Montana boosts clean energy with USDA grants

May 27, 2024

By Farms.com

The USDA is helping Montana fight climate change and reduce energy costs for rural businesses and farms. Through the Rural Energy America Program (REAP), the USDA awarded grants to six Montana projects.

These projects include solar panel installations and energy efficiency upgrades. Recipients include a car dealership, film studio, dog toy manufacturer, assisted living facility, and agricultural producers.

The projects are expected to save a combined total of over $18,000 annually in energy costs. Additionally, some projects will replace a significant portion of their energy use with renewable solar power.

USDA Rural Development Montana State Director Kathleen Williams highlighted the program's benefits. She stated it helps rural communities transition to clean energy, saving money and addressing climate change.

This initiative is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in combating climate change in US history.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.