A 73-year-old Oklahoma farmer battled years of drought before leasing land for five wind turbines. The wise decision transformed his farm income

For decades, Bob Kerr made his living the traditional Oklahoma way: raising cattle and growing wheat. But farming came with an unavoidable problem. Rain could disappear, crops could fail, and livestock prices could swing without warning. Then five towering wind turbines arrived on his ranch. Unlike his cattle, Kerr joked, the machines did not need feeding, watering or rescuing from the road. More importantly, the lease payments gave his family something agriculture could not always guarantee: a steady source of income.

Five Years of Drought Emptied Farmer's Income, Managed with His Second Income Source

When StateImpact Oklahoma, a reporting project of NPR member stations, visited Kerr in 2015, the then 73-year-old had lived on his Caddo County ranch for 43 years. His operation included around 500 acres of wheat and 100 head of cattle, but years of drought had made farming increasingly difficult. In 2014, Kerr harvested no wheat at all the first time that had happened to him. By the following spring, ponds on the property had shrunk dramatically because of the lack of rain. Cattle provided another source of income, but prices could be volatile. Wind offered Kerr something different.

Here's How Five Wind Turbines Helped the Farmer

The Blue Canyon Wind Farm had begun operating more than a decade before the 2015 report. Kerr leased part of his property for five turbines, while his wife's family owned the neighbouring ranch where another 17 turbines were located. The turbines occupied the rocky landscape overlooking Kerr's home while the family continued its agricultural operation. For Kerr, the financial difference was significant because turbine lease payments were not dependent on rainfall or cattle prices. He described the money as “steady, dependable income”, adding that turbines did not need to be fed or looked after during freezing weather.

How Wind Helped Pay for a New Barn

The lease payments did not replace farming, but they gave the Kerr family another financial cushion. Kerr told StateImpact Oklahoma that income from the turbines helped him build a new barn, describing the additional money as something similar to extra retirement income. That mattered in a business where a dry year could wipe out a crop. Wind and agriculture could also occupy the same property, allowing Kerr to continue raising cattle while receiving payments for turbines installed on the land.

Not Everyone Welcomed Oklahoma's Wind Boom

The expansion of wind energy was not without controversy. At the time of the report, Oklahoma lawmakers were considering proposals involving wind-energy tax credits and restrictions on where new projects could be constructed. Some residents had also raised concerns about turbine noise, wildlife, safety and the moving shadows created by rotating blades. Kerr became an advocate for the industry, travelling about 90 minutes to Oklahoma City on several occasions to attend regulatory hearings and speak with lawmakers. He worried that excessive restrictions could push future wind investment towards neighbouring states.

When Crops Failed, the Wind Kept Blowing

Kerr's story showed how renewable energy could play an unexpected role in traditional American agriculture. The turbines did not require him to abandon cattle or wheat. Instead, they gave the same land another way to earn money. For a farmer accustomed to watching the sky and hoping for rain, that reliability carried particular value. Crops could wither, ponds could dry up, and commodity prices could fall. The turbines standing above Kerr's Oklahoma ranch offered something considerably less predictable farming rarely could: another cheque from the wind.