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Farmer’s $200,000 Solar Lease Helps Him Survive Drought

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 2:55 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Steve Cargil, a 67-year-old U.S. farmer, leased 600 acres to OCI Energy for a solar farm.
The lease pays Cargil $200,000 (£150,000) each year.
The annual payment enables him to keep planting crops despite a severe drought.
A 2018 hailstorm destroyed his cabbage and onion fields, prompting his children to question farming.
Earlier this year Texas surpassed California as the nation’s top solar generator; in March 2025 it out-produced coal.

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Story summary

Steve Cargil, a 67-year-old U.S. farmer, leased 600 acres to OCI Energy for a solar farm.
The lease pays Cargil $200,000 (£150,000) each year.
The annual payment enables him to keep planting crops despite a severe drought.
A 2018 hailstorm destroyed his cabbage and onion fields, prompting his children to question farming.
Earlier this year Texas surpassed California as the nation’s top solar generator; in March 2025 it out-produced coal.