Membership

Best Benefit Ever: Here Comes the Sun

The Oregon Farm Bureau gives its members a big discount on high-output solar panels designed specifically for farming or ranching.

What is it? The Oregon Farm Bureau, teaming with the regional solar panel installer RS Energy, is offering its members a discount on solar-panel systems specifically for farmers and ranchers. The group will offer access to five different types of systems. “We’re seeing more Oregon farmers and ranchers expanding into solar energy as a way to reduce always-rising power costs,” Dennis Myhrum, the bureau’s vice president of organization, explained in a news release.

Why it works: The devices, which can be installed on roofs or on the ground, offer farmers a money-saving renewable-energy option. Members who install the system will save anywhere from $14,515 to $165,144, according to the bureau, and will be able to take advantage of  of federal tax credits and a cash incentive for customers of Portland General Electric or Pacific Power. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the agriculture community, which has seen electrical costs skyrocket almost 10 percent in the last two years,” said RS Energy partner Billy Sorenson.

Other benefits: The Oregon Farm Bureau offers a wide variety of discounts on products and services useful to professional farmers and ranchers—including health insurance, travel, and farm gear from manufacturers such as Grainger and Caterpillar—as well as access to national Farm Bureau offerings such as Farm Bureau Bank and FBProud apparel.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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