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Farmers have long been the heart of

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America but now more than ever falling

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prices, expanded costs and poor yields

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are making it impossible to stay afloat

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Is it time for America's farmers to pack

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it in and find greener pastures? No, it

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isn't. It is still possible for farmers

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to continue reaping the benefits of

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their lands. In fact new technologies

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have developed a way for farmers to

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decrease their production costs, increase

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their yield and combat the extreme

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weather which has diminished farm

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productivity all at the same time. So

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what's this magical cure for all ails? A

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little system called Agrophotovoltaics

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Agrophoto-what? Agrophotovoltaics or 

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APV for short. It's the term for the

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combination of traditional farming with

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solar farming. In short it's putting

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raised solar panels over your land and

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allowing crops to grow or animals to

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graze beneath. It's sometimes called dual

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use because it allows landowners to

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double the productivity of their land

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harvesting the power of the sun to grow

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crops and provide electric power. This

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power can be used for any number of

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things. It could power tractors, water

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heaters, or any farm equipment. Solar

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panels have been used for years to power

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electric fences, why not use them to

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power whole farms? And if there's power

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left over it can be sold to electric

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companies lowering electricity costs for

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the whole community and bringing in

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money. The best part?

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Solar panels are clean energy. Extreme

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heat, weather, droughts and frosts caused

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by increased co2 in the atmosphere

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decimate millions of dollars worth of

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crops every year. Since solar panels

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diminished the amount of co2 going into

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the atmosphere APV is an effective

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method of combating the disastrous

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effects of co2 emissions. Now it's true

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certain crops do grow faster under

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warmer temperatures so some farmers are

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glad for this change. But not only is

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there great human cost to climate change

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any crops which grow faster due to this

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warmer weather lose some of their

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nutritional value. In such a

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health-conscious age it's smart business

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to want the most nutritious

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crops possible. Besides solar panels

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increased crop productivity as well. The

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shade provided by solar panels prevents

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excess evaporation and there are even

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systems which trap rainwater and

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redistribute it to the crops below as

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desired. And the shade lowers field

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temperatures - no more working in a

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sweltering sun. Now you're probably

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thinking this sounds great

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so there has to be a catch but in

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reality it's not nearly as costly to

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implement as you might expect. In

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California state incentives can cover

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half the cost. Massachusetts will provide

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farmers up to $100,000 to apply APV and

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you're still eligible for federal

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incentives as well. APV isn't just about

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investing in your crops or the

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environment however it's an investment

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into the community. Stable crop prices

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and low electric costs help everybody

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and the installation of APV provides a

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new source of jobs in rural communities

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Not to mention the reduction of carbon

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emissions leaves a cleaner and safer

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world for future generations. Your

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grandkids won't just inherit a better

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and more productive farm they'll inherit

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a better world. Still looking for the

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catch? It can be pretty hard to find. APV

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doesn't harm wild animals it doesn't

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contaminate the soil or increase pests

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The only downside is the cost and due to

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governmental incentives and the

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increased economic productivity of

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dual-use land that's just sticker shock

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Across the world APV is working. In

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Malaysia it's helping the tea industry

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thrive. In the gardens of UMass Amherst

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kale and other nutritious vegetables

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grow under a wide array of state

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subsidized panels. In Minnesota APV is

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even being combined with beehives to

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create a popular and eco-friendly new

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beer. Clearly beneath these solar panels

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there's a room for all kinds of

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agricultural innovation. It's the 3rd

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agricultural revolution and one that is

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guaranteed to leave Mother Nature and

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American farms smiling as bright as the

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sun

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[Music]

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