Antonich said interest is growing quickly.

“There’s a lot of activity. A big problem is there are a small number of installers around the state that can build them. The other issue for an individual is there is a significant investment. It can be anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000.”

But he said tax credits and other programs are helping. And he said the U.S. Agriculture Department is evaluating its rules, potentially making wind power eligible for more financial assistance through the Farm Bill program.

“There’s a lot of hope that the Ag Department will be more favorable to wind power and that will help a lot of farmers build them,” Antonich said.

As of 2005 there were 162 small wind turbines in the state that were connected to a utility company’s grid. But Antonich said there are many more that aren’t hooked to a grid and therefore aren’t reported.

Some small turbines hook to a grid so they can sell any excess electricity to the power company, while others simply generate power for personal use.

Even if the pace of wind power isn’t as fast as he’d like to see, Antonich said it’s far better than just a decade ago when the Windustry group started.

“In the early 90s all we were doing was going around trying to convince people that their windy land was going to be valuable. Now there’s tons of interest.”