National Ag Day is March 24, but we are thankful every day for the opportunity to continue partnering with our agricultural members to reduce farms’ carbon footprints, lower operating costs and provide added productivity and convenience. Examples of these efforts include:

1Innovative Energy Projects. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives worked with Harnett County-based Butler Farms to create one of the state’s first self-powering agricultural microgrids, which incorporates biogas from swine waste and solar energy to generate electricity and provide power reliability. A second agricultural microgrid is being developed in partnership with Hyde County egg producer Rose Acre Farms.

2Electrification of Farm Equipment and Processes. We are also helping identify ways to electrify agricultural processes and help make them cleaner, smarter and cheaper. Thanks to advances in technology, farm equipment like tractors, irrigation systems, robotic milking and automatic feed pushers, along with operations like controlled environment agriculture, can all be powered through electricity instead of fossil fuels, offering a wide range of benefits to farmers.

3Reducing Farm Energy Costs. The North Carolina Energy Audit Program provides discounted energy audits to help farmers prioritize energy efficiency projects and access funding for equipment upgrades. Available to North Carolina electric co-op members on a first-come, first-served basis until May 2021, the audit program is funded by USDA Rural Development and operated by a division of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives and EnSave, Inc. Contact Randolph EMC at (336) 625-5177 for more information or to get started.

Thank you to our local farmers for all you do! We are proud to serve you.