Otter Tail Corporation Held 2009 Annual Shareholder Meeting

FERGUS FALLS, Minn., April 20, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Otter Tail Corporation
hosted 404 shareholders and guests at its annual meeting of common shareholders
on Monday, April 20, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Represented by proxy or present
in person at the meeting were nearly 85 percent of the corporation's total
shares outstanding. Shareholders reelected Karen M. Bohn, Edward J. McIntyre,
and Joyce Nelson Schuette to serve three-year terms on Otter Tail Corporation's
board of directors.

Bohn has served on the board since 2003. She is president of Galeo Group, LLC, a
management consulting firm in Edina, Minnesota. McIntyre, of White Salmon,
Washington, is a retired Xcel Energy vice president and chief financial officer.
He has served on the board since 2006. Schuette, also a board member since 2006,
is a retired managing director and investment banker with Piper Jaffray & Co.
She resides at Walker, Minnesota.

In his address to shareholders, President and CEO John Erickson said that 2008
had been a challenging year given the impact of the broad downturn in the
economy on Otter Tail operating companies. He also noted some bright spots in
2008 and outlined Otter Tail Corporation's significant involvement in wind
energy through five of its operating companies. And despite recent industry
challenges, Erickson expressed optimism in the long-term outlook for wind
energy.

About the corporation

Otter Tail Corporation has interests in diversified operations that include an
electric utility, manufacturing, health services, food ingredient processing,
and infrastructure businesses that include plastics, construction, and
transportation. Otter Tail Corporation stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select
Market under the symbol OTTR. The latest investor and corporate information is
available at www.ottertail.com. Corporate offices are in Fergus Falls,
Minnesota, and Fargo, North Dakota.

The Otter Tail Corporation logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4958

Forward-looking statements

Except for historical information, all other information provided in this
presentation consists of "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, or implied. The
most significant of these risks and uncertainties are discussed or identified in
Otter Tail Corporation's public filings made with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Otter Tail Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statements.

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CONTACT: Otter Tail Corporation
Investor contact:
Loren Hanson, Director of Shareholder Services
(218) 739-8481
(800) 664-1259