Midwest Rural Energy Council
The Midwest Rural Energy Council is a membership organization whose mission is to support outreach, education and research on rural energy issues for the benefit of:
- farms and other rural energy consumers,
- rural energy suppliers,
- farm organizations and agricultural trade associations,
- electrical equipment and allied industries,
- government regulatory agencies.
Our annual conference occurs in February, see more below. Follow the links above or to the right to find out more about the MREC, MREC publications, announcements and other educational programs and information on a variety of rural energy issues. Here is a promotional flier about MREC (half a page, front and back).
Classes in Stray Voltage Investigation for dairy producers and agricultural professionals are typically held once a year. The Advanced Stray Voltage Investigation class will be held November 15-16, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pyle Center. Here is a brochure for the advanced course, and a link to the registration. A block of rooms has been reserved at the University of Wisconsin Lowell Center (next door to the Pyle Center). When you book your room, mention that you are attending the Advanced Stray Voltage Investigation course. Introduction to Stray Voltage, and Stray Voltage Testing were held June 5-7, 2018 in Arlington Wisconsin. See the 2018 SV intro and intermediate class brochure here. In 2018, there also was an Advanced Stray Voltage Investigation class held February 14 as a pre-conference workshop.
The 57th Rural Energy Conference will be held February 13-15, 2019 in Bloomington, Minnesota. For an idea of what this conference will be like, review the information from this year’s conference which was held February 14-16, 2018 in La Crosse, Wisconsin at the Radisson Hotel. See the conference brochure that lists speakers on topics such as workplace personal safety; grid interactive thermal storage; robotic milking; LED lighting design; incentive programs for energy efficiency; biosecurity on livestock farms; community and utility-scale solar; fault calculations, equipment protection and arc flash; data from cow activity monitors; dangers in the air on farms (manure gas, silo gas, etc.); and even an in-person report from Pam Jahnke, Wisconsin Farm Report Radio.
The pre-conference workshop February 14, 2018 was on Advanced Stray Voltage Investigation. The pre-conference workshop and the conference are two separate events.
Archives of previous conference brochures and conference presentations are here.
If you would like to receive notices of MREC activities and updates please sign up for our quarterly electronic newsletter below.
Click here to sign up for our quarterly electronic newsletter.
We would like to hear from you! For more information about the MREC, contact the secretary at mrec@uwex.edu. Also, if you have comments or problems with the website please send us an email.
