Food and farms

Solar

In new attack on solar, lawmakers spread myths about potato farms

Misinformation about renewable energy fuels local pushback to proposed energy installations and could threaten farmers’ livelihoods.

By Austyn Gaffney . 1 June 2026

Stack of russet potatoes in a black bin — (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Food and farms

Trump is blocking solar for farmers. Can the Farm Bill fix that?

REAP had been helping farmers go solar and save money since 2008, until Trump came along. A looming Farm Bill vote could seal its fate — or solve its problems.

By Kari Lydersen . 27 April 2026
Food and farms

Federal policy on biofuels goes from bad to worse under Trump

The administration’s lavish biofuel subsidies for farmers are bad for consumers and the planet, but the problem goes way beyond his administration.

By Michael Grunwald . 16 April 2026
Clean energy

This Ohio county put a ban on wind and solar. Will voters reverse it?

Richland County blocked large-scale renewables in most townships. Voters now have a rare opportunity to overturn that policy at the ballot box.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 13 April 2026
Solar

‘We’re harvesting the sun’: A huge solar project grows in California

A sweeping plan to build 21 gigawatts of solar plus batteries on 136,000 acres could be a lifeline for Central Valley farmers facing devastating water shortages.

By Jeff St. John . 24 March 2026
Emissions reduction

Will the EU water down its new carbon tariff?

On Jan. 1, the bloc launched its world-first fee on the carbon emissions of imported goods. A European Commission proposal to allow exemptions is drawing ire.

By Alexander C. Kaufman . 24 February 2026
Food and farms

Fear of farmland loss slows solar and wind development

Renewable energy projects can help small-scale farmers make ends meet, but some rural residents don’t like changes to the agricultural landscape.

By Claire Carlson . 18 February 2026
Food and farms

Missouri Senate considers bills to halt solar development on farmland

Proposals to stop or rein in large-scale solar projects drew emotional testimony and highlighted growing conflicts over land use and property rights.

By Rudi Keller . 5 February 2026
Solar

Is solar really overrunning farmland? Data in North Carolina says no.

Arrays occupy a “minuscule” share of farmland even though the state is a solar leader, a new study finds — belying claims from the Trump admin and others.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 29 January 2026
Solar

The biggest US solar-storage project yet takes shape in California

Westlands Water District approved 21 gigawatts of solar and batteries on water-parched fields in the Central Valley, giving farmers a way to profit from fallow land.

By Jeff St. John . 12 January 2026
Solar

North Carolina training site pairs sheep grazing with solar

A state university just opened a unique agrivoltaics demo site where sheep farmers and solar developers will learn what it takes to share land.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 16 December 2025