Every morning around 6:30, Mathew Ladegaard opens the flow of water from his catchment pond to water his various crops.

And each morning, he looks up and sees clouds in the distance and he hopes it’ll rain later in the day which will surely help his crops grow.

Ladegaard’s small farm is located in Nambé, New Mexico about 20 miles north of Santa Fe.

At one acre in size the Ground Stone Farm is very small but is very productive. Ladegaard grows various types of crops from lettuce to kale to greens, herbs, fruits, and seeds.

His farm is successful because of his efficient farming methods. But he knows he could be even more efficient and profitable. His persistence will soon become a reality, because in the spring of 2024 he’ll get some additional help from mother nature when his new solar power system is installed.

The electricity produced by his new solar power system will power his water pump, heat lamps, fans, and his walk in cooler and green house.

He sells most of his produce to the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, and it was here that he talked about farming more efficiently to David Sundberg who is with the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. He told Sundberg he wants to make his farm more profitable by being more efficient. Sundberg told him about the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) offered by USDA Rural Development. Sundberg told him the REAP program can provide the funds to install a solar power system at his farm.

Soon Ladegaard was talking to Carlos Contreras a loan specialist from USDA Rural Development who oversees the REAP program. After talking to Contreras, he applied for the funding and soon was told he qualified for a $20,000 grant.

The grant money is paying for the purchase and installation of a 10-thousand kilo watt photovoltaic solar power system which will provide more than enough power to operate his farm.

By installing the system he’ll save over two thousand dollars in his yearly electricity bills. This equates to 18,994 kilowatt-hours of electricity which is more than 117% of the electricity the farm uses every year. Ladegaard will be saving money and is also making money by selling the excess to the grid from the electricity created by his new solar power system. Bottom line, Ladegaard is making his intensive farm much more efficient and profitable.

Obligation: Amount: $20,615.00 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Grant

Date of Obligation: November 9, 2023

Congressional District: Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM 03) U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan

Demographics: Nambe is a beautiful, somewhat rural area in Santa Fe County with a population of 2,074 with a poverty rate of 18%

Impact: The installation of the solar power system will save this small farm at least $2,100 dollars a year making this farm operation more successful.