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Posts Tagged ‘renewable energy’
Sunday, September 18th, 2011
Earlier this week, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was releasing nearly $30 million in energy grants and loans. The grants and loans are funded through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), authorized as a part of the 2008 Farm Bill. The goals of REAP are to offer money to farmers, ranchers, and small agricultural businesses to encourage the purchase and maintenance of renewable energy systems on farms.
The $30 million announced by Vilsack will be distributed to more than 500 projects nationwide, primarily to small farms, and are a major addition to more than 900 renewable energy programs currently funded by REAP.
The amount of money distributed by REAP is relatively small when compared to other federal grant programs. For example, a Kirkwood, Pennsylvania farm received $300,000 to install a digester system that will process animal manure into methane, which can be used to produce electricity. A New Hampshire company received over $100,000 to install solar energy systems as well as geothermal heating systems.
In addition to helping individuals farmers, Vilsack noted that the goals of REAP are more far-reaching. “This funding is an important part of the Obama Administration’s plan to help the nation’s farmers, agricultural producers and rural small businesses conserve natural resources, create more green jobs and lead us on the path to becoming an energy independent nation.”
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: renewable energy, tom vilsack, usda
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Sunday, August 21st, 2011
Last week, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced U.S. Department of Agriculture grants for 900 farmers and small agricultural businesses to implement renewable energy programs. During his tenure as Agriculture Secretary, Vilsack has promoted green energy and environmentalism. His Agriculture Department has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to increase environmental stewardship and has been a vocal advocate of renewable energy, from solar power to ethanol production.
These grants are another step towards a greener future. Part of a 2008 Farm Bill initiative, the Rural Energy for America Program offers money to farmers and ranchers, as well as small agricultural businesses, to purchase renewable energy systems and make green investments.
These USDA grants have very tangible results for American farmers. In Yuba City, California, Alves-Minton farms, which implemented renewable energy programs thanks to funding provided by the USDA, has seen a dramatic drop in their energy costs. Installing wind turbines has helped cut their energy costs by 90 percent.
In Princeville, Illinois, Kraft Fertilizer, Inc. will use a $13,000 grant to install a geothermal water heating system that will replace their current furnaces and will use only about 9 percent of the BTUs of the current system.
These green programs are an important part of the current American agricultural industry. Faced with long-term sustainability problems (according to reports from the National Research Council), the installation of renewable energy systems will help guarantee the agricultural sector a more sustainable future. In addition to long-term goals, renewable energy systems will help struggling farmers reduce out of control energy costs. While the future of these, and other agricultural programs, in uncertain, it is vital that Congress continue to fund agricultural funding.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: renewable energy, tom vilsack, usda
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Friday, April 22nd, 2011
Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture released a report detailing several vital measures needed to increase renewable energy consumption in rural America. Rising fuel prices over the last year have hurt farmers across the country. As fuel prices appear likely to increase, many fear potentially disastrous consequences as the costs of agricultural production continue to rise, forcing many farmers out of business.
Outside of the obvious problems of harvesting crops with diesel powered machinery, high fuel prices have made electrical energy consumption costly for many farmers, particularly small, rural farmers who do not possess their own turbines capable of providing energy to their farms. As such, rural communities and farmers would be better served by a more direct investment in renewable energy technology.
The report identified three major avenues of renewable energy research. The Great Plains have ample wind and biomass resources available. Last week, an ethanol plant specializing in the production of algae used in the creation of biofuels opened, raising optimism for the future of ethanol. Outside of the Great Plains, the East and West coasts both have great potential for wind farms, and the Southwest is ideally located for the production of solar and geothermal energy.
However, these energy sources are largely untapped. High research and investment costs frequently help stifle technological development and investment. However, as the USDA report points out, state and federal investment in these projects could be the deciding factor in the ultimate development of green energy in the agricultural section.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: ethanol, renewable energy, usda
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Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Photo courtesy of Carleton College
Wind turbines are most commonly used as a way to create renewable energy on existing farmland in the United States. However, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory reports wind turbines also help keep corn and soybean crops cool and dry which means they are less likely to get fungal infestations.
Ames Laboratory associate and agricultural meteorology expert Gene Takle spoke at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on the subject. “We’ve finished the first phase of our research, and we’re confident that wind turbines do produce measurable effects on the microclimate near crops,” Takle said.
Takle worked alongside assistant professor of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado- Boulder, Julie Lundquist.
Lundquist’s team used a laser known as a lidar to measure winds and turbulence near the top tip of the blade as well as near Earth’s surface. “Our laser instrument could detect a beautiful plume of increased turbulence that persisted even a quarter-mile downwind of a turbine,” Lundquist said.
Both researchers state that the findings cannot prove anything yet, but scientifically the increased airflow suggests this is a highly realistic possibility. “The turbulence resulting from wind turbines may speed up natural exchange processes between crop plants and the lower atmosphere,” Takle said.
Not only can wind turbines help control the airflow and temperature of crops, but they can also effect crop moisture levels. The turbulence may dry the dew on plants that appears in early morning ultimately minimizing the time fungi can grow on plant leaves. It can also help farmers reduce the time and money spent on artificially drying crops.
This article courtesy of Farm Plus Financial. For information regarding agricultural finance opportunities contact our offices at 866-929-5585.
Written by: Melissa Warner / Farm Plus Financial staff writer
Tags: Department of Energy, renewable energy, wind farms
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Sunday, March 6th, 2011
While the 2012 Farm Bill has yet to be written, Senate Agricultural Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow is considering potential changes to the fundamental principals of the upcoming bill. In a recent speech to the USDA, Stabenow laid out her plans for the future Farm Bill. Of primary importance, Stabenow stated, was creating a safety net for American farmers.
Citing fickle weather, Stabenow stated, “As any Russian wheat farmer would be happy to tell you — or a citrus grower in Florida; or a corn grower in Iowa; or a cotton farmer in Texas; or a grape grower in Michigan -farmers plant their crops with high hopes, but it’s all subject to the whims of Mother Nature. We need an effective safety net so that we aren’t watching family businesses go under because of a few days of bad weather or other factors outside of your control.”
Stabenow also made efforts to link the upcoming Farm Bill to research and development and energy policies. Citing recent developments in bio-energy and bio-fuels, Stabenow argued that including energy research in the upcoming Farm Bill could create jobs, stimulate the economy, and lower high energy costs to American farmers.
Finally, Stabenow cited the importance of local input from American farmers. She invited contributions and participation from farmers and from the USDA. While she didn’t cite specific ideas she would fight to inset into the upcoming Farm Bill, Stabenow’s statements are some of the clearest outline of the guiding principles that will be included in the bill.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: Debbie Stabenow, farm bill, renewable energy
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Friday, March 4th, 2011
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the Department of Agriculture is offering loans and grants for over 500 renewable energy programs to help farms and ranchers become more energy efficient and reduce energy costs. The USDA is offering over $30 million in loans to over 500 recipients, with funding provided through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP.
“These loans and grants will generate and save energy for the nation’s farmers and rural small businesses for decades to come,” Vilsack said. “The funding will help replace outdated equipment, such as old, inefficient grain dryers, insulate buildings, allow recipients to obtain energy audits and incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations so they can compete in the 21st Century global economy.”
Rural farmers and businesses across the country have benefited from these REAP loans. Keith Alverson, a South Dakota farmer, has received nearly $100,000 in loans and grants to purchase new grain elevators and to make energy efficiency improvements to his Chester farm.
Authorized in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, REAP funding rests upon the recipient meeting various conditions for grants and loans. More information on REAP can be found here.
This article compliments of Farm Plus Financial. To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: REAP, renewable energy, Tom Vislack, usda
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Monday, February 28th, 2011
A recent study circulating in the US Agriculture Department has questions the prospects of biofuels made from crop residue and other plant cellulose and advocates shifting funding away from these projects. The USDA report advocates focusing more resources on developing algae and oil crops, rather than biofuels made from corn stalks and other grasses.
“After two decades of research without a sustainable technical breakthrough to make cellulosic ethanol competitive, it appears that it is time to re-evaluate the research,” the report said.
Logistical difficulties in gathering, transporting, and storing the massive amounts of plant biomass is at the heart of the report and remains one of the crucial barriers to the commercial development of cellulose based biofuels. “It’s just overwhelming, the logistics” involved in making cellulosic ethanol, said Bill Horan, an Iowa farmer, “We think there is maybe more potential in algae right now than cellulosics.”
Mandated by the 2008 farm bill, the USDA’s advisory committee’s report, paneled by a combination of academics, scientists, and business consultants, has made the rounds at the Agriculture Department and has been read by all the agencies in charge of agricultural research. The USDA’s official response to the report has been a call for further research, “to increase efficiency and productivity of all crops, crop residues, biomass and other substances.”
In the market for a farm loan? Farm Plus is here for you. Rates are at historic lows starting at 2.95%. Call 866-929-5585 or visit our website for more information.
Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: bill horan, biofuels, ethanol, renewable energy
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Photo courtesy of PGE
Oregon’s wind farms are not only growing in number, but size as well.
Portland General Electric Company completed the final phase their 450-Megawatts, 25,000 acre wind farm located in northern Oregon.
The project, totaling $1 billion, was constructed in three phases. The first phase, completed nearly three years ago, included 76 Vestas wind turbines and generated 125 Megawatts of power. 65 Siemens wind turbines were added as a second phase to create 150 Megawatts last summer. The current phase added 76 Siemens wind turbines for 175 more Megawatts of power.
This is just one of the many projects underway to help Oregon meet its renewable energy target of 25% by 2025. The PGE farm will account for 9 percent of the company’s total retail at the closing of 2010. Power agreements for PGE include Biglow Canyon and other previously set agreements.
Shepherd’s Flat, an 845-Megawatt farm, is also under construction. The largest wind farm in Oregon, and the United States, should be completed by 2012.
Looking to join the renewable energy industry? Contact Farm Plus today for information on low-rate loans for your farm or ranch. We work alongside government agencies such as the USDA and FSA to help you get the low-rate loans you need to cover costs. Call a representative at 866-929-5585 or visit our website for more information.
Tags: oregon, renewable energy, wind farm
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Monday, October 4th, 2010
Photo courtesy of Fuel From the Wind
For centuries farmers have used mechanical wind mills to pump life into ranches and farms across the country. However, an increasing number of producers are converting from old windmill to solar-powered systems.
According to windmill producers, many are making the change because it’s not only more efficient, but the cost of repair is far less. With windmills one repair is followed by another until you have invested thousands of dollars into repairs. Instead of making the repairs, farmers are using the money to invest in newer systems.
Solar-powered windmills have been on the market for 20 years and their efficiency has greatly improved during this time. Solar-powered windmills run anywhere from $4,500 to $10,000 and the average repairs on a traditional windmill cost around $5,000. Producers feel the solar-powered windmills are more durable and reliable than traditional ones. Farmers can collect water for days in case the sun is not out for a day and they need to water plants or feed animals.
Though windmill styles are changing, the technology has been used for so long that it is not expected that farmers will completely remove windmills from their farms.
If you would like to improve conditions on your farm or need money to cover production costs, contact Farm Plus today for information on our low-rate agriculture loans. Speak with a representative at 866-929-5585 or visit our website for rates and information.
Tags: renewable energy, solar panels, wind farms
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Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Though corporate wind farms are most popular these days, local communities are working together to create renewable energy for their own livelihoods.
In Wasco, Oregon (located on the eastern side of the state) a family of community members are building an independent wind farm. The $24 million project began construction this summer, but has been in the works for five years.
Ormand Hilderbrand is heading the project. Hilderbrand and family are dry land wheat farmers and have been in the Wasco area since the 1860s. The dry farm is now the location of the project where six wind turbines are being built. It is known as the PaTu Wind Farm.
The community is excited for the project. Paul Woodin, the executive director of The Dalles-based Community Renewable Energy Association anticipates similar projects across Oregon.
Hilderbrand’s project is the first of its sort without direct corporate sponsorship. There is no word on who will purchase the generated power.
Looking to refinance your farm loan before inflation hits? Low-rate farm loans available today. Visit our website or call 866-929-5585 to speak with a representative.
Tags: oregon, patu wind farm, renewable energy
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