USDA slashes funding for wind and solar on farmland at TN breakfast
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that projects funding wind and solar energy with taxpayer money on farmland will be eliminated at the 10th Annual Tennessee FFA Foundation Ham Breakfast.
The Future Farmers of America Ham Breakfast was held Monday at the Farm Bureau Expo Center and was sold-out, drawing a crowd of nearly 1,200 people. Keynote speaker was USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, joined by Gov. Bill Lee, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rep. John Rose and USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden.
Additionally, no solar panels manufactured by “foreign adversaries” will be used in USDA projects. No officials present defined which countries fall under “foreign adversaries”; however, common countries cited by the government include China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
Rollins was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year at the start of Trump’s second term. Rollins said the move is to keep more productive farmland available to farmers.
“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,” Rollins said. “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.”
Gov. Lee tied farmland to national security and economic prosperity. During the opening ceremony of the Wilson County — Tennessee State Fair, Lee repeatedly emphasized the importance of agriculture to Tennessee.
“What happens in rural Tennessee matters to all Tennesseans, and this significant investment in our rural communities will strengthen farmland preservation, enhance infrastructure, and expand educational opportunities for the next generation of farmers,” Lee said during the FFA Ham Foundation Breakfast.
“Tennessee farmland should be used to grow the crops that feed our state and country, not to house solar panels made by foreign countries,” Blackburn said. “Secretary Rollins and President Trump are right to put an end to these Green New Deal subsidies that waste taxpayer dollars while threatening America’s food security.
This announcement comes on the heels of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which slashed incentives for wind and solar energy production and emphasized the administration’s support for biofuels. Such fuels are produced in the nation’s farmlands, with one example being ethanol, which is derived from corn. It also restricted the use of Chinese-made solar panel components.
Additionally, Rollins announced nearly $89 million in Congressionally directed investments for 13 rural projects across Tennessee. The USDA says these projects will promote partnerships and invest in critical infrastructure in the state.
“We are working every day at USDA to ensure our family farmers have the tools and markets to keep farming for generations to come. Rural Tennessee helps feed and fuel America and the world, and President Trump is committed to investing in these communities so they continue to be productive and fulfilling places to live for generations to come,” Rollins said. “If our farmers and ranchers do not have the resources to continue to farm, then we cannot feed ourselves. President Trump understands how important it is to have a safe, secure, and resilient farm economy,”
Effective immediately, the USDA is implementing regulations which impact farmers utilizing wind and solar energy sources. The USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program Guaranteed Loan Program will not be available for project applications which include ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems larger than 50 kilowatts or that cannot document historical energy usage.