Time to commit to engagement

I spent a very troubling yet extremely enjoyable weekend in Garfield County, OK last week. That may sound goofy but to clarify I enjoyed my time and the people I was able to hang with on Saturday in and near Enid but the reason for my visit troubles me greatly. There is a proposed Industrial Solar Complex in the works for Garfield County. This is yet another direct attack on land ownership by us, the peasants tending to the land, that is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. I can not for the life of me understand how people continue to tell me, “I have to take the money and sign the easement or my neighbor will and I will be at a disadvantage.” That is just an excuse and it reminds me of my mother telling me, “Trent, if your friends jump off a bridge are you going to jump off too?”

Here is what I continue to find happening in each of these communities in a very distinct pattern. The wind/solar developers, armed with your taxpayer funds, find the largest landowners in the community. Clearly these folks are on a different communication path than the rest of the citizens in the community whom we will call the peasants. A Garfield County example is one particular person whose name is Dr. Barry Pollard. Without question, he has had access to information other local folks did not. I was told by locals he had the ability to buy land that “just happened to be” in the footprint of the area NextEra had planned for the solar development system.

Dr Pollard not only is a local medical doctor, a neurosurgeon, but also a cattle rancher and owns multiple John Deere dealerships. I find it very concerning that Bill Gates, as the largest single shareholder (8%) in the company, has more influence in this equipment dealership than anybody actually realizes. In the other states where I am fighting the easements for CO2 pipelines developed by Summit Carbon Solutions, it is widely known that John Deere is a significant investor. Let me just say that I have zero respect for anyone who accumulates wealth on the back of the local folks through medical treatments and farm equipment sales and then turns into the community bully to bolster his coffers.

Let the record show that I reached out to Dr. Pollard twice while in Enid and before writing this column. I asked for an interview after talking to the locals. He just laughed and said, “I am parking and have a meeting in 10 minutes so call me at 1:30.”  I called at 1:30 but he has yet to return my call.

The U.S. farming sector is in trouble. I have reported before that USDA has indicated that by mid-2025 the agricultural trade deficit will be in excess of $45 Billion. There is no excuse for that except a governmental system that has zero concern for building the economy with the resources and infrastructure we have available in the United States. In addition, the USDA just released data suggesting the Net Farm Income will be another 4.5% lower this year after a drop of 19.5% last year.

It is very apparent to me that our federal government wants to create hardship for the farming and ranching community which will force us all into a position where we must sign up for a land easement in order to survive. An easement for wildlife, CO2 pipelines, wind or solar, regardless of the cause, gives control of your land to another company or country and is only going to make the future of American Agriculture worse.

In closing, I want to focus on the wonderful part of my trip to Enid. I still believe despite what state and federal bureaucrats bring our direction, we can still overcome the challenge if we get enough folks to show up and say “not on my watch”. I realize far too many don’t show up because they don’t understand the Biblical story that is coming to us in living color, but it is so true. The story of David and Goliath is unfolding in nearly every part of the nation in rural communities where people continue to say, “I didn’t think this would every happen here.” It is happening and it requires one thing: your commitment to engagement.