U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas Friday announced that USDA is awarding a total of $1,333,498 in grants (PDF, 141 KB) to rural Missouri farmers, ag producers, businesses, and institutions.
“USDA Rural Development is committed to supporting rural businesses make climate-smart decisions,” Thomas said. “Investments like the 61 announced today provide access to renewable energy and help make needed energy efficiency improvements, ultimately assisting Missouri farmers, ag producers, and small businesses lower their cost of energy.”
A Denver farm and a Maryville business benefited from this round of investments. Tracy Farms of Denver got a $20,000 grant to purchase and install a grain dryer, which the USDA says will save the farm $10,319 per year and replace 9,725 kilowatt hours, or 82.8% of the farm’s energy use per year.
The other local recipient was Woodruff-Arnold of Maryville. They received a $20,000 grant to purchase and install a solar array, which the USDA says will save the business $10,455 a year and replace 116,167 kilowatt hours per year, or 97.86 of the company’s energy use, which is enough energy to power 10 homes.
USDA is investing in 61 renewable energy and efficiency projects in Missouri through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Recipients can use REAP funding for a variety of needs such as conducting energy audits, installing renewable energy systems, and to make energy efficiency improvements.
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