By Rich Larson, News Director
Yesterday, United States Senator Tina Smith introduced a bill into the Senate that would enhance the funding of the Rural Energy for America
Program, or REAP, which provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural business owners who want to install renewable energy systems and adopt energy efficiency measures.
Smith, the co-chair of the Senate Agriculture Rural Energy Efficiency Subcommittee, said the REAP program has invested more than $300 million over the last six years into renewable energy programs for farmers and small rural businesses. That investment has stimulated more than $3 billion in private investment and has delivered over $4 billion in energy efficiency and savings for rural America.
Smith said her bill would help the REAP program create jobs in rural communities and add more revenue opportunities for farmers. Among its provisions, the bill would expand the eligibility of REAP to include rural electric co-ops and municipal power companies thereby encouraging them to add clean and renewable energy to their mix. It would also increase available cost share for REAP grants and establish a study on dual use of farmland for both energy production and traditional farming.
She said, outside of this bill, the country should also do more to increase the use of biofuels by installing more blender pumps, which is good for both farmers and the reduction of our carbon footprint.
Senator Smith said that her bill, which is co-sponsored in the house by Republican Congressman David Valado of California, has quite a bit of bi-partisan support, including from her co-chair of the energy sub-committee, Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa.
“The conversation that I had and the hearing that I lead with Senator Ernst earlier this week was highly bi-partisan. There is a lot of bi-partisan support for renewable fuels and programs like REAP.”
The Senator said she believes renewable energy is rural energy. In her opinion, the clean energy transition is key to improving and sustaining rural economies. She said we need more clean energy programs, but we also need to get more out of our existing programs like REAP.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Senator Tina Smith can be heard here
Laura Baker Services Association offers ‘Family Navigator Service’
Laura Baker Services Association has announced a new program that will help families and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities find the help they need at nearly every stage of life.
The Family Navigator Service will help families find assistance at major life milestones including prenatal assistance, birth and infancy, toddlers and preschool, preparing for the various transition points throughout the school years, and preparing for life after school, including job preparation and aging related services. Individuals will receive help to find community connections, accessing county, state, and federal programs, and housing options. The program will offer help with legal considerations, particularly guardianship, wills and trusts, and with record management.
In a statement, LBSA Executive Director Sandi Gerdes said families of those with special needs can often feel overwhelmed, and the Laura Baker organization has the resources to make things easier for them by putting them in touch with a network of both professionals and other families facing the same challenges.
“Our staff members are supportive partners. They will provide emotional support for the journey, answer questions, and assist in adjusting the pathway as goals, programs, and circumstances change.”
Sam Gershman has been hired to head the program up. He is currently working with a pilot group that includes couples needing guidance on the birth of a child with Down Syndrome and a family looking for specialized therapeutic services. The experiences of this initial group will help to form the foundation of the program moving forward.
Laura Baker will make the Family Navigator Service available to the public beginning September 1st.
Scheffler named president of Frandsen Bank & Trust in Dundas
Dan Scheffler has recently been named the new President of the Frandsen Bank & Trust in Dundas. Scheffler and his family have lived in the
Northfield community for more than 17 years. The Appleton Wisconsin native began his banking career as a bank teller in high school, and later obtained a graduate degree in banking from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Throughout his 25 years in banking, 14 of which have been spent with Frandsen, Scheffler has worked as a commercial loan officer, an ag loan officer, and an investment councilor before moving into management. Through that time, he said, the evolution of technology in the banking industry has been rapid and all encompassing, and he said the Covid-19 pandemic only sped the process up. The ability to see an account online, make an electronic deposit, or apply for a mortgage online has been a revelation to a segment of the public that would never have thought about using an electronic device for banking purposes before the global pandemic. And he believes consumers will continue to drive further technology development in the years to come.
“I started off as a teller in high school and it was just the beginning of ATM’s. They were so large at that time that you often would walk inside them to fill them with cash. And it just continues to evolve where I think years from now, we’ll be more of a technology company.”
Scheffler said Frandsen Bank & Trust offers services in the retail banking areas, local agricultural industry, and the commercial industrial accounts as well. They offer depository accounts, lines of credit, long-term fixed rate financing, as well as investment services and complete trust services. He said with 35 branches throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota, Frandsen combines the best of the small-town bank charm with the resources of a larger financial institution.
He thinks the continued evolution of banking technology will make the next ten years very interesting and is excited to step into the role of President at the Dundas branch at such a crucial time.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dan Scheffler can be heard here
