Wheatland Electric is proud to “Deliver Energy for Life” to more than 20,000 Kansas homes and businesses with a total of about 32,000 meters. We take our mission seriously because we know the electricity we deliver fuels those crucial fans in the grain bins after harvest time, keeps life-support equipment running for fragile older people, lights up athletic fields for our terrific school teams, and even powers night lights for children who are afraid of the dark.
We care because we’re not just a company. We’re a Cooperative. We’re owned by the people we serve. Those people are spread out over 14 different Kansas counties and parts of 2 counties in Colorado. In May, 2014 our Kansas members voted for self-regulation, bringing control of Wheatland’s prices and projects back home where it belongs. It takes over 100,000 poles and more than 4,500 miles of power lines, spanning nearly 4,600 square miles, to distribute electricity to our members, and, as far as we’re concerned, the 4,499th mile is just as important as the first.
Speaking of the first, in 1948, nine visionary Western Kansas residents decided to take matters into their own hands and form an electric cooperative. They were tired of being left behind by the big for-profit power companies that didn’t want to spend the money to connect rural America to the grid. And so, Wheatland Electric Cooperative was born.
Jess Taylor, Frank Crouch, Benarr Nelson, Kenneth Davis, Abram Buck, Joseph Ridder, Paul Johnson, Iman Wiatt and Richard Hobson were Wheatland’s founders and original members. In addition to learning all they could about electricity, they had to take out loans, set up offices and lay miles and miles of lines. In 1950, through their own grit and determination, they were ready to welcome an additional 2,246 members.
Today that same up-by-the-bootstraps attitude lives on at Wheatland. When internet service providers failed to provide West Kansas residents with fast, reliable broadband service, we started our own —now serving more than 3,000 members. When Wheatland became aware that quality water was scarce in the Garden City area, it founded Wheatland Water to ensure a reliable supply. And after Great Bend-area residents suffered with poor service for years, Wheatland was one of the co-ops that stepped up to take over for the investor-owned power company there and restore reliable power.
What will our next challenge be? It’s impossible to know, but we do know this: We’re a member cooperative and that’s powerful. So bring it on!
Wheatland’s Mission:
Wheatland Electric Cooperative will continue to improve the quality of life of our members and the communities we serve by providing reliable and competitively priced electricity and other essential services. We emphasize high quality and personal relationships, serving as good stewards of our resources and taking an active role in our communities.
7 Cooperative Principles
Voluntary and Open Membership
Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
Democratic Member Control
Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. The elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.
Members’ Economic Participation
Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.
Autonomy and Independence
Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.
Education, Training, and Information
Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
Concern for Community
While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.
Member