 KyCGA
Supports E85
Pump Installation
The KyCGA recently
approved subsidizing the placement of three additional E85
refueling pumps
at Louisville area Thornton's gas and convenience stores.
Thornton's currently has two other stations in Louisville
that sell E85 (Fern Valley Rd off I-65 and Hurstbourne Pkwy
off I-64). Increasing the utilization of ethanol is a
priority of the KyCGA, and leadership
is pleased to see more Kentucky retailers providing
the domestic, corn-based fuel to its customers. The
new pumps will be labeled with the KyCGA logo.
See a list of all
current E85 stations in Kentucky.
Incentives Available for Farmers to Become More Energy
Efficient
More than $600,000 is available for farmers to "go green"
through the 2010 ARRA On-farm Energy Efficiency &
Production Incentives Program. This program is
administered by the Governor's Office of Agricultural
Policy, and applications are due to GOAP postmarked no later
than March 26, 2010.
Applicants will be
limited to 25% reimbursement for the eligible expenditures
not to exceed $10,000 for the life of the ARRA program.
While a number of
components and building upgrades are eligible for the
incentives program, GOAP senior policy analyst Tim Hughes
says corn farmers may want to look at installing or
upgrading to an energy efficient grain drying system.
Suggested improvements include:
- Addition of recirculation of
cooling section exhaust air
- New dryers with increased
column width
- Implementation of dryeration
- Addition of in-bin cooling
Hughes said other projects
could include biomass heaters for farm shops, farm building
upgrades which reduce energy consumption, low-pressure
irrigation systems and biomass crop production. A list of
eligible cost-share items are listed in the
application
(appendix A).
An additional grant program is
available from the USDA Office of Rural Development which
provides grants for energy audits and renewable energy
development assistance. Hughes said it is possible to
receive funding from both entities on the same project.
The application requests that a third-party audit be
conducted to evaluate where energy savings could be
achieved. Hughes said that the audit is not required, but
those that have the audit completed will have an advantage
over project requests that do not. Applicants must
include enough information within the application to
demonstrate that the investment will provide significant
energy related benefits.
Purdue University has a number
of self-audit and calculator tools available a farmer may
want to utilize to determine if significant energy savings
may be achieved. The tools include a grain dryer energy
efficiency audit. Go to:
http://www.extension.purdue.edu/renewable-energy/on-farm-efficiency.shtml
to use the tools.
For questions about
the application process for the ARRA On-farm Energy
Incentives Program, please contact Bryan Thomas, special
projects coordinator, at (502) 564-4627 or
bryan.thomas@ky.gov.
GOAP Press Release
ARRA On-Farm
Energy Efficiency & Production Incentives Program
Application
|
 Farmers
Heard at NFMS
KyCGA had a number of corn
farmers participate in the "Share Your Story"
project at the National Farm Machinery Show in
Louisville last week. The purpose of putting growers on
camera was to let consumers know the challenges and rewards of
providing the safest, cheapest, and most abundant food
supply. Farmers also told their perspective on how
membership in the KyCGA helps them deal with many of
farming's challenges. Videos will be available from the KyCGA web site
and You Tube soon. Stay tuned!
 |
 Corn
growers, staff talk membership
issues and challenges
Kentucky Corn Growers staff was able to meet with dozens of
grower leaders and other state corn organization staffers
from around the country this week to learn more about
membership recruitment, retention and services and share
best practices with their colleagues at the National Corn
Growers Association Membership Symposium.
The symposium began Tuesday with a presentation on the
growing importance of social media and a series of breakout
sessions designed to bring participants together and share
stories and recommendations for recruiting and retaining
members.
The NCGA Membership Symposium was sponsored by Syngenta.
Government relations director for Syngenta and former KyCGA
executive director Todd Barlow made an appearance at the
meeting to update participants on the EPA's reevaluation of
Atrazine. He asked for grower support and comments on the
benefits of atrazine prior to an EPA Scientific Advisory
Panel field hearing that will be held in early April.
Details to come.
Speaking of Membership,
KyCGA would like to
welcome its newest members
Pat
Murphy Farms*, Calhoun
Richard Smith &
Sons*, Island
Estes Brothers Farms*, Smiths Grove
J.W. Goodwin, Paducah
Joe Kordes, Seed
Consultants, Inc.
*
Denotes Lifetime Member |
Todd Williams*,
LaCenter
William Stermon*, Arlington
Joe Kordes, Tri-State Seed Co.
Todd Ladd, Monsanto |
|
Visit
www.commodityclassic.com to view the full agenda and
to register.
Register Today!
Pre-registration closes on February 25.
If you are still on the fence
about attending, you may be interested to know:
-
US Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack will deliver the keynote address at
the General Session
-
Learning Center Sessions available: Take Technology to a
Higher Level on Your Farm - and Make it Pay; Farm Financial
Strategies: Farm Continuation by Design; and Outlook for
Agriculture's Agenda in Washington, D.C.
- Attendees will
encounter countless opportunities to speak with grower,
agribusiness and industry leaders about equipment,
technology and techniques impacting production
agriculture. Nearly 200 companies in more than 800 booths
will be displaying the latest in cutting-edge products and
services at the trade show.
- The convention will
close the Evening of Entertainment, featuring a
performance by the Grammy Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band.
 And
if you know you won't be able to attend,
"follow" Commodity Classic on Twitter at #classic10. With
constant updates, following Commodity Classic on Twitter is
the next best thing to actually attending.
If you have no idea what Twitter is, this
tutorial is very helpful.
See
what growers are doing for the industry nationally.
Visit www.kycorn.org
for more news and resources
|
