Government green could help farmers go green
Owning a farm has always been Beth Snipes’ dream.
“I never even had a dog or a cat growing up. I always wanted my own horse on my own farm,” Snipes said. “You have to be careful what you pray for. Sometimes you get it.”
Today, Snipes has 100 acres in Loudon County filled with cattle, chickens, horses, and her many dogs.
But, she’s got a new dream.
“My goal here is to become self-sufficient, eventually,” she said.
When power goes out, Snipes and her son, Phillip, have to manually cart water from a spring house to her livestock a couple thousand yards away.
“These animals depend on me,” Snipes said.
However, they may soon depend on the sun.
The Clean Energy Act includes several grants for farmers to start using alternative energy, removing one of the greatest obstacles: start-up cost.
“They could get into a $75,000 operation and 95% of that would be paid. Payback might be in a year, year and a half,” said Loudon County UT Extension Agent John Goddard.
A recent quote Snipes received estimated she wouldn’t start seeing savings for 15 to 17 years.
The quicker the payback, the better, when it comes to farmers.
“Their electric bill may be $1,000 a month. Some of our larger farmers, it could be 4, 5, or 6,000 dollars a month,” Goddard said.
To be eligible, farmers must rely on their farm for at least 50% of their income.
Snipes plans to start by using solar power to water her animals, but she’s not done dreaming yet.
“My next thought is, how do I use solar power to run my tractors and equipment?” Snipes said, smiling.
The last day to file for the grant money is June 30.
-Alison Morrow
