Sheep Industry News June 2025

During the site visit, Kraus spent some time examining the Hustler brand commercial mowers that Howard uses almost daily in his hybrid model of service, which combines grazing, mowing and spraying to control vegetation on solar sites. Having worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service for more than a decade, Kraus has experience in vegetation management and developing grazing plans. Solar grazing provided him with an opportunity to get into the sheep industry. “At the peak of things, we had about 750 ewes,” he said. “Last year was pretty dry, so we scaled back a bit. I’ve got a small place at home to put some sheep on when they aren’t on solar. I’ve done some targeted grazing for about 10 years at home, so now I’m just applying it to solar.” Certification in hand, Kraus said the three-day trip to north east Texas proved well worth the time and financial investment. “It’s been a good training,” he added. “I appreciate all of the speakers and their input and hearing the questions that everyone had for them. There’s always more to learn with something like this.” SOLAR, SOLAR, SOLAR Labeled as a Targeted Grazing Workshop, the training in Texas had a decided lean toward solar grazing. Texas is home to some of the largest solar sites in the United States and is one of the largest producers of solar energy. With a veteran solar grazer such as Howard tapped to lead many of the classroom sessions, he spoke first-hand about his experience with solar grazing as it applied to topics ranging from managing vegetation to developing bids for sites and breeding the right sheep for the job. Solar companies need vegetation management for two main reasons: to eliminate potential shade on the solar panels and to mitigate fire risk. Using sheep lends a more positive public per ception to building solar sites on agricultural land, and is often required by zoning regulations. In addition, sheep grazing has proven to be a more economical approach to vegetation manage

ment than simply mowing the entire site. While the financial benefits of grazing have proven a boon to producers, there can be downsides. “Site income can be a crutch that allows you to overlook sheep health,” Howard said. “I still want a really good sheep program to fall back on because we never know when pay rates might go down. Don’t go out and buy a bunch of junky sheep just to have something to put on a site. You still need to have good sheep.” Texas A&M AgriLife Assistant Professor and Extension Sheep and Goat Specialist Jake Thorne, Ph.D., reinforced the need for developing the right kind of sheep for the job, adding that you shouldn’t “force the wrong sheep into a bad situation.” The right sheep depends on your region and climate to some degree, but parasite resistance is the biggest attribute for grazers in the wet, humid areas of East Texas, where the workshop was conducted. “You want a forage-based flock,” he said. “You need ewes that don’t need year-round supplementation and can stay in proper condition (with a year-round body condition score of three). They should be healthy overall and appropriate size.” Smaller ewes – such as Dorpers, Katahdins, St. Croix and other hair sheep breeds – tend to be more profitable and a better fit in this climate. Like many solar grazers, Howard has often turned to leasing sheep from reputable producers when he finds himself needing additional mouths to fulfill his contracts. “That’s a good way to get into solar grazing,” he said. “Or you can contract with a mowing company that needs sheep on its sites. That’s a good way to get experience. The hardest site you’ll ever get is your first one. After that, you’ll have something to show the solar companies.” Getting onto a site also presents an opportunity for additional work, Howard said. Once the solar company and/or the operating and maintenance company that manages the site have confidence in you, they might turn to you to repair fences, handle landscap ing tasks or even road maintenance – depending on your abilities.

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