RE: https://horche.demkontinuum.de/display/2196d4ee-7669-dbc1-1f9e-200464952498
Wow.
In addition to this, apparently farm yields INCREASE if you mix ground-dwelling crops with overhead PV panels, which provide shade/humidity traps for the plants and livestock.
You’ve got more sheep rearing expertise than me.
A sheep farmer told me that the amazing improvements in fleece yield and quality that Australian farmers see under solar panels don’t apply here in NZ because our sheep have facial eczema.
How could I respond to that??? Is there some misunderstanding about the climate under panels in NZ that’s different to AU?
@futuresprog I think their argument is based in the idea that we have more humidity here, so in Australia having moisture under the panels would be a welcome thing but here it has the potential to create an environment that supports facial eczema spores.
I mean that sounds within the realms of possibility but also very much like reckons and not something that will have been studied.
A far bigger danger for facial eczema is generally higher temps and wetter summers from climate change.
@futuresprog Additionally, FE is generally picked up during low grazing (eg it lives in the base of the pasture). If the panels increase pasture growth you'd be less likely to be grazing the base.
Also, grass that grows in shade is less palatable so the grass directly under the panels won't be grazed as hard.
Finally, FE creates photosensitivity, so if you have sheep with it in your flock, they will absolutely love having easy shade to hide in.
Does that help?
@futuresprog PS I doubt that solar panels would necessarily improve fleece yield and quality here except by having generally healthier sheep.
Given how robust our sheep are and how little their fleece is worth compared with Australian merinos, I can see the $$ benefits to us being less than for them.
Thanks! That’s really useful and informative. A lot more than I already knew.
Higher humidity, exacerbated by climate change, more moisture under the panels, as you’ve explained, could make it all worse.
We will hopefully see some real data out of the Tauhei solar farm in Te Aroha when they have been running for a few years. Should come online later this year and they expect to have sheep under them.
Te Aroha though, probably more for sheep milk than fleece?
@futuresprog Yeah, Te Aroha is in the humidity band that has higher FE likelihood than here. We get it, but anywhere north of central plateau is worse off.
I think dairy results could be translated to fleece, given the quantity and quality of both are reliant on the wellbeing of the sheep. Fleece from humid areas isn't high quality anyway, it tends to be yellow, so I think focusing on the dollar value returns on healthier animals might be the key, such as meat and milk.
Charlie Stross
Tatjna
Future Sprog