Grazing Sheep in Vineyards

&
by Kelly Mulville

G
ood fortune (or perhaps simply a preference for beer over wine in as awe-inspired by the sight of lush cover crops between vine rows as I was
my younger years) resulted in my learning and practicing Holistic attending a co-ed high school after three years of confinement at an all boys
Management before I became captivated by the world of wine boarding school. For a few minutes I imagined how happy the livestock back
growing. Although I had studied ecological horticulture in home would be to see this feast. Snapping out of my ungulate culinary
California, it wasn’t until a decade later, and back home in the Southwest, fantasy, I quickly realized that this crop was destined not for grazing but
that I developed a strong appreciation for wine—which naturally led to a would be mowed, sprayed, and disced back into bare soil for the summer.
desire to grow grapes. But the seed had been set: the potential for using grazing animals as a
Coming at grape growing with a cerebral hangover from trying to grapple management tool in viticulture was blatantly obvious.
with holism and a formidable amount of ignorance encouraged a little
different perspective in my farming approach. Admittedly, a bit of Tapping the Potential
geographical isolation from the major wine growing regions, as the first The use of livestock (especially sheep) in vineyards is not a new idea,
vineyard I designed and managed was in Southeast Arizona, also played a but even to this day I have yet to come across anyone (including myself)
role, for better or worse, in my learning and methodology. managing grazing animals in vineyards at the potential that seems possible.
The memory of my first pilgrimage to California wine country ten years Vineyard management practices in general have become increasingly
ago is still vivid. Coming out of the drought-plagued Southwest, I was nearly mechanized throughout the world. A typical year on a California vineyard
(organic or conventional) can require anywhere from twelve to twenty-five
tractor passes down each row (roughly 26-34 rows per square acre) for
pre-pruning, mowing, disking or spading, spraying, under-vine cultivation
and in-row cultivation, fertilization, harvesting and seeding. Organic
viticultural practices often require more tractor passes than conventional
because mechanical cultivation, as opposed to herbicides, tends to be
the tool of choice.
Before, during and after grazing in a block of young vines.
The tractor row had previously been cultivated leaving a mass
of weeds around the vines in the grow tubes. The vineyard crew CONTINUED
was delighted at not having to cultivate this area by hand. ON PAGE 10

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Land & Livestock 9

Grazing Sheep in Vineyards
continued from page nine
Based on the quality of life I was working towards it was apparent that the
mechanical domination in both conventional and organic viticulture would
hold little attraction to me. I got into agriculture to creatively and effectively
work towards solar-based biological management practices. In order to grow
grapes and stay true to my desired quality of life, I needed to create or develop
farming practices that reflected these values and produced a triple bottom
line. Upon my return back to the Southwest I immediately decided to make
the row spacing on the vineyard I was planting too narrow for the farm
tractor. This was an important breakthrough in my introduction to the power
of design: there hasn’t been a tractor in that vineyard for ten years and rather
than reducing options it was great incentive to develop creative alternatives.
Large portions of the world’s wine growing regions are located in
Mediterranean climates. This means that virtually all of the annual rainfall
comes during the winter and early spring months with summer and early
autumn being almost completely dry. This unique pattern allows for an
increasingly popular practice of seeding annual cover crops each fall or
simply allowing the native vegetation to grow while the grapevines are
dormant. This helps keep soil in place during the wet season and can aid in
maintaining soil fertility.
Regardless of a vineyard’s location and what season rains occur,
the areas between and under vine rows need to be managed. Keeping
in line with my quality of life focus on biological (rather than mechanical)
management practices, I have experimented grazing vineyards with cattle,
chickens and geese, but sheep have been my main focus for both contract
grazing (for clients) and grazing of vineyards that I manage throughout
the year. For the past five years I have been grazing and managing vineyards
in the coastal areas of central and northern California.
Overview of
sheep grazing
in the vineyard
showing electric
net fencing
used to create
temporary
paddocks.
10 Land & Livestock
September / October 2009
Lambs grazing in early spring.
Dealing with Complexity
Grazing vineyards can be a fairly complex process with a number of
factors to plan for while managing the tool of livestock. Elements to consider
when planning include: carrying capacity, vine/cover crop vigor in specific
areas, reducing erosion potential, coordinating with winter cultural practices
like pruning, grafting and spraying, problem plants, water availability,
avoiding browse damage at bud break and allowing for flowering of cover
crops (especially beneficial insect hosts). With a little modification the
Grazing Plan and Control Chart works very well for both planning livestock
moves and recording factors such as pounds of manure and quantity of urine
deposited per block and acre. Information is then converted to estimated
pounds of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Many
vineyards/wineries pay close attention to their soils and how management
practices affect wine quality. Providing accurate and relevant information is
both an aid to winegrowing practices and broadens awareness to the
biological and economic benefits of livestock grazing.
The grazing season for vineyards in the north coast region of California is
dependent upon the weather (rainfall timing, amount, and temperature),
but can start anytime from November through January and runs until the
grapevines start to bud out, which can be from the middle of February until
the first of April. In order to keep things simple and avoid overstocking,
animal numbers are determined based on an early bud break date (time of
stock removal), total acres to be grazed, assume slow growth for the entire
grazing period, type of cover crop being grown, forage estimates and past
experience. Stock densities of 150 to 400+ sheep per acre (375-1,000
sheep/ha) and grazing periods no longer than three days provide effective
animal impact and reduce the undesirable tendency for sheep to chew on the
dormant vines. Generally each paddock receives only one grazing during the
grazing period unless it is desirable to reduce vigor by overgrazing.
Controlling sheep in most vineyards is fairly simple using electrified net
fencing, polywire or a combination of both. Having sheep trained to a whistle
makes the moves impressively fast. Sheep don’t particularly like to be
confined to a single vine row (usually six to eight feet or two to three meters
wide), and can damage hanging plastic drip hose by running underneath to
access forage between rows. Disconnecting drip lines at T’s or elbows tends to
reduce the likelihood of serious damage. As for varieties, I primarily use
hair/meat sheep such as Katahdins, St Croix, and Dorpers, but suspect that
there are many other suitable types out there.
So what are the advantages of grazing vineyards as opposed to the more
conventional approaches of mowing, herbicides, tilling, etc.? Following is a
list of some of the benefits I’ve experienced over the past few years:
 Economic:
• Reduction in tractor/labor use for mowing, cultivation and
fertilization (3 passes), approximate savings of $134/acre
($335/ha) each year in labor, equipment, and fuel costs.
• Provides interesting story and draw for marketing and publicity.
Ecological:
• Improved soil structure through reduction in tractor use
(compaction) and beneficial effects of planned grazing.
• Improved nutrient cycling by converting vegetation into
an effective fertilizer on site.
• Lower pollution levels through reduced tractor use.
• Sheep tend to attract birds including turkeys and blackbirds.
• Reduced impact on beneficial insects and habit over conventional
practices.
Social:
• Improved neighbor and community relations due to less noise and
pollution (this depends, of course, on the flock being well controlled!).
Neighbors have become clients after observing the process.
• Aesthetically pleasing to see sheep grazing contently in the vines.
• More enjoyable form of management for myself.
• As opposed to tractors, sheep are self-replicating, can be completely and
directly powered by weeds, aid in carbon sequestration, and pair well
with red wine.
Contract Grazing
Contract grazing on vineyards is usually charged on a per head basis.
This rate is determined by terrain, distance from home, layout, amount of
assistance provided by the vineyard crew, and a number of other factors. This
past winter my rate varied between $.78/sheep/day to $1.60/sheep/day plus a
hauling fee. As part of the contract, I meet with the vineyard manager or
foreman and work out a grazing plan based on the particular needs of each
vineyard. At the end of the season, a completed grazing plan is provided with
the actual moves, management notes, and manure and urine estimates per
block. Most of the moves are done alone or with an assistant, although I have
trained onsite staff to do these moves as well. The grazing season (in the
vineyard itself) can be as short as 45 days and as long as 100 days or more.
to prevail in January and February.
I raise sheep without the use of any commercial wormers to avoid any
negative effects on the mineral cycle (and the sheep!) and only graze
vineyards that use organic or biodynamic practices. Some of the main
challenges are economic and design issues. As one might expect these are
directly related.
Although I consider the rates for my grazing services to be very
reasonable, they can still cost the vineyard more than their normal practices.
Most clients feel the overall benefits outweigh this discrepancy. For long-term
viability, however, this issue needs to be addressed. The obvious weak link in
this scenario is that just as cover crop growth starts to pickup as the weather
warms, the sheep are removed from the vineyard to avoid grazing the tender
new growth of the vines. It’s not uncommon to see late spring cover crops two
to four feet tall destined for mowing and discing. Ultimately this is a design
problem—vineyards are engineered for machines rather than designed for
grazing. In addressing these issues I have found the principles of Holistic
Management to be invaluable in developing and guiding a design process
that can lead to a much more sustainable approach to wine growing. How
we go about designing existing and new vineyards to be managed more
effectively and economically with livestock will be the focus of my next
article.
Kelly Mulville is a Certified Educator who lives in Valley Ford,
California. He can be reached at: kmulville@gmail.com
or 707/431-8060.
Vineyard
grazing in
early
January at
the start of
the rainy
season.

Lessons Learned
For the most part my experiences with grazing vines over the past five
years have been positive and very educational. During that time I have only
lost one sheep to a predator (mountain lion) and one to the electric fence
(got tangled up during the night). In addition to the occasional broken
irrigation tube, at times sheep will chew on young grapevine spurs and canes.
This seems to be indicative of a lack of dry matter in their diet and has only
been a problem for a couple of weeks in one year. I have lambed out in the
vines with very few problems in spite of the cold and wet conditions that tend

Sheep grazing
in vineyard.
Shortly Sheep quickly
after sheep adapt to the
have been obstacles of
removed trellis wires and
in late drip tubing,
winter. moving
between rows
with relative
ease.

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Land & Livestock 11