The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry was urged to reauthorize Farm Bill energy programs and provide them with mandatory funding during a hearing on “Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs” on Friday.
Steve Reinford of Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania testified about how investing in an anaerobic digester with the help of USDA incentives has helped them reduce manure odors, create cow bedding, dry grain, pasteurize calf milk, and produce electricity.
“We are powering our whole farm along with 80 to 100 homes,” he said of the system that was partially funded through a REAP (Rural Energy for America program) grant. “Without the support of the USDA and the state, we will start lOSing ground in this technology on a lot of dairy farms.”