Are Solar "Farms" Really Farms?
Maryland Farmers Are Worried - By Scott McCann
For generations, Maryland’s farmers have done the hard work that keeps our communities alive—feeding families, fueling the poultry industry, and protecting the rural way of life that defines our state. But now, Christine Condon reports in Maryland Matters that slick out‑of‑state solar companies are flooding rural mailboxes with glossy fliers and too‑good‑to‑be‑true promises: $4,500, $5,000, even $7,000 per acre to cover our fields with steel and glass. “Harvest Profits,” the fliers say, as if our land is just another commodity for bureaucrats and energy speculators.
Farmers like Howard Dean of Queen Anne’s County have had enough.
“I get three or four solar invitations a day,” Dean said. “I want the farmland to stay farmland. I want future generations to enjoy this beautiful county and this Eastern Shore.”The problem isn’t just the high‑pressure sales pitches—it’s Annapolis. This year, the Democrat‑controlled General Assembly pushed through a law that strips counties of much of their local authority to regulate solar projects. In other words, the same politicians who claim to care about the environment are willing to sacrifice farmland to meet their one‑size‑fits‑all green energy mandates.
Farmers see the danger clearly:
Solar fields don’t feed Maryland families or our poultry industry.
Thousands of acres of corn, wheat, and soybeans risk being replaced by rows of panels feeding the grid instead of the chicken houses that sustain our economy.The new law sets a “5% cap” on solar in agricultural preservation areas—but that cap is dangerously high.
In small counties, 5% of priority farmland is no small number. Once the land is gone, it’s gone for good.So‑called “temporary” solar farms threaten the soil.
Farmers have watched topsoil scraped away for panel installation, destroying the natural balance that God and generations of stewardship created. Industry lobbyists promise the land can “come back to farming,” but farmers know better—once the soil is disturbed, it may never truly recover.Government is picking winners and losers.
Urban Democrats want rural Maryland to shoulder the entire burden for their green dreams while ignoring common‑sense alternatives like rooftop solar, parking lot canopies, or industrial brownfields.
Meanwhile, the solar companies shrug. “We’re not taking over all the farmland,” they say, as if that’s supposed to reassure the families whose livelihoods depend on it. In reality, solar developers are cherry‑picking the flattest, driest, most productive fields, because that’s where the grid connections and profits are easiest.
Eastern Shore farmer Bobby Hutchison put it plainly:
“My family has been here for generations. This land means more to us than a quick payout. Why should we lose our farms so a developer can cash in on state‑mandated solar quotas?”Even farmers across the state—those who don’t always see eye to eye—are uniting in opposition. Montgomery County’s “hobby farmers” and Eastern Shore grain growers are discovering a common cause: rural Maryland is being sacrificed to Annapolis’s energy agenda.
Republicans in the legislature warned this would happen. They argued for local control, respect for private property rights, and a balanced approach that doesn’t gut our farm economy to check a political box for green activists. Democrats waved them off, siding with the solar lobby and leaving farmers with a law that puts Annapolis in the driver’s seat over their land.
Maryland Farm Bureau President Jamie Raley warns the consequences could be generational:
“If we lose too much farmland to solar, we make it harder for young farmers to get started, and we risk driving out the poultry industry that feeds the Shore. We need to preserve our farms for the next generation.”The fight isn’t over. Farmers have organized through the Farmers Alliance for Rural Maryland and nearly succeeded in bringing this law to a statewide referendum. They’re sending a message to Annapolis: rural Maryland won’t quietly let its heritage, economy, and future be paved over in the name of political green virtue signaling.
As Caroline County farmer Matthew Jones put it:
“You can’t just move God’s topsoil and think you can put it back. Once this land is gone, it’s gone.”
Endnotes
Maryland General Assembly, 2025 Session: Renewable Energy Community Act (RECA) bill text and legislative history.
Maryland Farm Bureau: Public statements on farmland preservation and opposition to large‑scale solar encroachment.
Queen Anne’s County Farmer Testimony: Howard Dean interview, May 2025.
Maryland Association of Counties (MACo): Reports on county zoning authority and concerns over state pre‑emption.
Maryland Climate and Energy Goals: Maryland Department of the Environment, “Statewide Solar Generation Targets,” 2024.
Eastern Shore Poultry Industry: Economic impact studies from Perdue and Mountaire Farms on local grain sourcing.
Farmland Topsoil Concerns: Statements from local farmers and Maryland Farm Bureau on long‑term agricultural damage from solar projects.
Farmers Alliance for Rural Maryland (FARM): Petition drive records opposing RECA, Spring 2025.
Republican Legislative Commentary: Floor debates and committee hearings highlighting GOP objections to farmland loss and local control erosion.
Industry Response: Interviews with Standard Solar and Chaberton Energy representatives regarding project development and soil preservation practices.
Scott McCann is a Contributor for Direct Line News can be reached at Scott.McCann@mcgopclub.com