The United States Department of Agriculture announced on August 19, 2025, in Lebanon, Tennessee, that it has ended funding for solar panels on productive farmland. It also banned panels made by foreign adversaries in its projects. Officials said subsidized solar farms have raised land costs and reduced farmland access. Tennessee has already lost over 1.2 million acres in 30 years and is expected to lose 2 million acres by 2027. Nationwide, farmland used for solar projects has increased nearly 50% since 2012. Effective immediately, wind and solar projects were ruled ineligible for the USDA Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program. The USDA also imposed restrictions under the Rural Energy for America Program, limiting large ground mount solar projects that cannot document historical energy usage.
USDA ended solar funding on farmland in Tennessee projects
United States Department of Agriculture in Tennessee ended funding for farmland solar projects and banned panels from foreign adversaries in USDA programs.
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