A free farm efficiency workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 31 at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk.

The workshop is sponsored by the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. Lunch will be provided.

“This workshop is designed to help Virginia’s farmers, many of whom live in rural areas served by electric cooperatives, learn about resources that will help them upgrade their farms’ overall energy efficiency,” said Erin Puryear, ODEC manager of member services and energy innovation planning.

Representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will prepare participants for an NRCS audit that could make them eligible for federal grant funding to implement efficiency projects.

Halifax County hog producers Page and Bobbie Wilkerson participated in a similar USDA energy audit that saved them thousands of dollars.

“It’s phenomenal how much it helped with our LP gas use,” Bobbie Wilkerson said.

“Producers should come to this workshop so they can become aware of what’s out there to help them be more efficient and save money in the long run,” said Page Wilkerson, who will be talking about his cost-cutting methods at the July 31 event.

To register or for details, call Deborah Estienne at 657-6450 or email debritt@vt.educ.edu by July 29.