Solar grazing provided New York farmer Erica Frenay with $2,325 in 2019, when 59 of her sheep spent roughly five months eating vegetation at a solar farm while her own pasture recovered.
Key Takeaways
- The flock comprised 25 lambs and 34 ewes and grazed from roughly May to late September 2019.
- The solar energy company transported and oversaw the sheep during the grazing period.
Solar grazing payments and responsibilities
Frenay, of Shelterbelt Farm, leased the animals to the project for the season, according to the Cornell Small Farms Program. The payment was based on the number and type of animals: $25 for each lamb and $50 for each ewe, totaling $2,325.
The arrangement gave the solar site a way to manage vegetation around its panels while providing Frenay with additional farm income. The company operating the site was responsible for moving the flock to and from the site and overseeing the animals while they grazed.
How sheep can maintain solar sites
Solar operators need to control vegetation that could interfere with panels. Grazing offers an alternative to mowing, while allowing the same land to support both energy generation and livestock.
For Frenay, moving the flock to the solar site also allowed vegetation on her own farm to grow back. Cornell research has examined how sheep numbers, vegetation growth and animal health interact within solar arrays.
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