Advocating for Green Energy Amid Cuts

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Jeff Risley picked a tough time to lead a group meant to help farmers with renewable energy projects.

A native of western Kansas, Risley helped form and now serves as executive director of Renewable Energy Farmers of America, a new organization created to educate farmers on how to negotiate land leases for renewable energy projects such as solar, wind or high-voltage transmission lines.

Just weeks after the group formed, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced new policies to halt funding for solar projects on farmland, as well as banning the use of USDA dollars to buy solar panels made in China. A few days later, Rollins signed a memorandum "prioritizing land-use efficiency" for power generation projects on U.S. Forest Service lands.

"We will no longer allow foreign-made solar panels or inefficient energy projects to undermine our national security," Rollins said in a news release. "We are prioritizing reliable power sources, reducing costs, and preserving more land for recreation, timber, and wildlife for future generations."

USDA's moves weren't made alone. As other news agencies have reported, the Trump administration is using nearly every federal department to make it more difficult for solar and wind projects. During the past month, the Interior Department announced more reviews of renewable energy projects on federal land. EPA ended a $7 billion "Solar for All" grant program meant to boost solar energy in low-income communities. The Treasury Department also announced more scrutiny for wind and solar projects seeking to claim tax credits approved by Congress during from the Biden administration.

The Trump administration also pulled permits for an offshore wind project near Rhode Island that was nearly completed with construction, as well as another offshore project in Maryland. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., criticized the decision to cancel the $6 billion Rhode Island project, known as Revolution Wind.

"As a supporter of an 'all of the above' approach for energy, which will lead to energy dominance for America, I find it odd that Pres. Trump would kill this 1,000-job project," Bacon stated on social platform X. "Our country needs a balanced mix of clean & reliable energy so we don't have to rely on energy imports from Russia, Venezuela, & others. This project was 80 percent complete, with an investment of $1.3B already in the ground. I urge the Admin to reconsider this move."

FARM GROUND AND SOLAR

USDA's decision to roll back solar projects under programs such as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) focuses on lost farm ground -- suggesting solar is a big culprit. An Aug. 19 news release cited Tennessee had lost 1.2 million acres of farm ground in the last 30 years and is expected to lose 2 million acres by 2027, suggesting solar is a culprit. But solar projects combined take up just about 15,000 acres across Tennessee.

Risley, in an interview with DTN, noted urban sprawl takes up roughly 2,000 acres a day that will never go back into farming.

"When we think about these issues of farmland being taken out of production, the bigger culprit here is really urban development -- urban sprawl -- that takes farmland out permanently. If you have land in solar or wind, it could return to agriculture at some point in the future."

Still, as solar grows, so does its own land use. An analysis of wind and solar projects conducted by USDA's Economic Research Service last year looked at large-scale solar and wind projects. The study cited energy projects in 2020 had taken up 424,000 acres nationally -- out of 897 million acres of total farmland. An analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation's economic team earlier this month estimated roughly 1.25 million farm acres have been converted to solar projects.

American Farmland Trust has released studies citing Department of Energy reports during the Biden administration showing 10 million acres of land could be used for solar energy by 2050. At the same time, between 18 million to 24 million acres could be lost to urban sprawl by 2040.

REFA

Risley said he has been working with renewable energy companies for the past decade, but farmers and ranchers were among the only people that didn't have any representation among trade groups. He and others came up with Renewable Energy Farmers of America.

"They (farmers and ranchers) don't have anybody looking out for them, to help deal with developers, understand the process, get through the misinformation," he said at the Farm Progress Show. "So, a team of us started working last year to put together a group and finally launched it about a month ago."

REFA is a member organization like a commodity association that intends to provide services and education to landowners who either already are hosting large-scale renewable energy projects or are interested in them, Risley said. "Our mission is to help farmers navigate that whole space and figure out if it is right for them or not."

REFA is in favor of a large part of the Trump administration's "Farmer First" policy plan launched by Rollins in May. But the group's leaders also saw signs of trouble over efforts to downplay opportunities for on-farm renewable energy projects.

"The one piece that we were hoping they would reconsider is disincentivizing solar," Risley said. "However, we totally understand the department's desire to save farmland. We completely agree with that, but the changes in policies that were announced really don't affect that because it is more about changes to REAP grants."

REAP doesn't fund large-scale energy projects. A REAP loan or grant would fund installation of a solar array on the rooftop of a farm rather than take large swaths of acreage for commercial-scale projects, Risley noted.

Renewable energy projects such as solar also provide an opportunity for producers to lower their energy costs and agrivoltaics, which is essentially assuring that the land can serve a dual purpose of developing solar while growing produce or grazing under the solar panels.

"We're big believers in dual-use projects, so basically helping farmers to figure out how they can keep their land in operation while they have solar," he said. "It requires what we call a farmer-first mentality. The developers have got to be thinking and working with the farmers. Agrivoltaics is not the norm right now, but I'm surprised at all of the different applications that have come about just in the last few years."

OTHER GROUPS PUSH BACK

Mike Carberry, a board member for the Iowa Farmers Union and an advocate for renewable energy, said on the group's weekly webinar that REAP is one way to help a farmer or a rural business reduce their energy costs.

"That's really what REAP has helped them do through energy efficiency or producing their own energy," Carberry said. "We've seen it in dairy operations. We've seen it in hog operations. We've seen it in other businesses or farms that use a lot of energy. They are putting solar panels or a wind turbine on their farm -- not somebody else's farm, but on a farm they own; they own the land -- and they are able to reduce their costs."

Because of REAP, Carberry added, "The farmers and rural businesses have been able to stay in business by reducing their costs and through energy efficiency and renewable energy."

Other groups also have criticized USDA's decision. The Coalition for Community Solar Access pointed out REAP has funded thousands of projects, including more than $2.75 billion from 2023-2025.

"Farmers don't want Washington telling them what they can and can't do with their land--they want options," said Jeff Cramer, CEO and president of the Coalition for Community Solar Access. "Community solar gives them that freedom: the ability to supplement farm income, keep working lands in production, and hedge against volatile markets. Where USDA REAP is being scaled back, community solar is stepping up -- powered by private capital, embraced by state Farm Bureaus and rural communities, and delivering the freedom for farmers to decide what works best for them and their families."

RENEWABLE ENERGY NEEDED

While cutting renewable energy projects, the Department of Energy acknowledges the risk that most regions of the country "will face unacceptable reliability risks within five years," as the country's electrical grid won't be able to meet demand.

A report in early August by CoBank also pointed to challenges facing the electrical grid but also noted the country's reevaluation of solar projects.

"But let's be clear: Cost is not the driver for the reassessment of solar; solar power remains the cheapest and fastest form of electricity supply to respond to current shortages," CoBank stated. "Indeed, solar generation can be installed at a rate that is five times faster than all other new electricity sources combined and remains the lowest cost solution without subsidies."

Risley noted, "The demand for renewables is not going to go away because of all of this crazy amount of electric demand that is occurring in the United States, and that means all power generation sources are going to be necessary. And solar and wind are the cheapest, fastest ways to do that."

But solar is facing rising opposition, CoBank noted. Counties and states are also adding their own restrictions on solar development. Some of that stems from solar's rapid growth during the past decade.

Yet, without those power sources, Risley said energy prices are going to continue rising. He said solar also offers an income stream for a farmer who may be struggling with low commodities. Farmers can supplement their income by leasing some of their ground for renewable energy, while also looking at how to utilize the ground under solar panels for farming.

"Ultimately, it's their choice. It's their land. I would encourage them to talk. Landowners have got a lot more power today with solar developers to consider dual use, but we need landowners to be deeply involved in those conversations," Risley said.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.