When the Rural Electrification Act was signed in 1936, only 10% of U.S. farms and rural homes had power. But the REA helped achieve near universal electrification in rural America and is still vital to ensuring that co-ops can deliver affordable, reliable power, including through the RUS electric loan program. To mark the REA's 90th anniversary, we'll talk to NRECA CEO Jim Matheson and RUS Administrator Karl Elmshaeuser on the law's legacy and how co-ops continue to carry out its mission. 

Food deserts are a major challenge in rural America, leaving many communities without easy access to affordable, nutritious food. The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives is forging an ambitious solution to this problem. With help from a large new grant, the statewide's rural development center is launching a regional grocery and food hub to tackle hunger in north central North Dakota. Hear more about this project from NDAREC's Josh Kramer and Ellen Huber.

After decades of stagnant growth, U.S. power demand is set to jump in the years ahead. Data centers will be a big part of the increase, but other sources could rival those gains. On this episode of Along Those Lines, we take a closer look at these demand growth drivers with Lidija Sekaric, NRECA's vice president of innovation and emerging technology, and David Porter, vice president of electrification and sustainable energy strategy at EPRI.

On this episode of Along Those Lines, we're joined by NRECA Director of Safety Programs Ken Macken and Johnie Hendrix, vice president of risk management and training for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Ken and Johnie will talk about new ways that NRECA, statewide organizations and co-ops are working to improve safety. They'll also give program highlights of the upcoming NRECA Safety Leadership Summit in St. Louis, Missouri, which is smashing past registration records.

Effective communication by electric co-ops—through good times and bad—builds member loyalty and better aligns and engages co-op employees. In this episode, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO Rachel Johnson, this year's winner of the J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award, shares her thoughts on how to leverage new and traditional media platforms to reach members and educate the public. She also gives tips on improving internal communication between co-op leadership and staff.

For over 60 years, NRECA International has helped bring electricity to unserved or underserved parts of the world, drawing on lessons learned from the U.S. electrification story. Hear from NRECA International's new senior vice president, Kate Steel, on how the organization is staying true to its mission as it charts a new path toward global electrification as well as how co-ops and others can support this vital work. 

Data center development is surging to meet demand for cloud applications, cryptocurrency, streaming services and AI. Electric co-ops are at the center of it, with some fielding multiple new requests at a time to serve data centers. These large loads can benefit co-ops and their communities in a number of ways—and they also pose a host of challenges. Learn more from NRECA's Allison Hamilton, Wabash Valley Power Alliance's Jeff Conrad and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.'s JD Lowery.

More than 140 electric co-ops serve Department of Defense facilities or Coast Guard stations, and co-ops own, operate and maintain the power distribution grids at 31 military installations through utility privatization contracts. Hear from NRECA's Lauren Khair, Kodiak Electric Association's Dan Menth and Kotzebue Electric Association's Tom Atkinson about a new series of Defense Summits to tackle grid modernization challenges amid the changing energy needs of our armed services.

FEMA provides crucial funding to co-ops after disasters, allowing them to restore power faster and make their infrastructure more resilient while limiting related costs for members. But FEMA is far from perfect, with many co-ops facing issues with accessing funding. Hear from NRECA's Jim Matheson, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association's Mike Bjorklund and Vermont Electric Co-op's Rebecca Towne on why FEMA is so essential and how a bipartisan bill in Congress could improve the agency.

Electric co-ops are experiencing a historically broad and rapid shift in their organizational culture, driven largely by an influx of younger, tech-savvy employees amid a wave of retirements and turnover, along with other changes in the industry. Co-ops are bringing creativity and innovation to the challenge, adapting everything from onboarding processes to learning opportunities to leadership development. Learn more from NRECA's Delaine Orendorff and SLEMCO's Katherine Domingue.