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SECRC&D funds on-farm turbinesColorado The Colorado Department of Agriculture recently awarded an Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy implementation grant to Southeast Colorado RC&D Council and their partners: Baca County Conservation District, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and the International Center for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology. John Stulp, Commissioner of Agriculture, spoke at the Aug. 18 press conference, describing ACRE grants as being "designed to help rural communities in Colorado by developing agricultural energy related projects which benefit both agriculture and the environment." While neither wind nor wind generators are new to the Plains, the advanced technology of today used to convert wind energy to electricity is. RC&D Councilman Kim Siefkas likened the award recipients to Columbus, striking out into the great unknown and paving the way for others to follow. The ACRE grant awarded to RC&D is a pilot project to demonstrate various sizes of wind turbines on a diverse set of agriculture applications across the Eastern Plains. Through a competitive application process, experts in the wind technology industry selected five ag producers as award recipients. These five farm-scale wind energy projects will blaze the trail, working with local rural electric providers and large power companies, while linking turbine companies with producers and thus Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy. These projects will become the template for other ag producers to use as more farmers and ranchers step into the brave new world of small-scale wind generation for agriculture applications. Producers received awards of up to 25 percent of the expected expenses on each project. In Bennett, Dallas Gilbert with Eastern Plains Natural Food Co-op will be installing a 1.8kW turbine at their natural poultry processing plant. In Walsh, Fred and Kay Lynn Hefley will use a 50kW turbine to help power an irrigation sprinkler. In Grover, Diane and Phil McKinley will install a 1.8kW turbine for farmstead use, and to pump water for livestock on their cow-calf operation. In Holyoke, Paul Mailander's 20kW turbine will help power their farmstead as well as greenhouses used to grow vegetables. In Seibert, Curtis Sayles is installing a 10kW to offset energy cost for their farmstead, feedlot and seed business. The Commissioner of Agriculture, RC&D, RMFU, iCAST, BCCD and the award recipients echoed elation at being part of charting new waters for small wind generation in Colorado. ===CUTLINE====== < Photo Caption: Farmers and ranchers across the Eastern Plains of Colorado continue in the pioneer spirit by installing small-scale wind turbines on their operations. August 18, a press conference was held at the National Renewable Energy Lab's Wind Technology Center in Golden, to honor these cutting edge agriculture producers. Pictured from left to right: award recipients Kay Lynn and Fred Hefley (Walsh), Curtis Sayles (Seibert), Dallas Gilbert (Bennett), Phil McKinley (Grover), and Paul Mailander (Holyoke); RC&D Council Member Kim Siefkas; Commissioner of Agriculture John Stulp; and iCAST Community Sustainability Manager Raphael Shay. 9/1/08 Date: 8/27/08
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