Vegetation Management Budgeting with Cornell’s Todd Schmit (ASGA Teatime)

Following up on our April panel discussion on solar grazing budgets and our December presentation from Bobbie Severson on developing solar grazing co-ops in the northeast, we invited Todd Schmit from Cornell to discuss solar grazing budgets.

Todd created a financial model for his research into developing solar grazing co-ops. The model outlines the specific costs individual farmers would account for when solar grazing and compares those costs to potential cost savings under a farmer co-op model. Todd’s presentation was very thorough.

We also discussed long-term vegetation management cost estimates for a hybrid mowing / grazing model.

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About the speaker:

Todd Schmit is an agricultural economist focused on strategies to improve agribusiness performance. He is part of the Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program in Dyson that recently received a USDA grant to conduct a needs assessment and financial feasibility analysis of farmer-owned cooperatives providing vegetative management services to solar array operators. His areas of expertise include local and regional food systems performance, cooperative business management, and agricultural rural development.