TL/DR –
In 2017, Zach Hightower bought Shoal Creek Farms, a cattle and poultry operation in Madison County, Georgia, and applied for aid from the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia (NRCS-GA) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to update the farm. The application for building a combination stack house and poultry mortality and litter facility, and upgrading the cattle watering trough and feeding pads were approved quickly, but due to lack of funds, the application for updating poultry houses for energy efficiency was delayed. However, last year, the application for radiant heaters and attic insulation for poultry houses was approved, as well as funding for more cattle and poultry operation improvements.
Shoal Creek Farms Receives Assistance for Sustainable Upgrades through EQIP
In 2017, Zach Hightower acquired Shoal Creek Farms, a 250-acre cattle and poultry enterprise in Madison County, Georgia. With the help of theNatural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia (NRCS-GA), he sought assistance through theEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to alleviate several issues on the farm. Funding for a stack house and poultry mortality and litter facility, as well as for upgrading the cattle watering trough and feeding pads, was swiftly approved.
Due to limited available resources, Hightower’s request for assistance to retrofit his poultry houses to be energy-efficient was postponed. However, his application was approved last year for radiant heaters and attic insulation for his four poultry houses, leading to more sustainable changes in his poultry and cattle operations. In addition to the stack house and pads, water trough pads and feeding pads for his herd were installed. Finally, the funding for the poultry house projects was granted last year.
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