Editor’s note: This is part of a series called “Paved Over” that explores the impact of tech-driven development on U.S. farmland. Stories will focus on data center expansion, solar development, the impact to farmers losing land and possible solutions.
Third-generation farmer Joseph Czajkowski wades into a 2-acre plot of broccoli. Mist from the adjacent Connecticut River in Hadley, Mass., settles as dew on 10-foot-tall solar panels that shade the plants, which are full and healthy.
“You can see the crops are just as nice under the panels as they are out in the open,” he said, crouching to inspect their jade leaves. “The yield is the same.”
The 445-killowatt array on Czajkowski’s land is a technological marvel. Its panels follow the sun and tilt to facilitate photosynthesis. The array is a win-win for the developer, Hyperion Systems, which receives state subsidization, and Czajkowski, who collects rent on its still-productive land and then sells the ‘socially grown’ bounty at a premium to the nearby University of Massachusetts Amherst’s dining facility.
Also, the Czajkowski Farm receives a 15% reduction on its electric bill over 10 years.
With development expanding rapidly, advocates say agrivoltaics can be a solution to the industrial development pushing into U.S. farmland. It’s a way to coexist with emerging technology like data centers and solar.
Preserving farmland
Beyond monetary opportunities, coexisting can facilitate generational farmland preservation. In Ennis, Texas, the DeBorde family has leveraged solar development to keep their family land for many decades to come.
On this January day, Meredith DeBorde called their sheep, which graze beneath more than 2,000 acres of solar panels. Three white Akbash-Pyranes guardian dogs raced between Meredith and her husband, Eric, who filled a trough with Producer’s Pride livestock feed.
“Come on, girls!” she shouted over the cascading pellets. Spurred by her encouragement, the skittish flock rushed forward. About five years ago, the state published plans to build a high-speed rail through their property. Leasing land to Lightsource BP for a solar array that allowed for grazing helped them avoid eminent domain.
“It’s still happening, but it won’t be on our land,” Eric said about the transportation project. “We don’t have to give up any land. We still own it. We’re just using it in a different way.”
Meanwhile, they’re paid to keep weeds away from high-voltage equipment via sheep grazing. The rental income supports Lazy D Farm’s livestock focus. They raise 150 Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn show cattle with their sons, Brayden, 21, and Brigham, 15.
“We’ve learned so much in the last three years about sheep and solar,” Brayden said. “They’re a lot less stressful than cattle. It has diversified our operation. Grazing works well alongside cattle.”
Still, it’s been a process. They’ve learned best practices for flock health, notching females and monitoring breed selection. Lambs are constantly under threat from Mexican buzzards, coyotes and stray dogs.
“The first year, we lost a lot of sheep because we didn’t have enough dogs. We thought one dog per paddock was enough,” Brayden noted.
Now, they keep two or three with each group and monitor paddocks from afar using drones. It’s become a self-sufficient operation that pays for itself. And once the flock expands to around 300 head, it should generate worthwhile income.
Generational impact
Billy Boat, a second-generation Indiana farmer, has also adapted to development. As one of 65 landowners leasing land to Doral Renewables for Mammoth North Solar in Indiana, he’s made solar work for him.
At first, Boat was skeptical about allowing solar panels on his land. But agrivoltaics won him over. At 12,800-acres, the commercial project is among America’s largest developments.
“There’s three of us children,” Boat said. “We’re looking at [the farm] as inheritance.”
When the family’s 90-year-old patriarch passes, the operation will be split into separate parcels. None are large enough to support a family.
The lease and grazing rights “give us an opportunity to continue farming,” he said. “I have a granddaughter now and a grandson coming in August. We’re looking at the third and fourth generations being able to continue farming because of this project.”
Embracing change
Czajkowski navigates expensive land value with experience. Massachusetts is the third-densest state behind New Jersey and Rhode Island. Farmland prices average $14,000 per acre, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. He manages a 40-employee value-add business producing veggie pasta for Trader Joe’s, while diversifying with sweet corn “and a lot of squash, carrots and brussels sprouts” across 400 acres.
Spaced 27 feet apart, the panels are easy to work around, and crop management is basically the same, Czajkowski said. If all goes well, he’d like to add more panels and maybe even invest in a driverless machine to automate operations below them.
“If we had 20 or 30 acres, it would be worth buying a dedicated tractor,” he said.
Agricultural organizations are starting to support this coexistence approach. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2025 policy book supports “a multiple-use management approach to renewable energy development and generation on the landscape that supports and includes continued agricultural production.”
Politicians likewise back dual-use solar projects.
“Farmers want to be sure installing solar won’t adversely affect agricultural outcomes; their livelihood depends on viability,” said Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, in an address to advocates at a recent Solar Farm Summit in Chicago. He said farmers often ask about dual-solar projects and agrivoltaics during town halls.
“You’ve heard me say before that Iowa stands ready to feed and fuel the world,” Grassley said. “The future of American agriculture, energy and technology will be framed by people who are seeking to harmonize all three.”