DAVIDSONVILLE, MD – Maryland Farm Bureau President Jamie Raley recently penned an op-ed in The Delmarva Farmer highlighting concerns over solar-siting legislation that threatens to remove prime farmland from production, and emphasizing the ongoing need to protect Maryland’s agricultural land.
“On May 20, SB931/HB1036 was signed into law in Maryland. This shortsighted bill would allow the State of Maryland to override local zoning laws to build solar panels on productive farmland. A key amendment to the bill was added to cap solar development on 5% of a county’s priority preserved farmland before local zoning laws can take over. While this cap is certainly better than nothing, it still leaves thousands of acres of farmland open to commercial solar development.
The result of this bill is concerning, but it only strengthens our resolve to keep fighting for Maryland’s farmland.
Maryland’s farming community rose to the occasion like never before. In an extraordinary display of grassroots advocacy, Maryland Farm Bureau members sent over 3,500 messages to lawmakers, voicing strong opposition to the bill. The bill’s hearings included many candid testimonies from real farmers highlighting the risk of taking farmland out of production.
Maryland Farm Bureau was also joined in opposition by several influential agricultural groups, like Farmers Alliance for Rural Maryland, Delmarva Chicken Association, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Maryland Grain Producers, and others. County and local officials also spoke out on this bill, highlighting the state’s extreme overreach and the need for local jurisdiction to be responsive to the call of their communities.
Once the bill was passed in the legislature, we led the charge in urging Governor Moore to veto the bill, with nearly 300 Maryland Farm Bureau members writing in to the Governor’s office.
Maryland Farm Bureau is clear in its policy regarding solar energy development; solar panels should not be placed on the prime and productive farmland that sustains our state. Solar energy does play a role in energy production, and an individual’s private property rights should be respected. However, solar panels would be better placed on buildings, parking lots, brownfields, or used in conjunction with agrivoltaics, so as to not take our finite and limited farmland out of production.
Though this state bill is now law, we are not backing down. Important discussions about land use are happening at the federal level, where promising legislation is taking shape. The FARM Act of 2025, introduced by Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-7) and cosponsored by Maryland’s own Andy Harris (MD-1), would eliminate federal subsidies that unfairly incentivize solar development on farmland. It’s a good first step in the right direction.
In a May 7th hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Congressman Harris echoed our concerns to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. Secretary Rollins agreed with Congressman Harris that there should be no class 1 or 2 agricultural soil covered by solar panels. We were encouraged to hear this from our federal partners, and we stand ready to work with them on commonsense land use policy.
While the Maryland General Assembly’s work is limited to a 90-day session, our advocacy continues year-round. We remain committed to protecting Maryland’s farmland, standing up for local voices, and promoting balanced, commonsense land use policies.
To every member who wrote a letter, showed up to testify, or shared your story – thank you. Your voice mattered, and it still does. The fight to preserve Maryland’s farmland is far from over, and we hope you join us in advocating for this key resource that cannot be replaced.”
