Sheep Industry News June 2025

Matt Kraus of Falls City, Texas, has been grazing smaller solar sites without mowing for a few years. But after the workshop, he thinks he might need to invest in a mower.

Look for those additional revenue sources once you’re on a site. Extensive fencing around solar sites often provides an ideal environment for sheep. Predators aren’t eliminated completely,

• Most contracts will call for a combination of grazing, mowing and spraying to maintain vegetation. Are you prepared to handle all aspects of the contract? Avoid purchasing side-discharge mowers, as these are more likely to cause damage to solar panels during the mowing process. A WAY OF LIFE While sheep producers need to realize the differences in targeted grazing and running sheep on pastures at home, they should also embrace the fact that targeted and solar grazing can preserve their livestock operations. “I was loading sheep recently with my oldest son and my dad,” said Raines. “And I realized how awesome it was that we were all there at the same time working together. We’re not farming our land and doing the same things we always did in the past, but our family operation is intact, and looks like it will be for the foresee able future.”

but tend to be less prevalent in that environment. Other tidbits of knowledge from the workshop:

• Try to avoid one-year contracts. This can be difficult as a new solar grazer, but it’s tough to recoup initial costs in one year. Ev erything gets more efficient after year one, and bankers are more likely to loan startup costs based on multi-year contracts. • Before bidding on a project, you need to make a site visit. Researching the site online and looking at Google Maps can pro vide some information, but it’s important to see the site first-hand to make an accurate bid. • Water is one of the most essential concerns when starting on a new solar site, especially if you’re in a fairly dry area. Is there water onsite? Will you have to haul it in? If so, where can you find water to haul? • Some solar companies want to limit access to the site to cer tain hours and days. But with live animals on site, sheep produc ers need 24 hour access seven days a week.

Visit LambBoard.com/grazing-workshops to learn more about upcoming targeted grazing workshops.

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