Posted May 8, 2014
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced
that USDA is seeking applications from rural agricultural producers and small
businesses for grant and loan guarantee funding to make energy efficiency
improvements or to install renewable energy systems, according to the USDA news
release available here.
“Developing renewable energy presents an enormous
economic opportunity for rural America,” Vilsack said. “This funding will help farmers, ranchers and
rural small business owners incorporate renewable energy and energy efficiency
technology into their operations, create jobs and help America become more
energy independent. When small rural
businesses and farmers cut their energy costs with cleaner and more efficient
energy, we are both helping their bottom lines and reducing the amount of greenhouse
gas pollution that affects our climate.”
The funding is provided through USDA’s Rural Energy for
America Program (REAP).
Applications for grants may not exceed 25 percent of a
project’s cost – “either for stand-alone grant requests or for grants combined
with loan guarantees.”
Information on how to apply for REAP funding is
available here.
For more information on renewable energy, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
