NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd (517) 324-5204
MICHIGAN FARMERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES RECEIVE USDA ENERGY GRANTS
EAST LANSING, Oct. 16, 2007 – USDA Rural Development Director for Michigan Gene DeRossett today announced eight Michigan farmers and rural small businesses received $2,361,093 in Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Improvement grants or guaranteed loans for fiscal year 2007 under the USDA Rural Development Renewable Energy Program (Section 9006).
“Michigan has a tremendous opportunity to revitalize its economy through renewable energy,” said DeRossett. “This is an investment in a more prosperous and environmentally friendly future for rural Michigan residents.”
The Michigan recipients that were selected are:
Recipient Location Type
Benson Farms Cadillac Wood Stove for Beef Operation
Geerlings Hillside Farms, LLC Overisel & Scottville Anaerobic Digesters for 2 Hog Facilities
Denis Alan Lentz Applegate Grain Dryer Replacement
Neal Mast & Son Greenhouses, Inc. Grand Rapids Greenhouse Energy Curtain
Scenic View Dairy, LLC Freeport Anaerobic Digester for Dairy Farm
Sietsema Farms Feeds, LLC Howard City Biomass (turkey litter) Gasification to Electricity
Town & Country Animal Hospital Charlotte Energy Efficient Heating & Cooling
Wenke Greenhouses, Inc. Kalamazoo Greenhouse Energy Efficient Boilers
The Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency loan and grant program was established under Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill to encourage agricultural producers and small rural businesses to create or install renewable energy generation systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. To date, over $4.2 million has been committed for 29 rural Michigan energy projects.
For further program information contact the USDA Rural Development Business & Cooperative Division in the East Lansing State Office at (517) 324-5157.
USDA Rural Development’s mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. Rural Development has invested more than $76.8 billion since 2001 for equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. More than 1.5 million jobs have been created or saved through these investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov .
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