Responding to President Obama’s directive to expedite and increase the production of biofuels, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has met its 30-day deadline to help produce more energy from homegrown, renewable sources.

“Further developing the biofuels industry helps create jobs and stimulates rural economies, an important part of getting our economy back on track,” Vilsack said in a press release. “President Obama and I are committed to advancing clean and renewable energy as it creates jobs domestically and boosts tax revenues at all levels of government.”

On May 5, Obama asked the USDA to expedite the biofuels provisions of the energy title of the 2008 farm bill within 30 days.

Under a new Rural Energy for America Program, the USDA is accepting applications for feasibility studies, loan guarantees, and grants for renewable-energy systems and energy- efficiency improvements as well as for applications to conduct energy audits on behalf of farmers and rural small businesses. For more information on this program and application deadlines, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov

The agency is also launching a Biomass Crop Assistance Program that will provide compensation for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation of biomass. The program will provide financial assistance for delivery of eligible biomass material to conversion facilities that use biomass for heat, power, bio-based products or biofuels. For more information on this program, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/energy