From dairy to solar: This Maine farm makes space for renewable energy

Bussie York helps run a Farmington farm that's been in his family for decades. The business now has 300,000 solar panels on it, which is thought to the biggest solar array in New England.

York said the options were limited, as part of the farm didn't have the right soil quality for harvesting certain plants. So he accepted an offer from a solar developer to set up panels on about 100 acres of farmland and 200 acres of woodland. "And it just seemed to fit into the plans for renewable energy for the state of Maine," York said."And they've been talking for a considerable amount of time — either its windmills, or it's damming up the rivers, water power. Or it's solar. And we just chose solar as being the least offensive to the area."

Griswold said that with proper planning, solar can be a good option to help farmers diversify their income streams and help meet the state's climate goals. But she worries about the unintended consequences of losing productive farmland across Maine, which could threaten the state's future food security.

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