Pictures from my Oklahoma trip

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Janet

We are starting to get those windmills here Gayle. People are using them for electricity and there is one just 2 miles from me. They are considering a windmill farm there. They have one up so they can decide if there is enough wind for more.

Our farm is in line for a future wind farm. In order to put a windmill(s) on your property, they have to lease it. Oil companies do the same, in order to drill an oil or gas well on your property, they have to lease it. Oil companies typically lease your land for about $100 to $300 per acre for 3 years. We currently have all our farm leased to an oil company.

Well, the wind farm company wants to lease our farm for $1.00 (yes, one dollar) an acre for 100 years (yes, one hundred years). We said NO THANKS!!! I would love to have a few windmills on my farm, they bring in about $5,000-$8,000 per year (depending on how much elec they generate). BUT you might lease your land with them and then get a 5000 sq foot substation instead of a windmill (which pays NOTHING). You are giving up the surface rights to your property for 100 years - again, NO THANKS!!! We think they will change the lease at some point - it will be several years before the proposed wind farm is built.

Some people put up the small windmills to generate personal electricity. What you don't use, the electric complany in Oklahoma HAS to buy back from you. Several people do that and we are considering doing that on our farm.