July 19th, 2023
By Michael Shulman
Eric Bronson Joins AFT as Mid-Atlantic Senior Smart Solar Specialist
(Washington, D.C.) Eric Bronson joins American Farmland Trust as Mid Atlantic Senior Smart Solar Specialist, where he will develop and implement AFT’s Smart Solar principles and strategies at the intersection of solar energy generation and farmland conservation and support services for farmers and landowners in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. With substantial solar development expected in the Mid-Atlantic region in the coming years, and increasing pressures on the region’s most productive, versatile, and resilient farmland, Bronson will be a regional resource in strategies to integrate solar energy development with agricultural land protection, regenerative farming practices, farm viability, land access, and other aspects of AFT’s programs.
Bronson brings a unique blend of agricultural and solar development experience to AFT. With sixteen years of experience in livestock and significant experience in solar grazing, Bronson joins AFT from SunEnergy1 where he developed and implemented an integrated solar grazing program on over 1,300 acres of utility scale solar sites throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Bronson also founded James River Grazing Company, where he manages a 1,000 head solar grazing contracting company on more than 1,000 acres of solar sites.
“Throughout my time in the renewable energy industry, I have had the opportunity to combine my background in agriculture with solar development,” said Bronson. “AFT’s Smart Solar program presented the opportunity to foster responsible solar development, while also driving forward industry leading practices in the regenerative and agrivoltaic spaces. As a first-generation farmer myself, I am excited to help AFT further the Smart Solar program while preserving and creating new opportunities for American farmers.”
“Eric joins us at a pivotal time,” said Jamie Mierau, AFT’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Director. “Solar is essential to meeting state and national clean energy goals; at the same time, we can and should develop solar in ways that preserve and enhance farmland, support farmers, and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture in the Mid-Atlantic.”
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.