They’re not really considering that while some farms might be having issues now, the climate of California flips back and forth
Want to solve climate change? This California farm kingdom holds a key
The barren dirt is littered with petrified carrots, blackened and barely recognizable after four years baking in the Imperial Valley’s legendary heat. The August sun is starting to set, but it’s still 113 degrees in California’s hottest, driest county.
Ralph Strahm tried his best to make money off this ground. In addition to carrots, the soft-spoken 66-year-old grew alfalfa and Sudan grass, using Colorado River water that originated as Rocky Mountain snowpack hundreds of miles away.
But the sandy, gravelly soil refused to cooperate. The economics were no good.
So the third-generation Imperial Valley farmer decided to sell — to a solar energy developer.
By year’s end, a field of solar panels should cover this land, sending clean electricity to San Diego. A giant battery will help the coastal city keep the lights on after dark. None of the infrastructure will destroy pristine wildlife habitat.
Of course, if you’re trying to grow food in an area that tends to be hot and dry, that could be a problem
Clean energy advocates see Imperial as an ideal place for solar farms and battery projects that can help solve the American West’s energy and water crises. The land is flat; the sunlight, abundant. The Colorado River desperately needs relief. And Imperial is one of California’s poorest counties, its agriculture-heavy economy practically crying out for diversification and higher-paying jobs.
This area is still extremely productive for foods like lettuce. How soon till the solar companies, and government, are trying to force the farmers out?
Speaking of farming
French Dairy Giant Considers Cow Masking to Tackle Methane Emissions
French dairy giant Danone said Tuesday it wants to slash methane emissions by 30 percent within seven years, pointing to the way the cows it uses are raised, handled, and milked as ripe for change.
AFP reports Danone said it would seek the cuts by 2030 using cow breeds that emit less methane, improving cow diets, prolonging their milking periods and capturing emissions from manure to be used for biogas, for example.
The company is also looking at innovative solutions to help reduce emissions including a cow mask that can trap burp gases, the report continues.
Sigh. Crazy people.
How does acres and acres of solar panels or reflector mirrors fail to damage “pristine wildlife habitat” when we have been hearing from activists for decades that using half an acre to drill an oil or gas well does just that?
At 7:42 AM EST, here in eastern Kentucky, on January 19th, it’s 57º F! I love me some global warming.
Yeah, it’s raining, and the rain is s’posed to move out around 10:00 AM, as a cold front moves through. Tonight’s low is forecast to be 35º, though down in this river valley, it’s usually a couple of degrees warmer. Friday night is forecast to be our first below freezing temperatures in a couple of weeks.
A few years past, I was offered a contract to lease part of some agricultural property for a solar farm. The terms of the lease demanded exclusive use of the land for 25 or so years. The money offered was only slightly above the ag lease rates. We declined, the farm still produces 3 crops per year, offers hunting opportunities, etc..
I don’t see much profit potential for land owners of productive property nor do I see a significant increase in the local economy or employment. Subsidies are probably involved and there are often scams involved with these subsidies.
Just my 2 cents.
Lol
More of Teach’s fear mongering
OMG !!! Doom is upon us. Soon there will not be anymore lettuce because of solar panels
. There is simply not enough water for them to continue to grow irrigated crops there. It is a dessert with about 3 inches of rain per year.