From the Top — June 2024 | OEC News

You may notice some changes in our cooperative’s monthly magazine this month. We’ve reduced the number of advertisements, which will result in fewer pages but will not impact the quality or quantity of our content. This shift underscores our commitment to enhancing the magazine’s role as a vital communication tool between our cooperative and you, our valued members.

As member-owners, you have a right to stay informed about the cooperative’s activities, and it’s our duty to ensure transparent and consistent communication. Our magazine serves as a crucial platform for sharing updates, news and insights about the cooperative. While advertisements have helped offset costs in the past, they were never the primary focus. The landscape of magazine advertising has changed significantly over the past two decades, and this adjustment will benefit everyone by providing more focused and meaningful content.

This recent change reduced the number of pages required for classified ads, which enables us to add an extra content page. Classified ads are still a popular and valuable service and will continue to be available. This adjustment simply reallocates space to enhance our communication with you.

In other news, we’ve been closely monitoring developments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that could impact power supply in some parts of the country. Our power supplier, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), operates in a complex regulatory environment. While the exact impact of these regulations remains uncertain, Western Farmers is proactively planning for various scenarios to ensure we continue to provide affordable and reliable power.

We are not concerned that these changes will affect us directly, but we remain ever-watchful and prepared to handle any developments. You can trust that your service will continue uninterrupted and at the high quality you expect from us.

The regulatory process is intricate, involving multiple legal challenges and revisions before final regulations are established. Western Farmers and our national association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, are dedicated to advocating for policies that support cooperative interests nationwide. Locally, Western Farmers is preparing to adapt to these changes, whether they impact us directly or not.

Our cooperative’s mission remains unchanged: to provide you with the best possible service while maintaining transparency and accountability.

Thank you for your continued support, we will navigate these changes and build a stronger, more resilient cooperative.