enchantmentThe Voice of New Mexico's Rural Electric Cooperatives

Farmers' ElectricCooperative

March 2019

Gardens that Look as Good as They Taste

Board of TrusteesMichael B. West President Fort Sumner District

George Dodge, Jr. Vice President Santa Rosa District

Donnie Bidegain Secretary-Treasurer San Jon/Logan District

Paul Quintana Trustee Tucumcari-Ragland District

Ernest Riley Trustee Melrose District

William “Billy” Tate Trustee Clovis District

John Pat Woods Trustee Broadview-Grady District

Board MeetingThe board of trustees meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at : a.m. in the

Clovis cooperative boardroom.

Annual Meeting Date Set Effi ciency

Safety

We look forward to visiting with you on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at the Cooperative’s 81st Annual Meeting of Members. Th e meeting will be

held in Melrose, New Mexico at the Melrose High School gym. Prizes will be awarded and lunch will be served following the business meeting. Because Farmers’ Electric is locally-owned and operated, your involve-ment is crucial. Mark your calendar today and plan to attend the Annual Meeting of your electric cooperative.

Plan Now to Attend!

A lineman’s job is one of the toughest in the busi-ness of providing you with electricity. Climbing

poles and stringing wire in all kinds of weather and dealing with electrical hazards are serious matters. You can help make the lineman’s job safer by follow-ing these simple suggestions: • Don’t hang birdhouses or basketball goals on

utility/electric poles. Th e linemen will have a hard time climbing around them if he/she has to climb that pole.

• Don’t landscape around poles or pad-mounted transformers with fl ower boxes or fl ower beds. Keep this area free of all obstacles.

• Don’t hang or post signs on utility poles. Th ese could cause the linemen to slip while climbing. Even the staples or nails left behind are a climbing hazard.

• Don’t use electrical equipment for your target practice. Th e damage done not only could harm you, but also could cause an outage aff ecting hundreds of your neighbours.

Spring ForwardDaylight Saving Time Reminder

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 10, 2019Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour ahead!

Wood-burning fi replaces are charming and romantic, but they can be ineffi cient devices

in the home. Keep yours from sucking the heat out of your home and the money out of your wallet.

Close the damper whenever you’re not burning a fi re. Fireplaces can exhaust as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour to the outside and bring an equal amount of cold air back into the house. An open fl ue or damper is like keeping a 48-inch window open all winter long.

Seal the fireplace as tightly as possible. Additionally, it is wise to caulk the hearth.

Find a certifi ed chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney every fall. Creosote, a sticky black goo that builds up from incompletely burned wood, can catch fi re inside the chimney. A good sweep can recommend repairs to help keep your chimney and fi replace in good working order.

Keep a window slightly open in the room while the fi re is burning to prevent a build-up of fumes or gases coming from the wood.

Never, even to save warmth and heating costs, close a fi replace damper while there are still hot ashes in the fi replace. Th e heat that cannot escape can cause a low-level explosion that can shoot embers out of the hearth and onto fire-prone carpets and magazines that may be in the room.

Energy Effi ciency Tip of the MonthSpring is nearly here! Now is the perfect time to test your A/C and ensure it’s ready for summer. Remember to check the evaporator coil, which should be cleaned annually for optimal effi ciency.