May 29, 2013
Australia

Farmer ploughs ahead against wind turbines

ABC News | May 29, 2013 | www.abc.net.au

A Yorke Peninsula farmer has ploughed the shape of a wind turbine into his paddock as a protest against a wind farm planned for the area.

The South Australian Government is expected to make a decision later in the year on the proposed Ceres 199-turbine wind farm near Ardrossan.

The image at Chad Twelftree’s Curramulka property is 157 metres long and 114 metres wide.

Mr Twelftree said he was worried turbines would affect his ability to aerial spray his crops.

“Several of the agronomists have given us information and they are stating between 10 and 80 per cent reductions in yield if we’re unable to use the aircraft when they’re required,” he said.

There are measures to ensure wind farms are not built in valuable environmental, scenic or coastal areas and Mr Twelftree said such considerations should be extended to farming land that consistently had high yields.

“I’m not asking for, you know, handouts or anything, all I’m asking for is that our state’s biggest money-earner, being agriculture, has its most valuable asset protected, which is high-quality land,” he said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/29/farmer-ploughs-ahead-against-wind-turbines/