USDA Ends Funding for Solar, Wind Projects on Farmland
'Millions of acres of prime farmland is left unusable so Green New Deal subsidized solar panels can be built. 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,' she said.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Amid deep cuts, USDA spent thousands on 31-foot Trump banners
At a time when the U.S. Department of Agriculture was slashing aid to schools and food banks in the name of fiscal responsibility, newly confirmed Secretary Brooke Rollins elected to spend thousands of dollars to purchase massive banners of President Donald Trump, one of which now hangs outside her department's headquarters in Washington, DC, according to documents obtained by Salon. In May, visitors to the nation's capital noticed two, 31-foot additions to the USDA's building on Independence Avenue, ostensibly intended to mark its 163rd anniversary: a banner featuring President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the bill creating the department, and another featuring Trump, both featuring the tagline: 'Growing America Since 1862.' Rollins, who cofounded the America First Policy Institute with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, was confirmed as Agriculture secretary in a 72-28 vote this past February. In a post on X, she noted the installation of the banners, which was captured by a USDA staff photographer: '163 years after Lincoln founded @USDA, President Trump's bold vision is ushering in a Golden Age for our farmers.' The banners were printed and installed by a Maryland-based contractor, Timsco Graphics, at a cost of $16,400, per a work order that Salon received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. While only two banners are presently hanging outside the USDA building, the order, signed by USDA procurement officer Holly Votruba, describes the contracted work as being for the hanging of '3 large banners on the Whitten Building in conjunction with the Secretary's priority.'In a previously issued statement, a department spokesperson said the banners were intended to mark historical occasions. 'USDA has much to remember in the coming months,' the spokesperson told the fact-checking website Snopes, citing the 163rd anniversary of the department's founding, Flag Day — which coincided with Trump's birthday and military parade — and July 4th. 'USDA is the only federal agency located on the National Mall. The banners on the building's facade observe these moments in American history and acknowledge the vision and leadership of USDA's founder, Abraham Lincoln, and the best advocate of America's farmers and ranchers, President Trump.' (Keith Prichard/LinkedIn) A LinkedIn post from Timsco Graphics CEO Keith Prichard shows a banner featuring President Donald Trump and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. Only two of the three banners purchased by USDA are publicly displayed, however. A third banner also featured Trump — and just behind his left shoulder, Rollins herself. That banner appears to have been the one originally slated to go up alongside Lincoln, per a May 13 LinkedIn post from Timsco Graphics CEO Keith Prichard. 'Timsco Graphics crew working late tonight getting it done! Second banner going up soon!' Prichard wrote. His post was accompanied by three photos: one of the Lincoln banner, already hanging; a broader shot of the Whitten Building, with the annotation 'one more' and an outline of where the second banner would be placed; and a third showing the Lincoln banner and the Trump-Rollins banner beside each other on the floor of a warehouse. It is not clear why that banner was not installed, nor where it is today. USDA did not respond to requests for comment. The post Amid deep cuts, USDA spent thousands on 31-foot Trump banners appeared first on
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins: American Farmland Is Not for Chinese Solar Panels
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In rural Tennessee, standing before more than 1,200 farmers, ranchers, and future farmers of America, I unveiled the next step in protecting our family farms and our way of life: ending taxpayer subsidization of foreign solar panels on prime farmland. Over the past few years, the unchecked expansion of solar farms, heavily subsidized by the federal government and fueled by foreign adversaries like China, has proved a serious obstacle for new farmers. The massive amount of prime farmland consumed by these projects makes land more expensive, less available, and out of reach for the next generation of producers. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a news conference in the State Capitol on August 15, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a news conference in the State Capitol on August 15, 2025, in Austin, of the biggest barriers for new farmers is access to farmland. In a nation blessed with 880 million acres of farmland, it is unacceptable to price young families out of the American Dream. That's why the Department of Agriculture in the Trump-Vance administration is taking bold action to eliminate USDA programs that spend taxpayer dollars subsidizing solar panels on productive farmland. In the last 30 years in Tennessee alone, farmers have already lost over 1.1 million acres and are projected to lose another 2 million acres by 2027. Across the country, solar panels on farmland have skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent since 2021. While cash rents are already climbing, averaging $160 per acre this year, solar companies are luring landowners with payouts as high as $1,500 per acre annually. That puts family farmers in an impossible position during tough economic times. The consequences extend far beyond farmland loss. Solar panel construction damages the soil, compacts the ground, and changes drainage patterns, threatening nearby productive acreage. The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act and federal solar tax credits have only worsened this problem, accelerating competition for farmland and driving up costs. This is perhaps one of the greatest moral crimes of the past administration, in that it enlisted both the American taxpayer and the government of the United States against the American farmer—and it now ends. Ending these reckless subsidies is about more than protecting farmland; it's about securing American energy dominance. For too long, Washington has forced taxpayers to underwrite unreliable and expensive energy sources like wind and solar, leaving our grid weaker and our nation more dependent on foreign supply chains controlled by our adversaries. Thanks to President Donald Trump's July executive order on ending market-distorting subsidies for unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources, those days are over. No American tax dollars will be funneled to Beijing for unreliable energy projects. We are taking this action because agriculture is not only America's first industry, but its foundational industry. And when I look out at today's farmers, I also see the next generation, men and women who will carry forward the torch of liberty that has secured the promise of America for almost 250 years. Through the next 41 months, we will leave no stone unturned in protecting our farmland, strengthening our family farms, and defending a way of life that has carried our nation through every challenge. Brooke L. Rollins is the 33rd United States secretary of Agriculture. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Foot of the Mountain Farm brings Franklin County flavor to D.C.
Foot of the Mountain Farm participated in the USDA Great American Farmers Market in Washington, D.C. The event took place Aug. 3-8 and celebrated farming, family and food, according to a community announcement. The market was set up on the National Mall, just behind the Washington Monument. It featured 50 representatives from 26 states, highlighting the importance of agriculture in the United States. The Varisano family, owners of Foot of the Mountain Farm, had the opportunity to share their experiences with visitors. Among those who visited their stand were Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Great American Farmers Market coincided with National Farmers Market Week, emphasizing the significance of farming in the country. This initiative is part of the national recognition of America's 250th birthday. Foot of the Mountain Farm is in the northern tip of Franklin County, in the village of Concord in Fannett Township. The farm's produce is available at the North Square Farmers Market on Saturdays from May to October in downtown Chambersburg. Additionally, Foot of the Mountain distributes its products at farmers markets in Adams and Cumberland counties. For more information about Foot of the Mountain Farm, visit the farm's Instagram page or website. To learn more about Franklin County and its fresh food offerings, visit This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at The Public Opinion, The Record Herald, Echo-Pilot are growing their local news This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Franklin County farm featured at National Mall market Solve the daily Crossword
