USDA is releasing loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. Collectively, these REAP-funded projects and those announced earlier are expected to lower energy usage by 2-billion kilowatts and prevent nearly 2-million metric tons of emissions from being released into the environment. These federal dollars are leveraged with other funding sources for the projects.

Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager says that in Fiscal Year 2011, USDA Rural Development provided a total of 23.2-million dollars for energy efficiency projects, 20.9-million for biodigesters, 20.3-million for solar energy projects, 8.2-million for hydroelectric systems, 7-million for biomass energy projects, 4.28-million for flexible fuel pump projects, 3.9-million for wind energy projects, and 1.4-million for geothermal installations.

As a example of the energy efficiencies expected, one recipient, Wilford Hayden in Lowell, Indiana, is expected to save almost 1.4-million kilowatt hours when he replaces a grain dryer with a more efficient one. And, K and K Farms, in Stuart, Iowa, has been selected to receive a $10,737 grant to help purchase a new grain drying system that is expected to reduce annual energy costs by more than 57 percent.