# Fayette Alliance reports major progress on farm protection, solar policy  
**Published:** 2025-10-27T16:21:43.000Z  
**Source:** [Fayette Alliance](https://fayettealliance.com/campaign25/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/fayette-alliance-reports-major-progress-on-farm-protection-solar-policy

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fayette Alliance, [a nonprofit focused on sustainable growth](https://fayettealliance.com), announced significant achievements in 2025, including [efforts to protect farmland from industrial solar development](https://fayettealliance.com/industrial-solar-lexington-kentucky/) and new research demonstrating agriculture's vital role in the region's economy.

[The organization's end-of-year campaign](https://fayettealliance.com/campaign25/) highlights what members describe as a "thoughtful, informed approach" to growth that balances renewable energy goals with preservation of Fayette County's agricultural heritage. [In partnership with the University of Kentucky](https://www.uky.edu), Fayette Alliance commissioned an updated economic impact study on local agriculture that found the sector supports more than 16,000 jobs — roughly one in 12 — and contributes more than $2.6 billion annually to the local economy.

The organization's signature issue this year centered on [proposed industrial solar farms on prime farmland](https://engage.lexingtonky.gov/solar-energy). Nashville-based Silicon Ranch proposed an approximately 800-acre solar development on agricultural land in eastern Fayette County. After community advocacy, the Urban County Council voted in August to ban large-scale solar installations on agricultural zones while establishing a work group to study potential alternatives.

Fayette Alliance executive director Brittany Roethemeier emphasized the organization supports renewable energy but maintains it should not come at the expense of irreplaceable farmland. "We support solar energy on parking lots, on brownfields, on city-owned property, on rooftops in commercial and industrial areas," Roethemeier said in March testimony to a council committee advancing new solar farm proposals.

[The University of Kentucky](https://www.uky.edu) study underscores agriculture's broader economic impact beyond farming itself, including veterinary services, equipment sales, transportation and hospitality businesses connected to the agricultural sector. Fayette County has long been known as the nation's leading producer of horses and thoroughbreds.

The organization is seeking donations through its [2025 end-of-year campaign](https://fayettealliance.com/campaign25/) to fund continued advocacy, research and educational programs aimed at advancing smart growth.

## Sources

- [Fayette Alliance](https://fayettealliance.com/campaign25/)
- [Fayette Alliance website - Industrial Solar page with council voting history](https://fayettealliance.com/industrial-solar-lexington-kentucky/)
- [Engage Lexington - Solar Energy zoning discussion](https://engage.lexingtonky.gov/solar-energy)
- [WKYT News - March 10, 2026 reporting on council committee solar vote and Roethemeier testimony](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/03/10/lexington-council-committee-advances-solar-farm-proposal-agricultural-land/)
- [University of Kentucky Center for Business and Economic Research](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/new-uk-study-shows-agricultures-impact-fayette-county-economy)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Fayette Alliance, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://fayettealliance.com/campaign25/.