1 in 50 American Sheep Now Works in the Energy Industry

Sheep are replacing lawnmowers on solar farms across America. They're quieter, cleaner, and in many cases cheaper.More than 113,000 of them now graze over 500 US solar sites — and for the farmers who run the flocks, the contracts are a new income that keeps their land and their business in agriculture.Today's guest is Rebekah Pierce, who runs a 300-sheep flock on 9 solar sites across upstate New York. Rebekah is a first-generation farmer, solar grazier, and author of Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food (Island Press).With Jigar on vacation, Jamie is joined by guest co-host Lauren Glickman, VP of policy and communications at solar developer Encore Renewable Energy and a lifelong solar and agriculture enthusiast.In this episode:Why Encore ditched its diesel mowing crews and committed its entire portfolio to grazingThe business model almost nobody knows exists, and how it turned a money-losing hobby farm into a real livestock operationThe two stubborn brothers who sold Rebekah her hay, leased their land for solar, and changed her family's lifeThe prime-farmland myth: "Farmland isn't really useful if there's nobody who can afford to cultivate it"Why tomatoes, of all things, might grow better inside a solar arraySubmit a question to Ask Jigar: https://octopusenergy.com/ask-jigarS2G Investments: https://www.s2ginvestments.com/insights/report-illusion-of-crowdsOctopus Energy: https://octopusenergy.com/faasOur merch store: https://energy-empire.bonfire.com/collection/all-products