This week was one of my favorite weeks of the internship! I had the opportunity to visit two farms and learn about the two landowners’ different perspectives on and experiences with solar. At the first farm, we had the opportunity to talk with the farmer about his experience and the suggestions he had for the process overall which were incredibly insightful. Although the farmer had undertaken the process without help from a lawyer, he had conducted a significant amount of research himself and had found impressive ways to integrate the needs of his farm with the development of the solar installation. We also got to see newborn pigs and hold one which was very cute. The second farm we visited was in Schuyler County and I was impressed by how the landowners had used the topography of the area to hide the solar panels from the road and retain the appearance of rolling hills. Overall, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to talk with the people who have undertaken this process directly and to hear how they have made it work for themselves and what they believe could be improved upon for future regulations and laws related to solar development in NYS.