Action Review: Wind, Solar, Organic... Oh, My!
Action Review: Wind, Solar, Organic... Oh, My!
Action Review: Wind, Solar, Organic... Oh, My!
IN THIS ISSUE:
Rosins Home and Farm Feature Keystone Threat Co-op Profile: Kayla Miller Frank James 15 years with WORC Chapter and Committee Updates DRA West River Job Announcement Farm Beginnings in Sioux Falls 1 2 3 5 5 5 6 7 7
Bill Rosin, organic farmer and this articles contributing author, stands by his homes PV panels.
several more in use in our area, including one at the local school. These units can put out up to over 3000 watts on a windy day. The local schools wind charger recently put out over 50 kWh in one day - a significant amount considering the average South Dakota home consumes 34 kWh in a day (according to a 2009 analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration). Additionally, we have a bank of seven photovoltaic (PV) panels, connected to the same meter as the wind charger. We like them; theyre very simple and trouble free. They are more expensive per output potential than wind, but we bought our panels used from the same dealer that sold us the wind charger. He just happened to have some for sale, so we were lucky. The wind and solar system each cost about ten grand installed. However we didnt apply for or receive any tax breaks, rebates, grants. We regret not applying for a USDA grant; I think we could have gotten it and would have offset about $2,500. The dealer told us not to bother.
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We have extra copies of the Local Foods Directory available! If your church, business or group would like copies to distribute, call 605.697.5204. The Directory is a service, an opportunity for producers to list their products free of charge. Anyone can request a free directory to be mailed to them, as well. Thanks to our intern Melissa Kirby and to organizer Holly Tilton for completing this massive, important task! Help us spread the word. If you know someone who would like to receive a directory, email action@dakotarural.org.
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May/June 2011
DRA ADMINISTRATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Meredith Redlin, Brookings Chair Holly Waddell, Shadehill Vice-Chair Jon Auer , Brookings Treasurer Zona Vig, Mud Butte Secretary Jon Halvorson, Sioux Falls ER At-Large Rep Jacob Limmer, Lake Norden ER At-Large Rep Paul Seamans, Draper WR At-Large Rep John Hartner, Winner WR At-Large Rep Darwin Oliver, Shadehill WPAG Rep Ethan Wiechmann, Bison WPAG Rep Joyce Jensen, Erwin Kingsbury Rep Cliff Millsapps, Gary Deuel Rep Jim Buchholz, Estelline Deuel Rep Kayla Miller, Brookings Brookings Rep Bill Nibbelink, Flandreau Moody Rep CHAPTERS - Chairpersons Brookings - Emily Ravenscroft Deuel - Cliff Millsapps, Gary Kingsbury Stand-by Status Moody - Stand-by Status WPAG Llewellyn Englehart, Shadehill ACTIVE COMMITTEES - Chairpersons Finance - Jon Auer Personnel - Kristianna Gehant Small Farms - Kristianna Gehant, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks Livestock Team - Shane Kolb Community Energy Development - Jim Buchholz Pipeline David Niemi STAFF Frank James Staff Director Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher Organizer Stephanie Trask Organizer Holly Tilton Organizer Luke Temple Organizer/Lobbyist Tonya Haigh Grant Writer Anna Leisa Schuh Program Support Eowyn Corral Program Administrator Action Review, DRA newsletter - 6 issues yearly Anna Leisa Schuh - layout & editing Dakota Rural Action 910 Fourth Street, Suite A, Box 549 Brookings, SD 57006 605/697-5204 www.dakotarural.org DRA West (field office) 1719 West Main Street, Suite 303 Rapid City, SD 57702 605/718-4957 We strive to build grassroots leadership through community organizing by giving people a strong voice in decisions affecting their quality of life. DRA Mission Statement
Kayla Miller
SDLFC: Why did you decide to join the SD Local Foods Co-op? Kayla: I wanted easy access to locally produced products and healthier foods. SDLFC: What items do you buy or enjoy the most from the co-op? Kayla: I love it all! I cant decide what I enjoy the most, but every month I always have a loaf of bread in my basket, and Ive never had meat that tasted this good before. SDLFC: How did you hear about the co-op? Kayla: Im a DRA member, so I heard about it through DRA. I first got involved by joining the planning committee before the co-op launched. SDLFC: What makes the SD Local Foods Co-op stand out from other food venues? Kayla: The access to local products and the connection that forms between the producers and the consumers. SDLFC: What is your favorite thing about the South Dakota Local Foods Co-op? Kayla: The fact that I have easy access to healthy, local products that also supports the local economy. SDLFC: Would you recommend the Co-op to others? Kayla: Of course! Good for your health, good for your neighbor, and good for your community! SDLFC: What is your greatest hope for the Co-op? Kayla: To keep growing and expanding across the state, bringing healthy, local foods to many more South Dakotans!
Kayla Miller poses here with her horse All That Jazz. Kayla is a dedicated member of the South Dakota Local Foods Co-op and serves on the planning committee by Holly Tilton, DRA staff
When talking about the South Dakota Local Foods Coop one thing is abundantly clear: this project would be nothing if it were not for our members and their dedicated involvement. Kayla Miller is one of those dedicated members. Originally from Sioux Falls, Kayla currently lives in Brookings and is a recent graduate of South Dakota State University with a B.S. in Microbiology. She has served on DRAs Co-op Planning Committee for the last two years. During that time she has helped with the planning for the launch of the co-op, served as dropsite coordinator for Sioux Falls and Brookings, and continues to help with the development of the co-op. Kayla has also taken on one of the more important roles for the coop: the role of consumer. Kayla recently sat down with me to talk about her experience being a purchaser through the South Dakota Local Foods Co-op.
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was replaced by the company. There were also some problems resulting from cold weather, the company seemed to have disregarded that it gets cold up here, but they have since been resolved too. Overall weve had two completely new units installed because of problems. The company has been pretty about getting them replaced, but not all companies are, so it is important to check into their warranty and service policies.
I really think if local energy systems, electric vehicles and renewables would have been a priority... we wouldnt need to import a drop of oil today..
- Bill Rosin
Another important feature to look for when purchasing a wind turbine is if it has a vane on the unit housing. A common scenario in SD, the wind blows from one direction one day, calms at night, and next day comes up gradually from the opposite direction, and the turbine will not flip to orient into the wind. But the biggest bugaboo, and this is something rural folks need to be aware of....the grid voltages in the country can vary, depending on how far you are from a substation. These turbines are programmed to cut out at about 131 volts, and if youre near a substation your
grid voltage may already be up to 127 or so, and when its windy, especially if the turbine is a distance from your house, it boosts the voltage to over the limit. We had that problem for several years, and it really cut into our production. The local utility finally gave us permission to put up to 134 volts in our line at the farm, and we were able to reprogram ours so it works beautifully since. Like everything, its computer controlled. The local schools wind tower did not have this problem, because it was connected through Montana-Dakota Utilities and towns have their own substation, so grid voltage is always lower. A great solution to prevent this at the utility level is to install devices at the substations to automatically adjust the voltage according to demand. Having higher than normal voltage is very wasteful, like having more than necessary pressure in a water line. There are utilities that actually subsidize devices to reduce voltage at point of use, and its saving both them and customers lots of money, and in some cases eliminating the need for more power plants. However a number of utilities cant, or think they cant, afford the devices, which is unfortunate since many co-ops have seen an increase in their electricity demand. Due to the big increase in corn and bean production up in this area, and so many more grain bins with air systems to dry grain, according to our local co-op manager. I often wonder if this energy use is figured in when an analysis is made of the efficiency of modern farming. I really think if local energy systems, electric vehicles and renewables would have been a priority for research and development we wouldnt need to import a drop of oil today. May/June 2011
Frank James, center, receives a certificate from Pat Sweeney at the WORC annual meeting in June, marking 15 years of work at Dakota Rural Aciton and the Idaho Rural Council.
The Chapter has been researching ways to best utilize old Astoria school building on of the most popular ideas is to install a commercial kitchen. However, the Chapter would like to incorporate more people into their work in an effort to create a thriving, sustainable and self-reliant community. To accomplish this they are in the middle of planning a free community wide event to bring more people and ideas into the chapter. If you are in the Deuel County area and interested in become involved please contact Luke Temple at luket@dakotarural.org Holiday Hills Retirement Home, and Summerset Retirement Home) by 10% per year for the next three years. The Committee recognized the potential of the SD Online Food Co-op to facilitate institutional ordering of local foods, and helped initiate efforts to bring the Online Co-op West River. Twelve new members of the Black Hills Chapter met on June 13th for their first meeting. You can find the chapter on Facebook, thanks to Chairman John Seward. To join the new chapter, contact Stephanie at 605-718-4957.
We are searching for a West River organizer, to be based out of Rapid City.
This person will be responsible for organizing two chapters - the Western Plains Action Group and the Black Hills Chapter - helping them select campaigns and achieve community-improvement objectives. He or she will also work to develop the co-op in Rapid City and Spearfish, as well as facilitate the transition of Farm Beginnings to the Western half of the state. To receive a list of the full job responsibilities and requirements, please e-mail action@dakotarural.org or call the office at 605.697.5204.
The Black Hills Chapter kicked-off on May 9th. The Chapter Organizing Committee, who met throughout the winter to develop the new chapters structure, by-laws, officer duties and nominations slate, and kick-off campaign, gave a presentation on the background and development of the new chapter. The Organizing Committee also worked to define an initial campaign goal for the Black Hills Chapter; To increase local food sourcing in three chosen Black Hills-area institutions (Youth and Family Services,
Applicants must send a resume and cover letter by the end of June.
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Shop online and pick-up your order once per month. Get items such as beef, lamb, tomatoes, soap, aprons, apples, and much more from your local producer! Membership is only a one time fee of $50 + tax.
Keystone, continued.
Unfortunately, while remedial action is necessary for Keystone, it is too late to rebuild that pipeline. It is not too late for Keystone XL. Given new safety concerns with tars sands pipelines like Keystone XL, landowners who live on its rightof-way deserve the time to comment on the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and the opportunity to have public hearings. Farmers who rely on the Ogallala Aquifer for water deserve to have their requests for an alternate route for Keystone XL taken seriously by the State Department. First responders need to be prepared
for the risks theyll encounter in the event of a diluted bitumen spill. The American public, a quarter million of whom have asked for additional environmental review and more time to comment on the Keystone XL SDEIS, deserve to know their government is doing proper due diligence on their behalf. Its time to put the rubber stamp down and wait for the facts to come in. Anthony Swift is an Attorney for the National Resource Defense Councils International Program. He writes for a blog with NRDC on curbing pollution, health and the environment, and moving beyond oil.
May/June 2011
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Membership
July
Drive!
For every new member YOU recruit, your name will be put in a hat. At the end of July, two names will be drawn, and the winners will have their choice of one of two prizes:
a $100 Gift Certificate to the SD Local Foods Co-op or a $100 Gift Certificate to Apple/iTunes.
Our goal is to recruit 60 new members in the month of July. More members means more minds and hands to accomplish DRAs goals. Tell your neighbors, friends, church, book club, co-workers to join!
DRA provides a Farmer Exchange classified section in its bi-monthly newsletter. Criteria for classifieds include: o Must be a DRA member o Must pertain to farm-related exchanges. This could include: o Farmers seeking interns or interns seeking farmers o On-farm services needed or offered o Farm tools/equipment for sale or needed o Farmers seeking or selling land o Other farm-related issues The classifieds are meant to connect farmers, especially beginning and small farmers to a network of resources available throughout the state. People have already found success with this resource! Submit your listing now! Listings for the next newsletter can be submitted by calling 605697-5204 or emailing hollyt@dakotarural.org by June 31st.
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July
CALENDAR
August
July 4 -- Office closed for Independence Day July 14 -- Board Meeting West River July 15 -- Co-op Order Cycle Closes July 20-23 -- POCO training in Brookings July 22 -- Co-op Producer Drop-Off July 23 -- Co-op Consumer Pick-Up
August 12 -- Co-op Order Cycle Closes August 13 -- FarmAid concert in Kansas City August 19 -- Co-op Producer Drop-Off August 20 -- Co-op Consumer Pick-Up
If youd like tr aining on ho w to engage o to achieve go thers als, join us fo r POCO (Prin in your community Organizing T ciples of Com raining), July munity Call the offic 20-23 in Bro e or check ou okings. r website for 605.697.5204 an applicatio . www.dakota n. rural.org.
www.dakotarural.org P.O. Box 549 | Brookings, SD 57006 Tel 605.697.5204 | Fax 605.697.6230
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 53 BROOKINGS, SD 57006