You may already know what solar farms are, but just in case you are not familiar with them, may I offer some information. Some of you may already have solar panels on your rooftops. The solar farm concept is on a much larger scale and will provide an enormous amount of electricity for power companies. These farms are beginning to pop up in some unexpected areas.
A solar farm is a large collection of photovoltaic solar panels that absorb energy from the sun, convert it into electricity and send that electricity to a power grid for distribution and consumption by customers like you and me. Rather than mounting the panels on the rooftops of our homes, they are mounted to the ground. The size of the solar farm may vary from small to very large fields that were once used for agriculture.
Solar farms are beginning to sprout up across America. There are large farms that once grew food crops that are now solar farms. It sounds like a wonderful idea for the average person who could care less about farm land, but the greater debate will become, “Does green energy in this form cause a problem with food supply in the future?”
The objective of this message today is to simply enlighten and inform you of what could become a future concern or disaster. This message does not suggest I advocate for green energy or green farms. It does, however, recommend we understand and know what is happening in our communities and country. Too often we give attention to matters of this magnitude after the fact or when it is too late. You and I may not be impacted by this new wave of farming, but our grandchildren and future generations will determine later if it was a good or bad idea.
If you have traveled more than a hundred miles recently, you probably barely noticed what used to be farm land that grew crops that helped feed this nation. Some of those farms are now solar farms. It was surprising to recently watch acres of what used to be a soybean farm transform into a solar farm. The first thing I noticed was that it sits right on Croom Road and it is an eyesore. Once upon a time, Croom Road was considered a scenic route and probably still is, but someone has taken the opportunity to interfere with its natural beauty.
The American farmer has suffered tremendously over the last decade due to high fuel costs, fertilizer, chemicals, equipment, etc. There are other reasons why farms have been foreclosed on or difficulty sustaining them, but I will not spend time on that today. One cannot blame a farmer for transforming his/her farm land into solar farms, for the income is far greater with a solar farm. The farmer leases his property to a solar company for a number of years and harvest an income from solar power rather than the earth. The farm owner does not have to do anything to manage the solar farm for as long as it is leased out. One could say, “It is about time the farmer got a break.”
Journalist Sharyl Attkisson recently interviewed an elderly couple who has embraced the solar farm proposal, for it will allow them to live out the rest of their days in peace and harmony. They have labored hard over the years and see this new adventure as a blessing from God.
What I do advocate for is the farmer. The farmer has always gotten a bad rap. They are the heart and soul of this nation, for if it were not for these hard-working people, there would be no food on our tables.
Most farmers farm as a vocation because it is in their blood to do so. Generations before have done so and managed to sustain families. Some of us can attribute our success in life to the farm, for if it had not been for agriculture, where would we be? Our parents and grandparents took advantage of the land and did remarkable things.
Yes, everything is changing, but if we are not careful, we will self-destruct because of a lack of wisdom and foresight. We must be cautious, for big businesses sometime forget the damage that can be encountered in such business deals.
God calls us to be good stewards of the earth, and we have a responsibility to care for it. You may see instances in scripture that supports good stewardship in Jeremiah 2:7, Deuteronomy 11:12 and Genesis 2:15.
In closing, we are all called to use land, plants, and animals in a way that protects and improves the environment.
Not a sermon, just my thoughts!
Robert Earl Slade, Pastor
