Tag Archive for 'Morgan County REA'

G&T’s EEP program helps bring savings to Colorado dairy

Published on January 27, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

New lighting installed with the help of Tri-State's EEP program has helped this Colorado dairy operation save big dollars on energy costs.

With the support of Tri-State and member system Morgan County REA (Fort Morgan, Colo.), a family-owned dairy producer, Empire Dairy, near Wiggins, Colo., is now able to cut more than $1,000 per month in electric utility expenses from its bottom line production costs with the installation of some new high-efficiency lighting.

A very similar retrofit of induction type lighting at Tri-State and several other member co-ops was provided by the same firm, Sustainable Building Experts of Denver. The Tri-State installation was for new lighting in the Westminster operations center parking lot in 2011.

Induction lighting is essentially high performance fluorescent illumination that can be retrofitted in existing fixtures at considerably less expense than the increasingly popular LED (light emitting diode) applications.

These installations are a part of a series of pilot projects funded through the association’s Energy Efficiency Products (EEP) program. Tri-State’s EEP pilot projects are aimed at testing and demonstrating the viability of emerging technologies in lighting and other energy efficiency products, according to Jon Beyer, Tri-State’s member services manager.

Left to right: Riley McLaughlin of Sustainable Building Experts, Bill Annan and Geoff Baumgartner, both with Morgan County REA, were key in the successful implementation of the energy-saving project at Empire Dairy.

Installed in Empire’s main dairy barn, the 97 new induction lights are designed to last up to 100,000 hours before replacement and save the eastern Colorado milking operation more than 9,000 kilowatt-hours per month in energy consumption. Payback for the retrofitted lights is estimated at a little more than a year from the installation date.

Empire Dairy has been a member-consumer of Morgan County REA since 1989. This large operation employs 85 people, who oversee a herd of 5,000 cows that must be milked three times a day. Most of the six loads each of 440,000 pounds of milk that is produced daily at Empire are transported to Leprino Foods in Fort Morgan for the production of cheese.

In addition to Tri-State and Morgan County REA’s support of the project, additional funding was provided through iCast, a Denver-area nonprofit organization that secures funding mainly to electric utilities and local government entities for sustainable technology projects throughout Colorado.

Colorado’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives put charge into Junior Livestock Sale

Published on August 31, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
Cody Huwa, 13, parades his grand champion steer, Rooster, around the auction ring with the help of his 2-year-old sister at the Colorado State Fair’s Junior Livestock Sale held on Aug. 30.

The 2011 version of the Junior Livestock Sale at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo had a lot of familiar themes – including a large group of impressive Future Farmers of America and 4-H youth with their array of top-notch home-grown animals, busloads of enthusiastic buyers and the state’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives to sponsor the whole shebang.  At the conclusion of the Aug. 30 event, the kids – most of whom live in rural areas served by Tri-State member co-ops – collectively accumulated more than $415,000 from the deep-pocketed and dedicated bidders made up of business and community leaders from across Colorado.

The annual sale is instrumental in supporting the future of Colorado’s agribusiness as it effectively demonstrates to youth the importance of raising quality livestock and the work required of those who pursue careers in agriculture.  “Because of that,” said Tri-State communications manager Jim Van Someren, “Tri-State, our Colorado member co-ops and CREA feel it’s an important and worthwhile project to jointly support – which we have been doing now for the past six years.”

State fair general manager Chris Wiseman concurred, saying, “The Colorado State Fair is proud to be a part of this important event.  We have generous buying groups from across the state coming together to support the hard work and dedication of our agricultural youth exhibitors.  It is always a wonderful experience.”

The big winner of the annual sale is traditionally the boy or girl who has raised the grand champion steer and this year was no exception.  That distinction went to 13-year-old Cody Huwa and his 1,359-pound steer, Rooster.  For the second straight year, the winning bid maxed out at $53,000 – which Cody
says he will put toward his college savings, along with donating some to his sister’s special-needs cheerleading team.

Cody is an active third-generation farmer/rancher living outside of Roggen, Colo., in Weld County, where both his father (Brent) and grandfather (Richard) are have been longtime member-consumers of Tri-State member co-op Morgan County REA.

The Junior Livestock Sale is the largest 4-H and FFA event of its kind in Colorado.  This year’s participants surpassed the total proceeds raised in 2010
by approximately $55,000.  Read more coverage about the fair and the sale in the Pueblo Chieftain.  The State Fair runs through Labor Day.

 

Colorado’s Touchstone Energy co-ops help set a new record for St. Jude’s

Published on June 1, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

This year’s KYGO Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon was inspiring, memorable and the most successful ever – raising a total of $105,375 to help support children’s cancer treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The 2011 KYGO Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon was broadcast live from Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Denver.

Tri-State and Colorado Touchstone Energy cooperatives Morgan County REA, Mountain View Electric, Poudre Valley REA and United Power are proud to have made the event possible and help set a new record for the one-day event.

The live broadcast, held at the new Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Denver, attracted hundreds of supporters throughout the day and into the evening.  A percentage of all restaurant sales that day benefitted St. Jude’s and on-site volunteers answered calls and took donations.  Over the lunch hour, Tri-State communications manager Jim Van Someren presented a $3,000 check on behalf Colorado’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives live on the air.

Jim Van Someren, Tri-State communications manager, presents a $3,000 check on behalf of Colorado's Touchstone Energy cooperatives to Shannon Melcher of KYGO.

“Tri-State and our member co-ops have a long-standing partnership with KYGO and St. Jude’s,” Van Someren said.  “The work that St. Jude’s does is second to none and we’re proud to support such a worthwhile organization.  It was gratifying to see how much good we could accomplish on its behalf in just one day.”

Colorado’s Front Range Touchstone Energy cooperatives have supported the mission of St. Jude’s for eight years through the radiothon.  The 2011 event again provided exposure and the opportunity to put into action one of Touchstone Energy’s core values – commitment to community.

Representatives from Colorado's Touchstone Energy co-ops helped celebrate a record-setting fundraiser for St. Jude's.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.  The world-renown facility is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.  Based in Memphis, Tenn., the hospital treats children from across the U.S., including kids from throughout Tri-State’s member system service territory. And it does so with no cost to the patients’ families, beyond what they can afford and their insurance covers, thanks to fundraising efforts such as this radiothon.

Colorado’s Touchstone Energy co-ops support St. Jude kids

Published on May 13, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Tri-State G&T is teaming up with Morgan County REA, Mountain View Electric, Poudre Valley REA and United Power to present KYGO radio’s Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon on Friday, May 20.

This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever, and will broadcast live from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the new Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Denver.  Surprise celebrity visits are expected, along with a military presence, a 30-person phone bank and a live acoustic concert featuring Lee Brice, Ashton Shepard, David Nail and Gloriana that will follow the radiothon.  A percentage of all sales throughout the day will benefit St. Jude’s, so plan to stop by and enjoy some great food while supporting a worthy cause.

St. Jude's is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.   Plus, it’s the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance and no child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

Colorado’s Front Range Touchstone Energy cooperatives are proud to have supported the mission of St. Jude’s for more than eight years.  Plan to listen – and donate – at 98.5FM KYGO or www.KYGO.com.

G&T’s EEC program helps light Wiggins, Colo.

Published on April 27, 2011 in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

With the help of financial incentives from Tri-State’s Energy Efficiency Credits program, member system Morgan County Rural Electric Association (Fort Morgan, Colo.) has brightened the streets of Wiggins, Colo., with a community service project that upgraded 57 of the town’s mercury vapor street lights to high efficiency, low maintenance LED lights.

The installation, completed by Morgan County personnel last month, was done at no cost to the small farming community of 1,000 people and serves as an opportunity for the co-op to “showcase new electric technologies to our consumers,” said Dave Henderson, director of external affairs for the electric co-op.

Last year, with the support of Tri-State’s EEC program, Morgan County REA was one of the first co-ops in the region to promote and demonstrate a heat pump electric water heater installed in one of the homes of its consumers. “We are now talking to one of our local dairy operators for the possible installation of another commercial LED lighting project on our system,” added Henderson.