A number of farmers and rural businesses will be able to lower their energy costs, thanks to funding from the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. Locally, N&L Pork near Knox will get $20,000 to buy and install a 111-kilowatt solar array. The USDA says that will save enough energy to power 14 homes a year and lower the business’s annual energy costs by more than $15,000.
Meanwhile, Darrel G. Erb was awarded more than $12,000 to install a grain dryer at the family’s oil-seed and grain farm near Francesville, lowering energy costs by more than $6,800 a year.
Funding from the Rural Energy for America Program can be used on a variety of needs, such as energy audits, renewable energy systems, and energy efficiency improvements. The USDA says it’s awarded 18 grants through the program for projects in Indiana.
