Ohio Cooperative Living

Ohio Cooperative Living

Overhead view of rural Ohio

Co-ops power economy in communities across the U.S.

The 900 or so electric cooperatives in this country deliver electricity to 42 million Americans in 48 states across 56 percent of the nation’s landmass. In Ohio, the state’s co-ops serve more than 1 million people in 77 of the state’s 88 counties.

According to a report commissioned by the national co-op organization, local electric cooperatives supported about 623,000 American jobs and contributed $111 billion annually to gross domestic product from 2018 through 2022. Their activities have far-reaching impacts across the country — even in areas where co-ops do not serve consumers directly.

Power Lines
Rae Hruby and family

2023 Reader Recipe Contest - Spooky

Never let it be said that Rae Hruby let a holiday pass without cooking something specific to the occasion.

“I’ve just always done my themed foods,” says Hruby, who lives in Grafton, where she and her husband, Paul, are members of Wellington-based Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative. “I took four years of foods classes in high school, and I’ve always enjoyed doing creative things with food.”

Good Eats
Democratic nominee Nan Whaley, the former mayor of Dayton, says she is committed to Ohio’s working- and middle-class families.

Making their case

Ohioans head to the voting booth Nov. 8 for one of the most consequential midterm elections in recent memory. Among the many significant decisions voters must make is who will lead the state’s executive branch as governor for the next four years. 

If elected in November, what will be the issues of highest priority for your administration?

Mike DeWine: We must bring economic prosperity and hope to every part of Ohio. We must improve our economic development efforts in Ohio and focus on every part of the state. To succeed in a tech-focused economy, we are investing substantially in career education, job training, and workforce development. We are closing the digital divide so that all Ohioans have access to high-speed internet services, which will create opportunity for generations.

Visitors to the Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives education building will find energy-saving tips, cooking demonstrations, and free popcorn.

See you at the Review

As the Farm Science Review celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the state’s premier agricultural education and industry event will both highlight its own history and keep its focus on educating for the future.

Eventually, the electric cooperative tent got so popular that the co-ops decided to pool their money and erect a permanent structure on the grounds in 2008. 

Powerline

Filling the void

Anyone living in a rural area of Ohio knows there’s a problem with internet service.

The need for speed

Lack of high-speed internet access affects students’ ability to learn, individuals’ ability to work, and businesses’ ability to prosper, because every day the world is becoming more digital. Online classes, remote work, and Zoom meetings are becoming more and more the norm, and without broadband, those digital tools are simply unavailable. 

There can be no doubt that electric cooperatives will play a part in bridging that digital divide. 

Power Lines
Lineworkers operating in icy, snowy weather.

Duty calls

Lineworkers operate under dangerous conditions even on the best of days, so when Mother Nature issues a challenge, they’re more than prepared to answer the call. 

More than 40 Ohio lineworkers spent a good chunk of January in Virginia, helping to restore power to more than 80,000 co-op members after a storm there. Then in early February, 63 lineworkers from 20 cooperatives around the state jumped into action to help restore power to more than 30,000 Ohio co-op members when winter storm Landon put a coating of ice over some of the most difficult-to-reach areas of the southern part of the state. 

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Carbon-free by 2035?

Over the last few months, Ohio Cooperative Living has taken a look at why we still need coal — an analysis of cost and reliability factors of different generation resources; a review of the sources of electricity used to power Ohio’s co-op member homes and businesses; an ex

ADDING TRANSMISSION

Hundreds of billions of dollars will be needed to build and upgrade the transmission system to carry more electricity from wind and solar. An MIT study found transmission capacity will need to be doubled, and recent transmission projects have taken as long as 17 to 20 years to complete. 

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