U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development North Carolina State Director Reginald Speight recently announced USDA is funding new projects across the state to lower costs, expand access to clean energy and strengthen farms and small businesses in the Tar Heel State.

USDA is making the investments through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a program that has seen record demand in response to historic funding provided by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are ensuring farmers, small business owners and rural communities have the resources they need for the future,” Speight said in a press release. “These investments will help rural communities lead our country toward an economy that benefits working people everywhere with lower costs and clean energy jobs.”  

REAP enables agricultural producers and rural small business owners to expand their use of wind, solar, geothermal and small hydropower energy and make energy efficiency improvements. These innovations help them increase their income, grow their businesses and address climate change while lowering energy costs for American families.

In Harnett County, Andrew Burgess Poultry will use a $46 thousand USDA REAP Grant to purchase and install heaters, service doors and tunnel doors. This poultry farm will realize $6.9 thousand per year in savings and save 5.3 thousand gallons of propane per year.

Nationwide, USDA is investing more than $256 million in loans and grants that will support more than 1,100 clean energy projects in 40 states.

This is the final REAP funding availability from the Inflation Reduction Act. USDA is accepting applications in this first round through two windows. The deadlines to apply are Dec. 31, 2024, and March 31, 2025. 

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas.