Farm Energy

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently visited the Flick Seed Company and Show Me Energy Cooperative as part of the Obama Administration’s Rural Tour. Secretary Vilsack praised the operation as a model to “create new opportunities in rural communities and new markets for farm products.”

Shortly after Secretary Vilsack’s visit, Show Me Energy Cooperative became the first in the nation to be approved under the USDA’s Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), providing a working model for sustainable biomass energy. Flick and his partners have developed an agricultural enterprise that provides jobs and increased income for growers – all while helping to slow global warming. (more…)

In the first 5 years of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), grant awards tended to be concentrated in a few states. These states had invested in policies and programs which helped their farms and rural businesses develop their clean energy resources with help from REAP.

For the 2009 REAP program, the USDA has tried to address this problem by changing how it allocates award funds. Now, each individual state Rural Development office has been provided an allocation of funds for its state. This will speed up awards of some grants and all loan guarantees. USDA has allocated a total of $27.7 million (46% of overall funding) to the states. (more…)

Overview

Today, May 26, 2009, USDA issued a Notice of Solicitation for Applications (NOSA) for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, loan guarantees and feasibility study funding.  Applications are due on July 31.

The full Federal Register notice can be found here.

This year’s program highlights, including changes made in the 2008 Farm Bill, include: (more…)

ELPC Senior Policy Advocate Andy Olsen visited Billings, Montana in January 2009 to participate in Harvesting Clean Energy’s 2009 Conference. While there, he sat down with Kristi Pettis from the Northern Ag Broadcasting Network to discuss the new Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) (requires Windows Media Player, QuickTime or other media player).  Andy emphasized the opportunities for both smaller producers and businesses and larger operations to use REAP’s grants and loan guarantees.

On March 11, 2009, the USDA issued a Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for the Rural Energy for America (REAP) Energy Audit/Renewable Energy Development Assistance Program. You can download the NOSA here.

Congress added a separate section for this program in REAP in th (more…)

Recognizing the widespread interest in biodiesel, the 2008 Farm Bill contains a number of programs that support a nationwide supply of biodiesel from a wide variety of sources. These programs include continued support for Advanced Biofuels production incentives, the Rural Energy for America Program (formerly Section 9006), Biorefinery Assistance, Federal Biobased Market Procurement, and Biomass Research and Development.

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), has been a key part of the USDA’s efforts to advance biodiesel production. Since the program’s inception in the 2002 Farm Bill, 24 projects have received funding for biodiesel production. These awards amount to over$16 million in grants and guaranteed loans, and represent projects that will produce a total of over 86 million gallons of biodiesel per year. All these projects have local owners.