Land use decisions are shaping the future of rural America—from the rapid growth of data centers to new opportunities for producing food and renewable energy on the same land.

In Part One of this episode, A Conversation about Land Use and Powering Rural, Michelle Rathman talks with Custer County Commissioner Jason Strouf and Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer about data center development in their communities. They explore the economic opportunities these projects can create, along with questions about land use, water, infrastructure, private property rights, local planning, and the importance of involving rural residents in decisions with long-term impacts.

In Part Two, Michelle is joined by Rebekah Pierce, Owner and Operator of J&R Pierce Family Farm, as well as a freelance writer and author of Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food. Pierce shares how her family farm uses sheep and cattle to manage vegetation on community-scale solar sites, allowing the same land to support both food and energy production. She discusses solar grazing, farm economics, land preservation, animal health, renewable energy policy, and why farmers need a meaningful voice in conversations about the future of agricultural land.

Two different approaches to land use. One larger conversation about powering rural communities while protecting the people, land, and livelihoods that make them rural—and ensuring rural voices help shape that future.