American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Energize Missouri Agriculture
In June 2009, the Department of Energy approved Missouri's application under the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program for $57,393,000 in Recovery Act funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. In an effort to help farmers move toward more energy efficient and profitable operations, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy developed a Field Day Energy Training Program and a Cost Share Grant Program focused on the agricultural sector. Both these programs were highly successful.
Field Day: Energy Training Program
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources funded an Energy Training program for organizations to provide energy-efficiency education and workshops to Missouri Farmers for the purpose of providing information to farmers that will help them reduce operational energy costs. Approximately 1,100 people attended over 40 sessions held across the state. At each Field Day, farmers were provided information on how to identify opportunities for increasing energy efficiency, how to conduct an energy assessment, and how to calculate energy savings and simple payback. The field days highlighted tools and resources that will help farmers and agricultural operators use on their individual farms.
Cost-Share Grant Program
The department offered energy efficiency cost-share grants to agricultural operations statewide for agricultural energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy equipment. Missouri farmers were awarded over $5.7 million in cost share grants.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources developed the cost-share grant program to reimburse farmers up to 75 percent of the cost of energy-saving equipment and systems, up to a maximum of $5,000 per applicant. Farmers received grants to purchase energy-saving equipment such as: solar powered livestock watering systems, solar powered fencers, GPS and auto-steer systems for tractors and applicators, and irrigation system upgrades and improvements.
Eligible Projects
The department's Division of Energy identified about a dozen categories of equipment and systems that qualified for funding. The most popular category of equipment included the GPS systems, with more than 800 applications received in this category. For the farmers with smaller operations, solar powered fencers and insulated or frost-free waterers for livestock were very popular.
| Number of Systems Awarded | System Category |
| 59 | Solar Powered Water Systems |
| 237 | Solar Powered Fencers |
| 296 | Insulated Waters |
| 811 | GPS |
| 96 | Irrigation Improvements |
| 16 | Dairy Facility Improvements |
| 2 | Swine Facility Improvements |
| 23 | Poultry Facility Improvements |
| 119 | Grain Dryers |
| 53 | Lighting Upgrades |
| 113 | Tillage |
| 21 | Motors |
| 40 | Biomass |
| 45 | OTHER |
Contact Information
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Division of Energy
1101 Riverside Drive, P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443
energy@dnr.mo.gov email
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