#CONNECTEDTHROUGHAG describes different …...it’s rewarding for all of us.” In September, Hannah moved on to Thailand. She spent two weeks at a mushroom farm learning about production,

In this issue:• Scholarship

deadline approaching

• Consider serving your co-op as a board director

• N.D. Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees

• Line patrol and more

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FEBRUARY

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#CONNECTEDTHROUGHAG describes different

countries, similar challenges

In July, Hannah Nordby took a walk in the rain — in Taiwan. Hannah, a former Slope Electric Cooperative scholarship winner, spent six months studying in Taiwan and Thailand through the International Farmers Youth Exchange. Now an agriculture and natural resources agent in Adams County, Hannah brings her worldly experiences home to rural North Dakota. In this month’s local pages, she shares some of them — and lessons learned — with our members.

www.slopeelectric.coop SLOPE ELECTRIC NEWS , FEBRUARY 2019 C1

‘Although we come from different continents and cultures, the goals of producing the best-product possible, and the passion behind that goal, are the same!’

Hannah Nordby joined 4-H, America’s largest youth development organization,

when she was 9 years old. Her experiences in various clubs and camps led to leadership roles that helped ignite her passion for agriculture, education and service. It has turned into a career.

The daughter of Slope Electric Cooperative members Donald and Sarah Nordby, Hannah recently

traveled to Taiwan and Thailand through the International Farmers Youth Exchange (IFYE) program, or International Farmers/4-H, to learn about agriculture and self-help across the globe. Now, she brings her worldly experiences back home to the southwest corner of rural North Dakota, where she shares her knowledge as an agriculture and natural resources agent in Adams County, on behalf

of NDSU Extension.Hannah grew up on a ranch

near Amidon. She attended a one-room elementary schoolhouse in Amidon and high school at New England Public School. When she was a junior, she says she had an “aha” moment in which she knew she wanted to go into agricultural education.

A former scholarship winner from Slope Electric Cooperative, Hannah graduated from high school and enrolled at North Dakota State University in Fargo. After attending classes for more than a year, she felt a desire to study abroad. Knowing it was expensive but ready for a challenge,

Adams County Extension agent shares worldly life lessonsBY CARMEN DEVNEY

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In July, Hannah Nordby helped plant rice in Taiwan. She said her days were busy and intense, because the people who planned her international studies wanted her to learn and help shape her life. She says not only did they shape her, they changed her.

C2 FEBRUARY 2019 , SLOPE ELECTRIC NEWS www.slopeelectric.coop

she put her international interests on the back-burner and signed up for a national student exchange with the University of Wyoming. Hannah found her niche that semester and transferred schools. She graduated with a degree in agricultural education in May 2018.

While she was student-teaching prior to graduation, Hannah still felt the desire to travel, meet people and expand her network. She pulled her international studies dream from the back-burner and filled out an application for IFYE. She was interviewed and accepted.

Always up for an adventure, Hannah says she wanted to go where she would learn a lot, meet people and immerse herself in a culture. She met with a program coordinator, who assessed her personality and life goals, and recommended the countries of Taiwan and Thailand. Hannah accepted and left the United States around the middle of June 2018.

On only the third day in Taiwan, she learned a theme that would reoccur throughout her trip, as she helped dig bamboo sprouts to cut and sell. This particular bamboo farm was an organic farming operation that was known to practice progressing farming technologies.

Hannah kept an online journal of her travels, and that day she wrote, “One thing I’m learning while abroad is although we come from different continents and cultures, the goals of producing the best-product possible, and the passion behind that goal, are the same!”

Also in Taiwan, Hannah visited a farmers market, where she learned how the government and other agriculture businesses come

together to support local farmers. She watched the harvest of oyster shells in Budai, planted rice in a paddy field, visited a papaya farm, learned about the bee industry and challenges that are similar to what producers in the United States face, and much more.

While there was a language barrier with the people she met, Hannah noted there was always a way to relate. She wrote in her Facebook journal, “I listen to their stories and try my best to engage by asking questions. Slowly and clearly, with lots of hand gestures, we usually figure things out. I think it’s rewarding for all of us.”

In September, Hannah moved on

to Thailand. She spent two weeks at a mushroom farm learning about production, and quickly became friends with the family members and workers who prepared, planted, packaged, stacked, picked and processed the mushrooms. Hannah joked online about being amazed by how much she sweated — and stated she felt a sense of sadness in saying goodbye to her host family, who had welcomed her into their busy lives and taught her so much.

Also in Thailand, she visited a cage-free “happy hen” facility at a farm where around 1,000 eggs were produced daily for a restaurant and grocery stores. She learned

Hannah Nordby kept an online journal on Facebook, updating friends on her Taiwan and Thailand adventures. Her hashtag throughout the trip was #connectedthroughag. “That was something I wanted to get across,” she wrote. “I think about me living in North Dakota, and someone living in a place totally opposite from me. You think things are really different. Yes, there are some differences. But a lot of our problems are the same. For farmers, land is really expensive. They have problems with drought. They have problems with young people not wanting to come back to the home farm. I would say almost every issue we have here in the United States and in North Dakota, they are also fighting in the countries I visited. That was a huge eye-opener for me. We focus on the differences, but really, we are a lot more alike.”


more about farmers markets, and how farmers who sell directly to consumers increase their profit margin.

Another highlight was attending a 4-H club training where students were introduced to the cloverleaf symbol, the pledge, and how to conduct a meeting.

“It was really inspiring to watch the students go through the Head, Heart, Hands and Health motions — knowing without words the impact of those actions,” she shared.

She also spent time at a Farm Youth Promotion Center, which is similar to a research center in the United States. In Kanchanaburi, they have implemented several farming practices including crickets, bananas, herbs, horticulture, floriculture and propagation, as well as home economics and 4-H promotion.

Her trip continued through the first part of December, with Hannah learning about soap-making, wild orchids and water buffalo, camping at Erawan National Park, and taking photos and journaling everywhere she went.

Prior to her return, she learned Adams County Extension was looking for an agent back home. While she was still in Taiwan, she called and interviewed for the position. With mediocre WIFI service and a fear she wouldn’t be able to speak fluent English anymore, Hannah’s love for 4-H, agriculture and North Dakota was clearly conveyed. She was offered the job, and she started in January.

Enthusiastic, engaging, and with a vast amount of worldly knowledge and experience,

Hannah is a highly marketable young woman who chose to come back home to North Dakota. She acknowledges that she is proud of this choice — and said it was the only one for her.

“As you go out in the world, I discovered how special small towns are, and how they are a tight-knit community,” she says. “My parents always said it takes a village to raise a child, and I came to realize how what we have in rural America and rural North Dakota is not easy to come by. It’s something I value a lot, and I just couldn’t imagine not coming back.”

What started with her membership in 4-H as a 9-year-old girl has come full circle, and

the journey continues with her service as an agent for Adams County Extension. In addition to guiding the local 4-H program, Hannah will meet with people and build relationships, assess their needs, and work to improve the quality of life in our communities and beyond.

After learning about the culture and government in Taiwan and Thailand, having countless hands-on experiences, and seeing how 4-H and Extension are making an impact across the globe, perhaps this lesson Hannah learned during her travels is most important.

“On a very basic level, my trip taught me how people are different here in North Dakota, too. Instead of jumping to conclusions about the way we act or do different things, I try to understand people. See where they are coming from. Put myself in their shoes instead of passing a quick judgement,” she says.

Thank you for the gentle reminder, Hannah, and for sharing your adventures. n

Hannah Nordby joined 4-H in Slope County when she was 9 years old. She continued through high school and parts of college, serving as a livestock judge in Adams County, traveling to conferences across the state and nation, and serving as a North Dakota state ambassador. She says one of the best decisions she ever made was to become a state 4-H ambassador.

THIS is the reason Slope Electric has a scholarship program!

Hannah Nordby is a shining example of why Slope Electric offers scholarships to qualifying students. We feel it’s important to help finance our local students’ educational journeys, in knowing they are the next generation of leaders.

Hannah applied for and received a Slope scholarship in 2014. Then she literally went out into the world, received a first-class education, and brought that knowledge home to share with our community members in rural southwest North Dakota.

Thank you, Hannah, for showing why we invest in youth — and how those youth are changing the world.


OTHER WAYS TO KEEP TODDLERS SAFE

Children are continually exploring the world around them. So eliminating risks around your home is important to keep children safe.

Installing tamper-resistant receptacles throughout the home is the � rst step. Here are some other steps to keeping your toddler safe:

• Conceal cords. Keep wires as bundled and hidden as possible.

• Hide surge protectors, and utilize power strip safety covers.

• Unplug and store electrical devices when not in use. This is particularly important with hair dryers, curlers and electric razors in the bathroom. Store them in a cabinet away from water with a safety lock when they are not in use.

• In the kitchen, bathroom and laundry areas, install ground-fault safety interruptors, which lessen the likelihood of electrical injury if an appliance falls into the sink.

These safety tips brought to you by Slope Electric Cooperative. Because we care.


Member-Owned, Member-Driven

Nominating/Resolutions Committee

Slope Electric Cooperative’s 74th annual meeting will be held Thursday, June 6, at New England Public School in New England. Three directors’ terms will expire in 2019 – two directors from Bowman County and one director from Adams County. There is also a vacancy for a Hettinger County director, which will need to be filled.

The bylaws of Slope Electric Cooperative, Inc. state in Article IV, Section 4, directors can be nominated one of two ways:1. � rough the Nominating Committee. � e

committee’s � rst meeting is Feb. 15 to review

procedures, responsibilities and quali� cations for directorship. � e second meeting will be held March 28 to nominate candidates for the ballot and to approve resolutions. Members can also be nominated by � ling a petition with 15 signatures. Filing must be done 30 days prior to the annual meeting on June 6 and posted at the o� ce of Slope Electric.

2. Members can also be nominated from the � oor at the annual meeting. � is method means your name will not be preprinted on the ballot, but it can be written in by your supporters. n

• Consider serving on your cooperative’s board of directors.

• Cooperatives: local ownership, local control, local governance.

• Cooperative board of directors: elected by cooperative members, representing members, overseeing work of the cooperative.

• Annual elections, among members of the cooperative, fill positions on the cooperative board of directors.

• Role of cooperative director: attend regular board meetings, review reports of cooperative progress, discuss and decide key cooperative matters with fellow directors.

• Learn, grow: many educational opportunities available for cooperative directors to acquire needed, valuable information.

A cooperative member should strongly consider running for the board of directors because they are the nicest group of people, and they have the opportunity to work together for the betterment of the members and their communities.

Visit www.slopeelectric.coop and hover over “Your Cooperative” and click “Board of Directors” to l earn more about YOUR co-op.

WANTED … YOU! A message from Slope Board President Lauren Klewin


Know a North Dakota rancher, farmer or forester who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them

for the 2019 North Dakota Leopold Conservation Award®.Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo

Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Slope Electric Cooperative is one of many Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives in North Dakota to help sponsor this award, in an effort to show support for our state’s farmers and ranchers.

Sand County Foundation presents the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 14 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In North Dakota, the $10,000 award is presented with North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.

For more information on Aldo Leopold, his legacy and the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application can be found at: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/uploads/ND-CFN-19.pdf

The application deadline date is April 15. Mail applications to:

North Dakota Grazing Lands CoalitionAttn: Leopold Conservation Award

P.O. Box 1091Bismarck, ND 58502 n

N.D. Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees

[email protected]

Slope is an advocate of working safely. In fact, it is our way of life; the culture of your cooperative. We look out for the safety of ourselves and others — before, during and after work.

Did you know that members also play a key role in keeping our system safe? At times, you are our eyes in the sky and on the ground. Should you see a power line issue that may need Slope’s attention, please call the office or send us an email at [email protected] with your concern. This correspondence should include the description of the location, your name and complete contact information, and a photo if possible. Working together helps ensure the safety of all!


MANAGEMENTDONALD A. FRANKLUND

CO-GM/CEO

TRAVIS KUPPERCO-GM/CEO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LAUREN KLEWINPRESIDENT

STEVEN WEGNERVICE PRESIDENT

ANTHONY LARSONSECRETARY

JEROME D. CARONTREASURER

JOHN LEE NJOSDIRECTOR

ANGELA CARLSONDIRECTOR

DALE HANDEDIRECTOR

www.slopeelectric.coop

Slope ElectricCooperative, Inc.

FirstLink’s 2-1-1 helpline is a free phone service available 24/7 to the public. Call specialists off er supportive, non-judgmental listening ears

and information about community programs statewide.

2-1-1H E L P L I N E

Text your zipcode to 898-211 or Dial 2-1-1 or 701-235-7335to get connected to help & hope.

myfirstlink.org

Happy Valentine’s Day

Thursday, Feb. 14

Holiday closing for Presidents Day:

Monday, Feb. 18

In observance of Presidents Day, Slope Electric Cooperative will be closed Monday, Feb 18. Line

crews will be available in case of an emergency outage.

As time allows, the Slope Electric Cooperative line crews set aside time to patrol line. Our linemen concentrate on certain areas of the Slope power system and look for possible line

maintenance issues, safety hazards or other problems that may affect the distribution lines that bring power to your home or business.

Line crews are currently patrolling line throughout the system. Because power lines are on and off the beaten path, you may see employees in a Slope truck, an all-terrain vehicle or a snowmobile. When you see them out and about patrolling line, thank them! They are out there for your safety. n

Slope line crews patrol power lines


Documents

#CONNECTEDTHROUGHAG describes different …...it’s rewarding for all of us.” In September, Hannah moved on to Thailand. She spent two weeks at a mushroom farm learning about production,