Warnick: We Need To Protect Active Farmland

Judy Warnick says she’s see a disturbing trend across her senate district.  The Moses Lake Republican said she has seen several solar farms crop up on active farm land across Kittitas County.  And while installing solar panels may not take the land out of farm production technically, she noted it makes it challenge to move equipment, livestock, and run a day to day operation.

Warnick is discouraging farmers from selling or leasing their land for projects like this, saying it would be a better fit to place those panels where farming doesn’t work.

"I think there are a lot of open spaces, sage brush, that type of thing, that could be open for solar, that is not being farmed.  But an active farm is something that we have to protect.”

Warnick added that the state of Washington is not creating more farmland, so taking it out of production, or limiting production, should be done in limited cases.

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