Our story, our beginnings, and why solar grazing means so much to us.
Thanksgiving 2025
As Thanksgiving approaches, we’ve been reflecting on what we’re most grateful for — and at the top of that list is the journey that led us to create Sunovis Ranch. With our family photo alongside this post, it feels right to begin our blog by sharing how this all started, what solar grazing really is, and why this work has become such a meaningful part of our family’s life.
Our Beginning: Cream, Crimson, and a Big Dream
Sunovis Ranch didn’t start with a large flock or a big operation. It began in 2019 with two ewes — Cream and Crimson — and a shared desire to blend our agricultural roots with a vision for a more sustainable future.
Paul grew up farming, and Dana grew up in rural Indiana, surrounded by a deep appreciation for land, livestock, and community. Those first two ewes represented the beginning of a family project rooted in heritage, stewardship, and possibility.
Today, that little start has grown into just under 100 sheep during peak lambing season, and includes our two rams, Pete and Patches. We run exclusively Katahdin, a hearty hair sheep breed known for their resilience, outstanding mothering instincts, and the major bonus of no wool to manage — a perfect fit for a working solar grazing operation.
We are incredibly grateful for how far we’ve come.
What Is Solar Grazing, Anyway?
At its core, solar grazing is the practice of using sheep to maintain vegetation beneath and around solar panels. Instead of mowing or spraying, sheep naturally “mow” under solar arrays, keeping vegetation low and sites well maintained.
It’s clean, quiet, regenerative — and it eliminates the emissions, soil compaction, and chemical use associated with traditional maintenance.
Solar grazing is where agriculture and renewable energy meet in the most practical and mutually beneficial way.
Why Solar Grazing Matters to Our Family
For the Cummings family, solar grazing is not a hobby — it is farming.
And like many families today, we didn’t inherit hundreds of acres. The reality is that modern access to farming often looks different than it did for previous generations. Solar grazing — particularly raising sheep — has become a meaningful way for families like ours to establish ourselves as farmers in a way that is accessible, sustainable, and affordable to begin.
We’re especially grateful that all three of our children are involved in Sunovis Ranch. They help with chores, learn the rhythms of the flock, care for lambs, move the sheep from pasture to pasture, and understand what it means to build something slowly and responsibly.
Seeing them take pride in the ranch — and knowing we are giving them a heritage rooted in hard work and stewardship — is one of the greatest gifts this venture has given us.
Looking Ahead With Gratitude
As we continue to grow our flock and deepen our solar grazing partnerships across Indiana, we remain grounded in gratitude — for the land we steward, the people we meet along the way, and the chance to contribute to a growing agricultural movement that blends tradition with innovation.
This blog will be a place where we share our story, lessons from the field, and updates on the expanding world of solar grazing in the Midwest.
Thank you for being here at the beginning of this chapter.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.
With gratitude,
The Cummings Family, Sunovis Ranch
