An ag economist says renewable energy is a driving factor in future farmland values.
Jim Mintert with Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture says in the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, farmers expect energy production to have a larger impact in the next five years.
“In the last two months, we added the category of energy production from solar or wind,” he says. “In April, 8% of the producers in the survey who think farm land values are going to increase pointed to energy production this month, 12%.”
He tells Brownfield the survey indicates there are more farmers having conversations with solar companies.
