*Tax Exemption Reminder*

Please send us the contact information for your fuel distributor. The name of the company and address is all we need. We will not mention a specific farm or person as a source of this information. We have mailed information to a list we were able to generate from public agency sources but want to make sure that we reach everyone in the supply chain to make sure they are honoring the agricultural exemption from the “carbon tax” in the Climate Commitment Act.

You can email that supplier information to alicia@wastatedairy.com.

Rural Energy for America Program

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

How may the funds be used?

• High efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).
• Insulation.
• Lighting.
• Cooling or refrigeration units.
• Doors and windows.
• Electric, solar or gravity pumps for sprinkler pivots.
• Switching from a diesel to electric irrigation motor.
• Replacement of energy-inefficient equipment.

DeVries Scholarship

Each year the Washington Farm Bureau offers up to five (5) $2,000 scholarships as part of the Ray DeVries Memorial Scholarship program. Completed student applications are due to the Washington Farm Bureau office by June 30, 2023.

Energy Improvements Grant

ERA program seeks to improve the resilience, reliability, and affordability of energy systems in communities across the country with 10,000 or fewer people. The ERA program will leverage DOE’s expertise and experience in resilient energy solutions to modernize electric generation facilities, address disproportionately high electricity costs, and support new economic opportunities in rural and remote communities.

• Replacement of fossil fuel-powered heating with heat pumps in community buildings or in a residential neighborhood.
• Deployment of small hydropower in existing conduits to generate recurring revenue that enables reinvestment in other community infrastructure.
• Innovative siting of solar panels, such as over canals or on agricultural land, to reduce local siting constraints and enable new ownership structures.
• Use of biogas from agricultural waste, either from biogas capturing or biogas generation through anaerobic digestion, to fuel onsite equipment and/or for pipeline injection.

Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program

ODMAP was created to assist certified organic dairy producers facing a unique set of challenges in recent years, including higher costs attributed to the pandemic and drought conditions across the country. USDA will invest $104 million in financial assistance to certified organic dairy producers.

How ODMAP Works 

FSA is providing financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing costs in 2023 based on 2022 costs. ODMAP provides a one-time cost-share payment, based on marketing costs, on pounds of organic milk marketed in the 2022 calendar year. 

The financial assistance from ODMAP provides immediate support to certified organic dairy operations during 2023 keeping organic dairy operations sustainable until the markets return to more normal conditions.