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.