Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) has expressed support for a recent decision by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to halt the use of federal funds for installing solar panels on productive farmland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also announced that it will prohibit the use of solar panels made by foreign adversaries in its projects.

“Transforming prime farmland into fields of solar panels drives up land prices on behalf of foreign investments, and limits production capabilities for surrounding farmers and ranchers. Taxpayers should not have to subsidize the transition of productive and useful farmland into a desert of solar panels,” said Senator Marshall. “I stand with Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration, who continue to show that they are fighting for rural America and putting our farmers and ranchers first.”

Secretary Rollins explained the rationale behind the policy shift: “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. 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,” she said. “We are no longer allowing businesses to use your taxpayer dollars to fund solar projects on prime American farmland, and we will no longer allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be used in our USDA-funded projects.”

Senator Marshall has previously worked with Secretary Rollins in efforts against foreign ownership of critical U.S. farmland and has introduced legislation aimed at protecting domestic agricultural resources.