ELWOOD, Ind. —
When he saw the first turbine going up, Terry Williams knew things were going to change.
“I kind of thought it was exciting,” said Williams, 63, of Elwood.
There are seven turbines on land belonging to his family members and their corporation, Williams Farms, Inc. The concrete poured for one of those towers was the first in the Wildcat project, he said.
When they were first approached about the turbines, Williams said his dad was dead-set against it. But, the family sat down and talked about how it would affect them in the long-term.
Nowadays, his dad’s “one of the biggest supporters,” he said.
Williams likes to look at the lease money he gets as a boost to his “retirement (plan) that was totally unexpected.”
Williams is a farmer, like his father. He and his brothers farm corn and soybeans on 1,600 acres owned or rented by their family. He says it hurts to see the damage the trucks and other construction equipment do to the land when it’s muddy.
“We’re close to the land,” Williams said. “But damage is temporary. It’ll heal itself.”
Williams, a recreational pilot, says he also has to fly higher now that there are tower-obstacles in his way.
But he can get over all that, if, in the long run, it’ll help the local economy and the environment, he said.
“We (as a country) need to be more energy conscious,” he said. “Here we are, going to be part of the solution.”
Local News
Related Photos
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Wind turbines rise above grain bins on the land farmed by Terry Williams and his brothers. There are seven wind turbines on land owned by Williams Farms, Inc. north of Elwood.
Discussion
Winds of change: Williams, family go from opponents to supporters
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