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Dinwiddie High FFA tells supervisors farmers worry about solar on productive land
Summary
Students from Dinwiddie High School’s FFA described a farmer forum where attendees urged careful siting of solar to avoid converting productive farmland, discussed real‑estate tax strategies to keep land in agricultural use, and requested better road signage and rural broadband to support precision agriculture.
Rebecca Shell, Dinwiddie High School FFA president, told the Board that about 25 farmers attended a December farmer forum focused on local agriculture concerns and policy.
Students quoted farmers who argued solar development should be confined to suitable areas so farmland isn’t lost: “Many believe that it should be considered only in certain areas so that we can conserve the farmland,” said an FFA officer summarizing forum views. The students also reported that farmers favor keeping land in agricultural land‑use categories and sometimes renting land to avoid development pressures and associated tax consequences. Other items raised included road maintenance, low‑hanging cables and signage on rural roads, and the need for improved rural internet to support newer precision‑agriculture tools.
Board members thanked the students for the presentation and emphasized the county’s interest in balancing agricultural preservation with economic development. The meeting record shows board members discussed bringing the VDOT highway maintenance conversation into workshop planning so targeted fixes and signage improvements can be addressed.
