Sheep Industry News July 2024

came up. “It will take up to seven years to happen, and if it hap pens, that’s 40 years of solar panels. So, I’m only going to realistically cash half of those checks. But I know the land will remain in agriculture. We’re taking corn and soybean ground and converting it to pasture. And the way I look at it, the solar panels are just shade structures over that pasture. And we have the first right of refusal to graze that land if they choose to graze it.” As a farmer first, Lynn envisions a time when researchers might develop fruits or vegetables that can be grown under the panels to maximize the agricultural use. But for now, he’s happy to see the positive impact the solar boom is having on the sheep industry. “It blew me away to see how fast this segment of the industry is growing, and it gives us the potential to expand the sheep industry in the United States for the first time in 50 years,” Lynn said. “I understand that it’s a huge shift in the in dustry. It’s possible that the largest NSIP flock in the country in two years will be in Georgia. If Silicon Ranch’s flock grows to the size they think it needs to for them to graze all of their land, it’s going to be huge.” Seeing the impact solar grazing has already had on the industry, Lynn pushed to have the American Solar Grazing

Association as presenters at the Production, Education and Research Council’s meeting during the 2024 ASI Annual Convention. He was co-chair of that council last year before moving over to the Lamb Council this year. “And this isn’t just a thing in the Eastern half of the United States,” Lynn said. “We’ve heard from Ryan Indart about the impact its had on his business in California. They’re build ing these things all over the country now. If sheep were to go under every solar panel in the country, we wouldn’t have to worry about lamb imports. We would raise enough lamb in this country to meet the demand. It would mean lamb prices would go down, but we could raise the lamb cheaper. I don’t think we’ll end up with sheep under every panel long term, but for now, it’s all about sheep.” One other aspect of the industry that has Lynn excited is the new generation of extension specialists and researchers who have come into the industry in the past five years. “Six or eight years ago, we had a lot of people who were active in that part of the industry who were retiring,” he said. “A lot of young people have really stepped up and moved into those roles now. I don’t even know where they all came from, but we’ve got a great group of young minds out there now that are looking to move this industry forward. It’s pretty exciting to have them involved.”

24 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org