Farmers and other property owners who want to learn more about wind farms may attend one of the upcoming, "Wind Energy 101, from a landowners perspective" forums presented in Ottawa Monday, Nov. 9, and in Pontiac Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The Illinois Wind Working Group and the University of Illinois Extensions service, with the assistance of other groups, are coordinating the forums to help landowners make informed decisions about wind energy developments and land leases.

The workshops are part of a continuing series of forums across the state in which university educators and industry professionals present a comprehensive overview of wind economics, timelines for wind farm development, agricultural issues and lease and contract information.

"Wind energy in Illinois is going to experience explosive growth," said David Loomis, director of the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University, in a press release. "Illinois recently surpassed the 1,000-megawatt mark for wind capacity in the state and I see no end to the projects that are coming online," he said.

According to University of Illinois Engineering Technology Educator Stanley Solomon, "landowners need to consider the long-term implications before signing a contract with a developer. While there are definite benefits to wide energy, the impacts on agriculture and future development of the land should be part of the decision."

Solomon said, "Limitations on locations and construction of new buildings, aerial crop spray applications and practical cultivation equipment sizes area among the issues that should be considered."

These and other issues will be discussed during the workshops.

The Ottawa forum, 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at Pitstick Pavilion, has an early registration deadline of Wednesday, Nov. 4, for the discounted registration fee of $20. Late registration or at the door costs will be $25 and will be available on a space basis.

Online registration for the Ottawa meeting can be found at the La Salle County Extension Web site, http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/lasalle or by contacting the Extension office at 815-433-0707.

The Dec. 9 Livingston County forum will be at the Livingston County Extension office, 1412 S. Locust St., from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The early registration fee of $20 deadline is Friday, Dec. 4, with late registration or at the door entry priced at $25 based on available seating.