SALEM — Oregon Department of Energy and its partners offer programs that can help farmers statewide achieve energy efficiency.

One such program is the Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Audit program, or ORAEA, which is managed by the state energy department. This program, according to officials, can help farmers and rural business owners move toward energy efficiency.

“If they’re concerned about their energy use or efficiency, it’s worth it to reach out,” said Stephanie Kruse, facilities engineer at the Oregon Department of Energy.

She was speaking at the Northwest Agricultural Show in Salem.

A grant from USDA, called the Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance (REDA) Grant, makes helping farmers meet their energy goals possible.

The REDA grant program has two parts. The Oregon Department of Energy operates the first part, which is about evaluating energy efficiency. The department’s partners, Lake County Resources Initiative and Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development Area Council Inc., operate the second part, which is about evaluating potential opportunities for renewable energy.

Under the first umbrella — evaluating energy efficiency — an auditor from the state energy department can assess a farm’s energy including its current uses and future goals, do an audit and help the farm connect with potential project financing options and assistance.

Normally, depending on the farm’s size, a farmer would have to pay $5,000 to $20,000 for an auditor to visit their property and assess their energy usage. This cost can be “a significant barrier for businesses.”

With $100,000 in REDA grant funding from USDA, the Oregon Department of Energy is lowering that cost barrier. The department will use the grant to pay for 75% of the cost of an energy audit. This money goes to pay the auditor for their time. Program participants — farmers and business owners — must pay the remaining 25%.

The auditor can help the farm identify areas where they are losing energy and potential opportunities for improvements.

The auditor can also provide front-end support to farmers who are considering investing in renewable energy.

After working with the Oregon Department of Energy, farmers can then turn to the agency’s partners, Lake County Resources Initiative and Wy’East Resource RC&D, for additional help. LCRI and Wy’East can help with project development and support the farm as it moves toward construction and installation.

Kruse, of the energy department, described the story of a farmer who has benefited from the ORAEA program.

The farmer, she said, grows crops and raises cattle and poultry in Eastern Oregon. An auditor visited his farm to analyze lighting and pumping issues and evaluable high-level solar feasibility.

Through the audit, the farmer learned about areas where he was losing energy and could make improvements. He also discovered he could install solar energy on his property. He is now applying for grant funding for solar panels.

Kruse said the farmer was so pleased with the ORAEA program that he has referred his brother, a dairy farmer, to the energy department.

Kruse encourages other farmers to take advantage of the program.