Sheep Address Winegrowing Challenges in Organic Vineyards
By Denice Rackley
Clay Shannon at Shannon Ridge Winery
Raising sheep alongside agriculture fields has occurred for centuries. But how do you transition from raising sheep alongside vineyards to sheep becoming a pivotal addition to sustainable and organic vineyard management?
Sometimes accidents lead to rediscovering ancient ways that hold answers benefiting even modern man.
Talk to anyone who has ever raised sheep - they will tell you of adventures that began with wondering, wayward ewes.
Clay Shannon grew up around sheep. Long before vineyards lined the hills, generations of his family raised sheep in the Sonoma coastal region of California. Wool and timber were the big industries around WWII and for many years thereafter. Fond memories of Shannon’s youth brought on by the smell of sheep poop under a Bay tree – yes you read correctly – the smell of sheep poop - prompted Shannon to begin a sheep operation adjacent to his vineyard in 2003.
What began as a small group of bummer lambs, grew to a handful ewes then quickly expanded to a flock of a thousand.
An open gate would forever change vineyard management at Shannon Ridge.
Ending up on greener grass of the vineyard, the sheep began contentedly munching away. Once discovered, the sheep were quickly ushered back to their pasture. In their wake, Shannon took note of the rows of vines. The competing weeds were removed and fertilizer was deposited on the hillside without lifting a finger, using fossil fuels or spraying chemicals.
Integrating sheep ranching into the day to day vineyard management of Shannon Ridge began with those wooly escapees. Furthering his commitment to living in harmony with nature, the sheep provide a means to manage the vineyard naturally
“It is high time we realize the importance of protecting mother earth and transition to agricultural practices that are ecologically sound,” says Shannon.
“Sustainability wasn’t some philosophical concept; it is the way we live our lives.”
Coining the phrase “Ovis Cycle” Shannon believes to be truly sustainable you must have a plan for all facets of the business.
Sheep ranching is at the core of the Shannon Family of Wines, not just a small part of vineyard management. The sheep not only graze the vineyard but are used to de-leaf the fruit zone. “The sheep stretch their necks just high enough to graze on leaves that grow in the fruit zone,” says Shannon. “Sheep provide more efficient labor at significant cost savings by increasing airflow and reducing fungal disease by removing these leaves.” Sheep ‘working’ in the vineyard enables the human crews to concentrate on work that requires two hands.
“Using what is considered vineyard waste products to produce milk, lamb, and wool, while depositing organic fertilizer, is a genuinely sustainable system,” Shannon says.
“Organic vineyards have limited options for commercially available products. Typical synthetic fertilizers that provide a punch of growth is not allowed making the elimination of competing weeds significant. Sheep provide nitrogen for plant growth in neat readily usable packages. Because sheep have a rumen, they digest the weed seeds preventing them from sprouting in the manure. After harvest, sheep further sanitize the vineyard by consuming the remaining fruit and winter annuals.”
As part of the sustainable philosophy at Shannon Ridge, livestock guardian dogs live within the flock 24 hours a day protecting the sheep from predation. Coyotes, bears, and cougars are ushered from the vineyard and the surrounding wild areas without harm. Border Collies are used daily to assist shepherds in the movement and management of the flock. Lambs are born late in the year and graze alongside their moms until selected as replacements or sold to local chefs.
Life at Shannon Ridge revolves around sustainability with sheep driving the entire process.
Sheep are an ever-increasing presence in organic and sustainable vineyards throughout California. In 1993 when Don Watson’s flock escaped to a neighbor’s vineyard, he had no idea what lie ahead.
“Robert Mondavi was very gracious when we came to collect the flock. He called a few days later asking if the sheep could come back to graze the vineyard.” That one chance encounter has shaped Don and Carolyn Watson’s life since. Hired out to graze vineyards the Watson’s mobile mowing flock became ‘Wooly Weeders.’
“No other species is capable of bringing the numerous advantages to vineyards that sheep produce. Fire control, reduction of herbicides and fossil fuel use, aeration of soil with hoof action, and spreading organic fertilizer that powers soil microbes. These microbes regenerate soil increasing the biodiversity of the entire vineyard. Fred Cline of Cline Cellars was the first in the area to begin grazing sheep nearly year-round. Before ’93 sheep were a rare occurrence in vineyards,” says Watson.
Sheep now graze tens of thousands of acres in California wine country - helping manage sustainable and organic vineyards - turning vineyard waste into useable products while raising their lambs.
Life at Shannon Ridge revolves around sustainability with sheep driving the entire process.
Clay Shannon and his 4 legged sheep management team
