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Millions of acres in Ohio are privately owned farmland, so when it comes to locating infrastructure for utilities such as pipelines, telecommunications, wind, solar and more, the stakes are high. There are also new opportunities for installing on-farm energy generation equipment to help manage costs and generate income. Ohio Farm Bureau’s newest resource for members seeks to help farmland owners navigate the many questions surrounding energy development.

Since the days of rural electrification, Ohio Farm Bureau has been helping members with information and resources related to energy development. Our new Energy and Utility Issues Resource Guide is a members-only document that provides information about critical energy issues many farm families encounter.

Whether it’s projects managed by public utilities to other installations brought forward by independent energy service providers, issues related to eminent domain, right of access, land protection, compensation for damages, ingress/egress provisions and on-going complaint resolution procedures are just some of the issues members should be aware of.

“A common question is when an agent or company representative contacts a landowner to review agreement provisions, when should the landowner sign on,” said Dale Arnold, director, energy, utility and local government policy for Ohio Farm Bureau. “Questions I commonly get include: What authority does an agent have? Do landowners have the right to address their concerns directly to the company involved? What types of agreements, compensation, landowner protections can I include? And how do I find legal counsel? In short, you should never sign an agreement at first glance on the hood of your pickup truck.”

Other topics covered in the guide include: identifying projects and jurisdictional authority; types of legal agreements; and oil and gas, pipelines, utility-scale wind, solar and telecommunication leases and easements.

In addition, the guide covers managing energy costs and potential income opportunities through energy choice and aggregation programs, on-site electric generation and interconnection, adopting vehicle fuel and electric vehicle technologies, carbon credit opportunities, geothermal technology and biomass energy development.

The final section of the guide provides insight into the various government entities that oversee energy development and tips for how to engage with them.

Contact your county Farm Bureau to learn about local education programs for members happening across the state.