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MES gets hybrid electric-powered trucks
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McMinnville Electric System is one of several local power companies partnering with Tennessee Valley Authority to bring energy-efficient, hybrid electric-powered bucket trucks and light-duty trucks to its fleet.
MES received one plug-in hybrid bucket truck, one plug-in derrick/digger truck, and two plug-in hybrid pickup trucks. The new trucks are funded in part by a grant from TVA, the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Hybrid trucks reduce emissions, as well as improve employee safety and reduce neighborhood noise by allowing the bucket boom to run almost silently on electricity when parked. The project is part of TVA’s pledge to improve air quality.
In all, 17 TVA-served utilities are receiving the plug-in hybrid system, including 12 in Tennessee, two in Mississippi, two in Alabama, and one in Kentucky.
A total of 53 hybrid trucks will be distributed. These are 27 medium-duty bucket trucks and diggers and 26 light-duty pickups and vans.
“Thanks to this grant, local power companies such as MES are able to purchase these advanced technology trucks for about the same cost as a regular bucket truck, yet they are much more environmentally friendly,” said DeJim Lowe, interim director of TVA Technology Innovation. “The hybrid trucks diminish vehicle emissions, use less fuel and reduce operational costs.”
As part of the program, electric charging stations are installed in two locations at MES administrative offices on Morford Street and the operations office on West Main Street. Both these chargers are available to the public. TVA is providing these charging stations to participating utilities and will provide partial funding for installations.
Trucks with the plug-in hybrid system can achieve 50 percent improvement in fuel economy when compared with trucks using traditional diesel- or gasoline-fueled engines. Fuel savings come not only while driving, but also when the truck’s onboard rechargeable electric batteries are used to operate its boom. Since the boom is nearly silent, crews can more easily communicate with each other, supporting both MES and TVA safety initiatives.
“Safety is always a top priority in whatever we do,” said MES general manager and CEO Rodney Boyd. “Now the crew member in the bucket truck and the people on the ground can communicate clearly. That provides an added layer of safety while allowing us the opportunity to reduce the amount of vehicle emissions in the area.”
To achieve anticipated net improvements in emissions, MES has decommissioned comparable-sized vehicles in its fleet as approved by TVA.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community