Resources
Harvest Grant Information
This grant has potential for farmers wanting to install wind, bio-mas, and other systems into service. Deadline for submission June 15, 2007. Grant Information (word doc)
PENNSYLVANIA FARMERS ELIGIBLE FOR CROP INSURANCE DISCOUNTS
Fruit and Forage Insurance Enrollment Deadlines Are Fast Approaching
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania farmers should act now to receive an additional 15 percent reduction in their 2007 crop insurance premiums. Deadlines are approaching as early as Nov. 20, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said today.
“This year, Governor Rendell and the General Assembly tripled the state’s investment in crop insurance, now at $3 million,” said Wolff. “Thanks to this foresight, producers can receive significant discounts on their crop insurance premiums by enrolling before the November deadlines.”
The 15 percent discount applies to all policies, after the federal discount, for any 2007 insurable crops grown in Pennsylvania. Deadlines for fruit crops and group risk forage programs are Nov. 20 and 30, respectively. Producers should contact their local crop insurance agent for specific policy deadlines.
“Pennsylvania is recognized as a leader in crop insurance, and participation continues to grow across the state, allowing our farmers to protect their investments and livelihoods should disaster occur,” said Wolff. “With the development of new programs like AGR-Lite, producers have more options to find a policy that suits their individual operation.”
The commonwealth has the only state-owned crop insurance product, AGR-Lite, in the nation. The program was created by the Department in response to many producers who did not have traditional products available to protect their farms. AGR-Lite is a whole-farm umbrella policy designed for specialty crop and diversified farm operations. By 2007, 28 other states will offer AGR-Lite under the ownership and oversight of Pennsylvania.
Producers are encouraged to contact a local crop insurance agent before the November deadlines. For more information on Pennsylvania’s crop insurance initiative and other risk management opportunities, call (717) 787-6041 or visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and click on ‘Producers.’
Online PA Wind Energy Resource Now Available
The Pennsylvania Wind Working Group, a partnership between government agencies, nonprofit groups and private businesses, has launched a web site to serve as a resource on wind energy in Pennsylvania. The site includes a " Landowner Resources" section for farmers and landowners interested in developing their land for wind power.
The site also contains a link to a model ordinance, unveiled by Governor Rendell on April 24, 2006. The ordinance, intended to help local governments decide how to direct the location and development of wind turbines within municipal borders, lays out several considerations of which farmers and landowners should be aware when contemplating wind energy contracts.
Grants and Funding
*Many of the grants listed on this page are awarded on an annual basis. This listing is meant to be an information source for the availability of such programs, and is therefore the reason that some of them may have deadlines that have already passed.
PHeaa - Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
Pennsylvania State Grant Program for higher education provides grants that farm families can benefit. $3.2 Million was awarded to families that indicated farming as their major source of earnings.
http://www.pheaa.org/
PAgrows Program Offers Grant & Loan Assistance for Farmers, Agribusinesses
Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watershed Grants Announced
- Crop Management
- Environmental Defense
- DEP
- Manure and Poultry Litter Management
- Upper Susquehanna Coalition
- Urban/Suburban Stormwater Management
- Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Clean Energy Project Grants - DEP
Conservation Innovation Grants & Conservation Partnership - NRCS. This is a yearly grant program
PAgrows Program Offers Grant and Loan Assistance for Farmers, Agribusinesses
Many state and federal grant applications are due between now and August.
Grant opportunities are usually for very specific tasks, and PAgrows can help insure your business meets a grant's minimum requirements before you start the application.
PAgrows pairs financial assistance from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) with technical assistance from the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA). It is designed to help farmers, food processors, farmers market operators and other agricultural businesses navigate through the grant and loan application process.
Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watershed Grants Announced
|
In early May, ten watershed-based partnerships were awarded grants ranging from of $500,000 to $1 million to help improve the quality of local waters and the Chesapeake Bay, with four grants going to help restoration efforts in Pennsylvania.
The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Trust provided $7.7 million to help reduce pollution reaching the Bay from agricultural and suburban lands.
Selected projects include managing nutrient runoff from manure through precision feeding; identifying markets for manure as fertilizer; and integrating farm stewardship with ecosystem restoration activities.
It is estimated that the ten projects chosen will reduce more than nine million pounds of nitrogen and nearly seven million pounds of phosphorous annually to the Bay.
Below are the grant awards that will benefit Pennsylvania:
Crop Management
· Environmental Defense - Regional Nutrient Use Efficiency in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin. Environmental Defense will work directly with 350 farmers in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin to improve on-farm nutrient use efficiency, including Plain Sect farmers who may be reluctant to participate in government-sponsored programs.
· DEP - Park the Plow for Profit: A Continuous No-Till Transition Program. The Department of Environmental Protection -- in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Capital Area RC&D Council, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council -- will facilitate the conversion of 12,750 acres of cropland to continuous no-till agriculture.
Manure and Poultry Litter Management
· Upper Susquehanna Coalition - Cost Effective Nutrient Reduction in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition will integrate innovative prescribed grazing with riparian preservation and restoration approaches on agricultural land in the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed.
Urban/Suburban Stormwater Management
· Susquehanna River Basin Commission - Paxton Creek Watershed: Stormwater Management for Pennsylvania Communities. Using the Paxton Creek Watershed as a model, this project will develop a multi-jurisdictional stormwater management structure spanning several municipalities in the greater Harrisburg area. To test the management structure and address water quality impacts, the initiative also will implement five stormwater demonstration projects that are supported by and funded through public-private partnerships.
Grant announcement details are available at the Chesapeake Bay Program web site: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/newstargetedgrants050206.htm
|
USDA Announces Section
9006 Program for 2006
On February 13, 2006, the USDA announced this year's Section 9006 Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency Improvements program. Instead of two grant application
cycles, as previously discussed, there will now be only a single grant application
cycle with a deadline postmark date of May 12, 2006.
The announcement of the FY2006 program from the Federal Register is available
at: http://www.farmenergy.org/9006finalrule.htm
The program funds the purchase and installation of energy efficiency and
renewable energy systems. Grants and loan guarantees are available to farmers,
ranchers, and rural small businesses, excluding residential purposes. Applicants
seeking grant assistance for planning and analyzing renewable energy opportunities
may want to consider the Value
Added Producer Grant program: http://www.farmenergy.org/programs.htm
Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Program Applications
[36 Pa.B. 2223]
The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) announces the availability of $5 million in the fourth year of the Commonwealth's Energy Harvest Grant Program for innovative energy deployment projects addressing the concerns of air quality protection or improvement and watershed protection or improvement.
Grants will fund projects that promote awareness and build markets for cleaner or renewable energy technologies. Proposals should manage this Commonwealth's energy resources in a way that also improves the environment, supports economic development and enhances quality of life.
Eligible proposals include: renewable energy deployment, including biomass energy; waste coal reclamation for energy; deployment of innovative energy efficiency technologies; and distributed generation projects.
Applications are available by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772, (717) 783-8411. Applications are also available on the Department's website: depweb.state.pa.us (DEP Keywords: Energy Harvest). The application package contains the materials and instructions necessary for applying for a grant.
Applications must be postmarked or received by 4 p.m. on July 14, 2006. Faxes will not be accepted. Use staples only, no binding or cover pages.
Note that the Department's Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority Grant Program will be open at the same time (see 36 Pa.B. 2260 (May 6, 2006).
PENNSYLVANIA ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
$5 Million Funding Opportunity Available
[36 Pa.B. 2260]
On behalf of Governor Edward G. Rendell, Department of Environmental Protection (Department) Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced on April 25, 2006, that the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (Authority) will open a $5 million solicitation for innovative, advanced energy projects and for businesses interested in locating their advanced energy operations in this Commonwealth.
For purposes of this financial assistance opportunity, eligible projects may include:
Solar Energy |
Wind |
Low-Impact Hydropower |
Geothermal |
Biologically Derived Methane Gas, Including Landfill Gas |
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle |
Fuel Cells |
Coal-Mine Methane |
| Waste Coal |
Biomass |
| Demand Management Measures, including recycled energy and energy recovery, energy efficiency and load management; and clean, alternative fuels for transportation. |
Priorities include solar, distributed generation for critical public infrastructure and clean, alternative fuels for transportation.
Under this solicitation, the Authority may award financial assistance in the form of grants of up to $1 million. Funding for projects may be used for capital equipment, construction associated with capital projects and land acquisition.
For grants under this solicitation, the following entities are eligible to apply: corporations, partnerships, associations and other legal business entities; nonprofit corporations; municipalities in this Commonwealth; and any public corporations, authorities or bodies whatsoever.
This is a competitive solicitation and funding will be determined by vote of the Board of Directors. Guidelines and applications may be viewed and downloaded from the Department's website at www.depweb.state.pa.us (DEP Keyword: PEDA). Applications will be accepted from May 8, 2006, through July 14, 2006.
DEP
Clean Energy Project Grants Announced
The week of February 17, the Department of Environmental Protection
announced the award of over $3.7 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive
Grants to support alternative and clean fuel projects.
The grants went to 22 projects and will leverage more than $16 million
in private funds.
For more information-- and to determine whether an Alternative Fuel
Incentive Grant might be a possibility for you-- visit the Alternative
Fuel Incentive Grants Program webpage:http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/pollprev/AFIG/afvafig1.htm
Conservation
Innovation Grants and Conservation Partnership Initiative
Grants
FYI,
notice has been put on the national NRCS web site for this year's EQIP
Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program with an application
due date of March 20. They also plan to offer a state option
CIG.
Notice is also posted for the Cooperative
Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) , with an application due date
of March 7.
These new programs are great
ways that our conservation parnters can get additional funding to plan and
test innovative new conservation strategies and practices. Please share
this information as widely as possible. For more information, contact
Barry Frantz, or Noel Soto at (717) 237-2173.
|
CAPWiz On-Line