Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced $3.2 million in grants through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for farmers to save on energy costs. The program provides financial incentives to support 75 percent of the cost of electricity and gas efficiency investments. Farms that are eligible for the grants include: orchards, dairies, vineyards, maple producers, egg and poultry farms, grain, specialty crops, and others. Upgrades covered in the grants include: process improvements, lighting upgrades, and high-efficiency fan, pump, and motor systems, and other measures. Small farms could be eligible for free energy audits to assist in identifying energy efficiency projects. "The state's agricultural sector helps fuel our economy and put food on our table, and we have a plan to make New York farms even more competitive," Governor Cuomo said. "These grants will improve the energy efficiency of farming operations and lower costs for farmers. This not only protects farming jobs, it creates green jobs for the people making the improvements." Past NYSERDA programs demonstrate that a typical dairy farm can save 20 to 30 percent of its energy bill with cost-effective energy efficiency improvements at an average seven-year payback. The Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program can provide a typical dairy farm with $2,700 to $4,000 per year in savings from a farm investment of $4,800 to $7,000. For more information about the Agriculture Energy Efficiency program, visit www.nyserda.org/programs/agriculture, or call 1-800-732-1399.