USDA Ends Solar Panel Subsidies on Farmland, Restricts Foreign-Made Panels
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced this week that the USDA will no longer fund taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland or permit the use of solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries in USDA-supported solar programs.
This major policy shift is seen as a win for farmers who have long expressed concern over the rapid spread of subsidized solar projects on agricultural land.
“Subsidized solar farms have made it more difficult for farmers to access the farmland, of course, by making it more expensive and less available,” officials noted. The issue extends beyond a single region, though Tennessee is projected to lose another 2 million acres of farmland this year alone.
In Georgia, Congressman Austin Scott offered a strong critique of solar developments replacing productive land:
“There is no such thing as a solar farm. It’s a waste of one of our most precious resources, our land. Extortion of the American taxpayers through solar subsidies and the destruction of our farm and forest resources has gone on too far.”
Scott praised the Secretary’s decision, calling it a step forward in protecting American agriculture:
“I commend Secretary Rollins for taking some action to keep taxpayer dollars from being wasted on solar panels or purchased by our adversaries like China and to no longer allow these unaffordable green projects to waste space on our American farmland and destroy our forest and wildlife habitat.”
This USDA policy change signals a significant shift in federal renewable energy support, prioritizing agricultural production and national security over land use for solar expansion. It also addresses rising concerns over reliance on solar technology from geopolitical rivals.
“But they’ve cutted it out, and that’s good news for farmers who want to keep their land open and farm it,” one farmer remarked.
With the new guidance in place, many in the agriculture industry are hopeful this move will relieve pressure on farmland availability and reduce competition with solar developers backed by federal subsidies.
Audio Reporting by Tyron Spearman for Southeast AgNet.