More than 2,000 sheep — including more than 1,500 adult sheep and hundreds of baby lambs — are flooding Xcel Energy’s Sherco Solar 1 site to graze on native, pollinator-friendly forage as a sustainable form of vegetation management. 

The sheep are provided by Otsego-based Minnesota Native Landscapes (MNL) as an environmentally friendly option that can also help remove invasive species and reduce the need for herbicides.

Sherco Solar 1 is the first phase of a larger, 710-megawatt solar installation scheduled to be completed in 2026 near the Sherco coal plant in Becker, MN. Sherco Solar 1 began providing power to the grid upon its completion in November 2024. The sheep are expected to remain on-property until the fall.