USDA Ends Funding for Solar Projects on Prime Farmland

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced a new USDA policy that halts funding for solar panels on productive farmland and bans the use of panels manufactured by foreign adversaries in USDA-supported solar projects. This policy shift aims to protect farmland from being displaced by subsidized solar farms, which have increasingly made access to agricultural land more difficult and expensive for farmers, especially young and beginning ones. The decision has been praised by farmers, lawmakers like Congressman Austin Scott and Representative Mike Bost, and agriculture advocates who view it as a necessary step to preserve prime farmland, national security, and the country's food supply. The move also addresses concerns about reliance on solar technology sourced from geopolitical rivals such as China. While some see solar farms as valuable clean energy sources, this new stance prioritizes agricultural production and limits the expansion of solar projects on farmland. Additionally, small family farms continue to dominate U.S. agriculture, making up 95% of all farms, with significant support provided through loans to young and beginning farmers.