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November 2012

Nishnabotna ValleyRural Electric Cooperative

1317 ChatburnHarlan, Iowa

(712) 755-21661-800-234-5122

www.nvrec.comN Lews ines

nishnabotna valley

Member-owners of nishnabotna valley rec should have received their share of the $249,439.92 in the mail in late october. “this is the members’ share of the profits as owners of their co-operative,” explains nishnabotna valley rec chief executive officer, John euchner. checks represent patronage divi-dends from the cooperative’s 1991 margins. “if you were a member of

REC Members Share in $249,439 patronage dividend refund

the rec in 1991, there would have been a check in the mail to you,” euchner said. allocation of dividends is based on the amount of electricity mem-bers use. the more electricity used, the greater their share of the divi-dends. Members of nishnabotna valley rec have received over $2.3 mil-lion in patronage dividends sice the cooperative began in 1936.

PELGROW in OaklandExpands into New BuildingPelgrow, a west central company, hosted a ribbon cut-ting and open house in october. this is their newest agronomy facility in southwest iowa. it is located just 2 miles north of oakland, ia on highway 59, in nishnabotna valley rec’s service territory. this modern facility will be open for the fall fertilizer season. congratulations to Pelgrow employees and customers in oakland.

Holiday ClosingsVeterans’ DayMon., Nov. 12Thanksgiving

& FridayNov. 22 & 23

NVREC FamilyReceives Energy Efficiency Kit and New American Flag nishnabotna valley rec em-ployees pride themselves in being a touchstone energy co-op, which provides high standards of service according to our four core values: integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. the hard working men and women at your cooperative strive to show our members that we honestly care about you. the ed Johansen family of rural earling recently received an energy efficiency kit from the coopera-tive to show that we want to help them prepare for the coming winter months. the kit included caulking, window tape, two cFl light bulbs and a low flow showerhead to conserve on hot water. the family of six was also given a new american flag to replace their old one as they proudly wave their country’s colors. emily said they fly their flag in honor of their fathers who both served in the Korean war. emily’s father is lt colonel luis dellert, u.s. army re-tired, and ed’s father, the late alvin Johansen, u.s. air Force. nishnabotna valley rec wants to honor and thank our country’s men and women who have served or are currently serving in the armed Forces this veteran’s day. we thank them for our Freedom!

Lori Holste (far left) represents Western Iowa Development and Janell Cheek (far right) representing Nishnabotna Valley REC join members of PELGROW staff and Corporate West Central representatives in the new Oakland PELGROW plant.

Published monthly byNishnabotna Valley

Rural Electric Cooperative1317 Chatburn Avenue,

Harlan, Iowa 51537Directors

President ..................Darrell StampVice-Pres ..................Wayne PaulsenSec.-Treas.................Bryan GreveDirector .....................Don ApplegateDirector .....................Dale ChristiansenDirector .....................Galen GrabillDirector .....................Gene KenkelChief Executive Officer ..... John EuchnerCommunications ............... Janell Cheek

Nishnabotna Valley NewslinesOffice Hours: Mon-Fri.,

7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Telephone: (712) 755-2166 or

toll free 800-234-5122

Fax (712)755-2351On the Web: www.nvrec.com

or www.nvrec.coop

Outages after hours, holidays and weekends: 800-234-5122

nishnabotna valley rural electric cooperative is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Make your home feel warmer with-out turning up the heat this winter. with these winterization tips, you’ll save energy without spending much money (and you might even qualify for $500-$1,500 in tax credits). 1. Dodge the Drafts – according to the u.s. department of energy, drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Just place a rolled bath towel under a drafty door. 2. Change Furnace Filters – yes it’s easy to forget, but it’s important to replace or clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy demand. here’s a worry-saving tip: mark a monthly check on your calendar.if your entire furnace is in need of replacement, it will cost a lot more -- but replacing an inefficient burner for a modern machine will save you every month through the heating season. 3. Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse – Many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. counterclockwise rotation

Easy Home Winterization Projectsproduces cooling breezes while switch-ing to clockwise makes it warmer: air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space - cutting your heating costs as much as 10%! 4. Winterize Your A/C and Water Lines – simply drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes, and make sure you don’t have excess water pooled in equipment. if your a/c has a water shutoff valve, go ahead and turn that off. similarly, make sure any hoses are drained and stowed away neatly. turn off exterior water spigots. it’s also a good idea to seal any water leaks around the place -- and don’t forget to remove any window a/c units and store them so you don’t invite cold drafts all winter. 5. Turn Down Your Water Heater – while many conventional water heaters are set to 140 degrees F, most households don’t need that much steam and end up paying for it any-way. lowering the temperature to 120 degrees F could reduce your water heating costs by 6% to 10%.

Coop Connections Card

PARTICIPATING BuSINESSES:• Alpha and Omega Floors, 607

court street, harlan – 18 Month no interest financing or 10% off ceramic/ porcelain/ natural tiles

• Automated Business Forms and Printing, 1109 ridgeway drive, audubon – 10% off print-ing materials

• Border Fare Restaurant, 1704 chatburn ave, harlan – 10% off for cardholders

• Bulbs.com, 243 stafford street, worcester, Ma, 888-455-2800 – 10% off when you use your co-op connections discount code

• Club 191, 101 Main street, Portsmouth – receive 10% orders when you present the co-op connections card

• Creative Concepts Collision Repair, 422 Market street, har-lan – $20 chamber bucks on any work over $500

• Crees Garden Center, 2213 college Place, harlan – 5% off entire purchase

• Danish Windmill, elk horn ia – 2 for 1 tour/10% off pur-chase in gift shop

• Dunlap Plumbing and Heat-ing, 113 iowa ave, dunlap ia – 10% off scheduled Pre-sea-son heating or cooling system check-ups

• Harlan Inn and Suites, 1148 hwy 59, harlan – 10% off room rate for coop connection card holders

• Harlan Veterinary Associates, 910 chatburn avenue, harlan

– call today to ask about co-op connections Member discounts

• Harlan Vision Clinic, 2306 12th street, harlan – discounts on prescription eye glasses

• Heartland Carpet Cleaning, 1710 10th street, harlan – 10% off carpet and upholstry cleaning

• Hy-Vee, 2003 chatburn avenue, harlan – Free 1/2 gallon of milk with $25 purchase

• Iowa Wines and More, 506 Mar-ket, harlan – 5% off purchase to Member card holders

• Kneaded Touch, Inc, 2104 gar-field ave, harlan – 5% discount on Massage (not gift certificate or products)

• Peterson Family Wellness Cen-ter, 1312 chatburn ave, harlan – Free nutrition consultation with purchase of personal training package

• Picket Fence Greenhouse, 1129 ginkgo road, Portsmouth – 10% off purchases

• Pizza Ranch, 613 court street, harlan – buy an adult buffet, get one half off

• Rose City Canopy, inc, 201 rd M47, walnut – discounts on lighting and installation

• The Corn Crib, 12 east street, shelby – Free small fountain drink with purchase of meal

• The Danish Inn, elk horn – 10% discount on parties of 4 or less

• The Family Garden, 525 Main street, griswold – 10% off meal orders

• The Flower Barn Apparel and Gift, 624 Market street, harlan ia – 10 % off total purchase

• Willow Creek Glass Chapel and Banquet Hall, 4072 325th street, shelby – $20 off price of wedding or banquet hall reservations

Use your Co-op Connections Card at these participating businesses

Go to www.nvrec.comfor a list of discounts and nation-wide deals for nvrec members with the co-op connections card! don’t have your card any-more? log onto www.connec-tions.coop and print off your new card. call Janell at 712-755-2166 for more information.

if you’d like to buy an artificial christmas tree strung with ever-last-ing led bulbs, buy it now. if you wait until after thanksgiving, you probably won’t be able to find a nice one. led-strung trees sell out quickly – even though they cost more than artificial evergreens with traditional lights – because the bulbs never burn out. they’re expected to burn without trouble for 200,000 hours, so they ought to last for at least 20 christmases. led means light-emitting diode. the light is built into the light fixture, so there’s no bulb to change. by the time the light burns out, you would need to replace the whole fixture – and tree – anyway. other benefits: leds are cool to the touch, so they’re easier to handle and don’t present a fire hazard when they come into contact with your tree’s limbs. they use up to 90 percent less energy than traditional holiday lights. their casings are shatterproof. take some of the hassle out of the holidays by switching to leds. even if you don’t want a fake tree, you can replace your outdoor and tree lights with removable strings of leds. but do it soon, or you might wind up having to wait until next year to make the switch.

LED-strung Christmas trees:Going fast!

Friendly staff at dunlap Plumbing and heating are the newest co-op connections card business. call them to-day at 712-643-5388 to schedule your pre-season system check at a 10% discount rate for nvrec members.

“CHAiN” OF EVENtS• Milesoflinetobuild–515• Milesoflinecompleted–302.2

(this is 58% completed of the 515 miles)

• Progressof65.9milesoflinesince september report

• TotalFEMAprojects–26

as of 10-31-12

520 miles of line complete

500

450

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350

300

250

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150

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75

50

25

0 miles of rebuilt line complete Jan. 2011

Monthly Progress Report

What is Operation Round-up®? Operation Round-Up® is a program that allows Nishnabotna Valley REC consumer-owners to make a difference in their own communities. Operation Round-Up® allows you to “round-up” your monthly electric bills and donate the difference to a charitable fund to be used in Nishnabotna Valley REC’s service territory. The minimum amount you contribute each month is $0.01, and the maximum is $0.99.

How does Operation Round-up® work? If you choose to participate, your electric bill will be rounded-up to the next highest dollar each month. For example, if your electric bill is $52.71, an additional balance of 29 cents will be added, making your bill an even $53.00.

How will the funds be used? Donations are made from the fund to non-profit organizations and individuals in need and also for family emergency disasters. The program has been successfully implemented in more than 200 electric co-ops across the nation. The program is administered by Nishnabotna Valley REC’s Board of Directors. Application forms are available at the REC office and will be reviewed by the Board of Directors quarterly. Applications should be received no later than the 15th of the month at the end of the quarter. Contributions to the fund are not tax deductible. By joining with other Nishnabotna Valley REC members, your small monthly donation can make a bigger impact. It’s what a cooperative is all about. If you would like to sign up for this worthwhile program and help make a difference, please fill out the form below and return it to our office.

Nishnabotna Valley REC –Authorization for Operation Round-Up®

________ Yes, I would like to participate in the community service program Operation Round-Up®. I understand that my electric bill will be rounded up to the next highest dollar. Those funds will be used for nonprofit community activities and programs.

Name_____________________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________

City_ ________________________ State______ Zip Code_________

Account Number(s): ________________________________________

Signature__________________________________________________

Date______________________________________________________

Round up your bill to help others

Chain Electric Passes 300 Mile Mark of New Distribution Line installed on the FEMA Rebuild Project chain electric crews are busy this october morning installing a new riser pole and ground level cabinet north of earling.

gathering family members to help you carefully wash and dry your dish-es by hand is a great way to keep everyone together in the kitchen after a big holiday dinner. it’s also a big waste of hot water. cleaning dishes in the dishwasher uses 37 percent less water than washing them by hand. the reason: Most of us run the hot water constantly while washing plate after glass after casserole dish. A TIP: if you have a divided sink, plug the drains and fill one side with warm, soapy water and the other with clear rinse water, and then turn the faucet off. you’ll use half as much water cleaning your dishes that way than if you run the dishwasher. if you do load the dishwasher, wait until it’s full to turn it on. if you have to rinse dried-on food from dishes before you stack them in the dishwasher, use cold water only. always opt for the “energy-saving” cycle when you run your dishwasher. and deactivate the “heated drying” cycle in favor of letting the dishes air-dry overnight. you’ll save up to 10 percent on dishwashing costs if you do.

Dishwasher Uses Less Water than Hand-washing

Harlan Tribune Graphics Web Printing

Wellness at Any Age

NVREC Recipe Corner

day in and day out, more than 65 million family caregivers in this coun-try fulfill a vital role on the care team of a family member. no one else is in a better position to ensure continuity of care. Family caregivers are the most familiar with their care recipients’ medicine regimen; they are the most knowledgeable about the treatment regimen; and they understand best the dietary and exercise regimen. national Family caregivers association (found online at www.thefamily-caregiver.org) offers a virtual library of information and educational materi-als. these materials range from national educational campaigns to tips and tools for family caregivers. there is also information on agencies and organizations, which provide family caregiver support. nFca research and reports focus largely, but not exclusively, on those family caregivers who provide significant levels of care. there is an exten-sive body of family caregiver research available on many different aspects of the care giving experience. you can find out more about the financial, physical and emotional impact of family care giving as well as information on family caregivers at work and in the healthcare system in the caregiver statistics section of this site. don’t have access to a computer? Please write or call:

national Family caregivers association10400 connecticut avenue, suite 500Kensington, Md 20895-3944(800) 896-3650

November is National Family Care-givers Month

NVREC Crews perform annual pole top rescue training inOctober Lineman Grant Oliver, above, learns about new safety materials for pole climbing, and practices a pole top rescue. Iowa Association of Electrical Cooperative Safety Manger, John Dvorack and NVREC Line crew observe.

Lineman Donnie Jacobsen per-forms pole top rescue on weighted manikin during October's NVREC safety meeting.

Healthy thanksgiving Recipes (from the Mayo Clinic)

PumPkin SouPIngredients

3/4 cup water1 small onion, chopped1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree1 cup unsalted vegetable broth1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1 cup fat-free milk1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper1 green onion, green top only,

chopped Directions

in a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat. add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. don’t let the onion dry out. add the remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. stir in the milk and cook until hot. don’t boil. ladle into warmed individual bowls and garnish with black pepper and green onion tops. serve immediately.

Save energy while preparing holiday feast baking pies, roasting a turkey and warming up the side dishes for your family’s thanksgiving feast can be hard on your electric bill if you rely on your oven to do all the work. this thanksgiving, consider using your stovetop, barbecue grill, micro-wave oven, slow cooker, toaster oven, electric skillet and even your blender or food processor to “cook” your bird and all the trimmings. here are some tips for a more energy-efficient thanksgiving. • Giveyourovenabreakandyourfamilyatreatbysmokingorgrillingyour

turkey outdoors in your barbecue grill. it’s a quicker way to cook a bird, and the smoky flavor is a nice change from a traditional, oven-roasted turkey.

• Usethemicrowaveoventoheatupvegetables,potatoesandothersidedishes.

• Considerservingsomefoodthatdoesn’tneedcooking.Theturkey,stuffingand potatoes will be nice and hot. add some variety to the menu by prepar-ing a few cold salads and raw vegetables with dip. experiment with no-bake desserts, like frozen peanut butter pie or no-bake cheesecake.

• Whenyoudousetheoven,resistopeningthedoortocheckontheturkeyor pies. every time you peek inside, you let enough heat out that the oven has to work harder to get back to the proper temperature.

• Bakeeverythingatthesametime:pies,bread,turkey,potatoes.Themoreyour oven can do at once, the less time you’ll need to use it. leave enough room between items for air and heat to circulate.

• Chooseglassorceramicpansfortheoven.Theycookfoodattempera-tures as much as 25 degrees lower than other pans.

• Theburnersonyourcooktopwillworkmoreefficientlyifyoumatchthesizeof the burner to the size of the pot. Placing a small pot on a larger burner wastes the heat from the part of the burner that doesn’t touch the pot.

• Cleantheburnersandtheoven.There’snoneedforthemtospendanyen-ergy heating spilled, baked-on food that you haven’t cleaned up yet. if you use the self-cleaning function on your oven while it’s still hot after you use it to prepare a meal, it will use the residual heat and work quicker.