USDA Gives $24 Million to 112 PA Projects for Renewable Energy

“If farmers do well, the community does well. And the challenge over the last 40 years is that small and mid-sized farming operations have had a tougher and tougher time,” Tom Vilsack said, secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Today in Harrisburg, he announced a new round of grant winners for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

“We say essentially to farmers, we'll pay 50% of the cost of a solar system or a wind system or a bio digester,” said Vilsack.

The program is for farmers and small businesses in rural areas.

Once installed, most renewable energy sources are cheaper. Owners can then save on their electricity bill. Most projects are also big enough that owners can sell the excess energy to their community.

“We want to ensure that they have not just one single source of revenue, as they sell whatever they produce. But that we create multiple new revenue streams for farms,” said Vilsack.

$126 million was awarded to 654 clean energy projects through out the U.S., Guam, and Puerto Rico. In Pennsylvania, $24 million dollars will fund 112 projects.

Two solar projects were funded in our viewing area to support a hotel and retail shop.

A farmer who used previous REAP grants to purchase aneorboic digesters spoke at today’s event.

“We, because of our project that we installed 15 years ago, we were able to generate now eight full time jobs,” said Brett Reinford, an owner of the dairy Reinford Farm in Juniata County. The digesters, which use methane from cow manure to generate electricity, power the farm and 600 houses.

The REAP grant right now is funded with the Biden Harris “Inflation Reduction” Act. Economists and lawmakers remain split on if the act delivers on its namesake..

Reinford said that most sustainability projects require major investments that farms can’t afford on their tight margins. When asked if using government funds for projects that are financially unsustainable on their own is wise— he said the payback has been worth it.

"It is a good investment, I believe. It's sustained our farm economically through some of the downturns that dairy has experienced in the last ten or 15 years,” said Reinford. "And it's kept us in business because of the additional revenue of that electric generation and food waste provides for our farm.”