Indiana Pork has been awarded an Indiana Livestock Market Development Grant from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). The grant will provide up to $15,000 in matching funds toward the development of a biomass digester project planning tool for livestock producers. The project will address barriers to the construction and use of biomass digesters in livestock operations in Indiana by developing a standardized planning template for producers exploring the construction of a biomass digester on their farm. In addition, the project seeks to increase the knowledge and comfort level for financial institutions that may provide funds for such projects.
By creating a more effective and efficient means of determining both a biomass digester project’s feasibility and its ability to be financed, livestock producers will have a tool to mitigate the costs of doing the research on their own.
“We are glad that the ISDA sees the potential of biomass digesters in Indiana and that the department shares our vision of developing a resource to make it less difficult for producers and lenders to analyze these complicated projects,” said Josh Trenary, executive director of Indiana Pork.
The ISDA Livestock Market Development Grant exists to fund projects that encourage the development of business and industry related to livestock production, processing and distribution.
