Organic Vineyard/Orchard Weed and Grass

O g i Vi
Organic
Vineyard/Orchard
y d/O h d W
Weed
d and
dG
Grass M
Management
g
tU
Using
i g
Mi i t
Miniature
Sheep
Sh p
Deborah Walton ((Farmer/Rancher Grant Program)
g
)
P j tN
Project
Number:
b FW04-028
FW04 028
Objj ti
Objectives:
Titl
Title:
t e: O
Organic
ga ic Vineyard/Orchard
Vi
V eya d/O cha d Weed
W d and
a d Grass
G ass M
Management
a age e t Using
U
Usi g Miniature
Mi iatu
t e Sh
S
Sheep
eep
Principal Investigator :
Deborah Walton
C
Canvas
R
Ranchh
755 Tomales
T
l R
Roadd
Petaluma CA 94952
Petaluma,
(707) 766-7171
766 7171
info@canvasranch
info@canvasranch.com
@
com
Technical
h i l Advisor:
d i
Laura Mendes
Director, Sustainable Ag
Director,
g Program
g
Santa
S
t R
Rosa
os Ju
JJunior
io Co
C
College
llege
1501 Mendocino
M d i A
Avenue
Santa Rosa
Rosa, CA 95401
((707)) 527-4649
527 4649
1 Analyze the cost benefits of using miniature sheep versus mechanical methods for
1.
weed control in organic vineyards and orchards
2 Demonstrate
2.
D
t t a unique,
i
sustainable
t i bl ffarming
i practice
ti th
thatt may encourage more
growers to use organic
i methods
h d
A month
month-old
old Olde English Miniature Babydoll Southdown lamb.
C
Cooperators:
Ann Thrupp,
Thrupp Manager of Organic Development,
Development David
Koball Vineyard Manager
Koball,
Manager, Chad Boardman
Boardman,
Vineyard
y
Manager
Manager,
g , Fetzer Vineyards
Vineyards,
y
, Hopland
p
Mi h l B
Michael
Brunson, A
Assistant
i t t Wi
Winemaker,
k Mi
Michel
Michel-Schlumberger
h l Schlumberger
S hl b
Winery
Winery,
i
Healdsburg
ld b
Glenn McCourty,
McCourty Viticulture & Plant Science Advisor,
Advisor UCCE-Mendocino
UCCE Mendocino
Countyy, Ukiah
County,
SARE Grant:
G
P
Potential
i l Benefits:
B fi
$7 472
$7,472
F
Fetzer’s
’ B
Bonterra Vi
Vineyard
y d iin H
Hopland
pl d at the
h start off
the study,
study Feb.
Feb 22,
22 2005.
2005
ElectroNet fencing on the vineyard perimeter..
perimeter
Actions:
A
ti
 Tested 24 sheep in both low-density (3-4 sheep per acre) and high-density (7-8
sheep
h
per acre)) situations
it ti
on th
the Fetzer
F t Vineyards.
Vi
d St
Study
d bl
block
k di
divided
id d iinto
t 6
sections using electric fencing,
fencing with these measures: monthly clippings of weeds
andd other
h plants;
l
plant
l composition;
ii
compaction;
i
N
N, P
P, K
K; and
d economics,
i
includingg costs of leasing
g and owningg sheep
p
 Tested 12 sheep in the Michel Schlumberger Vineyards
Vineyards, a hillside vineyard of
approximately
i t l 4 acres, where
h th
the steepness
t
makes
k mechanical
h i l weed
d managementt
difficult
difficult.
11.The
Th sheep
h p maintain
i t i the
th vineyard
i y d fl
floor,, kkeeping
pi g th
the weeds
d and
d ggrasses clipped
lipp d
to within 1 or 2 inches
inches. They also ate the unwanted vine suckers,
suckers eliminating
another
th costly
tl and
d llabor-intensive
labor
b intensive
i t i jjob.
b
2 The manure theyy deposit
2.The
p
offers an additional benefit byy improving
p
g soil
nitrogen
nitrogen.
i
3 Smaller hooves and the weight
3.Smaller
g of the miniature sheep
p kept
p the vineyard
y
floor
from being compacted as it would have been by mechanical weed
management.
g
t
4 The little sheep in the fields created a tremendous draw for workers and
4.The
visitors
i it and
d resulted
lt d in
i goodwill
d ill for
f the
th winery.
i
5 Economically it makes sense if the sheep are purchased rather than leased
5.Economically,
leased,
although
lh
h leasing
l i affords
ff d the
h vineyard
i
d a chance
h
to assess success without
ih
sheep
h
upkeep
p p costs.
costs
Outreach
W
Walton
lt spoke
p k to
t 100 winegrowers
i g
att the
th UCCE Organic
O g i Winegrowing
Wi g
i g Short
Sh t
Course in November 2003
 Canvas
C
Ranch
R h was featured
f t d in
i a program aired
i d nationally
ti ll on HGTV titled
titl d 50
Ways
y to Save the Planet hosted byy Nell Newman of Newman’s
Newman s Organic
g
 The
Th sheep
h
were featured
f
d in
i JJuly
l 2004 articles
i l iin Gourmet
G
and
d Fortune
F
magazines
g
 A March 2005 article featured Walton and her sheep in the Santa Rosa Press
D
Democrat
t
 In August 2005,
2005 Canvas Ranch was featured in an eight-page article in a
national
ti l magazine,
i $1,000,000
$1 000 000 Blueprint
Bl
i t
Walton
Walton’s
l ’s work
k with
i h the
h miniature
i i
sheep
h
andd the
h publicity
bli i surrounding
di iit hhave
pprompted
p queries
q
from nearly
y 100 vineyards
vineyards.
y
Because of Walton’s work and
the publicity it has generated
generated, Babydoll Southdown sheep are being used in at
l t 25 vineyards
least
i y d to
t date,
d t , including
i l di g a 1,000-hectare
1,000 h t vineyard
i y d iin N
New Zealand.
Z l d
Parsley mugs for the camera
camera.
Situation:
Suppressing
S
pp
i g weeds
d andd tilling
tilli g cover crops
p iin organic
g i vineyards
i y d iis challenging
h ll gi g and
d
costly
costly.
l U
Using
i an heirloom
h il
bbreed
d off miniature
i i
sheep,
sheep
h
Olde
Old English
E li h Babydoll
B b d ll Miniature
Mi i
Southdowns to maintain vineyard and orchard floors is a sustainable approach to this
Southdowns,
pproblem and has been shown to be more cost effective than other more labor
labori t i weed/grass
intensive
d/g
management
g
t methods.
th d
Th
These
miniature
i i
S
Southdown
hd
sheep
h
are 24 iinches
h or less
l at the
h shoulder
h ld without
ih
wool,
wooll
so they can’t
can t easily reach the canopy of most grapes.
grapes They have also been used to
sucker and hedge
g vines,
vines and the manure they
y add is another bonus
bonus.
R lt
Results:
A Thrupp,
Ann
Th
manager off organic
i development
d l
t for
f Fetzer,
F t
takes grass-clipping samples..
samples
On the Fetzer Vineyards
Vineyards, the sheep did their job beautifully
beautifully, keeping the vineyard
floor ggrasses and weeds well maintained
maintained. During
g bud break
break, the sheep
p tasted the buds
and
d were removed.
d
Th owners off th
The
the Michel
Mi h l Schlumberger
S hl b
Vineyards
Vi
d were very satisfied
ti fi d with
ith th
the sheep
h
performance
performance,
f
though
h
h they
h notedd the
h iimportance off getting
i them
h iin early
l and
d then
h out
before bud break
break.
Before grazing
grazing, at left
left, and the finely
‘mowed’
mowed grass after grazing, at right.
Sheep enter the vineyard.
ine ard
Deborah
D
b h Walton
W lt ffeeds
d hher
Southdowns at Canvas Ranch west
oof Petaluma.
e a u a.