U.S. Agriculture Secretary Announces New Initiative to Stop Farmland Subsidies for Solar Panels

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke at a Future Farmers of America event at the Tennessee State Fair, where she introduced a new initiative to stop subsidies for solar energy panels that take up farmland. The initiative is aimed at supporting cuts in agriculture grants to Tennessee universities, which Rollins criticized for promoting "market distorting incentives" for solar panels. Despite a study by the nonpartisan Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations finding that solar facilities aren't likely to be the primary driver of development on farmland, Rollins emphasized the need to prioritize farming production. The secretary also announced plans to make new grants to bolster Tennessee farming and target grants that don't help farmers' production, despite significant cuts to higher education grants.

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Agriculture Department will stop subsidies for solar energy panels that take up farmland, supporting cuts in agriculture grants to Tennessee universities.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins criticized the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act and "market distorting incentives" for solar panels, which she said are eliminating Tennessee farmland.
A study by the nonpartisan Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations found that solar facilities aren't likely to be the primary driver of development on farmland for decades.
The study also determined that land can be returned to farming once a solar facility goes out of use.
The federal government has made significant cuts to higher education grants, including eliminating more than $31 million in funding to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden described the reduction as a "repurposing" and said changes were made in research funding based on whether a grant "helps a farmer in the field make more money."
Projects aimed at "clean energy" or based on "racial criteria" were eliminated, he said.
The department has distributed nearly $100 million this year to more than 10,000 farmers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program.
Rollins announced that nearly $89 million will go toward 13 rural development projects in 28 Tennessee counties to "promote partnerships" and infrastructure investments for rural education.
The U.S. administration has signed eight new trade agreements expected to boost the nation's economy.

Statistics:

$31 million: the amount of funding eliminated from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture this year.
$89 million: the amount of funding allocated for 13 rural development projects in 28 Tennessee counties.
$100 million: the amount distributed by the department this year to more than 10,000 farmers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program.
95 counties: the number of counties served by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
28 counties: the number of counties targeted by the rural development projects announced by Rollins.
13 projects: the number of rural development projects announced by Rollins.
8 agreements: the number of new trade agreements signed by the U.S. administration.

Sources:

(https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tacir/2023publications/2023_Solar.pdf) Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
(https://tennesseelookout.com) Tennessee Lookout
(https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/08/18/us-agriculture-secretary-backs-tennessee-higher-ed-grant-cuts/20250818-marsha-blackburn/) U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn speaking at a Future Farmers of America breakfast
(mailto:info@tennesseelookout.com) Contact Editor Holly McCall at Tennessee Lookout