The Missouri Department of Natural
Resources last week unveiled its first program under Energize
Missouri Agriculture: a cost-share grant program that will
reimburse farmers -including those in Texas County – for the
purchase of energy-saving equipment. The department will accept
applications for funding through April 20.
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The program will reimburse farmers up to 75 percent of the cost of
qualifying energy-saving equipment. The reimbursement process is
modeled in part after the grant program used by the soil and water
conservation districts operating in every Missouri county.
The grants will reimburse participants up
to $5,000 for the cost of qualifying purchases. The Department of
Natural Resources is offering up to $3 million in cost-share grants
statewide.
Staff from the department’s energy center
have already identified some technologies that will qualify for
cost-share reimbursement such as: solar-powered livestock watering
systems, solar powered fencers, GPS and auto-steer systems for
tractors and applicators and irrigation systems upgrades and
improvements.
The department is also looking for new and
innovative technologies that can be applied to agricultural energy
efficiency. Anyone interested applying for Energize Missouri
Agriculture energy efficiency funding should visit the department’s
Energize Missouri Agriculture Web page at
dnr.mo.gov/transform/energizemissouriagriculture.htm for more
details.
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Those without Internet access can receive a paper application form
from their local soil and water district or call the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources’ Energy Center at 573-526-1723.
Applicants must use the paper application form when submitting an
application by mail. Printed versions of the electronic online
application will not be accepted.
After the deadline, all applications will
be reviewed by a technical review panel and ranked using several
factors including energy saving potential and feasibility. The
department will notify approved applicants shortly after the
application close-out date. Applicants will be required to sign an
agreement with DNR laying out the terms and conditions of the
project. Purchases made before the agreement is signed do not
qualify for reimbursement.
The money for the Agricultural Energy
Efficiency Improvement Grant Program comes from the U.S. Department
of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is
part of the funds being managed by the Department of Natural
Resources’ Energy Center.
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