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“Power” was the operative word in Westby on September 5 as Dairyland Power Cooperative welcomed President Joe Biden to the grounds of Vernon Electric Cooperative to announce the most significant, transformative investment in electricity and clean energy in U.S. history. Power – as in the power of the federal government to invest in rural America. Power – as in the power of the presidency to focus on the future energy needs of rural communities. Power – as in the “power of cooperatives” to collaborate, innovate, and deliver for the good of their members and their communities.
Cooperative Network member Dairyland Power Cooperative coordinated the president’s visit, where he was joined by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and U.S. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack in announcing the Empowering Rural America program, a $7.3 billion investment in electrification and clean energy across 23 states. Dairyland will use $573 million of these funds to buy energy from solar and wind farms.
Those who gathered for the event came from energy and agricultural cooperatives across the region. While waiting for the president to arrive, conversation flowed about the challenges facing rural communities in areas of clean energy, telecommunications, healthcare, child and elder care, food access, and housing. Cooperatives are uniquely positioned to address these challenges because cooperatives already are deeply invested in rural communities. If these communities are to be revitalized, cooperatives will do the heavy lifting, just as they have always done in the past.
It isn’t every day when one has the opportunity to see a president of the United States in person at a cooperative business in a small Midwestern town. It isn’t every day that an investment of this size is made into a part of the country too many either drive through or fly over. And it isn’t every day that so many cooperative, government, and business leaders stand together under a hot Wisconsin sun and pledge to do more to help rural communities that often have much less in terms of services and amenities than their urban counterparts.
Cooperative Network’s membership of cooperatives big and small is uniquely positioned and qualified to lead a rural resurgence in the Upper Midwest. The investment President Biden announced holds great promise, but it is up to those of us who call rural America our home to do the work. Fortunately, cooperatives know how to successfully bring projects to fruition, thanks to the power of the cooperative business model.
About the author: Daniel Smith is the President and CEO of Cooperative Network, an association serving cooperatives in Wisconsin and Minnesota with government affairs, advocacy, communications and support. Prior to joining Cooperative Network, Smith served as a Division Administrator at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), and as CEO of Midwestern BioAg, a national farm supply company. Smith also owned and operated a dairy farm for 30 years. For more information about Cooperative Network, visit cooperativenetwork.coop.
