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Illinois Co-op members vote to merge Members of Corn Belt Electric Cooperative voted on November 10 to annex Illinois Valley Electric Cooperative (IVEC) into a new corporation to be known as Corn Belt Energy Corporation, with headquarters in the current Bloomington facility. The election was held during a special meeting at the Interstate Center in Bloomington. Members of the Princeton-based IVEC also voted, on the same day, to merge into Corn Belt Energy Corporation. Members at both elections voted "yes" to the tune of more than 90 percent, with fewer than 10 percent opposing the merger, which went into effect January 1.
The new organization will have approximately 24,000 members on about 4,800 miles of line. The merged organization will have combined assets of more than $87 million. Jeffrey D. Reeves, president/CEO of Corn Belt, said both co-ops would benefit, largely from economies of scale, partly by sharing overlapping office services, and partly by the opportunities they will have to get into other business ventures as electric utility competition grows. Tim "Kris" Christensen, president/CEO of IVEC, will serve in the newly created position of senior vice president Christensen noted that shared services, combined purchasing, common accounting, centralized billing and reduced cost of administration should bring savings of about $5.5 million to IVEC members over the next 10 years, with savings of approximately $4.4 million accruing to Corn Belt members in the same time frame.
Electric safety for kids on web The Rural Utilities Service has launched a website dealing with electric safety for kids. Kids can find safety tips and educational materials about electrical power, telecommunications and clean water at www.usda.gov/rus/educate/ruskids.htm. Web site helps farmers find used equipment Deere & Company has introduced a no-cost Internet-based service that will allow farmers to search, locate, and negotiate for used equipment on-line. Called MachineFinder, it's the first nationwide on-line service for used agriculture equipment. You can access the site at www.machinefinder.com. After web surfers find the equipment they want to buy, they can negotiate directly with the seller online or make arrangements for their local John Deere dealer to get involved in the purchase. Bill Holstun, manager of remarketing services at Deere & Company, said farmers without an Internet connection can access the site at a local Deere dealership. The site allows users to search for used equipment by category, manufacturer, year, and other criteria. Each match has a detailed description of the machine as well as photos from various angles. If there are no matches for a query, the system will alert the customer via e-mail, phone or fax when a machine he or she has been looking for is added to the system. Cooperative Catalog now available The Cooperative Catalog features a variety of resources about cooperatives, including books, videos and educational packets produced by cooperatives throughout North America. To order, contact the National Cooperative Business Association, 1401 New York Avenue N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20005-2160. For more information, send e-mail to jstevenson@ncba.org or visit the website at www.cooperative.org. 6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING FEBRUARY 1999 Police Corps Program to be established at WIU A new Police Corps Program in Illinois, funded by the United States Office of Justice Programs, will be housed at Western Illinois University, according to WIU department of law enforcement and justice administration (LEJA) officials. The Police Corps is designed to increase the number of community police with advanced education and training, and put them in the communities where they are most needed, said Robert Fischer, WIU LEJA professor and director of the Illinois Police Corps. The program operates in 23 states and offers scholarships to college students committed to completing a bachelor's degree and providing four years of police service. The Police Corps Program also requires that all participants complete 16 weeks of Police Corps Academy training. "This is a wonderful opportunity for any student interested in law enforcement," Fischer added. "With the program housed at WIU, we are responsible for developing, in cooperation with existing academies and the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, a 640-hour Police Corps Academy. The Illinois program will receive funding for 20 students. Individuals completing their degrees and the academic training will be certified as police officers and will be assigned to patrol in communities selected by the training board. To be eligible, a student must enroll fulltime at a four-year college or university. The program is not limited to law enforcement majors. For more information, contact Robert Fischer at (309) 298-2266. DCCA announces 1999 grant deadlines The Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) application deadlines have been set for Program Year 1999. According to Norm Sims, director of the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), approximately $37 million will be available this year through the seven CDAP components. Units of local government in communities with a population under 50,000 that are not located in one of the eight urban counties (Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake, Madison and St. Clair) may apply. Community leaders, administrators, engineers and consultants interested in applying for CDAP funding during 1999 are urged to attend the 1999 CDAP Grant Writing Workshop, scheduled for February 3 in Springfield. For more Information, contact DCCA at (217) 785-6142. Habitat for Humanity goes geothermal Four new homes built in Aberdeen, NC, by Habitat for Humanity are using geothermal systems. Geothermal technology has traditionally been used in upper income homes and commercial installations. However, with the aid of organizations like the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (GHPC) and WaterFurnace International, geothermal technology is being made available to the people who need it most — those with limited disposable incomes. These Habitat homes are among the first in the Southeastern United States to use the earth's energy to provide year-round heating and cooling comfort while saving on utility bills. With advancements in the technology, growing utility support and better consumer education, geothermal heating and cooling is becoming a preferred method of providing excellent home comfort year-round. Geothermal systems, which produce four to five times more energy than they consume, offer better comfort and lower energy costs than conventional systems because they transfer heat from the Earth rather than produce it. For more information about geothermal systems, call 1 (800) GEO-SAVE. USDA provides $200 million boost for co-op development In an attempt to stimulate a new wave of rural economic development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allocating $200 million to support the creation of cooperatives during 1999. This is double the amount of money which USDA set aside from its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan fund during 1998. "USDA will be backing loans for a wide variety of rural cooperatives, including farmer-owned co-ops that process raw crops into value-added products and consumer-owned co-ops that provide services such as daycare and credit," said Dan Glickman, agriculture secretary. Cooperatives in rural areas may use the guaranteed loans to invest in machinery and equipment, real estate, or for working capital. Family farmers can use loan guarantees to help pay for stock in a start-up cooperative that processes their agricultural commodity into a value-added product. For more information contact a USDA Rural Development office, or USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service in Washington, D.C., at (202) 720-0813. FEBRUARY 1999 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 7 Farm animal video for kids
When Dieterich farmer Darrell Garbe noticed how much his nieces and nephew from the city loved his farm, he guessed other kids would have the same reaction. So, In addition to producing corn and soybeans, Garbe produced a 30-minute video designed to provide children with a wholesome, entertaining, and educational look at barnyard animals. Garbe's tape, Barnyard Animals, follows four children, ranging in age from two to 10, as they visit farmyard animals. Garbe, who grew up on a farm before getting a Master's degree from UCLA, picked up video production skills while working for major ad agencies in Los Angeles. He put those skills to work when filming, editing, and laying out the musical tracks that accompany Barnyard Animals. The tape costs $14.95 (plus $3.95 shipping and handling) and is available by calling (800) 896-5660, or you can write to Family Farm Productions, 1661 N. 2200 St., Dieterich, IL 62424. You can also visit Family Farm Productions on the Internet at http://planetpages.com/farm.
Offering public access to private land — problems and solutions A new book from the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information offers pointers for agricultural land owners interested in utilizing their acreage for recreational purposes. According to the Center, landowners who open their properties to recreational use need to know the legal problems accompanying such action. Recreational Access to Private Lands: Liability Problems and Solutions addresses exactly what the title states — liability issues that arise from permitting recreational activities on private lands. Topics covered by the book include: the need for recreational access to private lands, a landowner's duty to protect entrants, recreational use statutes, liability insurance coverage, insurance solutions to coverage problems, and other pertinent items. For more information, contact the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information at (501) 575-7646, or by writing to NCALRI, 147 Waterman Hall, U of A, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Electric co-op leaders launch new national energy cooperative
Cooperative leaders from around the country, with the assistance of National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, recently formed a new national energy cooperative designed to provide rural electric systems with an opportunity to diversify their energy offerings to consumers. Tom Hentz, manager of the Paris, Illinois, based EnerStar Power Corp., was elected vice chairman of the new cooperative. The new co-op, which has yet to be named, will assist electric cooperatives by securing wholesale supplies of propane for distribution by member electric cooperatives. The coop may later expand into other energy-related services. "Changes in the electric utility industry are driving a convergence between electricity and other fuels," noted Bill Cetti, the co-op's chairman. Cetti, who also serves as president and CEO of Prism Solutions Inc., in Ohio, said that many electric cooperatives have concluded they can provide better service to their members by offering several energy sources. "Our new organization will complement, not supplant, what's already happening at the local level," he said. "The vision of this new national energy cooperative is to facilitate electric cooperative entry into these complementary energy businesses." 8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING FEBRUARY 1999 |
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