3 Reasons Farms & Small Businesses Should Consider USDA REAP Grants When Going Solar

3 Reasons Farms & Small Businesses Should Consider USDA REAP Grants When Going Solar Updated June 7, 2023 Solar just became more affordable for farmers and rural small businesses. Recently, the funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) was increased! This translates to the opportunity for even more […]

These Little Piggies Went Solar

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Pork producers across Illinois are investing in solar technology. Why? Solar generation matches very well with hog production systems.  In the summer, such systems need many fans ventilating the hog buildings and at the same time there are more hours of sun in the day and solar technology produces more energy.  Solar technology enables hog […]

Farmers Harvest the Sun for Lower Energy Costs

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Farmers across Illinois and Missouri are discovering solar as a great investment and can stabilize their energy costs. With federal and state incentives for agricultural operations, 2020 is shaping to be a great year for farmers to go solar. There are three federal incentives, as well as two incentives Illinois-specific, and one Missouri incentive appropriate […]

July 2017: Burroughs Farms in Morton, IL

Burroughs Family Farms Solar

The Burroughs Family has farmed in Morton, Illinois since 1896. In October 2015, Scott and Calvin Burroughs decided to power their grain farm with solar energy.

December 2016: Home Nursery Now Grows Solar!

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Home Nursery, Inc, is a wholesale nursery grower based in Albers, Illinois with a 95-year history of producing high-quality horticultural products for customers large and small throughout the Midwest. Throughout the latter half of 2016, Home Nursery added 10 new solar electric (PV) systems to buildings and ground sites around the farm’s production facility footprint. […]

August 2015: Solar Made Sense to Energy Savvy Agribusiness

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Larry Rhodes had a very practical reason for choosing solar energy to supplement the electrical usage at his farm in Central Illinois. “Solar proved to be a good investment from a business standpoint and I realized that it would positively impact my neighbors as well.” Larry’s solar journey began through conversations with his son abut wind energy, […]