ABOUT US

Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative is committed to serving our members by providing power to their lives. We are owned and controlled by our local cooperative members, that is, the people who use our services.

HISTORY

This local ownership, coupled with a deeply held sense of local accountability, is the basis for our longevity and success since our founding on December 8, 1936. We are indebted to the pioneers of rural electrification for fulfilling their vision through grit, back-breaking work, and determination.  Our cooperative was founded at a time when the countryside grew dark with every sundown. Only the flickering of kerosene lanterns lit rural homes and barns with dim circles of light. Water was pumped by hand, and there were no household conveniences. Refrigeration depended on blocks of ice that had been stored under mounds of sawdust. Cows were milked by hand, and there were no feed grinders or augers. Household tasks and farm chores were daily drudgery.

At the start of 2024, Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative served 18,405 member-owners and 21,092 account locations. Our service territory encompasses 1,235 square miles in southern Minnesota. We are an electric distribution entity that operates a total of 2,947 miles of electric line and 25 substations.

COOPERATIVE DIFFERENCE
To this day, this is what sets us apart from other electric utilities:

• Owned by the members we serve
• We're operated by local management and employees
• A nine-member board of directors is elected from fellow members 
• Not-for-profit organization
• Our members contribute to, and control the capital of the organization
• Profits, above expense, are returned to our members
• Organized under the Seven Cooperative Principles
• We've been part of the community for over 85 years.

Local ownership and a deep sense of accountability to our member-owners and communities are key aspects to meeting your energy needs - not just today, but for many years to come.