Putting sheep to work

I often joke about getting sheep instead of using a lawn mower. It’s being done in some planes. A school district in Pennsylvania is leasing sheep to keep a portion of its grassy areas trimmed:

Dan Ludwig is a grazing specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service based in Lebanon County. He said leasing animals for grazing on swaths of government and private land is a growing business.

“It’s gaining popularity, especially in orchards,” he said.

The grazing area must be fenced — Carlisle had fenced in its solar fields — but the payoffs usually outweigh that expense.

Carlisle’s only cost is keeping the sheep supplied with fresh water.