$21M grant program for Ag. and rural business owners

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $21 million in technical assistance grants will be available to agricultural producers and small businesses for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements in Kansas.

The program is part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and Tribal or local governments, colleges and universities, electric cooperatives, utility companies, for-profit and nonprofit organizations are eligible.

The REAP program was announced by the USDA back in May as a nearly $11 billion investment into rural communities nationwide. The program is the largest federal investment into rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936, according to the USDA.

Recipients of funds can use them to conduct energy assessments and audits and can be used to develop renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, according to the USDA. Applicants who are proposing aid to disadvantaged communities, working on projects with underused technologies and applicants seeking under $20,000 will be given priority.

“These new grants can assist rural Kansas businesses navigate renewable energy systems and make their energy more affordable while boosting their independence,” USDA Kansas Development Director Christy Davis Davis said. “These technical assistance grants will help provide hands-on support to farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners for systems, like wind and solar, and energy efficiency measures.”

For more information on the resources available click here.