…remains one of the most pressing issues. Limited access to groundwater and surface water forces some farmers to consider alternative income streams, including solar panels on farmland. Labor challenges add…
California Farmers Under Pressure: Andrew Genasci Calls for Advocacy and Common-Sense Policy
…to make tough choices, from fallowing ground to converting farmland into solar developments under AB 1156. Labor is another hurdle. “Farmers are paying $20 an hour just to compete with McDonald’s….
California Pistachio Harvest 2025: Insights from Richard Kreps
…the Central Valley and the Southwest. He criticized state restrictions and the push to convert prime farmland into solar fields, warning that such policies undermine food security and waste some…
Madera County Water Challenges Explained by Matt Angell
…Shifts The rise of solar projects on agricultural land reflects changing economic realities amid water scarcity. Angell warns against complacency with current models and stresses urgent action to avoid irreversible…
Nick Foglio on Hay Markets, Water Scarcity, and the Future of California Ag
…transport. Water Scarcity and Solar Land Use Debates The looming Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) deadlines—set for full enforcement by 2030—add urgency to California’s water crisis. Foglio painted a grim…
Hilton Eyes Regulatory Overhaul for California Ag
…Fight Regulatory Extremism Hilton Slams Solar on Farmland, Pledges Support for California Ag Reporting by Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter,” for AgNet West. Sponsored Content CIR Agriculture Harvester Products March…
Sheriff Chad Bianco: “California Agriculture Is in Crisis Mode”
…last-minute pushes.” Opposition to Solar Panels on Agricultural Land One of the most contentious issues Bianco addressed was the state’s push to place solar panels on prime agricultural land. He…
Bianco Slams Solar Panels on Farmland
…Solar on Farmland Bianco offered blunt criticism of AB-1156, questioning the wisdom of converting productive farmland into solar infrastructure. “Throwing in solar panels and farming in the same conversation—you’ve got…
Chad Bianco: “California Is in Crisis—And Agriculture Is Paying the Price”
…AB-1156, a bill allowing solar panel development on farmland in Central California. “You’ve got to be a moron to combine solar panels and farming and think that’s okay,” he said….
California Fresh Fruit Industry Faces Crisis
…frustration over farmland being converted to solar fields due to lack of water. “Farmers don’t want to put solar on prime land—they’re forced to,” he said. He stressed that the…
Hilton Slams Solar on Farmland, Pledges Support for California Ag
…1156, which would pause the Williamson Act to allow solar development on farmland. “It breaks my heart… the most fertile soil in the world is being covered with solar farms,”…
AgNet News Hour: Citrus Expo Preview, USDA Snap Crackdown, and Chad Bianco’s Bold Vision for California Ag
…interview with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who’s running for Governor of California. Sheriff Bianco lays out his farmer-first agenda, takes on misguided solar development on farmland, and calls out…
Steve Hilton Blasts Solar Farms on California Agricultural Land
…Central Valley growers: the spread of solar farms on fertile agricultural land. Steve Hilton Blasts Solar Farms on California Ag Land “It’s Heartbreaking,” Says Hilton Hilton didn’t hold back. “It…
AgNet News Hour Thursday, 07-10-25
…a businessman and longtime supporter of agriculture, lays out his vision to revitalize California by reducing regulation, restoring water infrastructure, and protecting farmland from being converted into subsidized solar developments….