Bright Future Iowa | Linn County Farmers' Rights

TELL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS:

67% of Iowa voters agree farmers should not be told by the government what to do with their land - they have the right to use their land how they choose, including to develop solar energy projects.

Many farmers who lease a portion of their land to solar companies are provided with financial security which allows them to continue to farm the rest of their land and keep it in their families.

Send your email in before the meeting on May 19th

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68% of Iowans support new solar energy projects.

Why Farmers Might Decide to Lease Land to Solar Farms

Reliable source of income for decades

Income secure from bad weather or drought

Diversify their income

Today Iowa’s farmers decide to grow crops for a variety of purposes, including corn for ethanol and soybeans for soybean oil, to replace machine grease. Solar farming is another option.

No farmland lost

Solar companies must return the land to its original state at the end of the project. Farmland owners can return their land to crop farming after decommissioning if they choose.

Iowans Support Solar

Solar farms provide clean, affordable energy, bring millions in private economic investment to the area and help attract new business

We view this project as a risk management tool. Any active or retired farmer…knows that every farmer faces multiple risks each crop year. These can range from weather, weeds, bugs, disease, and fluctuations in input costs. Adding solar into our farm portfolio will help us manage these risks. Instead of harvesting just corn and soybeans, we now will be harvesting the sun’s energy as well.

Iowa Farmerat recent Linn County Hearing

I believe solar energy and solar farms are part of the future for rural counties and will contribute to their sustained growth and success across the nation.

Linda LangstonFormer Linn County Supervisor

Whose choice should it be to harvest corn, soybeans, or the sun? Both tradition and present-day Iowans alike say, “the farmer!”

Swati DandekarChairman of Bright Future Iowa

Percentage of farmland used

Solar projects typically use less than 1% of County farmland. That farmland is voluntarily leased to the projects by farmers, who are best suited to decide what is best for their land and families.

Solar panels are solid

Solar panels are solid and sealed and cannot be penetrated by rainwater. In the same way the screens on the smartphones we carry with us all the time do not leak, solar panels do not leach.

Removal of solar panels

At the end of the project the companies must remove all the panels and equipment and return the land to its original state.

Solar panels are safe for the enviroment

As the Sierra Club states: Solar power “has no carbon emissions and NO other harmful toxic emissions, including mercury, lead and cadmium.”

Soil preservation

Proper soil management during the project contributes to agricultural sustainability. Farmers can resume planting crops after decommissioning if they choose.

Solar energy generated will power local homes

Much of the electricity produces stays local as it’s contracted with local utilities, such as Alliant or local cooperatives. Regardless of where the power goes, local communities around the solar farm benefit regardless of where the power goes. Tax revenue and economic investment money all support the local community. We don’t require that corn grown here or goods manufactured here be sold only here, and it’s no different with electricity. In other words, electrons out, dollars in.

Corn or Solar – Let the farmer decide what’s best for their land.

Voluntary placement of solar panels is another way farmers can earn a living from their own land, if that’s what they want.