Should Solar Farms Be Built On Farm Land? It's Happening Here!

[@eldonhoward7925]

No! We need farm land to remain as farm land!

[@Coltondk]

This is exactly what is happening in my town right now.

[@dodgymon3571]

I have a 5000 acre solar project going up next door and I have been offered a huge amount to destroy my farm fill it with panels. The problem is I feel like the only one who cares about this and I am getting pressured by family and friends to sell out. Glad I finally found someone who thinks this is bad.

[@goodguy6352]

Your farm will not be destroyed. After your lease it will be returned to farmland. Why should the rest of us in America pay record farm subsidies so you can farm? If you grow solar energy you won’t need subsidies!

[@dodgymon3571]

@@goodguy6352 I'm not American and I don't get any subsidy's

[@calvinrhoades4406]

What are you going to eat? Solar panels?​@@goodguy6352

[@calvinrhoades4406]

Your doing the right thing. KEEP FARMING!!

[@calvinrhoades4406]

​@goodguy6352 I haven't had a subsidy in I don't remember when. Why don't you try farming for a living once. What about all the illegals and what they are getting???? So what are they doing for the country???

[@bps7209]

I wish every farmer could be as sensible as this farmer is.

[@randybenne9968]

I"m like you, I like to see farm land farmed.

[@prairierosefarmstead15]

Thank you for raising awareness on this topic. They're taking up 10,000 acres in my rural Kansas country. The heartland of farming and so much farm ground is being lost.

[@dougirvin2413]

Great vid Pete. What I don't understand is why the solar companys don't just want to buy my land out-right? This has got to be some kind of scam!

[@ruralangwin]

We have this same offer in Texas. I wonder same. Why don't they offer to buy the land?

[@Openyoureyes-z4c]

Leasing is fully tax deductible, the corp owning the land isnt and high income companies would rather lease use then leave when they're done.

[@tedduke1699]

@@Openyoureyes-z4c AND leave someone else to clean up the mess.

[@chrisasst]

I am in Homer, they have sent kids to my house asking to sign up with it. These kids have no clue what they are even offering. I asked to see a website, they didn’t even know it.

[@spacesheep1978]

This is one of the greatest post I’ve seen In a long time.

[@brendadecker8812]

I'm glad that Pete took a stand and voiced his opinion. It may help other farmers who are undecided or just alone.

[@randalb5947]

You cant eat Solar panels!! Thanks for growing healthy food for everyone Pete. I just bought 75 acres and will be farming it in the near future.

[@DarrylSparlin]

I was going to say the same thing. You can't eat solar panels.

[@NoPlanProjects]

Your point about complex opinions is so spot on. Issues today tend to be boiled down to social media taglines and sensationalized evening news headlines but there's always more nuance involved. Thank you for talking about this.

[@paoemantega8793]

It takes courage to air difficult subjects, well done. You have put your opinion accross clearly, respectfully and thoughtfully. You have a knack for presenting complex arguments in an easy to listen to way.

[@davidmacon9281]

The nature of these corporations is what scares me the most as someone who wants to farm in the future I can tell you that we should all stand up to this

[@pedro97w]

Blame the State governments for providing the tax credits. Panels should be covering parking lots and shading sun-belt buildings, not covering farms.

[@lenich89]

@@pedro97w Covering farms accomplishes the secondary goal of depleting our food production capability, thereby forcing us to be reliant & therefore subservient to other nations. There goes our independence on the global stage.

[@pedro97w]

Fear the bureaucrats

[@drmodestoesq]

The counter argument is that farming heavily subsidized by the tax payer. @@pedro97w

[@RomeKG471]

Hell No!!!!!!!! They should be built on abandoned shopping center land, empty store lots, run down empty housing districts, old empty factory sites and like wise!!!!!!!!! Too much farm land is taken out of production!!

[@ryanrich9186]

I agree with you to a point, but there is some farmland that can benefit. The problem is that these leasers refuse to allow it. Look into agrovoltaics. Dual use is the name of the game on any farm. Why not dual use, but we all know that " mono cropping " is horrible for the land. These leasers need to get on board with dual use. Because some crops love growing in shade.

[@lonniechartrand]

@@ryanrich9186 Livestock could also benefit as a "dual" function. Cattle, hogs, sheep, could be raised in pens utilizing the panels for protection against the weather. Sure. There would have to be structures built higher, and possibly stronger, that will allow livestock to be raised underneath, but with proper planning and layout, a person could pasture some livestock, or as with a lot of operations, the animals would be put on feed in enclosed pens, which is a common practice anyway. I can hear PETA screaming now, but you know what? God placed these animals on earth for consumption.

[@tedduke1699]

@@lonniechartrand Sheep are grazing under some of them, but if it were feasible for other livestock there would be a corporation proposing that. In Virginia the estimate is that ALL farmland must be covered with solar panels in order to meet the need for power for data centers. Where does it end?

[@samtalley791]

I would tend to agree with you because I love to farm more than I love money. But the money they are offering here I understand why people would take it.

[@MillerFamilyFarms]

We are farming in Pennsylvania and we’re offered to lease our land for cell tower and we decided not to go for it. They were going to pay us $400,000 for less than an acre. We figure that it would be an eyesore so we said no. Money is not everything. Thanks for you input on the situation Pete

[@bp4170]

probably should have jumped on that train

[@MillerFamilyFarms]

@@bp4170 money is not everything in life.

[@mcleodfarmer5208]

You sir are a fool or full of BS

[@MillerFamilyFarms]

@@mcleodfarmer5208 call us what you want but we own the land and it is not for sale or lease so people can get better WiFi or phone service.

[@illdirtfarmer]

@@MillerFamilyFarms Did they build it at your neighbor's?

[@vernnnnnnn]

Agreed Pete; if scruples, honor, and responsibility aren’t part of the discussion... there are no good options

[@nateseiler1558]

Solar developers came to my area of northwest ohio and were promising the same things. They couldn't get enough acre's because almost every land owner/ farmer told them to pound sand.

[@Fabes002]

Consider yourself very lucky and buy those farmers a beer whenever you see them!

[@dave041153]

I live in Wood County Ohio - some of the richest soil in the country. If they try to pull this off here, there will be h*ll to pay... it’s criminal.

[@billcarver6539]

Nate Seiler Lucky for you. We have a solar company around my area that has already taken in about 1800 acres. They just submitted the application not to long ago to the opsb. The thing is, all the landowners that signed up for it all live a long ways off. If this would go through, I would lose almost 400 acres that I rent. This whole area is very high productive farmland. I just dont understand why these solar companies always seem to go after the best farmland.

[@danielcollins5194]

They came to randolph county indiana with lots of promises of good. Our property values went down and our property taxes increased. To make matters worse, we have to look at this ugly project and our electric bill actually went up. Only land owners will benefit. The so called environmental friendly grass they were supposed to plant, is nothing but field weeds. Riverstart solar park. Come check it out. See your future

[@danielcollins5194]

@@billcarver6539 the government wants to slowly eliminate the food supply for control. Sounds crazy, but look how many politicians are buying up farm ground

[@johnnydale6515]

Rent the marginal land out is one of the best options , use the barn roofs also , only allow a certain percentage to be rented per farm

[@salmonhunter7414]

But it is is your land you would want to do what is best for your family. Which normally means you want more money less work.

[@salmonhunter7414]

@@A-A-RonDavis2470 Feed your family and providing for them is paramount

[@lenich89]

@@salmonhunter7414 It depends on how far into the future one is able to look. Reminds me of the old quote 'If violence must come, let it come in my time that my children might know peace.'

[@paulbernander7554]

Complex topic, yes, and thanks for wading in, Pete!

[@briananderson6398]

The loss of arable land is concerning. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. In a prior job I dealt with land use issues. You don’t see subdivisions being bulldozed to make way for more farms.

[@daw162]

The land under the panels would remain arable. At this point, we have nutty things like growing twice the corn that we need to go into a program (ethanol and then subsidies for the corn), often leading to marginal land being irrigated. That doesn't make sense to me. We're growing corn in areas where groundwater won't last in the long term so that we can burn it for fuel that nobody wants in the first place. I have no dog in the fight here. We sold our farm a couple of years ago (we being my parents - I wasn't ever intending to do anything with the land once they were gone) to another farmer who will be farming it (an amishman). Who knows, maybe he'll sell to solar developers. AT the time we sold, for a while, the only buyers for our land were solar companies, but the township squashed the whole idea. The land that we had was marginal and will always be (red shale). The amish can live on less output unlike a typical overextended BTO, but solar on the farm would've made sense. What we had was a bunch of NIMBY types saying they wouldn't want to see solar from their front porch, which is pretty stupid. I've heard complaints from other farmers about the subsidy to solar panels and "government money being thrown around". When you're talking to someone who is getting supplement payments, paid not to plant in some years, subsidized insurance and who has a subsidy-created system on the back end to buy corn that nobody really wanted in the first place, it's a bit odd to hear about "the government money" going into solar. I believe that at this point, it's about 1/6th or so of the cost of the project (or more or less, 5 cents a kw hour or so is needed to compete in the local market for generation and 6 is what the solar installations needed the last I heard to be profitable - but they may be profitable without it at this point, or at least break even). I just looked up the potential electricity - 357 megawatt hours per year per acre from a typical solar setup. If corn average 175 bushels, that's about 490 gallons of ethanol (completely ignoring the enormous amount of energy used to grow the corn and haul it, etc). google tells me 5.89kw/hr from each gallon of ethanol. At a 175 bushel average yield (yes, I know there will be superfarmers here talking about 275 bushel proven averages, but our farm on marginal land never averaged even 175), that's 2.9 megawatt hours by my calculations. The net energy production from the panels each year after setup is 123 times *greater* than the ethanol energy *Gross* prouduced by the corn. I used google while making this post, so any of the numbers above could be revised by someone who knows what's up with this stuff. Like I said, our farm went to an amishman (Actually, it was too big for one, so two cousins split it and bought the parts after they divvied up what they want). It seems to me that with our enormous energy needs, our "dirt farmer land" would be better in panels. Dirt farmer is what people made fun of my grandfather being "you'll never make a living on that. you'll just be a dirt farmer". 123 times more energy for society. That's a hard number for me to overlook. Our farm had gone to rent decades ago. I always felt like we were freeloading off of society because the renters pretty much wanted to grow corn on corn on corn to sell into the market where half of it goes for ethanol. It seemed beyond unethical. Way worse than putting in panels. I hope the channel owner addresses this as the reality is, we'll never have all of the farm land covered with panels - we don't use that much energy. Just guessing at output, I think per acre, the solar arrays will gross about $20k a year in generated electricity. an acre of maintained solar panels seems like a lot to me - I don't know how much they cost to install but it must be ten times that, but the ability to take marginal land out of the corn on corn on corn rotation and put in panels just seems to make sense to me, especially if they could be made in a way for chickens and such to run areas around the panels.

[@lenich89]

@@daw162 Opposing converting arable land into solar fields does not require advocating for using arable land for ethanol production... The latter is also harmful - monoculture farms raping the soil with chemicals to produce an output that nobody wants, except the government & 'green peace types' who don't think past step one.

[@farmerbill6855]

@@daw162 the ethanol production is just another government boondoggle that wouldn't exist without taxpayer money. Don't blame the farmers for growing what there is a market for. As for your obvious disdain for "dirt farmers" I come from a long line of them and I am one and damned proud of it. So go screw yourself.

[@rab5193]

In US , 140,000 sq miles area is used for growing corn. Out of which 30% is used for growing corn for ethanol. That is about 40,000 sq miles of area for growing corn for ethanol. Majority of ethanol is used for blending with gasoline. Gasoline is blended with 15% vol7me of ethanol. It’s not blended for Diesel. We are just wasting 40,000 sq miles of land, growing GMO corn, using fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and a huge amount of water to produce corn. Then extract sugar from corn and ferment it make ethanol. This ethanol distillation is extremely complex process. Then, think of huge amount of corn waste coming out in this process, and that will be produce huge amount of this. This runaway fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides get into waterways polluting everything downstream. This is happening every year for decades. To supply electricity to entire US through solar, we need only about 10,000 sq miles of solar panels, which one fourth of the land used to produce ethanol for gasoline. What a waste of land, if we stop ethanol production, that is basically of 15% blending with gasoline we will not be running for electricity. Think about how green house gases and pollution this will eliminate. The corn lobby is powerful and they will never stop corn for ethanol production, which is a total waste. If we have more EVs, we don’t need gasoline blended with ethanol. We eliminate both gasoline and ethanol. Also, agrivoltaics, is not like the image he showed, which just full of solar panels with no land. There are several better implementation that’s getting popular. Solar panels has about 25 years of life, after that that can be completely recycled and get back, 90% of metals and glass. It’s not happening now since don’t have enough end of life solar panels. Also, if farmers give out some portion of land for solar, that will hedge them against losses they may face due any potential crop losses. Main thing, is reducing the land for ethanol and installing solar farms will help in multiple ways

[@400brian]

Here in Wisconsin, we have exactly the same situation. The local coal fired plant is being shut down, and the solar guys are here looking for land. I have an option contract sitting on my kitchen table as I type this. Nearest to the plant, the farmland is marginal, sandy soil and in many cases 50% of the ground is woods, swamp, or hills. Further south is prime farmland, which is more like 90% open. That wide open flat ground is what they want, they don't want the patchwork of small acreage that you are promoting. I agree with you that is the responsible way to do it it, but it is not the efficient way to do it. Most of us here are 4 or 5 generations in. Dairy farmers that have been shoved out of business, 50 - 80 years old with kids that have no interest in farming, and developers that want to build houses on all of it. Now here comes an outfit that wants to rent the farm for the next 30 - 50 years, and pay you an amount of money that essentially is like selling the property every 4 to 5 years. What do you think is going to happen? I am 62 and my knees, ankles and shoulders are shot, putting some land into this is not just tempting, it is more like salvation. Some of the younger guys with kids are not as tempted, but I figure that in many cases the money will win in the end. They are telling me they are looking for 6000 acres, but there are at least 2 different companies competing for land, so who knows how much land is really in play here. The homeowners with a few acres are going to be pissed, and I don't want to look at the things either. In the end, I don't think much of what I own is what they are looking for. Maybe I will get a few acres in, who knows. Some of these guys will be looking at rent of over a Million $$ each year, and you can't make that cropping. This is not about greed on the landowner's part, this about keeping the farm together and providing something for our kids. Many of us feel the kids will be talking to the realtor on the way home from the funeral, as in how quick can we turn this into cash? It is very complicated if you try to think of all the angles, and I don't pretend to know what is right. Never saw this coming.

[@Robert-po8jn]

I am weighing doing this as well. We have 40 acres that they want. It would provide a good income for my aging aunt who has dementia. We have a sub station less than 100yds from us so they are paying well. Downside is there is a farmer that has farmed the land for years that would lose income.

[@user-qt8zt6zg6w]

The country needs to feel hunger pains again

[@randtam1]

It’s your land to do what you want with it after solar lease is done land will go back to what it once was for your children to decide what they would like to do with it. Other option is it will be sold to developers sooner or later and put and packed full of houses bringing in more people within the next 10!yrs

[@Wipatriot1776]

I don't live too far from the King stack. The information meeting is going to come up soon here in town.

[@joekeusch5995]

They are not coming on our farm as long as i'm alive. I dont want to look at that God forsaken mess the rest of my life.

[@stuartgibson1896]

Solar panels belong in town on top of buildings. The destruction of land by big companies, should be limited to the city limits.

[@TheHonestPeanut]

I don't see why it can't be both. Like he said, agrovoltaic fields work. Why can't we start incorporating them as well as coming up with new systems? That's full on permaculture right there.

[@daw162]

So, we should have subsidized or tax credit fuels doubling corn growth vs. what people actually want instead?

[@drxntrik]

I’m a neighbor down the road from you. Thanks for calling attention to the issue, and for expressing your opinion and explaining it.

[@stuartgibson1896]

Ive got a commercial green house going in within 6 miles of my house. I live 20-25 minutes outside town. Due to this green house, increased traffic flow, there have been half a dozen wrecks in 2 months. Not only is this increasing traffic, but now we have lost road tractors roaming roads that cannot support the weight or size of these trucks. On top of that one person has died due to the extra traffic. Commercial green house means commercial traffic. It should be located in a spot that already has the infrastructure to support the traffic and electrical needs. Just like the solar farms. From what I can see in Pete's video the roads are not built to support the increased traffic.

[@sqike001ton]

Yea but they are never going to allow it if they pushed people buying solar panels and putting them on there houses the big electric companies would have to buy that power which would cut into there profit margin they can easily predict how much power is going to come in nowdays and can throttle power plants in response but they end up losing money that way as they have to buy the public's power at a smililar price to what they can sale it for so there is less profit per megawatt

[@Catalik1000]

Thank you for explaining it. I think it’s a big worry down the road and has more negative benefits than good ones. And like you explained, it can be done in moderation or in a better way. Thousands of acres are going to solar farms around us. The top soil is being stripped off to get the land ready now. They are an eyesore and they not only ruin the land for farming but devalue all the surrounding homes. What happens when less crops are produced?

[@hubbardfarms8174]

Pete really good video as usual. I saw on another channel a farmers concern about a huge solar plant going in next to him creating a heat island effect and having a storm runoff that could cause local flooding. I agree highly erodible and your poor crp ground would be good candidates. Be safe out there we need you

[@kimjones2056]

Nobody talks about the heat that comes off of these panels

[@danielschmidt2186]

There is so much potential to use that land for agrivoltaics. Even though they are low to the ground, you can still graze sheep. Actually, land management of those big arrays is a major cost for the owner. Discovering more productive ways to manage the land in and around solar arrays is the cutting edge of future agrivoltaics. I love what you said about farmers working with local contractors and 3rd parties to own and operate the array themselves. Integrating an agricultural space with agrivoltaics, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture is the opportunity of the century.

[@I_like_Plants130]

It’s so fascinating and I love the ideas! I wish the best for everyone testing the waters!!

[@olepedersen3260]

I totally agree with you. I am in Denmark and we are having the same discussions over here. Unfortunately it has become public opinion that we have too much farming. Feeding the world is no longer an argument because they’d rather you didn’t. They should put the solar panels on the buildings in the cities where the power is consumed.

[@cathymadsen2930]

You should watch Ice Age Farmer. If we are heading into a greater cooling environment with less sunshine the people might start appreciating farmers much more. I'm in Australia and we can farm all year round but Denmark only has a limited number of farming days. Cover most of that with solar and wind and you reduce your ability to feed your own people.

[@cathymadsen2930]

PS... I'm first generation Australian born from Danish parents. I hope I haven't left it too late to visit my relatives.

[@olepedersen3260]

@@cathymadsen2930 Our ag production is amongst the most efficient and less CO2 emitting in the world. Yet tree hugger organizations have managed to make the impression that we are polluting more and more and taking up more and more land even though the opposite is the case. Ask them where the food should rather be produced and you don’t really get an answer. The answer seems to be just elsewhere out of sight.

[@olepedersen3260]

@@cathymadsen2930 Of course you should come here some time. I hope you are not affected by the flooding we hear about.

[@cathymadsen2930]

@@olepedersen3260 we are not even allowed to leave Australia yet. Might be another 12 months or more before they grant us the privilege of holidays overseas.

[@Chuckhinckley]

solar power projects are large civil engineering projects - they need flat, dry land, not in flood zone, not in wetland, and have good soil characteristics to support the piles. Looks like farmland. No solar projects can not go on poor land. And no, there will not be a solar panel on every acre - solar projects need access to the power grid. Really less than a few percent of all ag and is suitable for solar development. you can find more about solar on ag land on my vids. happy to answer direct questions. you did a good job of producing this video

[@bp4170]

It's refreshing to see someone take a rational approach. Thanks!

[@Grognarthebarb]

My god do I love this guy's opinion. He nails the bullseye

[@herzbergfarm8633]

Your videos always make my day Pete!

[@metalmadness285]

Hey pete for a bigger loader tractor. You could go with another brand instead of farmall. We all know how much you love those but what if you got a massey Ferguson or anything different than a farmall. It would bring some variety to the tractor line up.

[@metalmadness285]

And a truck idea for the old truck you have. Make it your towing truck. So say you buy another tractor or some animals. It would be better suited than your tacoma

[@laurah6856]

Really appreciated your video. I own Dutch Harvest Farm, just down the road from you and I agree - this is very important and a scary situation. I hope our neighbors wake up and like you said “don’t take the easy way out”.

[@andykiciak5781]

Hi Pete, we really like the channel. Keep up the good work. Here’s my opinion. I’m on 50 acres in Michigan and didn’t know what industrial farming was until I moved next to one 7 years ago. I’ll take a solar farm over a row crop farm any day. Every year my orchard and garden get over spray from the neighbors row crop gig. He moves around the field with the sprayer and I get to watch everything die in a couple days. In the fall there’s another treat. I watched them pump 1.5 million of gallons sludge into to ground from the big city 30min away. Between the insecticides, herbicides, PFAS & sludge…. a solar farm is a blessing.

[@douglasthompson9482]

Agree 100%.....also windmills too. Keep the land for farming.

[@joelcaldwell4852]

Pete, tell us what you REALLY think. Love your passion.

[@markballard9300]

Preach it Pete. A large array just went in a mile or so from our farm. It was put in by the local power company as a “Demonstration” Station. They are actively trying to recruit other companies to do the same thing and turn this area into a “power farm”.

[@pete56]

Putting good farm land into solar IS irresponsible, but so is building houses on it.

[@ryanvanevery134]

Seeing as how you are near Cayuga lake, which is where the old settlement of the Cayuga Nation of Native Americans once lived....it seems as though an old Native saying is appropriate.... When the last fish is caught...the last tree is cut down...the last deer is slaughtered...and the last river is poisoned....only then will you realize that you can't eat money

[@deborahsimmons2414]

Pete, I really hope you will look at your love and desire and choose to go the route of fighting evil…no matter what. I would, 100% support you in that and come join you on your farm to make sure..of a beautiful and lovely outcome!!!!!

[@zrorypierce]

It’s a shame they are not willing to elevate the panels. The research I have read on farming under solar is very interesting and positive for production. Like anything a balanced approach is probably the correct approach. Splitting land use between solar and farming is going to provide the best outcome. I recently built a 17.6 kw solar array at my farm. I mounted the two arrays in a area that is of little use to me and now that 1200 sqft is producing an annual return of about 8% on my investment. If I could ever paddock would have a array on it. They provide shade and shelter for the animals improve summer grass growth during the hot dry part of the summer and generate consistent income

[@rheath25]

This is happening now in Denmark. The big companies are buying up farmland and pressuring farmers to sell their land. Unfortunately many of them are jumping at the chance to make a bunch of money but selling out their neighbours.

[@66block84]

Rather than farmland, put the panels on all flat roofs & slanted roofs that face South. Gets a little more complicated with more hookups in more places, but you're taking using up the land for just one thing.

[@bayareasparky9180]

It's not more complicated. You just change the meter to one that reads in two directions. The infrastructure is already in place because when you go solar you're a producer as well as a consumer. You're turning an existing one-way street into a two-way street.

[@jeffwest9195]

Great information thank you We have a small 76 acre farm in southern Ohio and have been approached by a solar company to buy or lease our land Currently doing research about this topic Many thanks for this excellent information

[@charissabecker7202]

I am a farmer's wife in IL and we are currently being visited by solar companies wanting contracts for our land. I don't hear many people asking about the dangers of EMFs from all these solar panels or taking all these acres out of food production 🤔 It seems fishy to me.

[@magicdaveable]

I completely agree Pete. I began focusing on alternative energy 45+ years ago while living in Fredonia and wondering why harvesting wind energy off the eastern end of Lake Erie and feeding the electricity into the Niagra Mohawk Coal Fired Power Station right there next to Dunkirk Harbor. Of course that was in the mid-1970's when only us "Hippies" thought about such things.

[@adventuredairy2060]

You make me smile ever time you upload 😀

[@KK-dt4gj]

Yeah same!

[@adventuredairy2060]

@@eltsennestle998 true

[@jasonwatson8375]

@@eltsennestle998 more like they're driving it off a cliff Mount Everest size cliff and I fear there's no turning back it's gone too far.

[@epicjag3365]

Our board of supervisors put in the restrictions for the solar farm surrounding us that they had to put a fence around it and trees had to be planted in front of it. The little trees started dying. They replaced the dying ones and more kept dying. The ones that managed to survive are pale and sick looking and aren't growing. They came back and added in some much larger trees and the funny thing is, they are now turning brown too!

[@canhon86]

Where are you located?

[@epicjag3365]

In the United States in the state of Virginia

[@stevemench786]

I have a (what I believe) to be a good answer. There are hundreds of Walmart,home depot,menards ,and Lowe's around the country with acres of pking lot's. Let big solar put the panels over them, should work 2 fold keep cars from cooking in the sunlight and make power at the same time.

[@pedro97w]

ABSOLUTELY. Look at a satellite photo of the DFW airport. Where it is not uncommon to see 90 consecutive days of plus 100 degree temperatures. There are SQUARE MILES of warehouse roofs that could be put in the shade of these panels.

[@RechargeableLithium]

It's not only a good idea but companies are putting solar on warehouses. Unfortunately, most warehouses aren't built strongly enough to carry the weight and increased wind load of a solar roof. That's why Solyndra made their lightweight collectors. They worked so well that fossil-funded politicians killed them off.

[@janicecoxharrell8570]

Amen to all you are talking about!! I agree with you. We lose all our farms and there goes our food. From North Carolina!

[@MoonFireGypsy]

Hey neighbor(kinda) I just moved back on our 68 acre family land in Reading NY near Watkins Glen after living in LA for 20 years because of the threat of Agenda 21/30. I want to enjoy and preserve it as long as I can. I’m hoping to learn as much as possible from your informative videos that I am greatly appreciative of. I have seen 2 large solar farms within short driving distance and it saddens me.

[@gregreinhardt1293]

Liquid fluoride thorium reactors are our best option. Read about it, promote it, and demand it.

[@peterbenjamin2764]

Pete, you bring up valid points. Here in Massachusetts it's happening. I'm from a small farming town. The solar "farms" are popping up all around. It's sad.

[@eagle2019]

Pete if you know any of the neighbors that are considering doing this make sure they get the company to put up a bond to pay for the removal, disposal and returning the land to the way it was before they sign otherwise they will be stuck with an immense bill when they reach end of life. This is happening right now with farmers that allowed wind turbines to be put up on there properties years ago. Many of the wind turbine companies have walked away from aging turbines and are leaving the owners with a mess to clean up!

[@bruceevennett955]

Sorry i dont believe you.what mess is left behind from a wind turbine? And why would they walk away when the infrastructure is already built

[@eagle2019]

@@bruceevennett955 Bruce maybe you should do some homework before calling someone a liar. Here are a couple of articles. www.americanexperiment.org/it-costs-532000-to-decommission-single-wind-turbine/ and www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/01/02/the-trouble-with-wind-farms/

[@kimjones2056]

@@bruceevennett955they have done it in the past

[@johnsonprater3431]

Great thinking

[@tedduke1699]

@@bruceevennett955 Good grief man, Watch the news. They are attempting to clean up the debris from a blade that self-destructed off Cape Cod. ONE BLADE!

[@TomSmith-me7ph]

I can’t believe this, I thought we were the only one. We have a large solar plant by us. It covers at least 4-5 acres and the same question is asked what happens to the panels when they reach their end of life?

[@epicjag3365]

We have a solar farm surrounding our property we fought it but the county was determined to have it I guess. The construction faze was a nightmare. They pushed up perfectly good pine trees into piles and burned them up the smoke made us sick. Then you have all the dust and noise day and night. They had no concern for what they were putting their neighbors through. They claimed they were going to bring 200. Jobs to the neighborhood, they hired 200 people alright but they brought them with them. They didn't hire anyone from the area. You would think it would be better once it was built but the thing hums. There is a humming noise coming from the site ALL DAY LONG! I also found a study that suggests that if you live within half a mile of one of these sites it will reduce the value of your property. Not only that there's concern over the danger of living next to this thing. All the forest animals have disappeared from our property. I don't know if it's killing them of if that constant buzzing ran them away but I worry about what it might be doing to us.

[@Mike-p7e]

I’m with you Pete!!stay safe now!! Mike Peabody,Massachusetts 8:49 8:50

[@faux_sho]

It's happening in our area as well. Philly wants to build solar panels in Adams county just outside Gettysburg. 1000 acres of Farmland to start. If Philly wants a solar field, build it near Philly.

[@AJ8828]

I just came across your channel, finding your story about how you preserved your family history in restoring your home, and I am so glad that I did! It is so very scary what the government is trying to do, and there are a lot of people who don't see it or understand it, or for that matter WANT to understand and know what's going on. We, in the USA, really need to focus on being self-sufficient, and keeping farmland is going to do just that! Solar panels are nice, but do we fully realize or comprehend the after-effects? I pray farmers take everything into consideration and think hard on preservation and self-sufficiency rather than money. Thank you for sharing this video!

[@markusbeateriebel4224]

Hy Pete We have about the Samen here in Germany with Wind energy. The big company's take the money away from the Township were the energy is made and after 25 years the windmills are broken and left in the fields, cause they can't get recycled.

[@benvoncamp]

Didn't germany create tax incentives to promote personal, independent PV installation on rooftops with a guaranteed wholesale KWH price buyback from the 'big companies' like RWE, Vattenfalls, etc.? Seems more like the opposite of 'big company' taking the money of the little guy to me.

[@joehowe9532]

Seeing this video more than three years after it was made, I am wondering if this thousand acres of farmland has solar panels on it or not.

[@gparment1]

I was just today offered $1000/acre to lease my 100 acre farm to DTE here in Michigan. I am very appreciative of this video. Thank you.

[@groomerchevy]

We have these booming just outside of Rome, and all available land at the State Prison in Marcy is being covered in Solar panels. I am of basically the same mindset as you. Could be because I am 71and I grew up on a small farm and country never leaves your soul.

[@theburnhams2925]

My "poor ol' garden" would welcome 50% shade most of the year here. It would also help these (freezer) compressors keep on spinnin' . There must be a middle path lurkin' somewhere...

[@johnchase7667]

The solar field contracts in southern IN is about $1500 an acre and the best we get off the land with hard work is $400 a year. This is a good thing for farmers who have had it so tough for so long.

[@garethbaus5471]

Plus the if the trend of reducing available farmland continues it could raise food prices increasing the profitability for those who are still producing food.

[@johnchase7667]

@@garethbaus5471 Reducing farm land is a constant issue. Far more land is turned into subdivisions then solar. This is not a concern.

[@Deere55]

Sorry to hear that farming was such a chore for you

[@kimjones2056]

@@garethbaus5471many food items have already doubled. So your okay with only the rich eating.

[@garethbaus5471]

@@kimjones2056 At the moment our ability to produce adaquate amounts of food isn't what is raising the price of food. Food needs to be made accessible, but producing even more cheap corn is an extremely inefficient way of bringing the prices down.

[@gretchensubik9729]

The other problem is that most of our state and federal.money is.gping to solar companies that are not based her in the USA. We have one next to us that I'd a company from Hong Kong. Ie China.

[@christianjoiner5370]

Please do a video on the stuff in the junkyard you have and why it’s there and the plans for it, just an idea😀

[@stephensparks3621]

The last I knew, Electricity doesn't digest well and is not very nutritious. Then what kind eye sore will that make? I would rather see trees and pasture growing strong, producing Food, and let's not forget the oxygen to breath. Solar Panels need to take a back seat to agriculture as a backup to decrease some cost. With the winter and change of seasons production will vary and that makes it unreliable as a major electrical source. How do I know that? Solar Panels on the Farmstead and I may put some on the Barn to help with the farming operation.

[@PaffordHomestead]

But you can't claim your land for farm use on taxes and you would pay higher taxes.....

[@txfarmgrl211]

Usually the solar company pays the taxes for the land they lease. It is at a higher rate than the Ag. Exempt rate, so the county and school districts bring in more tax revenue, than they would if the land remained farmland.

[@salmonhunter7414]

Here in Canada some framers are putting sheep on solar farms keeps the grass short and the sheep are full. Some of the solar companies are paying farmers to to cut the grass around the panels. Just a thought.

[@deercreeker]

I very much like the benefits of committing marginal land to solar production. In an important way, this actually makes small farms more sustainable by generating guaranteed revenue to cover their base costs such as land taxes.

[@pedro97w]

It would be more moral to regenerate the marginal land and put the panels on roofs, parking lots, roads etc.

[@andresmith6738]

No arguments, No Brainer! Pete you said it very well, and most people farmers or not. Agree with you! Well said, We stand right beside you!

[@jimtaylor2725]

I totally agree. I have seen the large solar fields take over a beautiful areas here in California, they have even gone so far as to bulldoze entire orange and avocado groves and replaces it with a sea of glass and dead birds that can't fly over the long trows of panels. Greed may somehow give way to the fact you need farms to feed the world or the chemical company will be making all our food. Money can do both good and bad depending on your prospective.

[@seriouslyconfused1]

Soilent Green

[@lenich89]

@@seriouslyconfused1 I came here to post this. I'm starting to think that the only way for this all to end is for productive people to shrug...

[@markt5973]

Thank you Pete, very well stated and balanced. You brought aspects to light that many people are not aware of. By the way, where did the pigs come from?

[@cacr2728]

Any farm land that is good planting land should not be built on!!!! There is plenty of land that is no good for planting on!!!!!!

[@gillysparrowlegs]

This is happening in the UK, and globally, where is all the food going to come from?

[@davidrobinson8184]

I think one of the beautiful things about America is that every land owner has the right to choose what they do with their own land. Maybe some farmers wanna retire and this is a great option. Also maybe negotiate having the solar panels higher so farmers can use the lad underneath. I love watching your video!

[@pedro97w]

They could always just pimp out their wives and daughters too

[@kimjones2056]

Tell that their land has been polluted by these solar companies

[@peterstockschlaeder956]

Like you said, us reasonable people know it's a complex subject. I know where I am (Montgomery County, MD) there was legislation around this in the County Council that got tabled for concern that the not-insignificant amount of farmland still here would be impacted by solar arrays (possibly overblown, but sometimes better to take a step back and look at the issue again later). It's been said below and by you already but there is enough highly marginal land already (strip mines, most of Texas that lies above the Ogallala Aquifer that is practically desert already and needs to be highly irrigated, etc.) that should be territory first for solar. IMHO even before that, IMHO there is enough flat-roof space from warehouses, schools, WalMarts, Costcos, factories, etc. that all THIS space should get paneled first BEFORE you think about adding it on the ground (although I would argue, if the panel is within 10 feet of existing high-tensile power lines and it is motorized to get max efficiency at all times, go for it). Given that solar panel efficiency is constantly improving I would venture that you could see a situation when the need to devote land to panels may decrease, since you could conceivable upgrade current generation panels at the end of their lifecycle in 20-25 years with ones that are 3-4 generations ahead of where they are now.

[@sherlockholmes6632]

Love from the UK to Mrs H.

[@davidoutdoors74]

Hey Pete I truly think the best option is to build a big biogas digester which all the big farms can dump into creating tons of free electric . Solar cost lots and isn't easy to get rid of.

[@lionnelhaywood6459]

I love the way you brack down your topics to the lowest common denominator so that thy can be consumed in bite size pieces

[@inagetawodi4531]

Great video. You covered all the options in an intelligent and practical way. Thanks for starting the discussion about this important issue, the right way.

[@darkiee69]

I'd say that the minimum yield for the power companies is at least 5 times what they pay the farmer. The situation in my home town here in Sweden is even worse. The soil around here in graded 10+ on a 10 grade scale. It's being used to build industries and houses on. The building companies scrape of the topsoil and sell it for a lot more that they paid for the land in the first place.

[@brendadecker8812]

I agree with you. We should be protecting or farm land from solar and wind farms. I'm also concerned about foreign countries buying or farm land.

[@quintinr3811]

That was a very good video on how not to take the easy way out because that is the way our society works today. Instand gratification

[@dtoften]

Good video on this topic. I am a strong private property rights person however I do believe in local zoning laws so my usage does not have a significant negative affect on my neighbors or infrastructure. Agrivoltaics are a good compromise that local zoning laws could address especially now that semi-transparent solar cost are coming down however this will not address neighbor views. I have followed the solar and battery prices trends and do see a switch to decentralization of electricity within this decade for residential homes and hopefully in the city with printable and semi-transparent solar usage. If this farmland is converted to solar, it is possible that prices for electricity might cause this solar farm to be unviable in our lifetime and converted back to farmland.

[@kevinfitzpatrick5068]

Pete I think it just awful to turn Farmland into Solar Fields, I agree with what you said of taking small portions and making it solar. It seems that everyone's destiny is already determined ahead of time.

[@markstoll9636]

My dear friend, underneath this passionate discussion is a ticking time bomb. It's obvious how passionate you are about this subject and how hard you tried to use your intellect to argue against this ill conceived idea ...in your opinion. We all love that you are a true steward of our/your precious land. Amen. Having been in this same situation myself I have good news for you. Albeit these proposed solar panels go against yoir constitution be thankful that this project is 100% ubiquitous. No noise. No pollution. No extra traffic (daily trucks). And that in the end is a win win.

[@georgeliakaris53]

The New York Governor loves the solar panel donations to his campaign , dating is expensive these days ,

[@outdoorsofeden]

“I didn’t touch anyone inappropriately” -Cuomo Just like you didn’t send Covid patients into nursing homes resulting in thousands of deaths. WNY’er here.

[@katieandkevinsears7724]

Get out of NY while you still can. Stop sending your hard earned water into the swamp.

[@georgeliakaris53]

@@katieandkevinsears7724 if we leave they win , we must stay and fight , Governor Pataki

[@georgeliakaris53]

Pataki was Republican , there is hope

[@denniswooden5034]

I’m a third generation farmer Pete in Michigan we see the same issues unfortunately Totally agree with you Pete My 2 year old grandson and I watch your show almost everyday pretty much Thank you and God bless!

[@coltonswindell689]

It’s just sad. Wasting good land to put junk on.

[@PaulSmith-if4ti]

In my college courses, the farming and using high beamed actually helps each other. The moisture from the crops kept the solar pannels cool during peak temperatures. Allowing maxium energy production. The solar pannels added shade to keep the plants from burning. When the pannels are placed high, it isn't as bad, but when they are the death to the farm land.

[@zachwiz4709]

Pete! I totally agree! This scares me too! As a guy who wants to pursue farming when I get older, I don’t think there will be any later than. This sort of is like Bill Gates buying all the farmland or at least trying. He already spent at least 141 Million as of Somewhere in February! I just can’t believe it!🙁

[@zachwiz4709]

@@zarroth Well said!👏🏻🙂

[@jimcour291]

The owner of the land has to sell to the likes of Bill Gates!! There is greed on both sides of the fence as far as I am concerned!!

[@zachwiz4709]

@@jimcour291 Indeed, but some people can’t pass up the money he offers! Approx. 12k for every Acre

[@jimcour291]

@@zachwiz4709 As Pete has said, if you can't pass up the money, maybe your farming practices need to be reviewed

[@jimcour291]

@@zachwiz4709 Family farming is a labor of love, in many ways.......not just working for the all mighty dollar. We can all think of easier ways to make a good, even better living..........we do this because it is in our bones

[@daveperkins2816]

I live in Indiana. We have an 1800 acre solar farm under construction as we speak. Another 2000 acres is being discussed south of us. You should see the infrastructure it takes for this equipment.

[@Nafregamisrocanob]

Very interesting discussion. While I lean towards using marginal lands for solar use, I understand those who are willing to walk away and convert it all. I live in Howard County MD that adopted a long term plan to maintain agriculture land as a certain % of total land for the county. With that said, I feel compassion for those who have worked hard maintaining a farm but now have the opportunity to be able to reap benefits of their property without killing themselves. How different are they from those who are able to pump nat gas, oil, or any other resource that their land might hold? Leases are not permanent, so maybe the county or state can restrict terms etc. Who knows, it might be a win-win situation for everyone. Nimby’s will always be there, but let’s face it, solar panels are not the same environmental hazard as a coal fired plant.

[@sarahloy830]

I suggest, for those interested, check out all the information about how farmers are grazing and raising shade tolerant crops on the same land as the solar panels. The same land can do both. Pasture grows under the panels and the panels provide shade for the livestock. I you are leasing land out, you are in the position to dictate how the panels are placed on your property.

[@Wheelloader__]

If they are paying 4 times more to lease the land they are probably charging 4 times more for the electricity to the home’s.

[@geou1606]

Actually part of the money comes from NYS subsidies that the solar companies receive. Idk what subsidies the companies get from Washington.

[@ericwalstrand3512]

The these companies, it's a bottomless pit of money coming from Uncle Sam. Just imagine if they actually this stupid Green New Deal that AOC wants.

[@clausiusuf]

@@greggergen9104 I gave Eric a like also. 😀

[@kevin3434343434]

I dont think you understand how renewables work. Unlike coal or natural gas, you don't have a fuel cost with solar...

[@mcchupka9718]

How did I miss this video. Very insightful! Thanks Pete!!

[@greg20711]

You're right, Pete, big cooperation's want to gobble up all the land they can & they get big $$ from the Gov. to do it. And they went bankrupt. Solar power can't work in snowy weather. We saw that in Texas a few weeks ago. Computers used to take up huge buildings in the 80s & then they got smaller & smaller. We need people like you, Pete. People who love the land & know how to produce on it. Bless your heart!

[@theshiyal]

Thank you for saying its not a simple one side or the other decision, I appreciate knowing some decisions are hard and complex and should be carefully discussed.

[@mnmountainman9343]

Messing up good farm land...someone has to clean up the solar panels when there wore out and junk.think about that farmers

[@robertaus8420]

Think about where your foods coming from while those solar panels are deteriorating slowly

[@JohnHelms-x8b]

The federal government owns millions of acres of desert land in the western United States where farms and farmland would not be affected that would provide a much more consistent sunlight source due to very low rainfall/cloud cover.

[@ccarrick]

If farmers can make so much more from leasing land to solar companies than farming, why shouldn’t they do so? Unlike residential subdivisions, land used for solar can be returned to farming and the land will be rested. Building larger solar farms is less expensive than than many smaller distributed solar arrays.