Goats and Sheep in the Vineyard

I thought this was interesting. Does anyone know how common this is the wine business?

By Greg Latshaw, USA TODAY

In between rows of grapevines at a Mendocino County farm in California, dozens of sheep are milling about, munching on the grass and weeds.
Sarah Cahn Bennett, co-owner of the family-owned Navarro Vineyards in Philo, Calif., says they began using the flock of 70 in June to keep the vineyard trimmed and minimize the work of tractors and manual labor.

Grazing vineyards is just one application of a growing niche industry that is harnessing the eating power of animals to control invasive weeds, maintain lawns and clear fire-prone grasses. The animals are an alternative to using machinery that burns up fossil fuels or herbicides that, in some cases, can seep into groundwater.

While still not a usual occurrence, more and more wine growers are turning to this type of growing, especially in Napa and Sonoma Valleys. With the increasing interest in organic wines many vineyards have begun using methods like this to control their crops. It's known as biodynamics...well sort of as this is how I would describe it in its most simple form. Many growers go way beyond just having herds of sheep and goats and insectaries to control their vineyards and use strange mystic approaches. There have been many articles written about biodynamic and organic farming including a cover story by Wine Spectator in the past couple years which can help you with more information. Also I would check out the websites of wineries such as: Bonterra, Quivira, Benziger, and Frey...all use biodynamic philosophies in their production. Hope that helps!

Sheep, yes.

Goats? Never, not out in the vineyards.

Sheep are grazers. Goats eat anything and everything. Bark off trees (or vines), wood, rope, leather, paper off tin cans...everything. Goats on a biodynamic vineyard, okay. In the vineyards, never.

And by the way, throughout Mendocino and Sonoma, it's a common sight to see sheep grazing in vineyards. It's also common to have people leasing herds of sheep on local farms and on right-of-ways of roads for clearing weeds and low brush.

I think in Napa the sheep have to have licenses and be of special exotic pedigree from the lower slopes of the Pyrenees (French side, of course) before they are allowed to eat any weeds.

Thanks for the clarification, I suppose letting goats into the vineyards would have effects similar to those of Tuscan boars being allowed to roam free...minus the uprooting of vines.

Hunter

This past weekend we visited Warm Lake Estate on the Niagara Escarpment. They turn the soil to prevent any foliage from growing in the vineyard. He has also installed an invisible fence around the entire 40 acres and allows his dogs to patrol freely to control deer and other small, harmful critters.

I think in Napa the sheep have to have licenses and be of special exotic pedigree from the lower slopes of the Pyrenees (French side, of course) before they are allowed to eat any weeds.

You are sooooo bad, Hoke. You should treat your neighbors to the East w/ a little more reverence and respect!!!
But funny.
Tom

I think in Napa the sheep have to have licenses and be of special exotic pedigree from the lower slopes of the Pyrenees (French side, of course) before they are allowed to eat any weeds.

Paging Mr. Lou Kessler... paging Mr. Lou Kessler. Please come to the white courtesy phone.

Mark Lipton

Clos Pepe in the Santa Rita Hills uses Olde English Babydoll sheep in the vineyards

https://www.babydollsheep.info/Babydoll_pictures.php scroll to the bottom of the page to see

I've heard the same re: goats being a bad idea.

Indeed, turning goats loose in a vineyard might be the kiss of death. Not for the goats for they would be quite well fed, but for the vines. They start with the grapes, go on to the leaves, then the bark of the vines and then, if they're still hungry, the stalks. Almost as bad as letting feral hogs have free range in your vineyard.

Best
Rogov

We do have a right to work law that pertains to all working farm animals. Grazing sheep are welcome as long as they do not attempt to unionize our domestic well mannered animals. We do not allow them to eat in our restaurants like they do in Sonoma so at this time we have a paucity of sheep in Napa. Someday Sonoma may be included in the greater circle of civilized counties in CA but they will have to work harder.

Mark L..be careful re what you ask for,,,you may get it.. You really didn't expect Lou to chastise or contradict Hoke, now did you?

Don't temember seeing any sheep when I visited Clos Pepe, Did see 9, if memory serves, beautiful and very well behaved dogs lolling about..

I thought this was interesting. Does anyone know how common this is the wine business?

By Greg Latshaw, USA TODAY

In between rows of grapevines at a Mendocino County farm in California, dozens of sheep are milling about, munching on the grass and weeds....

You'll see sheep in vineyards in New Zealand - but only at certain times of the year. They usually go straight in after harvest - lots of pasture there to fatten lambs before they go to the works. However you won't usually see them in the vineyard when the crop is on the vines. Usually from after vintage until the new seasons budburst.

You'll even see cattle (usually miniature breeds) in some vineyards too.

Here are a couple of photos from our files - taken in Matakana, north of Auckland.

sheep.jpg

cowinvyard.jpg

Cheers,
Sue

This came through the newswires today - and is the first I've heard of sheep being in the vineyard while grapes are on the vines. Of course it is winter here now, so will be interesting to see if it works. Yealands are in the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

"Yealands introduces pint-sized sheep to his vineyards"


"With 3500 kilometres of mowing to be done every few weeks at his vineyard, winemaker Peter Yealands has come up with a new and novel way to keep the grass under control: miniature sheep.

With the goal of transforming New Zealand’s largest privately-owned vineyard into the most sustainable in the world, Mr Yealands has frequently gone right outside the box to come up with new sustainability ideas to try out.

His latest is about as far outside the box as he can get, with Mr Yealands importing special “baby-doll" sheep, which only grow to a mature height of 45-60 centimetres at the shoulder, to keep the grass trimmed while saving the fruit from grazers who may want to augment their grass-only diet."

The full article is at
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/yealands-i ... rds-105087

His latest is about as far outside the box as he can get, with Mr Yealands importing special “baby-doll" sheep,...

Now I'm not a fan of the usual nationalistic sheep-related humour, but really "baby doll" does rather leave the door open for the wannabe comedians. What were they thinking of when they gave them that name

regards

Ian

I wonder if the Baby Doll's have learned how to stand on their two hind feet yet to help them reach the few remaining grape leaves hanging on the vines. They will likely make short work of grapes unless the trellising system has the fruiting shoots very high off the ground.

I can just hear the pickers now, as the step in some of that organic sheep shzt as they pick.

I can just hear the pickers now, as the step in some of that organic sheep shzt as they pick.

But the pickers wil help spread the 'fertiliser' around the vineyard