Some of the most contentious and polarizing issues that I’ve dealt with as a former public official have been land use issues. Often it involved the expansion of a hog or poultry operation which would elicit the ire and opposition of rural residents. The larger livestock and poultry operations, which were mostly family farms, were immediately labeled as “industrial farms.” That means big, and by inference, bad! Subsistance farms were okay, but a modern, efficient farm that capitalized on economy of scale and new technology was scorned by caterwauling opposition groups.
The recent announcement that Frasier Solar has contracted with local farmers and landowners in Miller and Clinton townships to lease 840 acres to construct a solar farm has polarized our community, which is evidenced by yard signs proclaiming “No Industrial Solar.” It is readily understandable that neighbors would have questions and concerns about such a project. These concerns should be fully and openly addressed in a public forum.
Private property rights are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. They serve as the bedrock of our capitalistic economy, and most farmers consider them to be sacrosanct. At the 2023 annual policy meeting of the Ohio Farm Bureau, a resolution was submitted, opposing energy production, including solar, on farm ground. It was voted down by 90% of the delegates. Additionally, Ohio’s livestock and poultry associations in 2022 sent a joint letter to every County Commissioner in Ohio, pleading with them to not restrict property rights when it comes to solar energy production. Most farmers realize that any encroachment on private property rights can be a very slippery slope.
Agriculture is a capital intensive industry, and much of that capital is invested in farmland. Most farmers regard their land as a major part of their retirement program. The land might be rented, bequeathed, or even sold for development. Those proceeds are often used to pay for retirement expenses, or even as an inheritance for those children who choose not to return to the farm. When private property rights are usurped, a farmer’s retirement portfolio is immediately devalued.
Farmland preservation is a very important issue, and while a solar farm does not permanently remove farmland from production, many other uses usually do, such as rural housing, warehouses, strip malls, airports, golf courses, storage facilities, trailer courts, five-acre ranchettes, and even industrial sites such as Intel. While at the ODA, I established an Office of Farmland Preservation. That program, rather than trampling on private property rights, gives farmers options to access the value of their land. At this point, that program has permanently preserved, through the purchase of development rights, almost 100,000 acres of farmland in Ohio, including a number of farms right here in Knox County. Kenyon College, through it’s Philander Chase Conservancy, has made particularly good use of this program to help preserve farmland and the bucolic character of their environs.
My advocacy has been and always will be for farmers and their private property rights. Solar farms have to stand on their own merits. But, they can be integrated with our local agricultural industry. For example, Knox County has traditionally ranked first of all 88 counties in sheep and lamb production. United Producer’s Inc. operates a collection point on SR-13 between Mount Vernon and Fredericktown. Approximately 2,000 head of sheep, lambs, and goats pass through that facility each week. It is currently undergoing expansion. Frasier solar will pay local sheep producers to graze their sheep on these solar farms to control forage growth. Such an arrangement can be a boon for these local producers.
Voters will soon be going to the polls to select two County Commissioners for Knox County. Many of these candidates are pandering to these opposition groups. Our county needs strong leadership as we address the growth issues we are likely to encounter. We need leaders who won’t get wobbly and succumb to the pressures de jour. We also need commissioners who understand the importance of our farmers, farmland, and private property rights.
As Knox County continues to grow, you can expect that we will soon be dealing with many more land use issues. If agriculture is to remain a viable part of that growth, we must preserve and be very respectful of private property rights.
Editor’s note: Fred Dailey is the longest serving Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Ohio history. He was appointed by President Bush, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as Chairman of the Federal Agriculture Mortgage Corporation. He resides with his wife, Rita, on a cattle farm in Knox County.
Fred Dailey
Miller Township, Knox County