Agriculture Secretary Rollins ends use of taxpayer dollars to build solar panels on US farmland

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday announced the Agriculture Department (USDA) will no longer spend taxpayer dollars to build solar panels on American farmland.

The department claimed on Tuesday that Tennessee alone has lost over 1.2 million acres of farmland in the past 30 years so the Green New Deal could build subsidized solar panels and the state is expected to lose a total of 2 million acres by 2027.

"This destruction of our farms and prime soil is taking away the futures of the next generation of farmers and the future of our country," Rollins said in a post on X. "Starting today, [USDA] will no longer deploy programs to fund solar or wind projects on productive farmland, ending massive taxpayer handouts. Also ENDING the use of panels made by foreign adversaries like China."

The Agriculture Department said the issue of solar panels being built on American farmlands extends beyond Tennessee, with solar panels on farmland nationwide having increased by nearly 50% since 2012.

"It has been disheartening to see our beautiful farmland displaced by solar projects, especially in rural areas that have strong agricultural heritage," Rollins said in a statement. "One of the largest barriers of entry for new and young farmers is access to land."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.