If there is one thing you can say about Iowa, it is that the wind is usually blowing. And, if the market for electricity generated by wind power would be there, a lot of farmers could make good use of that natural phenomenon. As the Legislature studies a bill which would deregulate Iowa's utilities, it should make sure that the legislation provides support for wind power. Gov. Vilsack would like to see 8 percent of Iowa's power come from renewable resources by the year 2011. This will only happen through legislation.
Wind power is nothing new for Iowa or other states in the Great Plains.
It wasn't that many years ago when every farm had at least one windmill to pump water for livestock and in the 1940s many farms had wind chargers, consisting of a windmill and a bank of storage batteries, to light their homes. It just seems to make good sense to develop wind power as an added income avenue for farmers. We don't have enough coal, oil or natural gas in this state to make any kind of impact in the energy business. But we do have the wind and it makes good sense to harness that natural force and produce electricity for the state's growing need for that commodity. Shop locally, browse globally.