Planners recommend in favor of keeping commercial solar off farmland

Yamhill County planning commissioners voted five to three on Thursday to recommend that the county Board of Commissioners bar commercial solar facilities from high value farmland.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hear testimony on the issue on April 24.

Planning commissioners took three hours of testimony Thursday, from farmers, land use watchdogs and representatives of the solar companies seeking to install more of the facilities.

The county has seven applications pending, which will not be affected by the change, since they were turned in prior to the vote.

Although the great majority of testimony has been in favor of keeping commercial solar installations off farmland, farmers have been divided on the issue; some want the option of the extra income.

The change would not prevent farmers and vineyards from installing solar panels for on-site use.

 For more information, see Tuesday's edition of the News-Register.