Opinion: In the heart of Trump Country, renewable energy is about to flourish
By Gary Abernathy Gary Abernathy Contributing columnist Email Bio Follow Contributing columnist May 23 at 5:20 PM Gary Abernathy, a contributing columnist for The Post, is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor based in Hillsboro, Ohio. Those who suggest that President Trump’s trade war with China could turn farmers against him forget that farmers, like most people, are not single-issue voters.
But while most southern Ohio farmers are not deserting Trump, there are some who are ignoring his rhetoric on energy. Even as Trump belittles renewable power sources such as windmills — “When the wind doesn’t blow, just turn off the television darling, please,” is a favorite Trump jab — nearly 5,000 acres of farmland here in Highland County could soon be converted from traditional corn and soybeans to shiny new solar panels.
Small family farms have been on the decline for decades. In his 2012 book, “A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm,” author Robert Switzer noted, “In 1900, 42 percent of the U.S. population lived on farms; by 1990 that number had dwindled to less than 2 percent.” The trend has continued thanks to rising costs and growing debt, coupled with decades of stagnant crop prices and the move toward mass production on corporate mega farms.
The testimony was sometimes heart-wrenching. Some members of multigenerational farm families who have made deals with the solar companies spoke with tears in their eyes. Farming is in their blood, and in a perfect world they would continue the family tradition. But for them, it’s been a long time since the world was perfect.
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