Solar farms on the rise? Fad or future?

[Mexican Squealer]

Been approached for years about leasing my Taylor county farm for solar. It’s not gonna happen in my life time but I have a hard time blaming someone else for taking the deal…it’s a whole lot of money for 25-30 years.

 

[elfiii]

When this boondoggle finally fails, which it will, is when the heartache comes. There will be a fist fight over where all those wore out solar panels are going to get dumped. Wait and see.

 

[DSGB]

West GA ROW Solar Project

 

[Throwback]

West GA ROW Solar Project

Rich guilt paid for those

 

[Jim Boyd]

Just like selling to a developer or anything else its up to the land owner to say no to this.

Amen

 

[Jim Boyd]

It’s not gonna happen in my life time but I have a hard time blaming someone else for taking the deal…it’s a whole lot of money for 25-30 years.

We judge when we have no right.

My buddy (who is also one of my lease holders) owns 230 acres.

Have hunted it for 10+ years and love the farm.

He has no intent to lease it out for solar and of that, I am glad.

But… he is 78, not in good health and his wife and child don’t live on the farm like he does.

So, if and when he dies - what will happen?

Nothing?

Sell the property?

Lease it out?

We will see but the point is - it is not my decision and you will not see me wringing my hands about it.

You wanna control land? Go buy it.

I don’t like the solar farms but I don’t like electric cars either.

Guess what - both will be COMMONPLACE.


Hand wringing and hysterics solve nothing.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Rich guilt paid for those

Maybe.

Most likely, GA tax money paid for them with some federal incentives.

If true / mine and your money paid for them.

 

[cowhornedspike]

I'm about to find out what kind of impacts a neighboring solar farm will have on my hunting property. Apparently it's several hundred acres and it's all being clear cut to make room. There's a 40-acre tract between our land and the solar farm, but I suspect it will push deer into neighboring properties. I don't like the idea of it but time will tell..

If your property has the habitat to hold 5 deer per ac then you will still have 5 deer per ac. Travel routes from neighboring property may change...maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, but you will still have the number that your property can sustain. The deer that were on that property will move away and some of them may stay with you while some of yours may move on. Overall it should not affect you much.

 

[Ihunt]

If your property has the habitat to hold 5 deer per ac then you will still have 5 deer per ac. Travel routes from neighboring property may change...maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, but you will still have the number that your property can sustain. The deer that were on that property will move away and some of them may stay with you while some of yours may move on. Overall it should not affect you much.

This is true but if all of the land around it is a solar farm you will only have “your” deer.

We all share the deer. They don’t live by property lines. Turn most of the land around your honey hole into a solar farm and the hunting will probably not be as good as it was.

There is a very large solar farm south of Perry right beside I-75. I’m guessing 600-700 acres. Maybe a little bigger or smaller. They have a sign claiming it provides power to 11,000 Georgia families like that’s impressive. So about 2 families per acre of property.

 

[killerv]

They are paying stupid money for scrub land for these farms, 7k an acre on average from my experience and others in the process. Plus good earnest money down.

We sold outright instead of leasing, while there is more money longterm leasing, the company couldn't or wouldn't tell us what would happen to all of the panels when the lease was over. They actually highfenced about 70 acres after the farm was built.

 

[Stickemdeep]

Like wind farms, much of what makes landowners say no is what their neighbors will think.

In fact, damaging divisions have been created among neighbors (and families) due to wind and solar farms.

But you know what - the same thing is said when someone sells a farm or timber for commercial or residential development.

Bottom line - to me, at least - is that it is their land and they can do what they like.

Much of it may be a shame but what what one man does with what belongs to him is of no consequence to me.

Now, could I be affected? You bet - what if my neighbor leased out his property along the entire east side of my place??

It would affect the herd on my property and I would not like it…. But it ain’t mine….

We have property in Texas and wind farms have become a point to where we have debated selling and moving further south. Every hill top within eyesight has a turbine on it and it seems like every one is constantly under work or not running 5 years after installing....

 

[Jim Boyd]

They are paying stupid money for scrub land for these farms, 7k an acre on average from my experience and others in the process. Plus good earnest money down.

We sold outright instead of leasing, while there is more money longterm leasing, the company couldn't or wouldn't tell us what would happen to all of the panels when the lease was over. They actually highfenced about 70 acres after the farm was built.

No sin in that.

Hope the deal was sweet.

If someone offers stupid money for my place, they can have it. $7k ain’t gonna do it though.

 

[Jim Boyd]

We have property in Texas and wind farms have become a point to where we have debated selling and moving further south. Every hill top within eyesight has a turbine on it and it seems like every one is constantly under work or not running 5 years after installing....

There is giant money there (I am sure some of it is .gov money).

My nephew and the husband of my niece have worked on the towers for several years now (Iowa and Missouri) and are making great money.

Like it or not, it is big money and here to stay.

 

[kmckinnie]

I’m sure this technology will advance or fail.
If they could harness the gravitational pull of the moon sone how to generate power. You might have something.

 

[rstallings1979]

No sin in that.

Hope the deal was sweet.

If someone offers stupid money for my place, they can have it. $7k ain’t gonna do it though.

What if your place had been in your family since 1776? Would that change anything?

 

[Jim Boyd]

What if your place had been in your family since 1776? Would that change anything?

Yep, it would change a lot.

Particularly if there were other heirs.

But it has not.

That answers your question (satisfactorily, I would hope).

I still stand on the fact that property that belongs to anyone can be sold for any reason they deem fit and generally, it is no one else’s business.

As always, some amount of respect and public decorum goes with ownership, where relatives and neighbors are concerned.

I have been asked multiple times to carve out a 2 acre or 5 acre tract for homesites. Not only do I not want to, I wil freely admit that my neighbors would be disappointed (maybe even disgusted) with me - and that does matter.

So - what is the point of the question?

 

[rstallings1979]

Yep, it would change a lot.

Particularly if there were other heirs.

But it has not.

That answers your question (satisfactorily, I would hope).

I still stand on the fact that property that belongs to anyone can be sold for any reason they deem fit and generally, it is no one else’s business.

As always, some amount of respect and public decorum goes with ownership, where relatives and neighbors are concerned.

I have been asked multiple times to carve out a 2 acre or 5 acre tract for homesites. Not only do I not want to, I wil freely admit that my neighbors would be disappointed (maybe even disgusted) with me - and that does matter.

So - what is the point of the question?

Just to get your train of thought was the point of the question. Your statement said "if someone offers stupid money they can have it" so it implied you will sell at the right price. My question was asked to see if your thoughts would change if it had been in your family for generations and your father would have never sold, your grandfather would have never sold etc. People think differently in situations like that...some will eventually fold if the price is high enough (your statement implied that) and some will not. I agree that it is your right or any other landowners right to do so. I was just curious if your idea of "if someone offers stupid money" would change depending on a historical connection to the property.

My train of thought is that I do not care what the price is I am not going to sell to a solar company unless it was a last resort...example...my wife or kids needed a special cancer treatment that costs thousands a month or they were hungry and I could not provide them with food.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Just to get your train of thought was the point of the question. Your statement said "if someone offers stupid money they can have it" so it implied you will sell at the right price. My question was asked to see if your thoughts would change if it had been in your family for generations and your father would have never sold, your grandfather would have never sold etc. People think differently in situations like that...some will eventually fold if the price is high enough (your statement implied that) and some will not. I agree that it is your right or any other landowners right to do so. I was just curious if your idea of "if someone offers stupid money" would change depending on a historical connection to the property.

My train of thought is that I do not care what the price is I am not going to sell to a solar company unless it was a last resort...example...my wife or kids needed a special cancer treatment that costs thousands a month or they were hungry and I could not provide them with food.

Very well said and you are right, of course.

I have other thoughts (not to be taken as an argument) and they right along the lines of thought you have outlined.

At work just now, however.

 

[specialk]

part of a timber farm in NC and was approached...we were in negotiations when the county put a halt on solar for 1 yr, now they want a ''cut'' of the pie as well...the solar guys never came back.....

 

[rstallings1979]

Very well said and you are right, of course.

I have other thoughts (not to be taken as an argument) and they right along the lines of thought you have outlined.

At work just now, however.

Understood...I know of two situations where generational land was inherited and divided up among siblings. The siblings were all approached by Solar and one decides to sell and the others rejected all offers noting their dad, dad's dad, and great great grandfather would roll in their grave if they sold. Needless to say their family gatherings aren't as prevalent as they once were. Granted the one sibling who sold now owns a nice vacation house at the beach that he and his family get to use. Sounds like a season of the Yellowstone show doesn't it?