Farm Progress

The Around Farm Progress podcast digs into the contentious issue of putting solar panels on farmland.

Willie Vogt

July 1, 2022

There’s a topic gaining growing interest in the country: The rise in placement of solar panels on farmland. Farmers leasing their land to solar companies for often decades raises question about acreage tied up outside of production and other issues. In the latest episode of Around Farm Progress, solar panels on farms get a closer look.

Recently Ginger Rowsey, Delta Farm Press, connected with some farmers who have taken on solar leases for their operations to learn more about the issues involved. What she found shows that these panels on farms raise as many questions as they answer. While providing a solid long-term income source for farmers, there are other issues that arise from the practice.

Related: Harvesting the sun

Rowsey discusses those issues, and some many are still grappling with, as interest in placing solar panels on farms continues to rise thanks to a green energy push by the Biden Administration. But what does taking farmland out of production mean? And what about a farmer’s or landowner’s property rights? These are some of the questions explored in this episode.

If you’re interested in leasing land for solar power, there are some points to consider from this conversation. And if you’re against solar power, you might want to take action with local officials to manage regulation surrounding these installations. Rowsey notes one major operation has made a major commitment to placing solar panels on farms.

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About the Author(s)

Willie Vogt

Willie Vogt has been covering agricultural technology for more than 40 years, with most of that time as editorial director for Farm Progress. He is passionate about helping farmers better understand how technology can help them succeed, when appropriately applied.

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