Oct. 3. 2026
VERNON COUNTY, Wis. – The Vernon County Board of Supervisors has voted to create a special five member committee to study whether a portion of the county owned farm property should be leased for a utility scale solar project.
The decision came during the board’s Sept. 17 meeting following a wide ranging discussion on renewable energy, agricultural land preservation, local economic development, and potential partnerships to assist low income residents with rising utility bills.
The debate was sparked when Supervisor Charles Jacobson brought forward an inquiry from project leaders with the Renewable Energy Siting and Engagement for Tomorrow program, a University of Wisconsin Extension initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Jacobson explained that program coordinators asked if Vernon County would reconsider a past proposal from a Minnesota energy developer to lease 58 to 90 acres of the roughly 200 acre county farm in Viroqua for a ground mounted solar array.
Jacobson noted that utility scale solar leases in the region currently pay landowners between $500 and $1,500 per acre annually, compared to standard agricultural cash rents. Jacobson urged supervisors to decide whether the concept was worth investigating before staff and committee members spent months gathering data.
“I got an email from the lady that ran that RESET group that I was on, and there’s a question if the county would consider putting a solar panel, solar farm on that section of the county farm that was originally proposed by the Minnesota group,” said Jacobson. “And I guess I’m just curious if there’s any interest or whatever, and as an agenda item, then we can discuss it if we want to consider putting a solar farm on the county farm.”
Jacobson stressed that he wanted clear direction from the board before committing time to the initiative.
“I’m willing to put the effort into it, but I don’t want to come back and then do all this and then say, well, you should have never wasted your time because we’re not going to listen to you anyway,” said Jacobson. “That’s where I’m at.”
Supervisor Bruce Kilmer supported exploring the proposal, suggesting that energy specialists and university educators be invited to address the full board.
“Do you suppose it would be possible to have those people you’ve been in contact come and give the full board a presentation,” said Kilmer. “We have solar at our house, and it’s very cost effective.”
The proposal arrives after previous county efforts to explore solar energy hit financial obstacles. In April 2026, Vernon County hired engineering firm Schneider Electric under Resolution 2026 24 to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of county facilities. While engineers initially evaluated installing a solar array near the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, the firm concluded in May that the project was not financially viable due to electrical meter limitations, high cabling costs, and strict deadlines associated with expiring 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credits.
In July 2026, UW-Extension specialist Jessy Bradish presented the final RESET report to the board, detailing community feedback from seven public listening sessions regarding large scale solar and wind development across Vernon County.
During the Sept. 17 discussion, several supervisors cautioned against evaluating a single solar installation without an overarching county energy strategy.
Supervisor Wayde Lawler favored exploring renewable energy but urged the board to frame the discussion around total county utility management and long term capital goals.
“Generally speaking, I’m in favor of renewable energy development, and certainly if there’s like knock on social good that comes from it,” said Lawler. “But I also think that just talking about a solar farm in isolation from our overall energy use goals and trajectory might be premature.”
Lawler noted that because the proposal touches agriculture, facilities, economic development, and social services, cross committee collaboration would be essential.
“This isn’t a siloed conversation,” said Lawler. “It’s a conversation about economic development and housing and so on.”
Supervisor Alycann Taylor recalled that previous board discussions about the county farm revealed deep divisions over converting productive agricultural land to energy production.
“There was a bit of a fundamental kind of divide on whether we utilize our land to do something like this on a farm and take ag land away,” said Taylor. “Part of that solar project that was brought to us, you know, also came to the realization that this is a potentially good idea, but we also have to do an RFP, and there was more than just one person coming to pitch a program.”
County Board Chair Lorn Goede voiced reservations about replacing farmland with solar panels solely for county revenue, but expressed openness if the project addressed broader community needs.
“Just to put a solar farm on the good ag land, I wouldn’t really be for it,” said Goede. “But if it’s for the purpose of improving housing and for the greater purpose, I would be really open to listening to something like that.”
Supervisor Nathaniel Slack advocated for developing a comprehensive master plan for the entire county farm asset, suggesting that solar energy could coexist alongside young farmer incubator programs, affordable housing initiatives, and public recreational trails.
“The county farm is a large asset, but a finite asset,” said Slack. “I think maybe this should be a part of a much bigger conversation of what we want that whole property to look like.”
Slack also suggested consulting with regional housing and community action agencies such as Couleecap to explore community land trust models.
Supervisor Dave Eggen pointed out the significant revenue differential between traditional farming leases and solar contracts. Vernon County currently receives $318 per acre in agricultural rent for the county farm land.
“We get $318 bucks an acre now, or $312 for rent, and if we could get $1,500 an acre, it’s kind of a no brainer to me,” said Eggen. “Couleecap, they partner with co ops like Vernon Electric and invest in solar farms, and the monies that are generated, they use to help low income folks pay their electric bills.”
Supervisor John Pedretti noted that taking a substantial portion of the farm out of crop production would generate pushback from local agricultural producers.
“For a lot of the farmers here, they’re going to say, well, putting 200 acres into a solar farm sounds ridiculous,” said Pedretti. “Perspective, it was 90 when we first talked about it.”
Supervisor David Strudthoff countered that agriculture and solar development do not have to be mutually exclusive, pointing to agrivoltaic systems where solar panels are elevated eight to nine feet to allow hay harvesting or livestock grazing underneath the arrays.
“I get the impression there’s been a number of cases we got a false choice here between agriculture and solar farms,” said Strudthoff. “Because some of these farms, they’ll put their solar panels up nine feet or eight feet, allowing hay to grow, and then they would harvest the hay.”
Strudthoff, who previously served as a public school superintendent, shared his experience overseeing geothermal and solar installations that reduced district operating costs. Strudthoff then made a formal motion to establish a dedicated committee to study the issue.
“I move that you appoint a committee of five to review the proposal for the solar panel farm and other construction projects to come back at a designated time,” said Strudthoff. “I think just opening this up and allowing us to have the dialogue like we just had is really the most important thing we could start with.”
“Do you create a new one that’s a study committee,” said Pedretti. “Because there’s a lot more than just the farm being studied here.”
Supervisor Taylor seconded Strudthoff’s motion. The Vernon County Board of Supervisors then approved the motion by voice vote, directing Chair Goede to appoint a five supervisor special committee to study the feasibility, land use impacts, and potential community benefits of developing a solar farm on the county property.
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