Posted: 10.27.2011

An Alma Center dairy is just one agriculture project getting grant monies from the USDA for bioenergy projects.

Under Secretary for Rural Development, Dallas Tonsager, was in Wisconsin to make the formal announcement that Heller Farms in Jackson County will be building a biodigester - in part thanks to federal grant support.

Funding for the biodigesters is provided through the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  U.S. Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said that, since its creation in the 2002 Farm Bill through Fiscal Year 2010, REAP has created or saved an estimated 13.4 billion kWh of electricity, reduced almost 14.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, assisted almost 9,600 businesses, farmers and ranchers, and created or saved an estimated 15,000 jobs. 

The biodigester planned for Heller Farms near Alma Center in Jackson County, is expected to produce 3.3 million kW hours of renewable energy each year, and is funded in part with a $1.3 million guaranteed loan and a $500,000 grant.  Digesters will also be placed in Pennsylvania, Idaho, Iowa, Oregon, Ohio, and Vermont. 

Today’s announcement is in concert with an agreement signed by Secretary Vilsack in December, 2009. During climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Secretary signed a historic agreement to help U.S. dairy producers cut greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement between USDA and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy calls for the parties to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms by 25 percent by 2020.

  In Fiscal Year 2011, USDA, through the REAP program, provided over $20 million in assistance for biodigesters, and leveraged $110 million in other funds.  Through its Value-Added Producer Grant program, USDA provides planning grants of up to $100,000 and working capital grants of up to $300,000 to be used for establishment of a biodigester.  Additionally, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers financial and technical assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) program. 

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