'You can't eat solar panels' farmers' post

A farmers’ advocacy account on X pushed a familiar rural argument back into circulation on May 21: “You can’t eat solar panels.” The post, published by NoFarmsNoFoods, paired farmland images with solar-array photos and drew replies from farmers, renewable-energy supporters and environmental advocates debating whether prime agricultural land should host utility-scale solar projects. The slogan itself is blunt, but the argument behind it is older than the post: who gets to decide whether land is used to grow crops, host energy infrastructure, or try to do both. The online dispute landed on top of an active policy fight already playing out in county zoning meetings, statehouses and farm organizations. ### Why did this post spread so quickly? May 21 was enough for the post to become a shorthand for a much larger argument because it condensed a complicated land-use fight into one line. The phrase challenged the idea that climate or clean-energy goals automatically justify converting open farmland into solar sites, and replies quickly split between food-security arguments and claims that renewable power is also a public necessity. (x.com) American Farmland Trust, which uses the “No Farms No Food” slogan in its own advocacy, has separately warned that solar expansion can create backlash if it is poorly sited. The group says the United States needs both renewable energy and productive farmland, and argues for what it calls “Smart Solar” policies rather than an all-or-nothing choice. ### Is the farmland concern grounded in real numbers? American Farmland Trust says 83% of expected future solar development could be sited on agricultural lands, with nearly half on the country’s most productive farmland, under its modeling of future buildout. (x.com) That forecast is one reason farm groups and local officials have focused not just on solar itself, but on where large projects are placed. (farmland.org) Reuters reported in April 2024 that solar development in states such as Indiana was reaching some of the country’s most productive cropland as developers sought flat land, transmission access and favorable economics. The report said the broader competition for land comes as U.S. farmland acreage has already declined over decades from conversion to residential, commercial and industrial uses. (farmland.org) ### Do solar backers say food and power can share the same land? The U.S. Department of Energy says they can in some cases. DOE defines agrivoltaics, or dual-use solar, as placing crops, livestock or pollinator habitat under or between solar panels, and says the approach is being studied with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to optimize both energy and agricultural production. (energynow.com) USDA climate-hub materials describe agrivoltaics as the use of land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic generation, while NREL says dual-use systems can maintain agricultural production on land underneath or between panels. Those approaches are often cited by solar supporters as a way to reduce the trade-off embedded in the “you can’t eat solar panels” line. (energy.gov) ### Why doesn’t that settle the argument? Local governments still control many siting decisions, and American Farmland Trust says state and local policymakers need proactive rules to maximize benefits for farmers while limiting harm to farm viability. In practice, the disputes often turn on parcel-by-parcel questions: soil quality, lease payments, drainage, decommissioning, transmission access and whether grazing or crop production is realistic on a given site. (climatehubs.usda.gov) The Environmental Protection Agency also points developers toward contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites through its RE-Powering initiative, a sign that some policymakers want more renewable projects steered away from prime farmland where possible. EPA says hundreds of renewable installations have already been identified on such sites across U.S. states and territories. ### What comes next after a viral post like this? (farmland.org) State and county hearings are the next arena, not X. American Farmland Trust says land-use outcomes will be shaped at the federal, state and local levels, while DOE and USDA are continuing to publish guidance on dual-use solar and farmland conservation. That means the next concrete steps are likely to come from zoning boards, permitting fights and farm-policy groups rather than from the social-media thread itself. (development2040.farmland.org) (epa.gov)