‘The landowners’ right’: As costs rise, some Utah ranchers are leasing fields out for solar projects ‘rather than alfalfa’

May 15, 2026

It’s proved to be profitable — and the extra tax revenue the solar projects generate is helping rural students, too.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Greg and Landon Kesler at the family’s Double Dollar Ranch in Holden on March 26, 2026. Greg Kesler leases about 1,100 acres of his ranch to solar projects as an extra source of income.