Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will attend the 2023 Farm Progress Show Wednesday to announce a major investment in clean energy for rural Americans.
Wednesday morning, Vilsack will join Representative Nikki Budzinski, an Illinois Democrat, at a meeting of her Agriculture Advisory Council. There, Vilsack will hear firsthand from producers and officials about the state of agriculture in Illinois. Later, Secretary Vilsack will deliver remarks at the main Farm Progress stage. USDA says Vilsack will announce a significant investment to help producers and small businesses in rural communities invest in clean energy systems, improve energy efficiency, lower energy costs, and generate income.
Vilsack is scheduled to make the announcement at noon central time, which will be livestreamed at farmprogress.com. Meanwhile, Vilsack announced $808 million to help rural cooperatives and utilities build and improve electric infrastructure Monday. The funding will also help provide clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater systems in rural areas.
The announcement will benefit nearly 480,000 people in 36 states and two U.S. territories.
-NAFB