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PLUGGED IN
within Spee-Dee Delivery’s stream independent of the dairy. Overall,
service area.” Scholze Family Farms milks 550 dairy
With farm to table also comes cows, raises 200 head of beef, and farms
a quality product. Scholze Family around 2,000 acres of land. While the
Farms sources as much of their brothers farm side-by-side and share
own feed as possible to provide duties, they each have their role when
their cattle with a balanced and it comes Scholze Family Beef. Theo
healthy diet. While you won’t
be paying grocery store
prices for Scholze Family
W
Beef’s products, you will
ith Memorial Day weekend find competitively priced
and summer just around the products comparable to other
corner, it’s time to stock up meat markets of the same quali-
on fresh home-raised beef products to ty. “You know where your food
grill all season long. If you’re looking is coming from,” says Theo.
for a sustainable approach to grilling “Right now, there’s a niche for
goodness, you need to put Scholze Fam- direct-to-consumer products.”
ily Beef on your radar. Located in rural In addition to ground beef,
Humbird, this third-generation family pre-made hamburger patties,
MY CO-OP
farm operation is managed by brothers hotdogs and brats, summer Brothers Theo and Will Scholze are the third
Theo and Will Scholze. “If you can sausage, snack sticks, jerky, and generation to operate their family’s dairy farm and
have diversified their business with the addition of
make it out of beef, we have it,” shares steaks, to name a few, Schol- beef cattle and a retail beef market store.
Theo. ze Family Beef also carries
Established in 2017, Scholze Family seasonal items. “In the summer handles the raising of cattle and invento-
Beef is a retail meat market that offers we carry pork brats, chicken, and some ry, while Will covers the marketing and
a true farm-to-consumer experience. sauces/spices,” says Theo. “The holi- sales of the beef products. “What I enjoy
Whether it’s a visit to the farm store or days are our busiest time of year with most in this business is the variety. The
an online order, you can be assured you snack stick and summer sausage gift box days are always different,” says Will.
are getting a fresh product that hasn’t orders,” adds Will. “The greatest reward is the people you
been imported from another country Having grown up on a dairy farm, meet and returning customers,” Theo
and shipped on a truck for days. “We Theo and Will established Scholze concludes.—Brandi Shramek, Member
source our beef directly from our farm,” Family Beef as a separate entity from Relations Advisor
explains Will. “Our online orders can their dairy operation as a way to diver-
also be delivered to most of the Midwest sify the farm and generate a revenue
STOCK UP YOUR FREEZER
Farm Store: W11218 Scholze Road,
Humbird, WI 54746
Open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
or by appointment
Call 715.501.4120
Online Orders:
www.scholzefamilybeef.com
Scholze Family Beef’s Farm Store offers a true farm-to-table experience with a selection of Facebook @ScholzeFamilyFarmsBeef
products for everyone to enjoy.
www.jackelec.com May 2021 15
WEATHER THE STORM WITH A HOME STANDBY GENERATOR
Does your storm safety plan include a generator?
“A
bout four years ago a bad storm caused a four-to- utilizing your existing natural gas or LP fuel supply. It will
five-hour outage,” shares Jackson Electric member continue to run until your power is restored. These genera-
Greg Totten. “I had been thinking about a home tors are sized according to your needs. “I’ve been on outage
standby generator, and this storm finally convinced me to restoration calls for assistance to other co-ops,” shares Eric.
make the investment.” “There were times it took 8 to 10 days to restore power to
That’s exactly what an automatic home standby generator some of their members. It becomes more of a problem when
is—an investment. Jackson Electric Cooperative’s service ter- it’s winter and you don’t have heat,” he recalls.
ritory covers over 610 square miles, serving most of Jackson Home standby generators can be set up to restore key
County and parts of Monroe, La Crosse, Clark, Trempealeau, items in your house, such as your HVAC system, well, and
and Eau Claire Counties. This includes over 800 miles of refrigeration, or can power your whole house. “We decided
overhead power lines to maintain. “Having a standby gener- on the whole house backup out of convenience, rather than
ator is a good idea for homeowners in rural areas where most just restoring the larger items,” shares Greg. “When you call
outages are driven by weather conditions,” shares Eric Steien, the [generator] company, they will assess what size generator
Jackson Electric line superintendent. “Ice, you need, give you a quote, and provide the
snow, heavy winds, storms—it’s all so installation.”
unpredictable,” he adds. Matt also decided to install a whole home
Unexpected power outages can happen standby generator. “The dealer will phys-
at any time, at any location, and can occur ically visit your property to discuss what
across the entire service territory. “I can you want and size it accordingly,” he says.
think of a few storms where I’ve had to “I highly recommend to check around to
use my generator,” shares Greg. “One see what options and features are available.
winter, we lost power when the heavy Sometimes, you don’t think of little things
snow and ice caused a lot of branches to An automatic standby home gener- until you actually use it.”
go down. Most recently, a storm went ator can be sized to restore essential When it comes to installing any type of
through last summer.” items in your home or power your generator, whether it’s automatic standby or
Jackson Electric member Matthew whole house. manual, it’s essential that the generator is
Jessie has been more fortunate when it comes to outages. installed properly. “A generator installed improperly can put
He’s had his generator since 2017 and hasn’t been part of an our lineworkers’ safety at risk and damage equipment,” says
extended outage requiring use of his generator. However, it Eric. “I highly recommend using an electrician to make sure
does offer reassurance. “I care for my 92-year-old mother everything is up to code.”
and I thought it would be a good idea to have an automatic In the age of remote work and home businesses, electric-
standby generator in the event that the power would go out.” ity is essential to fulfilling your job duties. When the power
When the power goes out and outage calls come in, goes out, so does your internet. It is recommended that
Jackson Electric’s crew’s priority is to evaluate the extent of anyone operating a business out of their home have a backup
the outage, get everything organized, and dispatch crews to plan for a power outage, so it doesn’t disrupt their daily
the correct locations. It’s important that everyone is aware of operations. “Remember, it’s a smart investment that will be
each other’s location at all times and keeps safety as a first beneficial to your business,” Eric reiterates.
priority so that a line is not re-energized while another crew While WWIS Radio is not a home business, WWIS
member is still working on it. believes that having a generator is essential for their business
The crew begins restoring power to as many members as operations. “If we were to lose power, we would not have the
possible by starting at the substation level, moving down to ability to pass along important information that our communi-
major three-phase lines, single-phase, and eventually those
who may reside at the end of the line. Your power could be out WWIS Radio
for minutes or hours depending on the severity of the outage. General
Manager
“There’s an expense to buying a standby generator but think of
Mary Gerdes
it as an insurance policy for your home,” says Eric. “If you’re shares having
in a very rural part of the service territory or at the end of the a generator is
line, it could take longer to restore the power at your home.” essential for
When the lights do flicker and don’t come back on, an their business
automatic standby generator senses there’s a problem and operations.
begins to restore your home’s power within a few seconds,
16 Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
PLUGGED IN
1. Properly
Eric’s Outag
e Tips UPCOMING DISTRICT MEETINGS
install your g District meetings will be held in Districts #4, #5, and #7.
enerator.
2. If there’s Members who have a meter in each of these districts will
a power outa
ge, don’t pa receive a meeting notice via the USPS in June. Since the
3. Be patien nic.
t. Be assured district meetings will be held virtually, the mailed notice
working quic th at our crews
kly and safe are will include instructions on how to view and participate in
4. Leave yo ly to restore po
ur refrigerato wer. the meeting. The meeting dates are:
They will ma r/freezer do
intain coolin o rs closed. District #4 – Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 7 p.m.
5. If you’re w g for a few d
ithout powe ays. District #5 – Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 7 p.m.
don’t hesita r for a length
te to call ba y period, District #7 – Thursday, June 24, 2021, 7 p.m.
An individu ck to Jackso
al home cou n Electric. Call for District Director Nominations was published in
power. ld still be wit
hout the March 2021 issue of the Wisconsin Energy Cooperative
6. Outage News.
reporting to
855.222.327
5
ties need to know, especial- ANNUAL MEETING RULES
ly during storms,” says WWIS General Man- These rules are set in accordance with Jackson Electric
ager Mary Gerdes. “Mother Nature is not predictable at Cooperative Bylaws, Article II, Section 7. Jackson Electric
all! I would recommend a generator to business owners Cooperative’s annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, August
because it can help to keep your doors open and continue 24, 2021, time and place to be determined.
to serve the community during a power outage.”
1. The meeting will be conducted in accordance with Roberts
There have been summer outages in our service
MY CO-OP
Rules of Order Newly Revised edition.
territory in the late 1990s and early 2000s where Jackson
Electric members were left without power for several 2. Any speaker must be recognized by the Chair before speaking.
days while crews worked to restore power. Our area 3. Only members and duly registered guests will be
has been otherwise fortunate when it comes to outages. recognized by the Chair; each person so recognized must
“The last outage we all can recall occurred right before give his or her name.
Thanksgiving 2019,” says Eric. “There were members
4. Unless otherwise approved by the Chair, those recognized
out for more than 24 hours.”
are to limit their questions and comments to three minutes,
When it comes to reliability, home standby generators
with any rebuttal limited to two minutes.
also take your worries away by allowing you the option
to run weekly or monthly system test runs. “It turns 5. Questions and comments from members and duly
itself on to make sure it’s prepared for the next outage,” registered guests will be in order during old and new
explains Greg. “It’s very reliable, hasn’t failed us, and I business sessions, and at the conclusion of the officer
have never looked back on this decision.” reports, if invited.
To further ensure the life of your generator and that it 6. No resolution affecting Jackson Electric Cooperative may
will work when you need it, there is some maintenance be submitted by any member, unless written copies have
involved. “On the first initial visit, the dealer makes sure been received by Jackson Electric Cooperative by May
everything is working correctly,” shares Matt. “I prefer 20, 2021. This will permit time for review by the Jackson
to check it myself on a yearly basis and keep the oil Electric Cooperative Board of Directors to make its
changed.” recommendation to the meeting as to approval or rejection.
Full-service maintenance plans are available. A
7. No signs or handouts will be permitted within the building
service technician can make a site visit once a year to
of the place of the meeting, except such handouts as
inspect your generator and make sure everything is op-
required for the official conduct of the Annual Meeting. No
erating properly for the next time you need it. “Jackson
handouts made available outside of the building will use
Electric covers a large area and things can happen,” con-
the name of the Cooperative, its letterhead or logo to imply
cludes Greg. “I like having that peace of mind.”—Brandi
that the Cooperative supports or opposes any resolution.
Shramek, Member Relations Advisor
8. No demonstrations shall be held within the building of the
Jackson Electric does not sell or install generators, but place of the meeting.
we can provide contact information for dealers that do.
Contact our office or go to www.jackelec.com/generators Annual Meeting Voting Procedures
for more information. Voting may be by voice or electronic vote (one vote per
membership).
www.jackelec.com May 2021 17
BE AWARE OF THE OPERATING COSTS OF A DEHUMIDIFIER
It’s springtime, and if you haven’t of $20 to $50 in energy costs is not un- ergy Star website, Energy Star certified
experienced it yet you may soon notice usual. Dehumidifiers have a compressor models have more efficient refrigeration
some level of humidity lurking in your similar to a refrigerator. Therefore, coils, compressors, and fans than con-
home. The purchase of an Energy Star operating a dehumidifier ventional models. This means they use
dehumidifier has its perks but be aware uses energy similar to less energy to remove moisture.
of its operating costs. leaving the refrigerator Energy Star rated dehu-
Dehumidifiers that operate continu- door open. midifiers qualify for a $50
ously in an area where it is very humid Look for the Energy rebate from Jackson Electric.
consume a considerable amount of Star logo when pur- Rebate forms are available at
energy. The size of the unit will affect chasing a dehumidifier. www.jackelec.com or from
the operating costs. A monthly increase According to the En- our office.
We’re looking for high school juniors and
seniors for 2021-22 Jackson Electric’s
youth ambassador program.
Get a $1,000 discount off the installation of a new solar system when you
make a downpayment on a system with JacksonSolar LLC before May 28,
2021. Site assessment is required. That’s an additional $1,000 savings on
top of the 26% federal tax credit that you may be eligible to receive.
Contact our office at 715.284.5385 or go to www.jackelec.com/
jacksonsolar-llc.
Mailing Address: N6868 County Road F
Black River Falls, WI 54615
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Board of Directors: Gary Woods, President
Chris Curran, Vice President
Customer Service 715.284.5385
David Peasley, Secretary-Treasurer
800.370.4607
Jerry Huber, Dairyland Power Representative
Outage Reporting 855.222.DARK (3275)
Daniel Smrekar, Kristi Hanson, Stanley Gran, Brian
Diggers Hotline 800.242.8511
Huber, Jerry Wagner
Credit Card Payments 844.759.3984
www.jackelec.com Kevin Babcock, General Manager/CEO
18 Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News Your Touchstone Energy® Partner
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