With locations in Manhattan, Elevator and Ampride Farm and Fuel Center, Alta Vista-Elevator, Onaga-Elevator, Onaga-Elevator & Olsburg Fueling Stations, Westmoreland-Fuel Station working together to efficiently & courteously to provide products & services to our patrons while maintaining a responsible and
profitable cooperative association..
This site addresses what is available for those that are interested in what Kansas Farmers have to offer concering tourism and may have something to offer that would be of interest to others.
St. Marys is the headquarters of Farmers Union Coop. located at 717 W Bertrand with locations in Belvue, Wamego and Harveyville to serve your farming needs.
Topeka, - USDA Rural Development State Director Patty Clark urges farmers and business owners to apply for $18 million in grants from the Agency’s Value-Added Producer Grants Program, to help them add value to the commodities they produce.
State Director Clark suggests that producers file their applications promptly so they can potentially take advantage of this important program.
USDA plans to award planning grants of up to $100,000 and working capital grants of up to $300,000 to successful applicants. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that use existing agricultural products in non-traditional ways or merge agricultural products with technology in creative ways. Businesses of all sizes may apply, but priority will be given to operators of small to medium-sized farms operating as a family farm - those with
average annual gross sales of less than $700,000.
Applicants must provide matching funds equal to the amount of the grant requested. Ten percent of the funding being made available is reserved for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. An additional 10 percent is reserved for projects involving local and regional supply networks that link independent producers with businesses, and cooperatives that market value-added products.
The Community Chamber Orchestra is an LLC employing youth through adults to perform live chamber orchestra music in North Central Kansas.
The musicians perform without a conductor.
The home stage of the Orchestra, the Rex Theater, was built in 1920, and has superb acoustics for natural string sound. Friends of the Rex is a support group for restoration of the Rex. For more information contact jeff@rextheater.net or visit the Rex Theater Website.
The Orchestra presents outreach programs to audiences in rural areas of Kansas, where there are no public school orchestra programs available, and where the economic conditions are depressed.
Contributions by individuals, organizations, and businesses have built the Orchestra.
KEC is the statewide service organization for 27 electric distribution cooperatives and two G&T's in Kansas. Formed on August 18, 1941 and headquarted in Topeka, KEC represents the interests and provides needed services and programs to the electric co-ops that serve in Kansas.
MABA is an area organization made up of building and trade businesses and associated businesses from several counties in the Manhattan area. All members have listed a contact person, phone, fax number and/or an e-mail address!
Clay County is a unique community with many opportunities to offer. An excellent quality of life; hunting and fishing opportunities; community events; and specialty shops. Clay County is home to Clay Center, Clifton, Green, Longford, Morganville, Oak Hill, Vining and Wakefield. Each community offers different activities to participate in and enjoy through the year. CCCHS Alumni; KCLY Radio; Clay Center Municipal Airport. Clay County has a great medical facility Clay County Medical Center, to assure fine health care and our medical facility also has a Fitness Center. Clay County is an area where you can feel and be safe. Clay County offers a unique quality of life and is in close proximity to Kansas State University; Manhattan Area Technical College and Ft. Riley. Fort Riley Connection.
Dickinson County founded in 1857 lies along Interstate 70 in the third tier of counties from the northern border of Kansas. It has an area of 852 square miles and a population of 20,175.
Communites located in Jackson County:
Circleville,
Delia,
Denison,
Holton,
Hoyt,
Mayetta,
Netawaka,
Potawatomi,
Soldier and
Whiting. The City of Holton is the county seat of Jackson County.
Marshall County, located in northeast Kansas, is an agricultural area that is rapidly becoming an industrial base. Historically, the county is one of the original counties established in the new territory of Kansas. It served as a vital link in the trails west and in the short lived pony express.
Marysville is the county seat of Marshall County.
Ottawa County was established in 1866 deriving its name from the Indians that were native to the region. Located along US-81 six miles north of I-70 in North Central Region of Kansas, Ottawa County consists of 721 square miles. Ottawa County has a population of 6,177 based upon the 2003 census estimate. The county seat of Ottawa County is the city of Minneapolis. Farming and ranching provide the backbone of the local economy with manufacturing taking advantage of access to availability of two major interstates.
Pottawatomie County Kansas will continue to be a "A Best Place in America" to Visit, to Do Business, Work, Live and Raise a Family. Pottawatomie County Courthouse
106 Main Street, Westmoreland, KS 66549.
Organized in 1855. County seat Manhattan. Riley County received its name from the adjacent military post which was established in 1853, and called Fort Riley in honor of General Riley of the United States army.
Wabaunsee County is located in northeast Kansas, approximately 30 miles west of Topeka, the State Capital. The incorporated communities within its boundaries are Alma, Alta Vista, Eskridge, Harveyville, Maple Hill, McFarland and Paxico. Unincorporated cities or villages include: Volland, Wabaunsee Townsite, Wilmington, Hessdale and Chalk. There are thirteen townships in the County: Alma, Farmer, Garfield, Kaw, Maple Hill, Mill Creek, Mission Creek, Newbury, Plumb, Rock Creek, Wabaunsee, Washington and Wilmington. As of 2001, the population of Wabaunsee County was 6,843. The County covers approximately 791 square miles.
Frontier Finacial Partners is a Certified Development Company that
provides a long term fixed rate mortgage for the purchase of long term equipment, commercial land, and buildings. The source of funding for this loan program is through the U.S. Small Business Association.
They provide loans financed with their own money as well.
They package SBA loans for entrepreneurs looking to start up businesses and small businesses that are already established and are looking to expand or upgrade. In addition to for-profit clients, they also work with communities that are interested in financing opportunities.
FFP caters to small businesses which are typically located in the Eastern portion of Kansas. In the past they have been restricted to working with 18 select counties.
-Chase, Lyon, Morris, Coffey, Osage, Wabaunsee, Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie, Franklin, Marshal, Nemaha, Doniphan, Atchison, Jackson, Jefferson, and Clay.
Recently however, rules and regulations have changed allowing for an unrestricted market. The entire state of Kansas is now considered a plausible source for clients. As a result of these changes, they have begun to pursue the Wichita, Lawrence, and KC Metro areas and are encouraged by the growth opportunities available in those markets.
They have very strong relationships with banks located throughout their previously established market area. Through such associations they are capable of attracting new clients. Because of this connection, they work closely with banks and their clientele. Previous marketing efforts include establishing new relationships with banks in the Wichita, Topeka, and Lawrence areas. Thus far this has been successful, creating a connection to their new market interests. Establishing further relationships with other banks may prove to be fruitful for business purposes.
The borrower can be described as:
-Small business=net worth less than $7 million
-Net profit after taxes less than $2.5 million
-For profit organizations
-All types of businesses can use the resources.
In the past, the company has worked with rural business owners. However, in the past year, their efforts to enter the urban markets have been successful. Further growth in such markets is considered valuable and necessary.
Some of their past clients include hotels, small manufacturers, retail, and restaurants.
The loan size that they work with is about $300,000 on average. However the amount can go up to $4 million.
They are considering an expansion of a highly leveraged loan program (higher-risk loan than what banks will normally accept.)
Contact Frontier Financial Partners
By Phone:(620) 343 - 7041
By Fax: (620) 342 - 6907
By Mail: Frontier Financial Partners,
603 Lincoln Street, Emporia, Kansas 66801 (Click on the heading to view their website).
The Junction City / Geary County Economic Development Office is located at 700 North Jefferson, Suite B104, Junction City, Kansas 66441. Phone number 785-762-1976.
Kansas Rural Development Office and activities. Bluestem Electric Cooperative utilizes the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG) to assist rural businesses with 0% financing and rural communities with grants, which evolve into a revolving loan program.
Manhattan and Riley County work together in helping promote economic development in and around the City of Manhattan through the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
HeatShare is a utility assistance program administered through The Salvation Army with assistance available throughout Kansas. HeatShare acts as a safety net for households who need a helping hand with funds for their utility bills or repairs to vital heating or cooling equipment. Contact a state, county or community agency and can show a provable need. HeatShare assistance is available until funding is exhausted.
The LIEAP program is administered through the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services office and is federally funded to assit qualifying low income families in paying their utility bills in times of crisis and/or need.
Safe Electricity is a multi-media public awareness program designed to provide information to consumers and compliment the safety-education activities of utilities and educators. Safe Electricity provides life-saving information through many venues, including radio and television public services announcements, news releases and articles and its comprehensive web site. Safe Electricity has received national recognition for the quality and scope of its programs and services.
You may purchase your own energy audit kit from DYO-Kits to do your own home energy audit and learn how to save money. (Click on the heading to view their website).
A loan program from the State Energy Office at the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC, Efficiency Kansas provides you with low-cost financing for cost-effective energy-efficiency improvements in your home or small business.
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) no longer offers the Kansas Energy Efficiency Program. However they do offer assistance to low income familys for home improvements and efficiency upgrades.
The Kansas Corporation Commission now handles the efficiency loans for all others. (http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/) The contact person at KCC for efficiency upgrades is Liz Brosius.
Alternative Air installs Bryant Geo-Thermal equipment and is located at 7885 Lakeside Ave Manhattan, KS 66502. For an estimate call owner Joe Lister @ (785)410-2530/7885 or e-mail them by clicking on their heading.
Associated Drilling, Inc. is located at 2560 Blue Mesa Road, Olsburg, Kansas 66520.
Associated Drilling installs only geothermal loop systems (no equipment) anywhere in the State of Kansas.
Owner: Darin Duncan
Phone: (785) 468-3324 / (800) 576-9130
Fax: (785) 468-3363 or click on their heading and visit their website.
Bob's Plumbing & Heating, Inc. has two locations in Manhattan, Kansas. The Heating and Air facility is located at 1127 Hayes Drive and the Plumbing facility is located at 5281 Tuttle Creek Blvd.
Owners: Randall & Victor Steiner.
For Heating and Air inquires Phone: (785) 776-5082.
For Plumbing inquires Phone: (785) 539-4155.
E-mail: plumbob@kansas.net (Click on heading to e-mail).
Country Aire is located in Abilene, Kansas and specializes in Geothermal Heating, Cooling and Hot Water systems. They install GeoComfort and Florida Heat Pump geothermal systems, but will service all brands. For an estimate give owner Dave Cook a call at 785-263-7170 / 785-479-1952 or e-mail by clicking the header or just stop by 1062 2500 Avenue in Abilene.
Ground Source, Inc. has been installing geo-thermal systems for the past 15 years and has installed over 550 systems. They are the largest Water Furnace dealer in Northeast Kansas. GSI is located at 216 East 5th Street, Holton, Kansas 66436
Owners: Tim & Julie Dugan
Phone: (785)364-2514 / (785) 364-2058
Fax: (785) 364-4635
Website: Click on heading to visit their website.
H & H Contracting located at 2151 Fort Riley Blvd. in Manhattan, Kansas installs Comfort-Aire Geo-thermal systems. H & H is owned by Phil Hewins and will install geo-thermal systems within a 50 mile radius of Manhattan. H & H is available at 785-537-3201 (Office) or 785-565-8454 (Cell) or e-mail at handhahp@gmail.com by clicking on the heading.
Key Express Heating & Air is located at 1705 Commercial Circle, Suite 2, Wamego, Kansas 66547.
They install GeoComfort Geothermal products and will give estimates on other systems as well! Key Express will install systems within a 100 mile radius of Wamego.
Owners: Eddy Neuberger & Shawn Rolph
Phone: (866) 838-3004 / (785) 456-2511
Fax: (785) 456-1511
(Click on heading to view their website).
M & S Plumbing is located at 1101 Hostetler Drive Manhatan, KS 66502.
Owner: Brad Swanson
Phone: (785) 537-7303 / (866) 870-5800
E-mail: swany@msplumbing.com or just click on the heading to go to M&S Website then click on the contact us e-mail link located on their home page for additional information.
M&S installs WaterFurnace International and ClimateMaster Geothermal Products.
McElroy’s is your geothermal heat pump expert in northeast Kansas. McElroy’s is a 3rd generation family owned company based in Topeka since 1951 and recently opened an office in Manhattan during 2009 to better serve the Manhattan and surrounding areas. McElroy’s installs Climate Master/Carrier and WaterFurnace Geothermal Heat Pump systems. Greg Hunsicker installed the first WaterFurnace system in Topeka in 1990. Call Greg today at 877-623-5769 for more info or email him at Greg.Hunsicker@mcelroys.com
(Click on heading to visit their website). www.mcelroys.com
Powell Brother, Inc. (Plumbing-Heating-Sheet Metal-Air Conditioning) is located at 515 South Eighth Street, Manhattan, Kansas 66502. PBI installs Florida Heat Pump Geothermal systems.
Owner: Gary Duncan
Phone: (785) 537-0217
Fax: (785) 537-0228
E-mail: powlbros@flinthills.com (Click on heading to e-mail).
Reid Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning offers northeast Kansas professional sales, service, and installation of high quality plumbing, heating, and cooling products since 1993. They have a fully trained staff ready to serve all of your needs. Reid features the “Trane” line of high quality heating and cooling products and the Florida Heat Pump (geothermal energy system) designed to save on your utility costs. Call them at (785) 537-2869 or visit their website for all your heating, cooling, and plumbing needs.
Robert's Heating & Cooling located in Wamego, Kansas is owned by Robert Sterling and specializes in Bryant/ClimateMaster equipment, but will service all brands. If you need a specific HVAC service or have any plumbing needs, give Robert a call at 785-844-1376 or e-mail him by clicking on the heading.
Rural Water District # 1 serving the Eastern Area of Manhattan and surrounding areas of Wamego.
Manager: David Stauffer / Office Manager/Bookkeeper: Annette Harris.
Address: PO Box 233, 5650 Hwy K-99, Wamego, Kansas 66547.
Phone: 785-456-2452, (To contact the district click the heading).
Wabaunsee Rural Water District #2 serves the Northern area of Wabaunsee and Southern area of Riley County.
Manager: Nathan Anderson /
Office Manager: Tammy Pence.
Address: 29959 Hwy K-18, Wamego, Kansas 66547.
Phone & Fax: 785-456-9883.
Email: rwd2@wamego.net / tpence@wamego.net.
(To contact the district click the heading).
Pottawatomie Rural Water District # 4 serves Eastern Pottawatomie County, Western Jackson County, Western Shawnee County and Northeastern Wabaunsee County.
Manager: Derek Parthemer / Office Manager: Angie Hoobler
Address: 6005 Camp Creek Road, Belvue, Kansas 66407
Phone: 785-456-7935.
Fax: 785-456-7743.(To contact the district click the heading).
Located in the Kansas River valley next to the scenic Flint Hills, Wamego and the surrounding communities of St. George and Paxico have been served by Wamego Telecommunications Company, Inc. since 1912. More recently they have expanded some of their services to Belvue and St. Marys.
Bluestem is concerned with the wise use of energy and its efficiency. BEC offers rebates and will give a reduced electric rate for those systems which qualify under its rate and rebate program. Electrical Heating Systems and Electric Water Heaters if used in the form of Geothermal can operate for less than any other system on the market today. Just give BEC a call and ask about their rates and rebates, or e-mail us and the applicable rates will be e-mailed.
Wamego Office: (785) 456- 2212 / (800) 558-1580.
Clay Center Office: (785) 632-3111 / (800) 297-8725.
(Click on heading to e-mail).
On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.” This bill extended tax credits for energy efficient home improvements (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters). Tax credits for these residential products, which had expired at the end of 2007.
Check out what is available through tax incentives for those that want to purchase energy efficent equipment, efficiency upgrades to the home and energy efficient vehicles from January 1, 2009 through December 2010. $1,500 is the maximum total amount that can be claimed for all products placed in service in 2009 & 2010 for most home improvements, EXCEPT for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells, and windmills which are not subject to this cap, and are in effect through December 2016.
Currently there are no problems in supplying you with electricity! If you have no power, check your breakers and fuses to see if the problem is on your system. If not, check with your neighbors to see if they have power. To report a power outage, click on the information button, plug in your zip code to find your trouble reporter's phone number and/or call your local Bluestem Office to report an outage.
Online Bill Payment
Trouble Reporter
Locate a Trouble Reporter by Zipcode
To find your local trouble reporter, please type in your zipcode below.
Please write this information down and keep it near your phone to report outages or other troubles. Zipcode:
BEC Upcoming Events
Current and Past Events
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***Opt-Out Notice***
Beginning late June, when you provide a check as payment, you authorize us to either use the information from your check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction.If you do not wish for your check to be converted electronically, please call us at ClayCenter - 785-632-3111 / 800-297-8725 or Wamego - 785-456-2212 / 800-558-1582 or email us at member_services@bluestemelectric.comand say you wish to “opt out.”Please have your account number(s) handy.
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What is an ECA (Energy Cost Adjustment)
Bluestem Electric Cooperative purchases power each month from its power supplier – Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (KEPCo) at a wholesale cost to meet the electric energy needs of its members. This cost of wholesale power is a significant cost of providing electric service to the member.
The ECA provides for a monthly adjustment dependent on any differences in the average cost from the base cost of wholesale power.
When the kilowatt hour cost to the cooperative is lower than the basecost, there is a credit to the bill.When the kilowatt hour cost to the cooperative is higher than the base cost, there is an adder to the bill.
Wholesale power costs fluctuate for a host of reasons.In the hot summer months, the excess demand for energy requires KEPCo to buy power from more expensive sources.
As you can guess, people generally don’t ask questions when their bills are lowered with a credit.They tend to ask questions when their bill is increased.However, consumers can help the cooperative and in turn, themselves by curtailing their usage during the peak hours of the hot days of summer (approx. 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.).
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WEATHER DATA
Weather Data from the Manhattan Reporting Center (for the last 5 years) is located on the Information Page
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Bluestem's Process for Restoring Power After A Storm can be located on the Information Page
