Ranchers Warn Solar Projects Are Reducing Arizona Farmland to a ‘Dust Bowl’
In northern Arizona, long-standing ranchers near Joseph City say they are being pushed out by the growing solar industry, which is leasing large swaths of land for energy projects and leaving once-productive farmland stripped and unusable.
Ranchers told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) that they are losing access to state-leased land—some of which their families have managed for generations—as solar developers outbid them with offers far beyond what ranching operations can afford. These land deals, they say, are transforming Arizona’s rural landscape, displacing wildlife, and threatening local agricultural traditions.
“They just move us out, and we’ve been taking care of the land forever,” said Kiley Reidhead, a legacy rancher whose family has leased the same ranchland for decades. “I don’t know how to stop it.”
Reidhead said he has already lost parts of his lease to renewable energy projects, including wind turbines, which he described as “a terrible eyesore.” Though he acknowledged that landowners have the right to lease their property, he emphasized that ranchers have served as longtime stewards of the land.
Other ranchers echoed similar concerns. Rusty DeSpain, whose family has operated a cow-calf ranch in the area since 1972, said several sections of his land have been overtaken by solar installations. He claims the development process leaves the land barren: grasses are removed, soil is disrupted, and dust storms become more frequent.
“It becomes a dust bowl,” DeSpain said. “You treat it like your backyard, and then they just come in and take it out from underneath you overnight. It’s devastating.”
Arizona’s land is largely owned by the federal or state government, with ranchers depending on leases or “allotments” to sustain their operations. But with the rise of solar and wind development—particularly under green energy policies promoted during the Obama and Biden administrations—ranchers say they’re being priced out.
Casey Murph, a multi-generation rancher, said interest in the land around Joseph City increased sharply after the closure of the Cholla coal plant, which left behind valuable transmission infrastructure. That infrastructure now provides an easy connection point for renewable energy developers.
“They’re outbidding me with these crazy amounts of money that I could never match,” Murph said. “And if they get them, I will be evicted … it pretty much puts me out of business.”
Companies reportedly active in the area include Invenergy, Ørsted, and GoSolar. GoSolar began targeting the region in 2016 and has focused its efforts on areas eligible for tax credits under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, according to North American Clean Energy.
The U.S. Department of Energy has identified land around Joseph City as part of a “census tract with a coal closure,” making it a priority for clean energy investment. While this shift aligns with national climate goals, local ranchers warn of long-term damage to the land.
“At the end of the day, one of these facilities is going to be a parking lot covered with glass,” Murph said. “It’s not going to have any type of vegetative life … not in the lifetime of anybody who’s on the planet now.”
DeSpain also questioned the long-term viability of solar farms in Arizona’s extreme conditions, suggesting many projects may not last more than a few decades.
“It’s going to be a wasteland,” he said. “The damage is done.”
His family has managed the land for over 50 years, supporting local wildlife and hosting visitors. But since the arrival of solar developments, he says he hasn’t seen an antelope on his land in years.
Murph, who has not yet lost any of his lease, said he’s received repeated notices from the Arizona State Land Department about interest from solar developers. His allotment has been in his family since before Arizona became a state.
“It almost feels like some kind of spiritual connection you have with the land when your family’s been on it for so long,” he said.
Federal energy policy has shifted under different administrations. While the Biden administration has championed renewable energy through subsidies, grants, and regulations, the Trump administration has opposed such measures, calling them harmful to American energy independence. Former President Trump has suggested reopening the Cholla coal plant and has criticized solar and wind as unreliable alternatives.
“That power plant probably sits on maybe 100 acres and produced three times the power,” said DeSpain. “Now we’re looking at five miles of solar panels just to try to equal it. And they call that clean?”
In response to mounting concerns, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced the USDA will no longer provide funding for solar and wind projects on prime farmland. The move aims to protect agricultural land from being converted to energy use, but it does not apply to state-leased or privately-leased lands—like those used by many Arizona ranchers.
“This directly addresses the concerns of ranchers,” a USDA spokesperson told the DCNF. “However, this does not impact private land transactions.”
With much of Arizona’s ranchland falling outside federal protection, ranchers say the future of their operations—and the landscapes they’ve cared for—remains uncertain.
Invenergy, Ørsted, GoSolar, and the Arizona State Land Department did not respond to requests for comment.
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