Sheep Industry News March 2025

Ranch. He said that a half-dozen years ago he was a solar scep tic at the notion that instead of paying someone to mow, sheep could be used to manage vegetative resources at energy instal lations. But his views have changed, noting that his company is now committed to agrivoltaics. Every Silicon Ranch site gets both water and predator-proof fencing, and the company has specifications so that sheep won’t have issues with wiring. He added that in some locations his company will provide handling corrals for sheep and will nego tiate for a lower rate for grazing management when installing this infrastructure. While some companies are looking toward the use of robotic mowers in the future, Shallenberger said, sheep grazing offers the benefit of using managed rotational grazing with its lower environmental footprint and less carbon output than mowers. The possible addition of adding carbon credits through grazing might add more value to energy producers in the future. He noted that the competition for solar grazers is landscapers and mowing companies. MEAT QUALITY So how do solar grazers ensure that lamb meat from their flocks is still a quality product for consumers? Each producer talked about different strategies. Redden noted that producers can target their programs to provide grain finishing or supple mental forage to ensure that their solar grazing results in qual ity lamb products for consumers. Dotterer said that there is a strong ethnic market in the Northeastern part of the country, so producers can market smaller lambs, giving them more leeway in solar grazing. Shal lenberger said some producers pull their lambs away from the

solar grazing projects, and that some energy companies allow the producers to plant cover crops or small grains to enhance grazing benefits. ISSUES Indart talked about the learning process as he began this business, noting that he did see an initial reduction in produc tion. But with better timing in his grazing system, he’s in creased production, and the solar panels provide shade for his sheep flock from the summer sun. Altering his management practices has allowed him to both optimize production and achieve land management goals, he said. Indart said that the solar installations have drivelines that can snag a sheep’s wool, and he now shears his sheep several months earlier to get his sheep into solar installations where they can have both good grazing land and cover from the panels. When the sheep were covered with four inches of wool, sometimes they would scratch itches on the panels, breaking them, and Indart had to pay for the broken panels. Shifting his production schedule helped to eliminate the problem. Wen said his company struggles to find enough sheep to graze their installations as many of the nation’s flocks are small. Redden noted that labor is a bottleneck in the industry since finding people who know how to manage sheep at this scale is challenging. Hain encouraged producers who want to learn more about agrivoltaics to visit the ASGA website at SolarGrazing.org to access a solar site template that features a water well and security fence. ASGA also offers other resources and sample contracts as well as a certification program for professionals in this growing industry.

March 2025 • Sheep Industry News • 13