Cannon Valley Graziers, founded in 2017 by Arlo Hark and Josie Trople, has now shepherded sheep across 6,500 acres of solar farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. The flock moves from one photovoltaic array to the next each season, turning panels into pasture while trimming invasive weeds and building soil carbon.
Unlike conventional mowing, the grazing model cuts labor costs and promotes biodiversity, a fact highlighted by the North American Agrivoltaics Awards. The company offers three services – Solar Grazing, Vegetation Management and Forestry Restoration – all delivered through the same flock.
Hark sits on the board of the American Solar Grazing Association, where he shares lessons learned from nearly a decade of fieldwork. Together, they launched Tethera to market meat from the flock and Bayl to produce renewable fibre for fashion, turning waste into revenue streams.
The company’s success earned it the 2026 Solar Ranchers of the Year award, and it plans to open a training hub in Des Moines by September, aiming to democratize access to solar farmland for new farmers.