Landowners formed a new nonprofit trade association, Renewable Energy Farmers of America (REFA), to provide landowners with guidance and professional services for locating renewable energy on their land.
Structured to remain “farmer-focused” at every level, REFA’s board is composed strictly of landowners. However, developers and service providers may participate in non-voting roles.
“There was a real gap in support for landowners trying to navigate renewable energy projects on their own,” said Jeff Risley, executive director at REFA. “We saw the potential to bring farmers and ranchers together into a network where they can learn from each other, access tangible services and make sense of a complex and evolving energy landscape.”
Its membership is only open to landowners, but REFA offers partnership opportunities to renewable energy developers and farm suppliers. REFA also offers a professional membership to finance, insurance and legal providers. Some of the renewable energy companies partnered with REFA thus far include Pivot Energy, AES, EDP Renewables, Clearway, Apex Clean Energy, DTE, RWE and Acciona.
REFA said it provides its members with:
- access to contract lease experts;
- business and tax advice;
- educational opportunities to learn about how to manage relationships with neighbors;
- lease reviews and group negotiation opportunities;
- policy advocacy at local, state and federal levels; and
- access to landowners who have been through the renewable development process before.
“REFA exists to ensure landowners have the tools and support to make the best decisions for their future, while preserving their land and property rights for the next generation,” Risley said.
As perhaps a foreshadow of REFA’s policy work to come, REFA recently published its first stance on a policy issue. The Farmer’s First Initiative, which among other priorities, disincentivizes the use of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) federal funding for solar panels installed on productive farmland through prioritization points and regulatory action.
“We support the majority of the USDA ‘Farmers First’ initiative; however, we encourage the USDA to reconsider the policy stance against solar development on ‘productive farmland,’ as this approach may limit a farmer’s ability to diversify income through innovative renewable energy opportunities,” REFA said in its statement.
“Famers are best positioned to make decisions about their own operations,” REFA said.
Along with limited farmer autonomy, REFA said this component of the initiative reduces income diversification options, as solar leases can provide between $900 to $1,500 per acre annually compared to average farmland rent of $251 per acre.
REFA asked the USDA to support balanced solar development, such as prioritizing agrivoltaics research and deployment, which involves co-locating solar panels among crops in such a way that both benefit, while also providing the landowner with two sources of income.
Read about the latest agrivoltaic research, such as how solar panel height affects crop yields, or how solar grazing supports healthier sheep, here.
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