Workshop series on technical assistance and financial incentives for farms and forest product businesses

Want to learn more about funding available for your renewable energy or energy efficiency project? Attend one of a series of free workshops for farmers and forest product business owners about financial incentives available through the state and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 9007 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), both part of the current federal Farm Bill.  These workshops are sponsored by the MA Woodlands Institute (MWI), Berkshire-Pioneer Resource Conservation and Development Area (RC&D), Patriot RC&D, and the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program (MFEP) a program funded, staffed and supported by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). MFEP is a statewide collaborative effort to streamline technical and financial assistance available to Massachusetts farmers for reducing their energy demand and increasing their profits. Workshop and information sessions will include an overview of technical and financial assistance programs, eligibility requirements, and anticipated application announcements.  

To register for a workshop contact:

Emily Boss, Director                
Massachusetts Woodlands Institute                  
(413) 397-8800                                              
emily@masswoodlands.coop   

The workshops will be held:

December 16, (Snow Date: Dec 18) 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Lanesborough Town Hall, Community Room, 83 N. Main St, Lanesborough, MA  (See driving directions below.)

January 19, (Snow Date: Jan 20) 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, MA Department of Agriculture Office, Conference Room, 101 University Drive, Suite C4, Amherst, MA (See driving directions below.)

Information sessions will also be scheduled in central and eastern Massachusetts. 

To register for a workshop, please contact Emily Boss, Massachusetts Woodlands Institute, at 413-397-8800 or emily@masswoodlands.coop

• REAP funding supports a diverse range of clean energy technologies and energy efficiency.  In 2009, REAP awarded fourteen Massachusetts rural small businesses and farmers $2,409,327 in grants and $1,569,000 in loan guarantees.
• EQIP provided $1.9 M to Massachusetts agricultural producers for nine photovoltaic, wind, and anaerobic digestion projects and thirty one energy efficiency projects including cranberry auto-start irrigation systems and greenhouse thermal blankets and fans. Information will also be offered on the USDA NRCS Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
• Information will also be provided about state programs that fund energy projects, including the Renewable Energy Trust, MDAR’s Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program, and MA-DOER funding opportunities.

For more information about the workshops or MFEP services, please contact Ann Gibson agibson@berkshirepioneerrcd.org or Darlene Monds Darlene.Monds@ma.usda.gov at 413-256-1607.  Additional MFEP information can be found at http://www.berkshirepioneerrcd.org/mfep/

MFEP staff reviews project plans, makes referrals for technical and financial assistance, provides audits, and REAP grant assistance, as applicable.  Energy audits and/or renewable energy assessments are required prior to applying to most programs and often take 3 months so it is important to plan early.

Technical support and grant application assistance is available to commercial agricultural producers eligible for REAP grants on a first-come, first-served basis.  The deadline for application for REAP grant assistance through MFEP is March 1, 2010.

Eligibility information and an up-to-date schedule of workshops will be posted at the MA Farm Energy Program website.  Information sessions will also be scheduled in central and eastern Massachusetts.  

Follow-up grant writing workshops will be held in February-May for those interested in applying for a REAP grant and/or guaranteed loan. USDA-Rural Development, MFEP, and Mass Woodlands Institute staff will provide one-on-one assistance.  These dates are to be announced.  Attendance at a general information session and pre-registration will be required.  Funding for this free workshop series has been provided through a USDA-RD Rural Business Enterprise Grant.  The Massachusetts Farm Energy Program is funded by NRCS and MDAR. Berkshire-Pioneer Resource Conservation & Development, the administrator of the MFEP, and MWI are equal opportunity employers.

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Directions to MA Department of Agriculture Amherst Office, 101 University Drive, Suite C4, Amherst, MA:

Take exit 19 from I-91 North, or exit 21 from I-91 South. (If from I-91 South, follow signs to Route 9.)

Take Route 9 East across the Calvin Coolidge Bridge through Hadley, past the Malls, Staples and Stop and Shop.

Take a left at the next light onto University Drive going north. Go about 200-300 yards (you will pass CVS) and turn left into the same entrance as the Post Office but then make a quick right.

MA DAR office is in the Slobody Building ( 101 University Dr.) just to the right of the Post Office. Parking is behind and in a separate parking lot to the right of the building. Do not park in spaces near building marked “Customer.”

Directions to Lanesborough Town Hall, 83 N. Main St, Lanesborough, MA:

From Pittsfield Center, follow US 7 North. Road becomes North Main St. 

Town Hall is on the left at 83 North Main St.

Parking is available in the Town Hall parking lot, behind the building. Use the lower door to access the Community Room.