In the dry, rolling hills of Sherman County, Oregon, farming continues alongside huge green energy projects.
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farming → roll → projects
For one local wheat-growing family, having wind turbines on their land has changed their yearly finances without stopping their traditional harvest.
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having → grow → harvest
According to a report by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Kevin McCullough and his wife, Kathryn McCullough, grow wheat on land that contains about half of the Biglow Canyon wind farm.
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that → accord → farm
Thirteen of the huge industrial turbines stand directly on their property, turning above fields that are still used to grow crops.
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that → stand → crops
The money from the turbines has made a major difference for the family business.
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money → make → business
It provides a valuable second source of income while the family continues farming.
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family → provide → income
"We were ecstatic," Kathryn McCullough told The Oregonian/OregonLive when talking about the arrival of the turbines.
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McCullough → tell → turbines
"What's not to like?
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What → like → ?
When these things are turning, we're making $100,000 a year."
Dual income on working land
The arrangement shows how rural landowners and energy companies are increasingly working together across North America.
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landowners → turn → America
Portland General Electric (PGE) opened the Biglow Canyon wind farm 15 years ago as part of a statewide effort to increase renewable energy production.
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Electric → open → production
Unlike some energy projects that require large areas to be cleared, wind turbines leave most farmland available for other uses.
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turbines → require → uses
The concrete bases and access roads cover only a very small part of the total land.
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bases → cover → land
That allows farming families like the McCulloughs to keep using combines and planting wheat right up to the bases of the giant towers.
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families → allow → towers
Using land for both farming and wind power gives farmers some protection against the changing crop prices and weather problems that come with dryland wheat farming.
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that → use → farming
Although payments from wind projects can provide steady income, farming next to large energy equipment also brings its own risks and challenges.
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farming → provide → risks
Safety at the facility came under close attention after a major equipment failure at the Biglow Canyon project.
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Safety → come → project
In late January, a delivery driver noticed broken bolts near the base of turbine 71.
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driver → notice → turbine
Just days later, on 1 February, the turbine suffered a serious structural failure.
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turbine → suffer → failure
An eight-tonne, 11-story-tall blade was thrown into a nearby wheat field.
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blade → throw → field
The spinning blade cut a trench about four feet deep through the crop stubble.
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blade → spin → stubble
Heavy mounting bolts were scattered across the surrounding land.
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bolts → mount → land
The accident immediately raised concerns for farming families working the fields beneath the turbines.
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accident → raise → turbines
After the accident, Kathryn McCullough told The Oregonian/OregonLive about the possible danger to people working nearby.
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McCullough → tell → people
"Someone could have been killed or badly injured," she said.
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Someone → kill → ?
After the blade broke free, PGE took temporary safety steps.
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PGE → break → steps
The company shut down all 217 turbines at the Biglow Canyon facility.
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company → shut → facility
Engineers carried out full inspections and tested the bolts before the turbines were slowly returned to operation.
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turbines → carry → operation
Despite the risks shown by equipment failures, payments from wind leases remain an important source of money for landowners in Sherman County and throughout the Columbia River Gorge.
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payments → show → Gorge
Wind projects also bring millions of dollars in local tax revenue in addition to direct lease payments to property owners.
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projects → bring → owners
That money helps pay for emergency services, public roads, and rural school districts across eastern Oregon.
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money → pay → Oregon
For farming families dealing with uncertain harvests, combining traditional farming with yearly turbine payments provides a steady source of income.
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combining → farm → income
That predictable money can help families keep their agricultural land financially sustainable from one generation to the next.
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families → help → next
The Aporia
