A free grant workshop for farmers is being offered on Thursday from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Bulloch Agribusiness Center, 151 Langston Chapel Rd. in Statesboro.  One-on-one help with completing an application will be available after the workshop.

Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill provided a new program for farmers in Georgia who need to reduce their energy consumption. These grants can pay for up to 25 percent of the cost of doing energy efficiency improvements to a facility, building, or a process within the farming operation. The maximum grant is $250,000 and the minimum is $1,500. 

Applications can be filed at any time but the awardees are not usually selected until September.

What kinds of projects might be eligible for funding? USDA Rural Development grant funds can be used to install new irrigation motors to replace older, less efficient motors including the cost of running the electric lines to the pump site.  New burners for tobacco barns are possible. Modernizing grain dryers or upgrading poultry houses are eligible projects.

The workshop is free but seating is limited. To reserve a space, please contact Toni Grimes at (706) 546-2154. For more information, contact Craig Scroggs at (770) 267-1413, ext. 113, craig.scroggs@ga.usda.gov or Eddie Douglas at (706) 546-2154, eddie.douglas@ga.usda.gov.