Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he’d need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal.
To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively halted grants through the program. Bell said that made it impossible to proceed with the idea on his land.
“For me, it’s just been about freedom. Freedom to lower bills, freedom to control my own assets,” he said.
Many farmers work on the thinnest margins, fighting to stay profitable. Some, looking to cut costs on electricity, turn to the federal government for a little extra cash to help them install solar panels on top of barns, grain elevators, or offices. Others turn to commercial renewable energy leases as both an alternative income stream and a way to put fallow land to work.
Within the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, two federal programs critical to the growth of solar energy production — REAP and the clean energy tax credit — have been rolled back. To document how those policy changes are affecting farmers, The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development across the country.
Bell, for his part, decided to go a different route: Instead of building on his own property, he’s asked to build two new temporary barns on land owned by a commercial solar operation where he’s paid to graze his sheep beneath solar panels to keep the grass down. If the business approves his request, the barns could draw cheaper power from their operation. But not every farmer has that opportunity.
The effects of these policy shifts are uneven. Some solar projects are stalled because of permitting hang-ups. Some are right on schedule. But, taken together, the findings reveal how the collapse of federal support for solar has spread across American agriculture from major corporations to family farms.
Through REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. The program has funded more than 19,000 grants totaling more than $1.8 billion since its inception nearly two decades ago. Many of the farmers whose awards or applications were affected as Trump took office again have found the economic landscape even more difficult to weather.
Elisa Lane, a flower and fruit farmer, experienced significant stress waiting for her REAP grant approval, illustrating the urgency and unpredictability faced by many in rural areas aiming to transition to renewable energy solutions.
With proposals suspended and grant cycles stalled, developers continue to seek ways to pivot, some even work to ensure projects come online before tax credits expire. Without federal guidance, the future of renewable energy for farmers remains uncertain.
