Good news for dairy farmers this week as block cheese prices in Chicago have jumped to $1.80 a pound .That’s up from a low $1.55/lb in early March. If dairy prices are up there is more good news – feed prices are down.Corn for May delivery closed at $6.48 today down from $7.35 a bushel in late March.
This year’s tangerine crop looks to be a whopping 24% larger than last year says USDA.Little freeze damage has bee seen. Navel production is flat and Valencias are down 4%.
Home owners are installing more solar panels so far this year compared to last year at this time. Construction Monitor reports there were 564 permits for solar panels on residential units issued for Madera,Fresno,Kings and Tulare counties so far this year,That compares to 427 permits for the same period a year ago – about a 20% jump.
Boosting the demand is the drop in solar panel prices. Solar guru Arno Harris writes.”This will also be the year Americans start to realize just how affordable solar has become. Rooftop solar can now be installed for under $4 per Watt, making it competitive with retail electric rates in many regions.
Meanwhile, utility solar costs have broken through the $2 per Watt barrier. As a result, the price utilities pay for solar electricity from new plants has declined to $60-$70 per MWh ($0.06-$0.07 per kWh). In fact First Solar just announced a contract with El Paso Electric Co. just below that at $57.9 per MWh. “
PACE Program Could Help Businesses – Dairies in Tulare County
Tulare County and the City of Visalia plan to offer a version of the PACE program later this years offering financing for businesses to get into solar without a big upfront cost.The amount borrowed through the program is paid back through your property tax bill .The board is scheduled to adopt the program April 23. Staffer Mike Washam says he is hopeful dairies will use the program allowing them to improve cash flow with no upfront cost or impacting their credit .
The City of Visalia has supported the PACE effort but seeks changes that would allow use for residential properties.
PACE enables local governments to create property tax finance districts to issue low-cost, long-term financing to eligible property owners to install solar and energy efficiency projects. Property owners repay the assessments as a line item on their property tax bill. PACE programs create jobs and boost local economies by enabling property owners to finance energy efficiency and alternative energy projects to reduce their energy use and cost.
The Visalia City Council has supported PACE since 2009; how ever, in July 2010, the FHFA issued a policy statement which prevented federal residential mortgage lenders Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac from lending on properties with PACE liens, effectively halting residential PACE programs. A vast majority of home loans are held by one of the aforementioned loan programs.