Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that Woodcrest Dairy in St. Lawrence County will receive a $403,627 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specifically from the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This funding will be used to purchase an anaerobic digester, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power their farm and potentially add power back onto the grid.
“Rural farms often have difficulty accessing efficient sources of power, and that’s exactly the problem this grant will go towards solving,” said Senator Schumer. “The bio-gas digester that Woodcrest plans to purchase will not only power their whole farm, but it may generate enough electricity to add to the overall grid. It’s a win-win for the farm and the surrounding community who will have a new source of efficient and clean power generation.”
“This is an important investment for Woodcrest Dairy and St. Lawrence County,” said Senator Gillibrand, New York’s first member of the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly four decades. “These federal resources for a new biogas digester can help the farm generate clean, sustainable energy for itself and other local businesses, while helping to protect our environment, and strengthen our local economy.”
Rural Development funds from the Rural Energy for America Program are used to assist farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems, and in making energy-efficiency improvements to their operations. This project will construct an anaerobic digester to generate renewable electricity to run the applicant’s dairy farm, which houses over 2,700 cows.