![\"Cornell](\"https:\/\/media.univcomm.cornell.edu\/chronicle\/initiatives\/nysimpact\/nys-impact.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA team from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) found that when two sheep per hectare graze around solar arrays, the abundance of wild bees, honey bees and lady beetles jumped by 38%, compared to a control plot that was mowed. The increase was driven primarily by an 83% increase in honey bees alone, according to the team\u2019s findings in \u201cLow solar-grazing densities support beneficial insects in agrivoltaic systems<\/a>,\u201d published Oct. 7 in Environmental Research Letters.<\/p>\n \u201cSheep grazing and beneficial insect habitat are two prominent conversation topics around solar development right now,\u201d said Leana Zoller, the paper\u2019s first author and a postdoctoral associate in natural resources in the Cornell CALS Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment. \u201cBut what\u2019s been missing is research that treats them as parts of the same system. When we talk about sustainable solar development, integrating these discussions into a single framework is really helpful to farmers and community decision makers.\u201d<\/p>\n For three years, Zoller and a team of entomologists, ecologists and animal and plant scientists tested various stocking rates \u2013 how many sheep per hectare are allowed to graze a certain plot of land \u2013 using Cornell\u2019s teaching sheep grazing at the university-owned\u00a0Cascadilla Community Solar Farm<\/a> in Dryden, New York. At four sheep per hectare, they found beneficial insect abundance was similar to the mowed control site, while vegetation management effectiveness was greater than at two sheep per hectare. At eight sheep per hectare, vegetation management was maximized and sheep flock health remained high, but honey bee abundance dropped by 45%.<\/p>\n \u201cWe zeroed in on stocking rates because that\u2019s a concrete number that sheep farmers understand and work with every day, and we want this research to be useful,\u201d said\u00a0Steve Grodsky<\/a>, paper senior author and assistant professor of natural resources in the Ashley School. \u201cWith solar grazing, people, energy, agricultural animals, plants and insects are all part of this ecosystem. We\u2019re trying to understand the connections between those pieces so that when solar developers, municipalities looking at solar development, or farmers are faced with a decision, they can have scientific information about potential trade-offs and synergies.\u201d<\/p>\n Grodsky is also assistant unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Additional co-authors are sheep farmer and solar grazing consultant Nikola Kochendoerfer, Ph.D. \u201920;\u00a0Antonio DiTommaso<\/a>, professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science; John Losey<\/a>, professor of entomology;\u00a0Scott McArt<\/a>, Ph.D. \u201912, associate professor of entomology; Paige Mu\u00f1iz, formerly a technician in McArt\u2019s lab; and\u00a0Todd Ugine<\/a>, Ph.D. \u201904, research associate in Losey\u2019s lab, all in CALS.\u00a0Sarah Carson<\/a>, director of Cornell\u2019s Campus Sustainability Office, was key in coordinating site access between researchers and the solar company that manages the Cascadilla solar farm.<\/p>\n Another Cornell research team, from the\u00a0Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, has developed a tool that helps farmers whose sheep graze in solar arrays to make better decisions about their operation. The team described the tool in \u201cFlock Management for Solar Grazing<\/a>,\u201d which published Sept. 28 in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.<\/p>\n After a chance encounter with Caleb Scott, Ithaca-based sheep farmer and founder of\u00a0United Agrivoltaics<\/a>,\u00a0Vincent Slaugh<\/a>, assistant professor at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration and first author of the paper, began thinking through the economics and logistics of solar grazing. He recruited\u00a0Linwei Xin<\/a>, associate professor of operations research and information engineering, and\u00a0Shane Henderson<\/a>, Charles W. Lake, Jr. Professor in Productivity, both in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, to work on the topic.<\/p>\n Together, they developed a spreadsheet-based model that helps sheep farmers to optimize procurement and sales decisions, based on factors like target flock size, costs, anticipated revenues, and expected vegetation in particular solar sites; if a farmer doesn\u2019t have enough sheep to keep the grass down, they\u2019ll have to cut it some other way. It also helps solar developers understand growers\u2019 needs and develop contracts that are more profitable and sustainable for all parties long-term. United Agrivoltaics has already incorporated the tool into its onboarding process.<\/p>\n