Lighting the way for 90 years

Rural America was vastly different in 1935. Less than 10% of homes had indoor plumbing, with families trudging outdoors to use an outhouse, hauling water to a washbasin for a bath, and scrubbing laundry until their hands were raw. Most rural households didn’t have a telephone but instead shared a party line with neighbors, and the radio was a lifeline to the world, delivering news and entertainment long before television. Perhaps the most shocking aspect was that fireplaces or wood-burning stoves were the sole source of heat during the harsh, bitter winters on the prairies.

The passing of the Rural Electrification Act in 1935 marked a significant milestone in bringing electricity to rural America and improving the quality of life. It gave rise to rural electric cooperatives across the Great Plains in areas where electricity was needed most. One of these cooperatives was Federated Rural Electric Association (Federated).

“When Federated began in 1935, we shared an office with Federated Cooperative Oil Association,” Scott Reimer, Federated’s general manager, says. “Our first manager, Paul Ferguson, was hired in 1936, and Federated began creating its legacy.”

Federated, a Class C member of Basin Electric with headquarters in Jackson, Minnesota, celebrated its 90th anniversary at its 2025 annual meeting with a pancake supper for members, live entertainment by dueling pianos, and prizes awarded to attendees.

The anniversary provided an opportune time to reflect on a 90-year journey marked by both challenges and opportunities.

“During the 1940s, material and manpower were short, limiting growth,” Reimer says. “After World War II, new service applications poured in. Federated then purchased the Wilder Electric Cooperative in 1946, and added approximately 100 miles of rural line purchased from the city of Fairmount.”

Federated weathered the 1980s farm-economy crisis, with rising interest rates, drought, and falling crop prices, which significantly impacted its members. Shortly after, the hog barn boom occurred, increasing electricity demand in Federated’s service territory. The early to mid-2000s spurred new load growth with the addition of a soybean processing plant and ethanol plants.

While Federated was growing and evolving, so too was its power supply. The first electricity to its members was provided by the local towns’ power plants, with Federated building its own plant in 1950. Hydro and coal-fueled electric generation joined the mix shortly after.

“Today, 80% of our energy comes from Basin Electric Class A member L&O, 5% from Great River Energy, and 15% from the Missouri River hydropower,” Reimer states.

Through it all, one thing has remained the same—the drive to serve their members. “Local, reliable, and affordable service continues to be what drives us, whether for electricity or broadband internet,” says Reimer. “Member service and safety are paramount.”

When looking toward the future, Federated has exciting projects on the horizon. “Next year, Federated will remodel its 1970s headquarters to replace the roof and aging plumbing, add necessary technology, and reorganize the office for more employees to serve electric members and broadband patrons,” Reimer says. “We are also monitoring the addition of wind and solar generating resources, as well as the development of a 765-kilovolt transmission line.”

Living in an era where light comes on at the flick of a switch, hot water flows by turning a lever, and communication and news arrive on our hand-held devices, the hardships of the 1930s are hard to comprehend. Federated’s 90-year journey reminds us how far rural communities have come and how they’ve weathered the tests of time.