Farmers warned of possible rolling blackouts this summer

Farmers warned of possible rolling blackouts this summer

A Wisconsin farmer says along with worrying about crops, weather, and input costs, now he is concerned about having electricity when he needs it.

Tony Mellenthin

Tony Mellenthin raises crops near Menomonie, Wisconsin, and uses several irrigation pivots. He says, “We’ve gotten a letter in the mail from our power provider about the possibility of rolling blackouts this summer. they hope it doesn’t happen, but we’ve never gotten a letter like that before.”

Mellenthin tells Brownfield the letter came from Pierce-Pepin Electric Cooperative, but he’s heard of other power providers that are sending the same message to their customers, and it’s something he’s never had to deal with before.