America's rural communities keep the country running by producing the food and energy we need to power our nation. In places where agriculture is a way of life, harvesting the wind is just like any other kind of farming – and it offers a predictable, drought- and weather-resistant source of income that can help stabilize a farm’s finances, particularly in lean years.
Whether you raise crops or livestock, farming is about turning natural resources into products that are useful to humans. Harvesting the wind is no different – and with 30-40% of U.S. corn going to ethanol, many farmers are already in the energy business.
Modern wind farms are spread across large areas of land, but although the external boundary of a large wind farm might encompass thousands of acres, on average, each turbine and its access road will only take about 2 acres out of use. Farmers and ranchers typically appreciate the addition of these access roads, which make it easier to reach different areas of their land and check on crops and livestock!
Farmers and ranchers are keenly aware of how to earn the most income from their land, and most find that the income they can earn from a turbine is much greater than what they would have earned from other uses of that same land.
Many farmers and ranch owners say wind made it possible for them to keep their properties, particularly in years when their income from other sources took a hit.
Livestock aren’t bothered by wind turbines (and the same is true for wildlife). The internet is full of photos of dairy and beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats grazing calmly around wind turbines. Livestock also appreciate the shade offered by the turbine towers and will often move with the shadows – a phenomena sometimes called a “bovine sundial.”
Wind energy is America’s lowest-cost and fastest-growing source of new power. The U.S. currently gets more than 10% of its electricity from wind power – and eight states get more than 25% of their electricity from wind. A single, average turbine installed in the U.S. today produces enough clean energy to power about 1,000 homes – put differently, the average turbine produces enough power in 45 minutes to supply one U.S. home for one month.
Hosting wind farms is about more than producing clean energy – it's about sustaining and enhancing agricultural communities for generations to come.
Across the country, wind energy is creating jobs and delivering revenue to rural economies – to the tune of $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments in 2022. Communities are using these funds to support investments in roads, schools, and essential services like hospitals and fire departments.
Hosting wind turbines offers farmers and their families a stable, predictable source of income they can rely on. Many farmers and ranch owners say wind made it possible for them to keep their properties, particularly in years when their income from other sources took a hit. The extra income from lease payments gives landowners the breathing room they need to invest in equipment and property improvements, which makes their overall operation more sustainable. Even better, wind farms require minimal water during construction and none during operations, making them an ideal choice in regions with strained water resources.
Hosting wind farms is about more than producing clean energy – it's about sustaining and enhancing agricultural communities for generations to come. Wind energy is just one more way rural agricultural communities are contributing to the nation's energy independence while also conserving their land and preserving their way of life for future generations.
Across America, wind farms are revitalizing rural economies by introducing new sources of income for towns, counties, and families. These predictable, long-term revenue streams are breathing new life into communities by supporting investments and spending that benefit everyone.
In terms of wildlife, wind projects are understood to have greater potential for risk than solar or energy storage projects, which are relatively low to the ground and don’t have moving parts. Fortunately, many of the issues seen with the first U.S. wind farms built some 40 years ago have been addressed and resolved.
Across the United States, many rural communities have deep roots in agriculture and a long history of using the land to generate value. Often, these places are also attractive to companies seeking locations to build solar farms. But is a solar farm really farming? And how does solar interact with other agricultural activities like growing crops and ranching?
