Your Community Wind Farm developer ~
JustWIND defines itself as a grass roots wind farm developer with real ties to the communities it serves. “We are not only in the business of developing wind farms, but in growing the communities,” sites Jeff Metzger, founder and president.

A true partner to the community, JustWIND desires to see small town rural communities grow and provide jobs and incentives so inhabitants both young and old will stay and prosper.

The future of rural communities is paramount to Metzger. Jeff is a North Dakota native son who grew up in Bismarck. The idea to develop his own wind farms grew out of a desire to give rural communities—especially those around Bismarck— an opportunity to take charge of their future, to profit and grow from a new type of “crop.”

A Natural Resource that’s in Abundance
“Wind is a natural resource that’s in abundance in North Dakota. It’s the new cash crop,” says Metzger.

Farmers can feel confident and comfortable harvesting wind—it requires no fertilizer and no labor on the landowner’s part. JustWIND handles the bulk of the work—the installation of the wind turbines and the operations. The rest is pure and simple profit for the landowners. The combination of a natural resource and good old-fashioned ingenuity will reap rewards for landowners for years to come.

Jeff would like to see North Dakota farmers benefit from this opportunity. The idea came to him while spending time in the countryside, enjoying the vast North Dakota prairie and farmland while hunting pheasant around Basin Electric’s Wilton Wind Farm project. After studying the land and researching wind farm development on the internet, Jeff, already an established construction contractor, woke up one morning and decided he was going to develop a wind farm of his own.

A 5-Year Wind Study with 93% Efficiency
On an early online search, he ran across a 5-year wind study conducted by the Napoleon Economic Development Company.

It was an uncanny coincidence that Napoleon is in Logan County, a rural community just outside Bismarck, where Metzger had relatives.

The study began in 2000, after Richard Gross, a local farmer, attended a wind conference in Bismarck. He approached the Napoleon Economic Development Company board and proposed to start monitoring Logan County’s wind as a first step toward attracting a developer. Through Gross’s efforts the board received a grant from the state. It was a cost share grant which meant that half of the funds needed to come from the community. With strong local support, the project was soon underway.

Jeff happened upon Napoleon wind data a mere 24 months ago. Today, he works hand in hand with Gross who is now chairman of the Napoleon Economic Development Company. This community partnership comprises the heart and soul of JustWIND.

It was this extensive wind study that convinced Metzger to start in Napoleon. Rarely do wind farm projects have the luxury of five years worth of data at their finger tips. And the data was not only complete, but indicates some of the strongest, steadiest wind available. So strong in fact that in five years it was below energy producing levels only 7% of the time. That’s 93% efficiency—with a capacity factor between 43.7% and 48.6%. The industry average is 25-35%.

A Dependable Crop 
“Farmers haven’t had this type of dependable crop in the history of farming. Wind is a commodity North Dakotans can depend on,” says Jeff.

“Our wind is strong and steady—perfect for wind farming. And the beauty of it is wind can be harvested right along side conventional crops without any interruption to regular farm operations,” adds Rich who still runs his own organic grain, beef and buffalo operation.

Tax Revenues of over $1,200,000 annually
The Logan County project is scheduled to pay its own property taxes—projected to be over $1,200,000 per year.

The tax revenue provides significant funding to local entities such as the school, fire department, ambulance service and county which will lessen the property tax burden for local taxpayers. In addition, the wind farm will deliver anywhere from 40 to 80 new full-time jobs to the community. It’s a powerful economic engine for the American heartland bringing potential offshoot business growth in the form of restaurants, hotels, health clinics, gas stations, and convenience stores.