Two large renewable energy projects in Stillwater County are generating interest beyond their electricity output, as the developer argues the farms can coexist with — and even benefit — Montana ranchers who lease the surrounding land for grazing.
The Projects
PSE’s Battle Butte Solar Farm spans roughly 8,000 acres in Stillwater County, though only about 1,200 of those acres will actually be covered by solar panels. The facility is designed to produce approximately 130 megawatts of electricity — enough to power an estimated 20,000 homes.
The company’s existing Beaver Creek Wind Farm, also in the area, runs 88 turbines and generates 248 megawatts. PSE plant manager Kyle Sullivan told KTVQ that an expansion is already planned: “Beaver Creek 2, it’ll be in Sweetgrass County. It’s a 25-turbine addition.” Both the wind and solar facilities tie into NorthWestern Energy’s transmission infrastructure, with the power ultimately routed to Washington state.
The Agriculture Angle
What’s drawing particular attention locally is how PSE is structuring its land use agreements. The company permits cattle grazing beneath its wind turbines and has entered into arrangements allowing sheep to graze around the solar panels at Battle Butte through a program tied to the American Solar Grazing Association. Of the 8,000 total acres, roughly 6,800 remain available for agricultural use even after solar infrastructure is installed.
For ranchers operating on tight margins, the dual-use model could represent meaningful supplemental income without sacrificing grazing land. PSE also leases portions of its holdings directly to ranchers, adding another revenue stream for agriculture operations near the projects.
Ben Lehfeldt, a sheep rancher from Lavina and president of the American Sheep Industry Association, sees potential in the model. Speaking to KTVQ, he said these arrangements “in a lot of cases can be a solution rather than a nuisance.” Lehfeldt’s endorsement carries weight in Montana’s ranching community given his national role in the sheep industry.
Operations and Maintenance
The wind turbines undergo preventative maintenance twice a year. PSE’s Sullivan oversees day-to-day operations for both the existing wind farm and the solar build-out, and the company has framed its land agreements as an intentional effort to maintain relationships with local agricultural operators rather than displacing them.
Broader Context
Renewable energy development on Montana agricultural land has been a subject of ongoing debate in rural communities, with some landowners welcoming lease payments and others raising concerns about long-term land use, visual impact, and the durability of multi-decade contracts. Stillwater and Sweetgrass counties have seen relatively limited industrial-scale energy development compared to eastern Montana’s oil and gas belt, making the PSE projects among the more significant energy land-use questions those communities have faced.
The dual-use grazing argument — that solar and wind installations need not crowd out ranching — is increasingly common among developers operating in agricultural states, though its reception varies. The American Solar Grazing Association has promoted the model nationally, and Lehfeldt’s involvement suggests some in Montana’s ranching establishment are at least open to evaluating it on a case-by-case basis.
With the Beaver Creek 2 expansion moving into Sweetgrass County and Battle Butte’s solar build-out continuing in Stillwater County, the practical outcomes of these land agreements will likely influence how neighboring landowners and county officials approach future renewable energy proposals across southcentral Montana. Readers interested in other land and natural resource decisions facing Montana communities can follow the ongoing public comment period for the proposed Flint Creek Tungsten Exploration Project, which closes August 14.
