LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, April 18, 2024 -- Arkansas’s first solar-powered winery is REAP-ing the benefits of a fruitful partnership with USDA Rural Development – Arkansas.
Rusty Tractor Vineyards in rural Pulaski County received Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants in 2019 for solar panel installation and energy efficiency improvements to its winery and event center operations.
Thanks to their REAP grants, the vineyard’s winemaking operations are now 100 percent solar-powered and its event center is completely solar powered every month except July and August, the highest energy use months of the year. Rusty Tractor’s Barrel Room, a restored and renovated 100-year-old dairy barn, was also retrofitted with improvements to squeeze maximum efficiency from every kilowatt of energy.
“We simply couldn't have justified the cost of the solar panels or energy efficiency improvements without the REAP grant,” said Doug Meyer, co-owner of Rusty Tractor Vineyards. “It helped pay for lighting, HVAC improvements, better insulation and more.
“I had hoped one day we could go solar but never dreamed it would become a reality; We are thankful for the help from USDA Rural Development – Arkansas; their staff was very helpful and made the application process much easier to navigate,” Meyer said.
The partnership with Rural Development - Arkansas combined with the savings cultivated from going solar was key in helping the vineyard survive the difficult days of the pandemic that shut down events with large gatherings. Rusty Tractor Vineyards has bounced back and been named the best event center and bridal venue in the state for 2 years in a row.
“Between the two grants we have saved over $20,000 in energy cost. The savings helped us create two new jobs and saved one job,” Meyer said. “It was truly instrumental for us surviving COVID when we had almost no events for 18 months. Our partnership with Rural Development – Arkansas has been a gamechanger for our business.”
Here is the link to some aerial B-roll of the winery’s solar array from Flickr: Rusty Tractor Vineyards Solar Power to Success | Flickr
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