By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will no longer support solar and wind projects on productive farmland or allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be used in USDA-funded projects.

“Our prime farmland should not be wasted and replaced with green new deal subsidized solar panels. It has been disheartening to see our beautiful farmland displaced by solar projects, especially in rural areas that have strong agricultural heritage,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said.

According to USDA, solar panels on farmland have increased by nearly 50% nationwide since 2012.

“One of the largest barriers of entry for new and young farmers is access to land. Subsidized solar farms have made it more difficult for farmers to access farmland by making it more expensive and less available,” Rollins said.

USDA programs impacted by the announcement include the Rural Development Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan, which will no longer fund wind and solar projects.

Ground-mounted solar systems larger than 50 kilowatts or without documented historical energy usage will also be ineligible for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). USDA will ensure that American farmers and ranchers using wind and solar energy sources will install units that are right-sized for their facilities.

The decision aligns with the current administration’s broader push to slow development of wind and solar energy, which President Donald Trump has repeatedly called unreliable, expensive and dependent on Chinese supply chains.

The shift contrasts with policies under the Biden administration that encouraged renewable projects in rural areas as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand affordable clean energy.