Farm Equipment - Wind farm sign-up?

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Wind farm sign-up?

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Topic: Wind farm sign-up?

Posted By: Jimsohio
Subject: Wind farm sign-up?
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2010 at 6:57pm

Anybody here have any experience with signing up to be part of a wind farm? We have been offered a contract but don't know what to expect.

Replies:

Posted By: Bertman
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2010 at 7:05pm

Darn near everybody I know here are cashing in on the checks BUT I hear if the goverment stops funding this Its a loosing deal for them. Id do some homework and make sure you dont get a lawn ornament to scrap out.

Posted By: Jeff(WC)(MI)
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2010 at 7:56pm

Jimsohio-

a neighboring township is going through this whole deal right now....i am sure i can get you in touch with plenty of people who would be glad to fill you in on anything you want to know...just gotta let me know what side you want to hear from, township board is being recalled, lawyers sorting things out, ordinances being made and re-made....it's a good ol time!

Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2010 at 11:35pm

I know a bunch of people got the short end of the deal when they started building wind farms in eastern Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union hired a lawyer to come up with a checklist of do's and don't's and then went around the state holding meetings. Our state ag commissioner has a few on his ranch and several counties have been able to lower their mil levy's because of them. Best advice is don't sign anything until someone with experience has a chance to look at it. If you are near a large enough power line, a wind machine can be a real money maker.

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"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer"
Allis Express participant

Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 5:41am

Here the school district allowed one or two to be built on school grounds with the promise of paying enough to pay for referendum. It's been a couple years and no money. Another thing is that when you sign it doesn't mean you get a windmill necessarily. You might get transmission lines and that pays a lot less and I think it's a one time payment for an easement. Take into account the roads they build out to each tower and take into account your future land value. Remember, one bankruptcy can change any contract you are given. A stroke of a pen can change things at the government subsidy level. Without heavy subsidies these things are not viable. Think about the coming austerity measures and what are the chances that the windmills will be part of the cuts. In my area very few have signed up but not they want to run the transmission lines right through our farm and right through Dad's building site. There will only be a one time payment made. The fight is on. The lines will have towers that are taller than any other thing in the area. Now we are battling heavily subsidized power lines and also they want to run a light rail line along with a freight train line through our farm. (eye sore for Rochester so throw it out to the country like everything else they don't want) They only claim light rail so they can get subsidies from feds but I know the light rail will actually go through Rochester. They just don't want the freight trains. I'm gonna get me a loaded goat!

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Wink
I am a Russian Bot

Posted By: John (C-IL)
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 6:43am

There are good contracts and bad contracts. There are attorneys that have expeerience dealing with them. One gotcha is the development companies that get the land signed up on leases and then transfer those leases to the wind farm company that will actually build the wind farm so you need to be sure who you are signing the lease with.

BP is here trying to get leases signed, these leases are seventy some pages long and cover not only wind but oil, gas, coal and about everything else you can think of. Basically you are signing away all the rights to your land except farming.

There are two projects around me that were supposed to be built this year. So far only the survey towers are out there. As someone else said, just because you have a lease doesn't mean you will get a windmill and that is where the real money is. There is enough going on with these projects that a book could be written and not cover it all. And yes, I have a lease and the last map that was out I will have one windmill.

Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 8:35am

Something else to think about is the loss of QUIET.

Article on one area that welcomed the towers and clean energy UNTIL !

http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/news/2010/for-those-near-the-miserable-hum-of-clean-energy-ny-times/ - http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/news/2010/for-those-near-the-miserable-hum-of-clean-energy-ny-times/

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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Posted By: michaelwis
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 8:56am

they would make a great deer stand .....

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WD WD45 DIESEL D 14 D-15 SERIES 2 190XT TERRA TIGER ac allcrop 60 GLEANER F 6060 7040.and attachments for all Proud to be an active farmer

Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 9:02am

Timing your shot between the blade movement might be a problem. Then whats a few holes in a blade going to do.

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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Posted By: Nathan (SD)
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 9:04am

NextEra Energy runs the ones around here. They pay $6000 per tower site, per year.

Posted By: Henry se/k!
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 9:13am

Love my contract so far. Six years payments, and far as I know, they have never set foot on my land. The plans call for 18 generators. Wish something would happen before I die. I have stood at base of working generator,and in my opinion, less noise than 4x4 tractor working one half mile away. Some people can complain about small things. Now a nuck plant in my back yard, wait a minute!

Posted By: firebrick43
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 10:38am

The ones I have stood under, I cant hear any noise other than the wind noise. Now you stand close enough you can hear the hum of the transformer. These are 1 and 2 mw towers. Dad has an exploratory lease on his farm. We have been to several meetings and talked to professionals about it. They recommend forming a group to negotiate together. Make sure they pay for the upkeep of the drive. How many times are they going to mow the edges a year / ect. He is trying to get the drive for his extended from his existing drive so they will pay for gravel for it as well.

Make damn sure they will pay for removal of the windmill after its decommissioned and set limits on how long decommissioned/abandoned is. It needs to be clear in the contract.

Most have it but be sure they also pay for damages to crops in the field as its likely they will install them when crops are there and will walk down big swaths. They move the cranes around here in a straight line from tower to tower as operating cost is so high, they don't go out to the road staying on the drives unless it to muddy. Hell, one day it was over a hundred here and they were having problems keeping the hydraulic system cool. Instead of slowing down they had ice trucks come in and were throwing bags of ice on the oil cooler and hyd oil tanks all day long. Just as fast as two guys could chuck it.

Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 12:14pm

Anywhere they drive those cranes they'll ruin your tile lines. Make sure they come back to repair those lines. Problem here is they aren't in too big of a hurry to repair tile lines. Also when they run a power line under ground they cut through tile lines without repairing them. takes years to recover from the compaction if the ground ever does. Don't forget that. we told them to take a hike. I don't need their subsidized stinking money.

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Wink
I am a Russian Bot

Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 1:39pm

Lets see @ $6K each. I'll take 20 right now and a supply of cotton balls too.

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1957 WD45 dad's first AC

1968 one-seventy

1956 F40 Ferguson

Posted By: John (C-IL)
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2010 at 4:02pm

When asked how many I was getting my reply was as many as they can stuff onto 134 acres, max of 3. At $8500 per and by the foot lease on roads and power lines I'll quit farming and watch my windmills turn! That would be more money than I have ever netted farming!