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USDA Programs Freeze: What We Know

REAP

USDA Programs Freeze: What We Know

April 30, 2025

Last Updated: April 29, 2025 For more than three months, billions of dollars of lawfully obligated USDA funding have been frozen or terminated. While the agency has still not made public the full scope of what remains frozen or targeted for termination, the harms to communities, farmers, and organizations are already clear. This blog post […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems

USDA Begins Releasing Frozen REAP Funding

April 3, 2025

On January 20, 2025, President Trump’s executive order on American energy led to the freezing of projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including stopped payments to recipients of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). More than $911 million in obligated funds through REAP have been frozen. On […]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Rural Businesses, Farmers Lose While USDA’s Rural Energy Program is Frozen

February 27, 2025

The recent freeze to federal grants and loans has impacted countless federal programs and simultaneously left rural businesses and farmers in a lurch.  Among the most impacted programs has been the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). As a result, farmers and businesses alike may be on the hook for millions of dollars of energy […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Climate Change, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Broken Promises: Over 30,000 Farmers Denied Funds

February 26, 2025

Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an array of executive orders, a practice that has become common in recent years. However, abnormally, several of these executive orders triggered a pause on broad swaths of federal funding. As a result of this pause, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Grants and Programs

RFA Roundup: Spring 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Opportunities 

February 15, 2024

USDA has announced several funding opportunities for sustainable agriculture. This blog post outlines the funding guidelines, application deadlines, and program requirements for a range of food and farm system grants funded through USDA that are currently accepting applications. The funding opportunities fall into three categories: Research and Education, Local Food (including urban and rural-focused programs) and Nutrition, Climate, Conservation, and Energy…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Research, Education & Extension

Waste and Water Woes

June 14, 2023

This guest post by Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP), discusses how popular conservation programs should focus on small-scale and sustainable farms, not industrial-scale farms…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment

Funding for Rural Energy for America Program Now Available

April 12, 2023

On March 31, USDA announced that applications for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are now open. REAP offers grants and loans for energy audits, the creation of renewable energy systems, and energy efficiency improvements. It serves farmers, rural businesses, state and local governments, tribal governments, universities, rural electric cooperatives, resource conservation and development councils, and electricity providers and transmitters. The REAP programs currently accepting proposals for funding offer assistance only to agricultural producers, small businesses, and electricity retailers, wholesalers, and transmitters…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders

December 21, 2022

Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Research, Education & Extension

Farmers Virtually Visit the Hill to Advocate for Climate Action

June 7, 2021

What do you get when you mix a pandemic context, a carbon-conscious group of farmers and advocates, and a critical window for Congressional action on the climate crisis? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s latest Virtual Farmer “Fly-In” on Climate and Agriculture. Bringing farmers to Washington, D.C. to tell their stories to their lawmakers and […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Local & Regional Food Systems, Rural Development

$50 Million Now Available for Rural Renewable Energy Projects

November 25, 2020

As climate variability increases and energy costs continue to rise, producing on-farm, renewable energy has become an attractive option for many farmers and ranchers. In order to help producers save money and better utilize renewable energy, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and loans to farmers and rural businesses interested in making […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Rural Development

$50 Million Available for Rural Energy Projects

March 19, 2018

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a request for applications for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a farm bill energy title program. REAP provides two types of funding assistance: Grants and guaranteed loans for renewable energy production and energy efficiency improvements for farms and rural small businesses Grants for energy audits and […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

RFA Roundup: Deadlines for Federal Food and Farm Program Grants

October 28, 2016

The start-up of the new fiscal year (FY) means that many food and farm programs have started to get out Requests for Applications (RFAs) for their grant programs. While a flood of grant program announcements is generally good news, with so many coming out in the midst of a busy election year, it can be […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension

Funds Available for Rural Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Development

October 19, 2016

  As climate and energy costs grow increasing volatile, farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses are turning their attentions toward sustainable energy production and conservation strategies. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a farm bill energy title program, facilitates this move toward greater energy sustainability by providing grants and loans to farmers and businesses for […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

Rural Energy Awards Help Farmers Keep the Lights On

May 11, 2016

As climate variability and energy costs continue to rise, producing on-farm, renewable energy has become an attractive option for many farmers and ranchers. In order to help farmers and ranchers save money by becoming more energy efficient, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and loans to farmers and rural businesses to make […]

Filed Under: Conservation, Energy & Environment, Grants and Programs

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