At this rate of growth, how much farm land will still be available within the USA in the next 5 to 10 years?
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Letter to the Editor
I find myself very distraught to have to write this letter.
I never thought the local townships, Livingston County nor even the State of Michigan would treat the people they were entrusted to serve in this manner.
Just to be clear.....I am wholeheartedly against any Large Scale Utility Solar Complexes on agricultural land.
I am finding this letter difficult to write just because of the negative emotions, the feelings of betrayal and deceit we have all felt with how these projects are unfolding, the propaganda and bullying tactics the power developers are using, and the total lack of transparency and ethics from many of our local leadership.
I am an active voter. I vote on issues important to me and not necessarily party lines. I find myself in a unified alliance with my fellow neighbors and residents of the several small townships, of both party affiliations, against any Large Scale Industrial Utility Solar Complexes in our communities.
I find myself disappointed in our local leadership that the residents of our townships—our neighbors, our families, our friends—are only just now finding out that up to 4 Large Scale Utility Power Companies have been signing leases with large agricultural landowners in our communities for the past two years at least.
I am disappointed that more wasn’t done to educate and communicate with the public. I am disappointed in that our local leadership did not do more to protect their citizens of the townships they took an oath to protect.
Shame on those who would not recuse themselves for perceived conflict of interests. Shame on those that continue to put themselves in situations that could be deemed unethical.
Shame on myself, for not paying closer attention to my local government, and by turning a blind eye, allowing this to happen.
I have been woken up, as have my neighbors and fellow residents of our townships. We are now paying
attention. We are watching. This will not, cannot happen again.
The power companies are very good about changing the narrative. It feels like we are talking about Hansel and Gretel and the Evil Witch in the woods, while they are only talking about Goldilocks.
We are warning that there is a literal Witch in the Woods with treats that wants to eat your children, and
the Media asks “but what about that Porridge, they heard it was good.”
They bring in paid actors to speak in their behalf, spend untold amounts of money for ads in the paper, misleading media articles and donations to groups, so they can all tout the BENEFITS and Wonder Drug of SOLAR.
But that’s not what we are talking about is it?
Let’s be very clear. We are not talking about the Solar Panels that go up on your roof, or
a couple solar panels on your homestead. We are not even talking about a small-scale Community Solar Array on the local grid to help lower costs in our townships.
No. What we are talking about is the Large Scale Utility Solar Power Plants that will take up literally 1,000’s of acres of our community with no power generated being utilized locally.
And it’s not just one township and not just one project we are talking about either. There are presently 4 Large Scale Utility projects in the adjacent townships trying to get a foot hold.
Ranger Power and DTE are planning two in Cohoctah Township alone and across the border into Conway, another one to the north in Antrim, to the south in Marion Township, 187 windmills planned from Leroy, Webberville, White Oak down to Stockbridge, and just recently, even Granger Waste Management just entered the foray by purchasing property in Locke and Perry Townships with the plans to add even more
Large Scale Utility Solar Facilities in our area, all of which, every last bit, on prime agricultural land.
If all of these are built as they are planning, nearly 7,000 acres, or to put it another way, nearly 10 square miles would be utilized. Driving these roads, it would take nearly 20 minutes just to drive out of it.
The great Samuel Clemmons/Mark Twain is credited with saying.... “History don’t exactly repeat itself, but it sure do rhyme.”
History has proven time and again what happens to civilizations when food is scarce. Living in a farming/
agricultural community, we see this up close.
We just went through a pandemic, where farmers and agricultural workers were considered ESSENTIAL workers, meaning, they were needed, ESSENTIAL in keeping our Community, our SOCIETY, afloat.
Grocery prices have soared to highs not seen in generations. With the price of eggs recently, my wife and I kid that we need to guard our chickens like we have the golden goose.
Now these solar farms would take that very land away from all of us for the next 30 years, which for some of us
would be the rest of our lives, for corporate profits.
The paid lobbyists for Solar like to say that there are no negative impacts to having solar on agricultural land. But that’s not true is it?
According to the MSU Extension, just shading the ground in such a large capacity will impact the soil and
make it harder to convert back to agriculture.
Dr. Sarah Mills of MSU’s Energy Dept. and who has a heavy hand in solar ordinances, stated that there are definite Environmental, Agricultural, Wildlife, Property Value and Township Impacts with Large Scale Utility Solar Farms.
According to MSU Extension, Large Scale Utility Solar should be built on Brownfields, Industrial and Commercial FIRST.
Just this year four different Large Scale Utility Solar complexes were fined for violations to the EPA Clean Water
Act for large-scale construction practices.
A home was recently sold adjacent to the Large Scale Utility Complex in Shiawassee County, and sold for 40% less than its value.
It wasn’t a study, not a poll, it was a real sale for 40% loss in value. That’s it.
We don’t care if its Solar, Wind, Green Energy, Oil, Coal, a Factory or even a Large Scale Parking Lot... it all means the same thing.
Anything LARGE SCALE, negates any possible benefit.
A few solar panels on your house doesn’t impact the local wildlife, but thousands of acres will decimate
local populations.
An acre of solar panels won’t impact the watershed, but thousands of acres will potentially flood the
neighboring residents and communities though an already overtaxed and ailing drainage system.
These corporations and corporate landowners are targeting small townships with little or no zoning boards, using
misinformation, propaganda and bullying tactics to literally make millions. Meanwhile, the rest of us, the neighbors, the residents and the small farmers, will suffer the most.
These corporations and corporate landowners want us afraid, naive and ignorant. And maybe we were.
I admit I was naïve to believe our local government had our best interests at heart and were beyond reproach.
I’ll admit I was woefully ignorant of how low and unethical these corporations would stoop with the use of non-disclosure clauses, propaganda and “Good Neighbor” agreements to buy residents favor. And once, I might have even been afraid.
Afraid to stand up to Big Money and Large Corporations, but not anymore. Not now. I refuse
to be afraid anymore.
I believe in small town people standing up to large corporations. I believe in saving the farmland against the
invading industries.
I believe in a community where neighbors protect neighbors.
I believe in saving a community where our children and future generations would love to call Home.
So, thank you to those trepid few who went door-to-door, warning us the wolves were in
the field.
Thank you to those in the local governments, sitting on the boards and planning commissions,
who have listened to your residents, your neighbors and your communities, heeded their
warnings and made the choice to educate yourselves, promote communication and discussions about the well-being of your communities and above all else, chose to remain ethical.
Ethics may not have any place in Business and profits, but here, in our communities, Ethics still matter.
Thank you-
Authored by:
Clint Beach © 2023 All Rights Reserved.
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While the article above was written by one individual, speaking about his community, the words he wrote carry the same message that millions of individuals from all over the world feel in their heart.
IT IS TIME for every citizen of EVERY small town and Farming Community, to STAND up and fight against the Immoral Corruption, Ignorance and GREED that dwells in the hearts and minds of so many Politicians, Contractors, Solar or Wind Developers and Major Corporations.
This will NOT be an easy fight, but the future of this world and the survival of the human race depends on it. For we can not exist without farm land for crops, range land for meat and clean healthy water to drink.
As a collective, they may have more money, but if WE as a UNITED GROUP become determined to protect our homes and land for our own future and the survival of our Grandchildren, we can and WILL win.
So please, join or start a local group, church group, community group to stand up and fight back against this takeover of our crop producing farm land. The future of your grandchildren depend on your actions NOW.
Write letters to your elected officials and educate them on the lies told by the solar developers. Find anti-solar and wind websites that have documented exposure of lies and share that information on social media.
Research lawsuits filed by States Attorneys or others against solar or wind developments or companies, then share that information with others.
Lets get millions of voices out there exposing the lies, secrets, corruption and destruction of our farmlands, neighborhoods, and clean water sources.
You can expose the lies by using facts. Take photographs of Industrial Solar or Wind Developments under construction or after they are built.
Take photographs of the damage caused to local roads, from the construction trucks or equipment.
Report homes that have sold for much less then they were appraised at prior to the solar develepments.
Take pictures and report fires or storm damage involving solar or wind projects, where the internal chemicals end up leaking out into the soil and end up in the water table.
Take pictures and report any signs of erosion, where mud or even trees end up on roads, creeks or rivers because of the construction of solar and wind developments.
Talk with your neighbors and work together with them to learn more about the negatives involving solar and wind projects. Then fight, fight, fight with every piece of documented truth you can find by sharing those truths with everyone around you.
God bless you all and remember, we are doing this for our grandchildren, so they won’t have to eat bugs, artificial meat or artificial eggs as certain Billionaires or World Leaders are proposing, in order to survive.