MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—The USDA recently announced a $249,038 investment to purchase and install an energy-efficient grain dryer for Glenn Lehner Farms LLC in Marion. This project is projected to save the family farm $29,032 annually in energy costs and generate 458,655 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, which is sufficient to power 42 homes. The energy efficiency upgrade will offset 57 percent of the farm’s energy consumption each year.
Glenn Lehner is one of the recipients of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding. This round of funding amounts to $4,368,004 for Ohio, bringing the total investment over the past two rounds to $5,311,488. REAP helps agricultural producers and rural small business owners to expand their use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and small hydropower, and to make energy efficiency improvements.