
🔊 Grazing on Solar Farms, Mobilizing Goats, and Finding Farm Dogs – with Aaron Steele
A few months ago, one of my coworkers asked me if I knew anything about solar grazing. She said that with all of the solar farms going in, it seemed like a major opportunity to get grazing animals back on the landscape. I said that I didn’t know much about it, but that I also wanted to learn more.Â
Just a couple weeks later, I found myself at the Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference, listening to a presentation called “A Bright Future with Solar Grazing”. The presentation was being given by an Iowa farmer and entrepreneur named Aaron Steele. And as it turned out, he was also a podcast host!Â
In the latest episode of the Perennial AF podcast, I talk with Aaron about what he’s learned about grazing on solar farms. We quickly realized that many of the challenges of grazing under solar panels are similar to the challenges of grazing under trees in a silvopasture system.
Show Notes & Links:
Farm Dog Podcast – hosted by Aaron Steele
Wisconsin Working Stock Dog Association
American Solar Grazing Association
2023 Solar Farm Summit and Agrivoltaics Expo – March 13th-15th, 2023
Solar Grazing 101 Webinar – Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT)
Goats On The Go®
EQIP Practice 314: “Biological Control With Grazing Animals” – (NRCS EQIP funding can cover up to half the cost of brush management with goats or other livestock)
Midwest Grazing Exchange – this matchmaking site helps landowners and livestock herd owners connect
More from Perennial AF
🔊“You Should Consider Maple Syrup Production” – with Tony Johnson
Wisconsin Extension forestry specialist Tony Johnson discusses how maple syrup production can open doors for other agroforestry enterprises, and how Wisconsin woodland owners can get started. Plus, Scott Brainard and Eliza Greenman describe the benefits of persimmons as an agroforestry crop.
Eligible Farmers Invited to Apply to Participate in the Expanding Agroforestry Project
Eligible producers in the United States are invited to apply to the Expanding Agroforestry Incentive Payment Program beginning November 15, 2023.
🔊Choosing the Right Livestock with Cherrie Nolden
Cherrie Nolden has over 30 years of experience with pastured livestock management, with a focus on using goats for oak savanna restoration. Listen to her presentation from PFG2022 on how to select the right livestock for your needs.