USDA cuts solar farm funding as one company says energy and agriculture can coexist

FRANKLIN, Ky. (WTVF) — Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky are home to thousands of acres of farmland producing cattle, crops, and increasingly, solar energy. But a recent federal policy change is raising questions about the future of agricultural solar projects.

The USDA recently announced it will no longer fund new solar projects, citing concerns about farmland loss. The decision comes as solar farms work to keep energy costs down, while some argue they're making farmland more expensive and less accessible to traditional farmers.

Katie Carothers, lead shepherd for New Slate Management, represents a new model of agriculture that combines solar energy with traditional farming. She and her husband transitioned from breeding sheep in Ohio to grazing around 600 acres at solar farms in Ke