Project Overview
Commodities
- Fruits: grapes
- Animals: sheep
Practices
- Animal Production: general animal production
- Crop Production: organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer
- Farm Business Management: whole farm planning, community-supported agriculture, budgets/cost and returns, agricultural finance, value added
- Pest Management: field monitoring/scouting, physical control
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, holistic management
- Soil Management: composting
- Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures
Proposal summary:
As vineyards and orchards are converted to sustainable, organic production, finding cost-efficient methods for managing weeds and grasses between rows becomes critical. This SARE-funded project will use a breed of miniature sheep called Olde English Babydoll Southdowns to graze in organic vineyards and orchards. Grower Deborah Walton will assess the sheep’s effectiveness compared with more labor-intensive organic weed and grass management methods like flaming and cultivating. Olde English Babydoll Southdowns are an ancient breed of miniature sheep that stand only 24 inches high at the shoulder, so they can graze grasses and weeds without being able to reach appropriately trellised grapevines or orchard fruit. The sheep, in turn, will add value through manure, wool and agri-tourism.