By Lorrie Boyer | Your Ag Network
Country music artist John Rich says his new role as a special envoy for American landowners began with a battle to stop a large energy project that he believed threatened productive farmland and rural communities in Tennessee.
Speaking with Your Ag Network’s Lorrie Boyer, Rich said he is continuing his music career while taking on the additional responsibility of advocating for landowners facing similar issues across the country.
“It’s actually in addition to,” Rich said. “I’m still playing music and doing what I’ve always done.”
Rich said the opportunity emerged after he publicly opposed a proposed Tennessee Valley Authority energy project that he described as a Biden-era initiative. According to Rich, the project would have affected roughly 6,000 acres of farmland, more than 400 homes, a school district and the county’s primary water supply.
Rich said he spent several months leading a public campaign against the proposal before the Tennessee Valley Authority ultimately abandoned the project.
“This was about a $2 billion project,” Rich said. “They decided, ‘You know what? Maybe it’s not a good place to do this.'”
Rich said the effort drew the attention of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and President Donald Trump, ultimately leading to his appointment as a special envoy for American landowners.
According to Rich, President Trump told him similar land-use disputes are occurring across the country and encouraged him to help advocate for affected property owners.
“These situations are happening all across the United States,” Rich recalled the president saying. “What you just did with the TVA needs to be done in places more than I can count.”
Rich said his new position will allow him to continue defending farmers, ranchers and rural landowners while remaining active in the music industry.