June Farm Poem

Milk weeds, thistles, sunflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, and don’t forget poison ivy, too.

By any other definition the bane of the farmer, weeds have crowded pastures  up and around  end gates and fence rows.

Summer is full on. Humidity soaks the morning grass and bathes the day in its damp cloak. Sweat on the brow returns right after a wipe; crops are all planted now.

No rest, of course! There’s hay to be made. Fire the tractor, dust off the rake and hitch up the mower. Baler crews drive country roads, big round bales dot fields standing as mounds on shorn grass. The delight of cows turned out on fresh pasture to graze; the barn is filling up.

The air is heavy with dust and hay chaff. A first cutting of three or so, winter’s feed is stowed away. 

June is halfway through the year. June its self is two halves-half preparation, half harvest. 

All the season’s on the farm, together in the circle of life.

May Farm Poem

White clover scents the pasture, end rows and ditches,

sweetening June’s hay and May’s early dawn.

Cherries pop like red rubies on the tree, hanging like candy ready for pies.

Morning breaks early now, noon is warm and evening long.

May showers enliven young corn; farmers are held back from planting beans.

Greens flourish in the garden while blooms blaze on the rhododendums and peonies.

May on the farm is joy, sun and warmth; no humidity to chase us indoors.

May is light, and grass and shade under new leaves, kittens climbing down from barn rafters, swallows building nest in the eaves.

May cures us from damp spring, yet gives on to summer’s lazy days. I think in Indiana, we all yearn for the month of May.

-Sarah Beth Aubrey

Send in USDA REAP apps to me ASAP

The deadline for USDA REAP grant for energy efficiency and renewable energy is July 31st. I will be turning in applications by July 23, 2009, as I am out of town following that up through the deadline. To that end, I will cease taking applications Monday, July 13th. That means if you are still on the fence or considering applying, I need your materials as soon as possible to ensure that we will be able to get your application filed.

Contact us at sarah@prosperityagresources.com with questions.

To your Prosperity!

ANOTHER NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY!!

Another great funding opportunity has become available.  Please read the short description below.  Contact me for further information!!

 

Background

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) enacted legislation to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America’s middle class through measures that modernize the nation’s infrastructure, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.  This activity aligns with goals identified in the ARRA associated with: 

• Creation and preservation of jobs while promoting economic recovery.
• Assisting those most impacted by the recession.
• Provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health.
• Invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits.
• Stabilize State and Local governments in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases.

 

In support of the AARA, the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) is seeking deployment projects for district energy systems, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and waste energy recovery applications, and energy-efficient industrial equipment and processes.  

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) offers several distinct advantages over many other electricity and thermal energy generating technologies with regard to performance, availability, and cost.  CHP, or cogeneration, is the concurrent production of electricity or mechanical power and useful thermal energy (heating and/or cooling) from a single source of energy.   CHP is a suite of technologies that generate electricity or power at the point of use and recover the thermal energy that would normally be lost in the power generation process. This allows for much greater improvement in overall fuel efficiency, resulting in lower operating costs and CO2 emissions. CHP positively impacts the health of local economies while also supporting national policies in a number of ways. 

District energy systems produce steam, hot water or chilled water at a central plant and then pipe the energy out to buildings in the district for space heating, domestic hot water heating and air conditioning.  The scale of district energy systems enables higher efficiencies to be obtained through the centralized system.  District energy systems are often operated with CHP technologies, providing efficiencies of 80% or higher. 

The capital cost of new equipment is often a roadblock for utilization of more efficient equipment and processes.  Although the newer technologies would provide lower energy requirements and operating costs, the payback period for some technologies does not meet internal business goals.  This FOA will enable deployment of industrial technologies that provide 25% or greater improvement in energy efficiency over the currently-utilized equipment. 

Objective

The objective of the FOA is to solicit applications for cost-shared projects that will deploy sustainable energy infrastructure projects and energy efficient industrial technologies.   Specifically, this FOA seeks projects to deploy efficient technologies in the following four areas of interest: 

• Combined Heat and Power
• District Energy Systems
• Industrial Waste Energy Recovery
• Efficient Industrial Equipment

 

The result will be deployment of technologies that will increase our national energy security, provide construction and manufacturing jobs, and build markets for skilled green construction.

USDA REAP grant finally opens, due 7/31

The long anticipated USDA REAP grant (formerly section 9006) opened today and grants, guaranteed loans and combination applications are due July 31st. The notice of funding availability is posted on this site, or you can access it at my website: www.prosperityagresources.com.

Call me to apply now for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. $60 million available.

To Prosperity!

Sarah

April Poem

Can you small the earth?

Or sense the impatience of the field?

The earth is alive again; it yearns to be turned,

to feel the warm sun.

Last year’s chaff shall soon be scattered,

replaced by the new bed for seed.

April has come; spring renews.

Cold and rainy, then breezes that blow young blooms away.

The air is filled with blossoms flitting on the breeze.

Yet, there is mud. A midwestern spring constant.

Cow’s now leave their indelible track; their feet mar the soft flesh

of new pasture grass, just green.

Four little ponds quickly fill where each hoof trod;

muddy water seeps into the bogs, the shallow valleys;

it winds between the rocks like a thick, brown cord.

The land is damp, yet summer will make it dry.

God’s perfect order, all shown so messily in spring.

PRESIDENT OBAMA ISSUES PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BIOFUELS

 

Hi  to those concerned and interested in energy project funding. Here is my take on yesterday’s Presidential energy program announcements for USDA, EPA and DOE.

Basically, this Presidential Directive is quite a bit rhetoric. For example, if you read about some of the programs it includes a ‘directive’ about, many programs are already out and were allocated long before he came to office, such as the what he ‘directed’ USDA to do in having the REAP grant available. As most of you know, the REAP grant passed in the 2008 farm bill last June, so nothing changed with this media buzz. There will also be dollars allocated to renewable energy from ARRA (ie: stimulus plan) that may have already been earmarked for this directive or may have shifted to these programs as of this announcement, I can’t say for sure.

For any money in the ARRA, federal agencies will post those open solicitations on their website at www.energy.gov/recovery. I went to that last night, and none of the programs that were mentioned (see attached press release below) are listed yet. I have no idea when they will be open for applications, but I receive updates from that automatically every time something new comes out, so I’ll be letting you know.

Finally, on the REAP grant, Indiana USDA emailed this morning to say that the REAP grant will open ‘in the next few days’. That probably means they already know the date and are getting prepared (they often get the news before the public a day or two). I am now guessing the hold up on the REAP grant has had much to do with this “Presidential Directive” yesterday offering a ‘blessing’ on many programs before they could be announced, including REAP. That is just my opinion and it really doesn’t matter; we’re looking for grants and when they open, they open.

Here’s a read below of the some programs specifically from US DOE.

I’ll be in touch soon!

Cordially, Sarah

Recovery Act Announcement: Secretary Chu Announces Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization May 5, 2009 As part of the ongoing effort to increase the use of domestic renewable fuels, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced plans to provide $786.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate advanced biofuels research and development and to provide additional funding for commercial-scale biorefinery demonstration projects. “Developing the next generation of biofuels is key to our effort to end our dependence on foreign oil and address the climate crisis-while creating millions of new jobs that can’t be outsourced,” Secretary Chu said. “With American investment and ingenuity-and resources grown right here at home-we can lead the way toward a new green energy economy.” Full story

Swine flu not about swine

 

I haven’t typically used this forum to blog about issues, just so far to bring you funding ideas, yet today, I wanted to speak up.

Because so few in our consuming public understand animal agriculture, there is great danger for the animal agriculture in misguided information and general consumer ignorance. There are those consumers who remain ignorant about where their proteins come from out of a choice to be at odds with the agriculture community, but I am convinced that most folks don’t know much about the industry, and nor do they care until some soundbite somewhere creates a concern in their minds. It is fine not to understand animal agriculture if you’re not an animal producer. Clearly, you don’t have to be a farmer to eat meat. However, I’ve been concerned this week that people may avoid meat, in this case pork, due to misinformation. That should not be the case.

To this end, I’ve attached a short article that ran in the Indianapolis Star this week, where Indiana hog producers, Mark and Phyllis Legan, were interviewed. They dispel any concerns about food safety, I believe and I’m proud they were willing to be interviewed. Though the article tends a bit toward ’animal rights’ and not simply ’animal welfare’ ( that is, the difference between humanizing animals and caring for them), I am including it anyway as an example of American farmers being willing to speak up for what they know to be true.

Don’t believe everything you read or see on tv until you’ve gone to the source.  

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090504/LOCAL/905040352 Read the article ‘Virus give Pigs a bad Name….

To Prosperity!

Sarah

New Agency opportunity for funding

There’s more….

The newly formed Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy has just been created within the US Dept of Energy to endeavor to support research and development projects for energy technologies. If you’ve got a technology that is in need of further research before pilot or commercialization, then you should be checking this out. Currently, there is an active solicitation for applications located at www.fedconnect.net.

If we can help you with process, or for more information, please call or email!

To your Prosperity!

Sarah

Feasibility Studies-Have you done one?

Many potential grant applicants come to me with a great idea, a business plan and a portion of their financial resources in place to begin a project. Good projects with savvy managers who understand business are looking for my assistance to ‘fill a gap’ and provide a level of help to secure a grant or perhaps a loan guarantee to gain a bank’s commitment to the project. In many cases, these folks have done some due diligence such as their own research on the technology they want to use, including seeing it in action somewhere else or touring a facility.  The critical element that often lacks for these potential projects is the completion of a formal feasibility study.

What is a feasibility study and why is it important? This kind of study is really utilizing a professional in the industry that you’re looking at to ask a host of essential questions about the project’s technical and financial viability. For renewable energy, these questions will also include determining the amount of feedstocks and their cost and availability. Feasibility studies may also include an independent review of the company’s business plan and pro forma data as well as a review of the technical aspects of the project and its usefulness at a certain location.

The reasons for doing a feasibility study can seem obvious-after all if you’re going to spend tens of millions constructing a facility, then spending several thousand to study its viability in advance seems prudent at the very least. However, many grant applicants tell me they don’t want to mess with this expense. Well, if really evaluating viability doesn’t impress you, perhaps this will: Many grant programs require as a portion of the application that your feasibility study be included. Without it, the application is incomplete and therefore thrown out before it was thoroughly read.

So, moral of this little story is: do not only your homework, but get a feasibility study done. In next week’s post we’ll discuss some of the components of a good study.

To you Prosperity!

Sarah