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REAP tops $1 billion in IRA clean energy investments

Pictured: Brownfield’s Brent Barnett (right) with Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden at the 2024 NAFB Convention in Kansas City

The USDA’s Under Secretary for Rural Development says the agency continues to invest in projects that help farmers address climate change while lowering energy costs.

Dr. Basil Gooden says the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is currently supporting more than a thousand clean energy projects in 40 states. “If we can show rural people how to save money in their operations, they’re all in with this program. And so we see that our REAP program is oversubscribed.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the 2024 NAFB Convention in Kansas City, he said the program recently topped $1 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. “Whether it’s improving the energy efficiency of the operation or installing renewable energy systems on their farms or in their businesses.”

Gooden says REAP has been the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis.

NAFB TRADE TALK INTERVIEW: USDA Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden