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Wind and solar “invading” Midwest crop land

A central Illinois farmer is concerned quality Midwest farmland is being taken over by new wind and solar power infrastructure.

Len Corzine of Assumption, IL tells Brownfield, as legislators create cleaner energy policies, they forget to add in the cost of farmland retirement.

“This is an invasion of the most productive farmland on the planet. In many areas of the Corn Belt, we have the most productive soils in the world and we also have the right climate where we don’t need irrigation, for the most part. That is was helps us sustainably produce food. To take that out of production is really counter-productive and I think we need a reality check in that regard.” 

Luke Worrell with Worrell Land Services in Jacksonville, IL tells Brownfield there isn’t enough data yet to know how much this is impacting land prices and availability, “Because we are just on the cusp of seeing some of these projects come to fruition. This will be a fascinating topic to follow moving into the future.”

In a recent survey of Illinois farm managers and rural appraisers, 40% said they have at least one farm with an arrangement with a wind company and 38% manage at least one farm having an agreement with a solar company.