Wind Farming Spreads in US (1/2)

For centuries, farmers have used windmills to pump water, crush grain and perform other tasks. Today, farmers can earn money with high-powered wind turbines that produce electricity. Wind power has become big business, especially in Europe.

In the United States, less than one percent of electricity is produced from wind energy. But production increased one hundred sixty percent between 2000 and 2005. So says Keith Collins, the chief economist at the Department of Agriculture, in a statement he prepared for a Senate committee last month.

An even greater increase is expected between 2005 and 2010. Farmers and ranchers are providing land to turbine owners or, in some cases, owning the equipment themselves.

Mister Collins says one reason for the increase is high prices for natural gas. Another is a federal tax credit for wind production. The credit is almost two cents per kilowatt hour for the first ten years of production for a project.