It’s 2023. The cost of living is high and going up. Arguably, small business owners and farmers are at the highest point of suffering.

  • Livestock farms saw expenses increase 18.1% in 2022 to $218.9 billion.
    • Feed topped the expenses at $81 billion
    • Other livestock, poultry, and related expenses were $43.2 billion
    • Farm services were $20 billion
  • The total farm expenditure per average farm in 2022 was $226,986, up 15.8% from $196.087 in 2021.

This list could go on and on as inflation is strongly affecting the American dream. But at Ag Solar Solutions, we are laser focused on improving the bottom line, fighting against inflation, and decreasing expenses for the American farmer. In doing so, we are hyper-aware of any grant incentive that we can offer to our clients and potential clients. A current offering that we have is the USDA Reap Grant. The REAP (Rural Energy for American Program) Grant “has been provided over $2 billion for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants for agricultural producers and rural small business owners through 2031).

The REAP Grant aims to cover the purchase or installation of renewable energy systems (RES) and energy efficiency improvements (EEI) projects. It has recently increased to 50% of project costs through September 30, 2024 (receiving party must have submitted application prior to or on Sept 30, 2024). Renewable energy solutions that are included are:

  • Biomass
  • Geothermal
  • Small and large wind generation
  • Small and large solar generation
  • Ocean generation

The 50% grant is paid directly to the farmer once the system is up and running for a minimum of 30 days. The REAP Grant can also offset up to 65% off your electric bill. Further, after receiving approval for the grant, farmers have two years to act on the grant and begin the project.

How Ag Solar Solutions Can Help You (if you’re eligible):

  • In house grant writing
  • Project management from start to finish
  • Reduce your dependence on the grid by 65-90%
  • Only use top-tier premium products to ensure highest quality of project

At the end of the day, our sole purpose is to serve farmers and small business owners in developing the most profitable energy solutions for their operation. If we can do that in conjunction with grant funds, we will do it time and time again to make a lasting impact on those fighting for the American dream. If we can help you with any part of the REAP Grant process, or any solar solutions, please contact us: https://agsolarsolutions.com/contact/

Sources:
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/funding/3169
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2023/07/31/farmers-know-production-costs-higher#:~:text=Livestock%20farms%20saw%20expenses%20increase,a%20livestock%20farm%20was%20%24200%2C359