Midwest Rural Energy Council
The Midwest Rural Energy Council is a cooperative effort between Extension programs at the University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University and Iowa State University, and farm programs of member electric power suppliers in these states. Our 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).
- The 2020 MREC Rural Energy Conference will be held February 12-14 at the Radisson Hotel in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Speakers will present about proper stray voltage measurement techniques, new challenges for regional energy transmission with wind and solar power generation, impact of trade agreements on farmers, energy use comparison of robotic milking compared to other systems, carbon footprint of swine systems, stray voltage effects on cow health, livestock used to manage land under solar arrays, a comparison of different types of dairy farms and their energy use, applied ethics, first hand experiences of managing a large scale robotic dairy, and converting digesters to natural gas. Conference brochure and registration will soon be available.
- Three classes in Stray Voltage Investigation for dairy producers and agricultural professionals are typically held each year. Stray Voltage Investigator’s Classes were developed by the University of Wisconsin, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. In 2019, Introduction and Intermediate classes were held May 14-16 at Arlington, Wisconsin and an Advanced class was held October 15-16 in Madison, Wisconsin. Similar classes will be held in 2020.
- View the brochure for the 2019 Intro and Intermediate classes here. View the brochure for the 2019 Advanced class here.
Archives of previous conference brochures and conference presentations are here.
- The 2019 MREC Rural Energy Conference was held February 13-15, 2019 in Bloomington, MN at the newly renovated Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport Hotel. See the 2019 conference brochure 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.
