This month marks over two hundred years since Missouri’s first Constitution was ratified. Back then, agriculture, mining, and trade were the cornerstones of our territorial economy. While much has changed, one thing remains constant: Missouri’s land and natural resources continue to shape our economic future—driving growth, creating jobs, and laying the foundation for prosperity.
Missouri takes pride in its agricultural legacy and deep commitment to Constitutional freedoms. For generations, Missourians have cultivated the land with the belief that individual rights, including the right to manage and use one’s own property, are essential to rural prosperity and personal liberty. The right to farm, choose what to grow, and make decisions that benefit your family and land is at the heart of our state’s identity and was the basis for our 2014 Right to Farm Constitutional Amendment. These values of independence, hard work, and local control shape the way we live and the policies we support.
That very amendment includes a right to produce energy on your acreage. Energy development in Missouri goes hand in hand with Missouri’s tradition of protecting private property rights. The freedom to decide what you farm on your land, whether beef, soybeans, or megawatts, supports rural Missourians’ desire for self-reliance and self-determination.
Developing Missouri-made energy is an economic win for both farmers and localities. Land leases for solar create long-term income for generational farms, protecting them from droughts, a volatile traditional crop market, and other economic factors that may force their hand in selling their farms. Annually, renewable energy projects provide about $22.1 million in land lease payments to Missouri producers and landowners. This translates into real wins. Solar keeps tractors running, funnels dollars into local businesses, and allows young families to stay rooted in communities. These voluntary projects are crucial to expanding opportunities for farm families while protecting their way of life.
These benefits aren’t hypothetical. It’s happening all over our state. My team at Renew Missouri recently highlighted the story of a fourth-generation farmer named Bill in Cooper County. After decades growing wheat, soybeans, and corn, Bill leased part of his land for solar, diversifying his income through reliable, consistent land-lease payments. The panels will be designed to blend with surrounding fields, maintaining both aesthetics and agricultural identity. As a result, Bill is renewing the economic stability of his farm and continuing traditional planting on the majority of his land while proudly contributing to Missouri’s energy security.
“Our ability to use the property more efficiently has improved, and that means we can devote some land to meeting energy needs,” he said. “As times change, we still look at how economic opportunities have changed. I am open to how we use the property… I think this is the best thing to do.”
By protecting a landowner’s right to farm, we are allowing farmers the opportunity to harvest a crop that preserves the land’s rural character while simultaneously providing critical homegrown power resources for Missourians across the state.
Let’s work together to continue supporting rural Missouri’s Constitutional right to farm by supporting energy development. Because I am not only a clean energy advocate, but someone whose family still farms their land in Webster County. My family, as well as all others, deserve the right to do with their land as they see fit.
Executive Director of Renew Missouri
