Bear Paw Properties tree farm near Kalispell is getting its day in the sun.

Owners Don and Mary Garner recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program to install a rooftop solar system at the small farm near Echo Lake.

“It’s a win-win for us,” Don said. “It’s working just great.”

The Garners were awarded a $11,340 grant through the REAP initiative, which aims to bring renewable energy options to rural businesses. Throughout Montana, the program has funded almost $400,000 in sustainable energy alternatives.

The grant helped the Garners realize a longtime dream of utilizing rooftop solar energy on their 200-acre certified sustainable tree farm near Kalispell.

Their new rooftop solar system, which started operating last November, now covers more than half of their energy needs for the small-scale farm.

Don said he had hoped to be able to get into the rooftop solar game because it’s a cost-effective alternative energy source that doesn’t require the addition of any new infrastructure. “Rooftop solar is such a winner,” he said.

But before they learned about the grant program, the Garners couldn’t afford the upfront costs of installing a solar system.

A contractor tipped them off about the grant program, which has been active since 2008. But even after they started to explore their options, Don said they weren’t sure if they would be a good fit for the program.

“It’s a very small-scale operation,” he pointed out. “I wasn’t sure it was right for the grant.”

There was some uncertainty, too, about attempting to use solar energy in Montana, where sunlight isn’t nearly as abundant as it is in more southerly states.

“There are parts of the country where rooftop solar is just a total no-brainer,” Don reported. “It’s not as great in Montana as it is in Arizona.”

But after about a year of paperwork and patience, the Garners received their funding, and they found that solar energy was a viable option even in Northwest Montana.

“It does work in Montana. It absolutely does,” Don insisted.

It’s a big help for farmers like the Garners because it can save them a lot of money on operating expenses. The initial expense to set up the system can be prohibitive, Don acknowledged, but after that the farm’s electrical costs are much more affordable.

“What’s nice about the solar for us is that the operating expenses every month are reduced,” he explained.

The renewable energy source has the added advantage of maintaining a stable cost, month over month. “You don’t have to worry about rates being raised,” said Don.

Rooftop solar is also easy to maintain, which is a big benefit to the Garners. The pair started Bear Paw Properties more than 20 years ago when they retired from their day jobs, and they’ve been doing all of the operations themselves—aside from a few contractors hired out for big jobs—ever since. So it helps with the long-term viability of the farm that they were able to hire a contractor to install the system and they didn’t have to worry about much else after that.

Securing the grant and installing the system was hardly a quick or easy process, but Don encourages other people in similar positions around the valley to look into renewable energy options, too.

“It is pretty involved, but I wouldn’t say it’s onerous,” he concluded.

He made the point that neither he nor his wife had any idea what kind of positive ecological impact they could have through tree farming when they first bought the property decades ago. Now, they stay busy full-time with planting, weeding and harvesting, and they’ve found themselves on the cutting edge of environmental stewardship.

“We’re doing way more stuff than we ever could’ve imagined,” he said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.