Wayne Thomas is a farmer and rancher in Lynn County, Texas. He preserves his land through the USDA Conservation Reserve Program and speaks here about partnering with Ørsted to host wind turbines on his property.
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I’ve been farming and ranching in Lynn County since the 1980s, when my wife and I got married and moved to this area, where she grew up.
Our land was originally used for cotton growing, until the USDA offered us the chance to participate in its Conservation Reserve Program. It helps us preserve the land for future generations by leaving the land dormant, and we get financial benefits from the program, as well. We’ve got a beautiful lake on our land, stocked with lots of fish, and we see all kinds of wildlife out here, like quail, turkey, and white-tailed deer. I love just coming out here to relax and fish by myself or host family gatherings.
A few years ago, we got a letter in the mail from Ørsted, and my wife and I decided to attend a meeting to hear what they were looking to do around Lynn County. You know, you go to a meeting with a hundred people around here, and you’ll get a hundred different opinions. But we liked what we were hearing from Ørsted about their wind farm project, so we came back for a second meeting. We did our research, and by the third meeting, we were sold on Ørsted.
We now host six turbines on our land, and Ørsted has been a great partner to us. They’re an honest company, and we’ve come to find out they’re easy to work with, too. We like the benefits they provide quarterly to our family, and there’s not a lot of hassle. Ørsted has done everything they told us they would do.
We now host six turbines on our land, and Ørsted has been a great partner to us. They’re an honest company, and we’ve come to find out they’re easy to work with, too. We like the benefits they provide quarterly to our family, and there’s not a lot of hassle. Ørsted has done everything they told us they would do.
But it’s not just us landowners who are happy to have Ørsted around. The whole community has seen improvement. Ørsted has helped build a school gymnasium, and new softball and baseball fields. We’re not a rich county by any means here, so it’s pretty nice when you see an Ørsted truck at the local café, or the convenience store, or the tire shop, knowing they’re trading locally. I would tell other communities to do their research and see what the benefits Ørsted and wind energy can bring to them, too.
