A UK farmer started with 20 sheep on 18 acres; free grazing beneath solar panels helped her expand to more than 200 sheep and 250 acres

A UK farmer started with 20 sheep on 18 acres; free grazing beneath solar panels helped her expand to more than 200 sheep and 250 acres

For first-generation sheep farmer Hannah Thorogood, gaining access to land beneath solar panels has opened a new chapter in her farming journey. She began with just 20 sheep on 18 acres in Lincolnshire, a scale she says was all she could afford at the time. Today, her flock has grown to more than 200 sheep, … Read more

A 5,000-acre Wyoming ranch was bought by conservationists in the 1990s; instead of ending ranching, they kept cattle grazing to protect the ecosystem

A 5,000-acre Wyoming ranch was bought by conservationists in the 1990s; instead of ending ranching, they kept cattle grazing to protect the ecosystem

When conservationists bought a Wyoming cattle ranch in the 1990s, most people assumed the herds would disappear. Instead, they discovered something surprising: keeping cattle on the land, managed carefully, could actually protect it. This is the story of Red Canyon Ranch near Lander, Wyoming, purchased by The Nature Conservancy as an experiment in coexistence between … Read more

In 1850, a California rancher brought 45 sheep to San Miguel Island; by 1862 there were 6,000, and after grazing denuded the island the last 148 were eliminated in 1966

In 1850, a California rancher brought 45 sheep to San Miguel Island; by 1862 there were 6,000, and after grazing denuded the island the last 148 were eliminated in 1966

Sheep grazed on San Miguel Island prior to 1850, but the ranching period expanded greatly when California pioneer George Nidever made his home on the island in 1850. Once, on a remote island battered by fierce winds and surrounded by the Pacific, there existed a peculiar ranching empire. San Miguel Island, now part of California’s … Read more

Texas turned 68,000 acres of solar farms into grazing ground for sheep; revealing how solar land could become a new resource for American farmers

Texas turned 68,000 acres of solar farms into grazing ground for sheep; revealing how solar land could become a new resource for American farmers

Across Texas, solar panels are appearing on land that has long been associated with farming and ranching, creating an unexpected overlap between energy production and agriculture. Instead of treating solar development as the end of a property’s agricultural use, some projects are finding ways to keep livestock and other activities on the same ground. Sheep … Read more