In December of 2017, the Maine Farmland Trust organized a farmland succession conference in which Commissioner Walter E. Whitcomb of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shared this concern: should Maine have a state policy on the development of solar farms on agricultural lands? If so, what would be the parameters of such a restrictive policy? How might such restrictions impact farmer's income through diversification? What would be the environmental costs and benefits for solar farming on farmland?
The University of Southern Maine Food Studies Program researched answers to these questions as a class. Their findings and recommendations are incorporated into individual policy briefs.
Submissions from 2018
Maine Farmland: Sprouting Solar Crops Needs Policy, Allison Berguin
Proposal for Consideration - Solar Farming Development, Zachary Cross
Solar Farms & Agriculture – Mutually Beneficial or Problematic?, Catherine Darragh
Solar Farming in Maine: An Objective Overview, Carmen DeMartis
Maine's State Policy For Solar Farms on Agricultural Land., Elliot James Lee
Solar Energy on Farmland, Eden Martin
Solar energy on the farm, Kate McCarty
Solar Siting on Agricultural Land: Should solar be a diversification tool for Maine farmers?, Mary Moran
Solar Farms on Agricultural Land, Rebecca Pratt
A Contested Domain: Implications for solar farming on agricultural land, Mark D. White
