Propane incentive offers a little savings on the farm
Farming isn’t for the faint of heart. Day in and day out farmers meticulously tend to their crops, live stock, equipment and facilities. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (along with plenty of dirt and manure) that go into the day to day operations of commercial agriculture.
And with the increasingly challenging business climate, many farmers are looking for ways to cut costs, improve efficiencies and move toward sustainable agricultural production. The good news is there are a number of options for farmers to explore, among them the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), which conducts research, product development and consumer education about the use of propane equipment on the farm.
For 2016, PERC is offering a Propane Farm Incentive Program aimed at studying the effectiveness of propane-powered equipment in the field. The program (formerly the Propane FEED Program) offers financial incentives to qualifying farmers who purchase specific pieces of equipment with the purpose of sharing usage data with the Council.
Eligible equipment includes EPA or CARB-certified propane-fueled industrial engines, propane-powered prime power generators and propane-fueled poultry, swine and greenhouse heating systems. A usage incentive is available for generators at $30/kW up to $5,000. Heating systems may also receive a usage incentive of $0.10/square foot up to $2,000. Farmers who purchase a propane-powered industrial engine may receive an incentive of $300/liter of displacement along with a one-time purchase incentive based on the size of the engine.
Data collection is a requirement of the program and participants must commit to using the equipment for at least one year, provide access to the farm for photos of the equipment and give updates on the performance of the equipment. Purchase of propane-powered equipment does not guarantee program eligibility and not all applicants will be accepted.
To learn more about the Propane Farm Incentive Program go to http://www.propane.com/farmincentive/.
