{"id":23569,"date":"2015-04-09T08:10:04","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T13:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=23569"},"modified":"2015-04-09T11:32:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-09T16:32:00","slug":"in-southwest-oklahoma-a-farmer-harvests-the-wind-and-watches-the-state-capitol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/04\/09\/in-southwest-oklahoma-a-farmer-harvests-the-wind-and-watches-the-state-capitol\/","title":{"rendered":"In Southwest Oklahoma, a Farmer Harvests the Wind and Watches the State Capitol"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_23576\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23576\" alt=\"Bob Kerr on his ranch near Carnegie, Okla., which is flanked by turbines from the Blue Canyon Wind Farm.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics108_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics108_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics108_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics108_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics108_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bob Kerr on his ranch near Carnegie, Okla., which is flanked by turbines from the Blue Canyon Wind Farm.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Lawmakers have filed several measures targeting Oklahoma\u2019s wind industry during the 2015 legislative session. The bills most likely to end up on the governor\u2019s desk <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/04\/01\/wind-regulation-bill-moves-forward-with-industrys-blessing\/\">add regulation<\/a> \u2014 like preventing new wind farms from being built near hospitals, schools and airports \u2014 and reduce <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/03\/11\/oklahoma-senate-unanimously-approves-bill-limiting-wind-industry-tax-incentives\/\">wind energy tax credits<\/a>.<\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/199991965&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><!--more-->Bob Kerr has lived on his Caddo County ranch for 43 years. The nearest tow, Carnegie, is home to about 1,700 people \u2014 a sprawling metropolis in southwestern Oklahoma<\/p><p>\u201cWhen I first came here the only thing on this place was wagon tracks to a little frame house,\u201d says 73-year-old Kerr. \u201c I\u2019ve seen a lot of change.\u201d<\/p><p>Spring has brought the heat, but not the rain.<\/p><p>Kerr steers his red pickup onto the road that divides his property and turns into a pasture. He\u2019s tracking down a herd of cattle to make sure they\u2019re drinking out of a water tank and a sludgy pond that\u2019s shriveled and stagnated.<\/p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s left of our ponds,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re just gone.&#8221;<\/p><p>The Kerr\u2019s seeded about 500 acres of wheat, which they\u2019ll likely graze out to their 100 head of cattle due to the lack of rain. Five years of drought has plagued Oklahoma. Last year\u2019s wheat harvest was a bust \u2014 Kerr harvested zero wheat in 2014, for the first time ever.<\/p><p>Beef prices are high, which is good for Kerr and other ranchers, but the cattle business can be as volatile as the oil business. Which has taken a nosedive in recent months. The wind business, however, is booming. Nationally, Oklahoma <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/01\/30\/climbing-ranks-oklahoma-now-ranks-fourth-in-u-s-wind-power-capacity\/\">ranks No. 4<\/a> in wind power capacity \u2014 and Kerr couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p><p>\u201cI feel like I won the lottery,\u201d he says as he turns down a gravel road. Kerr jumps out of the truck and unlocks a squeaky, moaning gate. \u201cHave you ever been up close to these things? They\u2019re pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23573\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23573\" alt=\"The Blue Canyon Wind Farm and the Kerr family farm in southwest Oklahoma.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics015_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics015_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics015_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics015_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics015_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Blue Canyon Wind Farm and the Kerr family farm in southwest Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Windmills\u2019 Don\u2019t Eat<\/h3><p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/bluecanyonwindfarm.com\/\">Blue Canyon Wind Farm<\/a> started operating more than a decade ago. Kerr leased land for five turbines; His wife\u2019s family owns the neighboring ranch, which is home to 17. We drive around the turbines that dot a rocky outcropping above his house. For Kerr, life as a wind farmer is a lot easier than life as a traditional farmer. Turbines, he says, are less hassle than cattle.<\/p><p>\u201cThis is steady, dependable income, he says. \u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about feeding them, I don\u2019t have to worry about breaking ice for them in the wintertime, I don\u2019t have to worry about these windmills getting out on the road. It\u2019s just a no worry deal. It\u2019s been a very pleasant experience.\u201d<\/p><p>The extra money from the wind leases has helped Kerr pay for a new barn. \u201c I\u2019m building that barn because I can now because these windmills come help me along,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s kinda like a little extra retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23574\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23574\" alt=\"Bob and Becky Kerr are big proponents of wind turbines, which overlook their home in southwest Oklahoma. Money from turbine leases has provided a stable source of income, they say helps offset their volatile farming and cattle business.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics067_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics067_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics067_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics067_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/04\/20150402-bob-kerr-pics067_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bob and Becky Kerr are big proponents of wind turbines, which overlook their home in southwest Oklahoma. Money from turbine leases has provided a stable source of income, they say helps offset their volatile farming and cattle business.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Inside the Kerr\u2019s home, Bob and his wife Becky talk about life before turbine blades were spinning hundreds of feet overhead, and opposition voiced at the state Capitol.<\/p><p>Proposals for new wind farms have faced <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2014\/07\/24\/why-oklahomas-wind-energy-future-could-be-shaped-by-osage-county\/\">stiff resistance<\/a> throughout the state. Residents <a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2013\/09\/05\/lacking-state-policy-local-politics-test-the-promise-of-wind-energy-in-oklahoma\/\">worry <\/a>about turbine safety, the sound of spinning blades and their effect on wildlife, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MbIe0iUtelQ\">the flickering strobe light-like shadow<\/a> the turbines can cast. Becky says the company that built Blue Canyon, now owned by EDP Renewables, helped minimize the nuisance by offering to install blinds or plant a row of trees to block the flicker.<\/p><p>\u201cTrees grow slowly out here and it\u2019s just something else to have to water, so we opted for the blinds,\u201d Becky says.<\/p><p>Back in the truck, Bob Kerr says he\u2019s made the 90-minute drive to Oklahoma City several times to speak at Corporation Commission hearings into possible new wind regulation, and to talk to lawmakers about wind energy legislation.<\/p><p>\u201cIf you make it too tough a climate in Oklahoma, they\u2019ll go to Kansas or Texas or Colorado or somewhere,\u201d he says. \u201cI think they\u2019re missing the boat.\u201d<\/p><p>Even if tax credits are reduced and turbine locations are limited, the Blue Canyon wind farm would be grandfathered in. Whatever happens, Kerr hopes, in the future, the Oklahoma wind can help landowners \u2014 like him \u2014make money if crops wither and oil wells run dry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers have filed several measures targeting Oklahoma\u2019s wind industry during the 2015 legislative session. The bills most likely to end up on the governor\u2019s desk add regulation \u2014 like preventing new wind farms from being built near hospitals, schools and airports \u2014 and reduce wind energy tax credits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":23575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[490],"tags":[630,238,144],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23569"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23569"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23581,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23569\/revisions\/23581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}