Jasper Schneider

State Director Jasper Schneider recently had the opportunity to speak at several organizational meetings.  These meetings included: the 81st Annual Convention of North Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Union Mutual Insurance, the 58th Annual North Dakota Association of Telecom Cooperatives Membership Meeting, and North Dakota Homebuilders Association Annual Meeting.

USDA Rural Development partners with each of these entities and will continue to foster strong working relationships with them.

More than $460,000 in grants have been awarded to nine recipients to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. The funding is provided through USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

The energy program seeks to provide funding to projects that incorporate energy-saving practices into business operations to increase profitability and create opportunities for economic growth. One recipient will use the grant to replace conventional gasoline pumps with blender pumps to offer customers a variety of ethanol fuel choices. The other grants will assist in replacing old, inefficient grain dryers which will provide energy and cost savings while preserving higher yields. View recipients. 

REAP - Rural Energy for America Program
   USDA Rural Development is currently accepting applications from agricultural producers and rural small businesses for grants and/or guaranteed loans to purchase and install renewable energy systems and for energy efficiency improvements.  The grants can be up to 25% of total eligible project costs.  Grants are limited to $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for energy efficiency improvements.  Grant requests as low as $2,500 for renewable energy systems and $1,500 for energy efficiency improvements will be considered.  Emphasis is placed on grants of $20,000 or less.  Eligible renewable energy projects include projects that produce energy from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro power, hydrogen-based sources and includes flexible fuel pump dispensers.  Energy efficiency projects include retrofitting lighting or insulation, or purchasing or replacing equipment with more efficient units that reduce their energy consumption.  For more information contact our office at (701) 530-2037 or info@nd.usda.gov.

Community Facilities Loan Program
   Rural communities are faced with many challenges. One challenge is obtaining the financial resources necessary to construct new municipal buildings or purchase vehicles and equipment. The current Federal budget cycle is one showing a decline in funding for many programs. One program that did see a substantial increase of funding this year was Rural Development's Community Facilities direct loan program. The success of this program in providing assistance to rural communities received a favorable endorsement by Congress. Rural Development's Community Facilities program is able to provide direct and guarantee loans and/or grants for essential community based projects. The interest rate can be as low as 3.75%. All applications are first considered for loan funds based on the ability to repay a debt. Grant funds may be applied to assist with keeping payments in reach of a community's financial resources. Eligibility is determined by the Median Household Income (MHI) for the service area of the project. Rural communities interested in locating funding for improving their emergency vehicles and equipment are encouraged to visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HCF_CF.html  or contact mark.wax@nd.usda.gov.