Senator Baldwin Brings Home Over $2 Million to Help Wisconsin Farmers and Rural Businesses Cut Energy Costs

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Wisconsin farmers and rural small business owners will receive more than $2.2 million in grants to make energy efficiency improvements and cut their energy costs by thousands of dollars each year.

“Wisconsin farmers work every day to feed America, power our rural economies, and be responsible stewards of their land, and I’m proud to help them cut costs and make their operations more efficient,” said Senator Baldwin. “These investments will help lower small businesses' overhead costs and ensure they can continue to grow for the future.”

The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) – which received a $2 billion boost through the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act. Through the REAP program, USDA provides grants and loans to help agriculture producers and rural small business owners expand their use of wind, solar, and other forms of clean energy and make energy efficiency improvements.

Since 2018, REAP has invested over $9.2 million into Wisconsin farms and rural businesses. Last year, Senator Baldwin announced more than 50 farms benefitting from REAP grants. Thanks to investments under the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act, more farmers and more acres are enrolled in voluntary conservation practices than at any single point in history.

Last month, over 20 additional Wisconsin agricultural and rural businesses learned they would be receiving direct support from REAP grants, including:

Rusk County Farm Supply in Ladysmith: $106,045 to install a solar electric array. This project is expected to save the farm $12,500 in electrical costs per year and replace 117,983 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the business’s energy use) per year, which is enough to power ten homes.

Tranel Family Farms in Cuba City: $219,769 to install a small solar electric array. This project is expected to save the farm $32,300 in electrical costs per year and replace 320,500 kilowatt hours (76 percent of the farm's energy use) per year, which is enough energy to power 29 homes.

Linda’s Salem Bakery in West Salem: $161,373 to install a solar electric array system. This project is expected to save the business $34,500 per year in electrical costs and replace 442,500 kilowatt hours (31 percent of the business's energy use) per year, which is enough to power 40 homes.

The Coburn Company in Whitewater: $291,500 to help The Coburn Company, Inc. install a solar electric array system. This project is expected to save $43,661 per year. It will replace 360,831 kilowatt hours (90 percent of the business's energy use) per year, which is enough to power 33 homes.

Gerou Farms in Bristol: $77,995 to install a new grain drying system. This project is expected to save $9,200 per year in electrical costs and replace 217,800 kilowatt hours (62 percent of the company's energy use) per year, which is enough energy to power 20 homes.

Dairyland Biogas in New Franken: $500,000 grant to install energy efficiency equipment on their anaerobic digester. The project is expected to save $115,796 per year. It will replace 5,359,344kWh (88 percent of the business's energy use) per year, which is enough energy to power 494 homes.

Durand Family Farm in Spooner: $24,027 to help Durand Family Farm LLC install a small solar electric array. This project is expected to save the farm nearly $2,400 in electrical costs per year and replace 20,800 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the business's energy use) per year, which is enough energy to power two homes.

A full list of REAP award recipients can be found here.

###