I’ve never met a farmer or rancher I didn’t like. They are the world’s most miserable optimists. This year’s crop may have been bad, but next year — next year — they are sure that commodity prices will be better and their grain silos will be filled to overflowing.

I made this 10-minute documentary, SUNBLOCK, because I love farmers and ranchers and want to tell their stories. This film is available for free here on Substack and YouTube. (Comments here are also open to all subscribers.)

I made this film with my own money on a tiny budget with basic equipment (hand-held DSLRs and a small audio recorder) so I could produce it quickly and shine a spotlight on the global battle to save prime farmland from the encroachment of giant solar projects. Of course, the widespread destruction of farmland doesn’t fit the narrative that’s relentlessly promoted by climate activists, legacy media outlets, and big NGOs like the Sierra Club, NRDC, and Environmental Defense Fund. And of course, the New York Times and NPR are parroting the same pro-solar narrative.

But the facts are clear: solar energy is expanding rapidly; that expansion is gobbling up massive amounts of land; and all over the world, farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners are fighting to protect their property and livelihoods from Big Solar.

In the Renewable Rejection Database, I’ve documented 48 rejections or restrictions of solar energy in the US this year alone, and a total of 359 since 2015. The surging backlash against solar is particularly obvious in the British Isles, where there have been more than two dozen rejections of Big Solar since January 1. (I’ll be publishing more on the rejections in England, Ireland, and Scotland over the next two weeks.)

What can you do to help publicize these issues? First, help me spread the word. The best marketing comes from word of mouth. Please share this short film with your friends and family. Leave comments below and on YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and other platforms.

Second, you can help support me — an independent journalist — by becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack.

I don’t have any patrons or affiliations. I don’t take advertising or sponsorships. I make my living by writing here on Substack and by doing speaking engagements. My ability to continue reporting and writing — and making mini-documentaries like this one — depends on support from people like you.

Finally, if you know farmers or ranchers who have stories about Big Solar that are similar to the ones I’m telling here with SUNBLOCK, please drop me a line here on Substack.

As always, I’m grateful for your support. Thanks, y’all.

Remember, you can also watch it on YouTube. Click HERE.

Lisa Reisman has spent her entire career in the metals business. She began as an aluminum trader, and after stints at other firms, she founded MetalMiner. Her clients are primarily original equipment manufacturers, including automakers, who buy a wide range of metal products. In this episode, she explains how her firm forecasts prices and why she is a "price purist." She also explains how China became a dominant player in strategic elements like antimony, neodymium, gallium, and other metals. Please note that this episode was recorded on December 12, 2024. Reisman and I discussed the then-pending purchase of US Steel by Nippon Steel. Reisman said the US government should allow that deal to happen because Japan is a key US ally. On January 3, the Biden administration blocked that takeover. We also talked about copper, a metal that is getting lots of attention due to its critical role in the electricity sector. Reisman believes that the relatively weak copper prices over the past year are due, in part, to softer-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.

Five years after a fire nearly destroyed Notre Dame in Paris, the famous cathedral has reopened. In this episode, I talk to essayist Emmet Penney, who writes the Nuclear Barbarians Substack, about the cultural significance of the cathedral, nuclear plants as our industrial cathedrals, and the electric grid as our industrial commons.

Please note that one of the (many) great things about Substack is that it allows you to hear this podcast on other platforms. Thus, you can hear this episode, and future episodes, here on Substack and on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.

Podcasts want to be free. This podcast is possible because of supporters like you. To get all new posts & comment, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Before you go:

Do me a favor and click that ♡ button. And, as always, please share and subscribe.

I’m back in the podcast game!

And I am super pleased that the first guest on The Robert Bryce Show is one of my favorite people, Matt Ridley. Matt is a birdwatcher, essayist, and a prolific writer. He’s the author of ten books. His most recent one, which he co-wrote with Alina Chan, is Viral: The Search For the Origin of Covid-19. In this episode, we talk about Britain’s insane energy policies, the closure of the country’s last blast furnace, his investigation into Covid, why he now is convinced the pandemic was caused by a lab leak, and much more.

Stay tuned.

I love Substack and will be doing more podcasts on this platform. Future podcasts will be for paid subscribers only. So by all means, please subscribe.

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