchholtz
Operations Manager..............................................Craig Rysavy
Chief Financial Officer...........................................Bruce Garber
Director of Business Development................Joann Rodenbiker
Northern Notes Editor...............................Katie Ryan-Anderson
NORTHERN
PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
www.nplains.com