Rural and Agricultural Income and Savings from Rural Energy initiative

Use ‘non-prime’ farmland for renewable energy, says Vilsack

At the same time he announced $2.2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for rural electric cooperatives, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged on Wednesday fears that U.S. farmland will be covered by wind turbines and solar collectors. "We know that there are some concerns out there about whether renewable energy will overtake prime farmland," he said.