Why Solar on Farmland Isn't a Bad Idea
"Don't put solar panels on farmland. Put them on parking lots."
"Keep prime farmland prime farmland."
"Solar panels are ugly."
In today’s post, I want to clear a few things up.
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The Truth
Friendly reminder that:
1. With a few exceptions, solar panels generally don't perform as well when installed over blacktop, especially as our planet grows hotter.
2. Prime farmland is NOT prime farmland unless there's a farmer who is financially able and willing to farm it.
Land prices are rising, making it unrealistic for many of us young farmers to even afford to buy 1/4 of an acre to live on, let alone to FARM on. Not to mention monocropped farmland is hardly prime - we're talking destruction of biodiversity, reduction in pollinator species (bees don't pollinate corn, folks), increased erosion, and a myriad other factors.
TL:DR: you can't tell farmland is prime just by looking at it.
3. Solar panels ARE ugly as sin. I'll give you that. But if we're holding a beauty contest, do you really think coal-fired power plants are aesthetically pleasing?
Energy has to be produced somewhere, so let's stop outsourcing it to the poorest countries and communities who don't have a say otherwise. Let's localize our energy and stop relying on foreign oil imports.
4. Addressing the last two points...if farmland is up for sale, it's not just going to sit there until another farmer is able to scrounge up enough cash to buy it.
Farmers need income. Farmers need land. When land is put up for sale or lease by a farmer who is doing so to remain financially viable and solar or wind are NOT options, it will just go to the next highest bidder. The next Dollar General, storage barn, or housing development.
Stop saying "say no to solar on farmland" until you see the full picture.
In our case, the full picture is this: sheep being happily fed, pollinators thriving, wildlife everywhere, and local energy that our communities are able to tap directly into.
Rewrite the narrative. Challenge your own misconceptions. Dig deeper. The time is now.
Want to learn more about raising sheep? Check out these featured articles!
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