WRIGHT TWP., MI (WHTC, Oct. 31, 2026) – In the midst of the dispute over a proposed solar farm in Ottawa County comes a longer standing effort to protect agricultural property.
On Tuesday, the county officially closed on its 10th tract as part of its Farmland Preservation Program. It was 155 acres in Wright Township that has been owned by Wayne Molyneux since 1986. He has been raising pigs and beef cattle, as well as growing different cash crops, and plans on passing on the property to his son.
Helping to fund this program has been the “Farms are the Tapas” annual event near Hudsonville, which garnered nearly $30,000 through ticket sales, sponsors, and a silent auction last month, according to the county’s Agriculture and Economic Resources Coordinator Becky Huttenga.
Since 2016, the Farmland Preservation Program has protected agricultural properties now totaling 888 acres, with another 236 acres “in process.”
Also on Tuesday, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved three items directly relating to the proposed 200-megawatt, utility-scale initiative which RWE Clean Energy wants to build over nearly 2,000 acres of farmland in Zeeland and Jamestown townships.
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