​Chad Raines

I am a Sheep Rancher from Lamesa which is in west Texas. I have been married (LeeAnne) for 24 years and have two children (Ross 22 & Jackson 19). I run approximately 3,000 Dorper ewes. I was a fourth-generation cotton farmer before I started raising sheep. I originally began raising sheep to help transition my land to “organic.” But I continued to raise sheep rather than grow organic row crops. I just liked the sheep better. I got interested in solar grazing in 2021 but I could not find out much about it. I was told about ASGA in 2022 and joined immediately and began watching past webinars and studied it as much as possible. However, I still struggled with getting on a site with my sheep. In the beginning of 2023, Ely Valdez helped me out tremendously by letting me put all my sheep on three of his sites. My theories then became practice. Now, I currently manage two solar sites that run a total of 2,000 sheep and I have bids on three more sites. I expect to increase my flock to around 7,500 head by the end of 2024. I have also begun mowing solar sites which was an easy transition as we practice a hybrid vegetation management system. My oldest son Ross will be managing one of my sites after he graduates college in May. My dream is to develop a successful business in this industry that I can bring both of my sons in to and ultimately turn it over to them.