The Casey Murph Story: An Arizona Cattle Rancher's Fight to Protect Wildlife & Landscape
And the tech industry’s push to expand solar and battery projects onto land currently zoned for agriculture — raising debate over energy growth, land use, and the future of rural communities.
Arizona cattle rancher Casey Murph joins independent journalism’s Jen’s Two Cents for a wide-ranging interview examining a growing battle over land, wildlife habitat, and the future of rural Arizona. Murph argues that policies accelerating renewable energy development could reshape generations of ranching and change how open land is used across the state.
Mr. Murph discusses concerns about New World screwworm, grazing allotments, foreign beef, Arizona land policy, and whether prime ranch and wildlife habitat should be converted for large-scale solar projects.
He also shares why he believes this issue is drawing national attention… and why he says the debate should not be framed as ranchers versus renewable energy.
“I really hate to make this political because I don’t really think this has to be political. I think most Arizonans are really against evicting ranchers and wildlife over solar.”
From family history and public land to questions about conservation, energy, and food security, this conversation takes a closer look at one Arizona rancher’s effort to influence the future of land and wildlife habitat that several generations of his family have worked to protect.
Follow Arizona cattle rancher Casey Murph on X
*Learn more about this issue from Keely Covello and Kelly Meixler
The Push to Open Agricultural Land to Energy Development
They want agriculture land.
At the June 10th Goodyear Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, the Arizona Technology Council urged the city to allow Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in agricultural districts, not just industrial zones.
The group argues restricting BESS to industrial land is too limiting and said the facilities are clean, quiet, low-impact uses that are compatible with agricultural settings.
The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association also pushed for more zoning flexibility, shorter setbacks, removal of the public art requirement, and exemptions for projects already approved or in the pipeline.
The proposed changes are part of a broader update to Goodyear’s zoning code, including rules for data centers and development standards that have been in place for more than 25 years.
Review the Goodyear Zoning Ordinance Update Draft Here
The Solar Project Wanting to Come to Goodyear, Arizona
Arizona Solar Expansion Draws Federal Attention Over Ranching Land Dispute READ HERE
Public Records Detail Notification Process for Desert Rainbow Solar Project READ HERE
As I’ve been reporting on another proposed solar project seeking to establish roots in the Southwest Valley, I’ve been digging into the contracts... including what happens decades later when these facilities reach end of life.
What does “same general condition” actually mean in practice 40–50 years later?
This week I had the opportunity to interview Arizona cattle rancher Casey Murph, who says he is facing eviction and the loss of grazing allotments as a foreign-owned solar developer has expressed interest in the same land.
How long does the land take to regenerate? This is a must-listen interview.
Jen’s Two Cents.
Cattle rancher Casey Murph doesn’t just criticize — he offers alternatives, including prioritizing solar installations over the hundreds of miles of existing parking lots across Arizona instead of converting agricultural and open land.
“I think there’s plenty of ways that we can find some type of alternative with renewables and with ranching and with wildlife.”
The debate: Should agricultural land be opened up for battery storage projects that support Arizona’s growing tech and energy sectors?