Farmers, bipartisan leaders, and national organizations back community solar as a proven way to keep farmland in production, hedge against volatile commodity prices, and lower energy costs.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to severely restrict eligibility under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) strips family farms and rural businesses of a critical source of support for clean energy. Over its history, REAP funded thousands of projects and delivered billions in rural economic development, including more than $2.75 billion from 2023–2025 alone. Yet at the very moment Washington is pulling back, states, landowners, and bipartisan leaders are turning to community solar and other distributed solar and storage projects as a private-market solution that helps family farmers stay afloat while powering rural economies.
“Farmers don’t want Washington telling them what they can and can’t do with their land—they want options. Community solar gives them that freedom: the ability to supplement farm income, keep working lands in production, and hedge against volatile markets. Where USDA REAP is being scaled back, community solar is stepping up—powered by private capital, embraced by state Farm Bureaus and rural communities, and delivering the freedom for farmers to decide what works best for them and their families,” said Jeff Cramer, CEO and President of the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA).
Community solar projects give landowners the ability to lease small portions of their land for solar production while continuing to farm or graze livestock on the remaining land. With smaller projects, farmers can harness their underutilized or underperforming land for solar while farming the rest. Small community scale projects also allow for the use of agrivoltaics, which combines solar and traditional farming together, and is gaining traction nationwide as a way to combine clean energy production with food production, strengthen local economies, and keep farmland in active use.
“As a former state legislator and county commissioner, I’ve seen firsthand the power of community solar and agrivoltaics to support Colorado’s farmers and ranchers,” said Lori Saine. “Community solar proves that we can protect landowner rights and family farms, all while delivering local energy, creating local jobs, and helping rural communities thrive.”
The support for community scale solar and farming spans the political spectrum. In 2023, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—the nation’s largest organization of conservative state legislators—passed a resolution highlighting community solar as a market-driven, pro-farmer energy solution. State farm bureaus across the country have also advocated for legislation enabling community solar, recognizing its benefits in supporting rural resilience and economic security.
The USDA’s effective cancellation of REAP underscores the urgency of scalable, shovel-ready alternatives. Community solar, fueled by private investment and state leadership, is already delivering results by keeping land in production, providing reliable lease income to farmers, and cutting energy bills for households and businesses.
“Federal cuts don’t change the reality on the ground,” added Cramer. “Community solar is working in 19 states across the country. It’s the kind of innovation farmers want, families need, and rural economies deserve.”
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About CCSA
CCSA is a national trade association representing over 125 community solar developers, businesses, and nonprofits. Together, we are building the electric grid of the future where every customer has the freedom to support the generation of clean, local solar energy to power their lives. Through legislative and regulatory advocacy, and the support of a diverse coalition — including advocates for competition, clean energy, ratepayers, landowners, farmers, and environmental justice — we enable policies that unlock the potential of distributed energy resources, starting with community solar. For more information, visit https://www.communitysolaraccess.org and follow the group on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Youtube.