A contentious hearing last week in the town of Chautauqua over a 30-acre solar development in Hartfield missed the most important policy-making decision town officials have to make.

Concerns over how the development would affect Chautauqua Lake, how decommissioning the solar project will be paid for and drinking water concerns are all relevant for town residents. Those concerns, though, will largely be dealt with through the existing solar development guidelines the Chautauqua Town Board passed in 2017. Give board members and Supervisor Don Emhardt credit for passing the solar law before developers came knocking on the town’s door. Chautauqua has a process to guide the board and town residents through the process and ensure the town’s interests and needs are met.

The future societal value of the farmland in question, however, is a major unknown.

Agriculture is still a significant economic driver in Chautauqua County, with net farm income increasing even as agricultural activity decreases.

Farmers should have the option to lease unproductive land or land they don’t need to solar developers. Farming is a difficult business, and farmers sometimes face the choice of allowing solar or wind energy on their property or going bankrupt. Conversely, it doesn’t make sense to install a solar array on 30 acres of land that should be preserved for agriculture if it is needed for food production in the near future.

The Chautauqua County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board is an important resource in discussions like the one taking place in the town of Chautauqua, and its opinion should be sought to make sure these solar developments don’t end up having unintended consequences decades into the future.

In our view, the county Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board’s concerns should be addressed in a way that accommodates both farmers seeking to diversify and the desire to preserve important farmland. The county could consider a designation of some farmland as an Agricultural Development Area that should be kept as farmland while designating other areas that have less value for food growth for solar projects or other dual use.