Missouri is the No. 3 producer of beef cattle in the country, and University of Missouri researchers aim to develop a project that would study how farmers can produce both beef and solar energy on the same land.

Agrivoltaics — a combination of the words “agriculture” and “photovoltaic” — is an emerging strategy to enable two uses of a single piece of land. A solar array generates power while farmers cultivate produce, graze livestock or plant ecosystem-supporting native grasses underneath and around the panels.

Research trials across the country show agrivoltaics can be beneficial for farms growing hand-harvested produce and herbs. Sheep grazers are also finding success feeding their flock from the forage around a solar power plant. Now, researchers at Midwestern universities, inclu

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