How Conservation, Livestock and Energy Production Can Share the Same Acres

Submitted by: Renewable Energy Farmers of America

At some point, a lot of ranchers are going to get a call from a developer, a broker or maybe even a neighbor asking whether some acreage might work for a solar or wind lease. Grazing land has never been a single-purpose asset. It's already doing double and triple duty as forage ground, wildlife habitat, and, in many operations, hay production. Adding to the multiuse possibilities, energy development has grown in popularity over the years. While wind power has been used for thousands of years, modern wind and solar have been around since the 90s, with wind and solar increasing by 1% to 10% and rising from 6000 Megawatt-hours in 2004 to 161,651,000 megawatt-hours in 2023.

Whether that sharing works depends entirely on the details and each operation. Here's what tends to matter most when livestock, conservation goals and a solar or wind project are all trying to occupy the same ground.

What Changes About Grazing Management Under Solar Panels

The short answer: less than a lot of ranchers expect, but not nothing. Sheep grazing on solar sites has become the standard approach for managing vegetation. Cattle grazing among solar panels (sometimes called cattlevoltaics) has drawn real research interest, though it’s less common. Both, sometimes referred to as agrivoltaics, are practical ways for animals to manage vegetation while benefitting from shade. University of Minnesota research suggests that cattle grazing under panels showed lower body temperatures and less restlessness during hot afternoons compared to cattle without shade access, which tracks with what most producers already know about heat stress cutting into gains.

The infrastructure side is where the real planning happens, and it looks different depending on the animal. Cornell's Small Farms Program found that sheep are the default choice for most solar sites and generally don't require any special design accommodations, while cattle grazing is less common but workable with proper wire management and sometimes higher panels, but not always. That's a distinction worth raising early with a developer if cattle, not sheep, are the animals on the operation.

Fencing also needs a second look: standard perimeter fencing doesn't always account for the equipment or clearance a solar site requires, so this is worth considering. Solar farm fencing requirements are dictated by National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 110.31, which mandates a minimum 7-foot high perimeter barrier for security at high-voltage, utility-scale sites. Local jurisdictions may also enforce specific ordinances on setbacks, emergency access, and wildlife-friendly design modifications.

Forage itself holds up better than some assume. A multi-year study at The Ohio State University found alfalfa and grass mixes grown between solar rows produced yields comparable to control plots outside the array, even in a drought year, though cool-season grasses showed a shorter growing window under the panels' partial shade. Soil compaction from construction and equipment access was also tracked and found to have some measurable effect, which is a good reminder that the site's condition three years in may not match the site as originally pitched.

Where Grassland Health and Conservation Goals Fit In

For land that's also managed with conservation in mind, like pollinator habitats,grassland birdsor wildlife corridors, a solar lease doesn't have to work against those goals, but it does require the project to be designed with them in mind from the start. Native vegetation planted under and around panels can support pollinator populations at a meaningful scale while also improving ground cover and reducing erosion compared to bare or mowed lots. Some solar sites have been documented as supporting habitats across hundreds of miles.  

Wildlife movement is the other piece worth flagging early. Perimeter fencing built without wildlife in mind can block migration corridors for pronghorn, deer and other species that migrate through the area. This is a solvable design problem, and wildlife-friendly fencing and strategically placed gaps exist for exactly this reason. But it has to be part of the conversation with the developer before the fence goes up, not after.

Questions Worth Clarifying

A lease is a long-term commitment on working land, so it's worth going into any offer with a specific list of questions, including:

• What is the vegetation management plan, and does it account for your current grazing rotation or forage needs?

• Will fencing allow for wildlife movement, and has the design been reviewed with that in mind? 

• What livestock access is planned during and after construction, and who's responsible for infrastructure that affects herd safety?

•  What are the soil health and restoration obligations if the project is decommissioned?

•  Has the project consulted state wildlife agencies or referenced regional wildlife habitat guidance in its planning?

None of these questions require an energy background to ask. They're grazing-management questions applied to a new kind of tenant on the land.

Playing the Long Game

Solar and wind leases typically run 25 to 50 years once options and extensions are factored in, which puts this decision on a different timeline than most operational choices ranchers make year to year. That length cuts both ways. It can mean decades of diversified, stable income layered onto grazing revenue, but it also means the terms need to hold up across a generational transition, not just the current operator's plans. Research comparing land values near large-scale solar facilities has found nearby agricultural land can actually see a value increase, which is worth factoring in alongside the direct lease income itself.

For families planning to pass the operation down, it's worth having a clear picture of how initial terms, extension options and decommissioning obligations will land on whoever's running the place in 20 or 30 years, not just what the offer looks like today.

A Resource Along the Way

Grazing land already asks a lot of the people managing it, and a lease offer adds one more layer of decisions to get right. Renewable Energy Farmers of America (REFA) works with farmer and rancher landowners navigating exactly these kinds of agreements, offering independent guidance so the terms serve the operation for the long haul, not just the length of the lease.

Resources

·       Cattlevoltaics: Grazing Cattle on Solar Farms — Renewable Energy Farmers of America

·       Agrivoltaics: Growing Food and Energy on the Same Land — Renewable Energy Farmers of America

·       Solar Grazing: Livestock as Landscapers at Utility-Scale Solar Arrays — Cornell Small Farms Program

·       Wildlife Beyond and Between the Panels — Renewable Energy Farmers of America

·       How Solar Projects and Agriculture Can Share the Same Land — Renewable Energy Farmers of America

·       Impact of Large-Scale Solar on Property Values in the United States — PNAS

·       Solar Farms May Still Be Farms — Michigan State University Extension

·       Agrivoltaics: Integrating Forage Production in Utility-Scale Solar Farms — Energize Ohio, Ohio State University Extension