CALISTOGA — Grazing sheep are becoming a more common sight in Napa Valley vineyards — and advocates say there are good reasons for that.
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Jesse Duarte | Napa Valley Register
CALISTOGA — Grazing sheep are becoming a more common sight in Napa Valley vineyards — and advocates say there are good reasons for that.
The Napa Valley Grapegrowers and Napa Green organized a field day on Tuesday at Castello di Amorosa outside Calistoga to show growers and vineyard managers how sheep produce healthier vineyard soil and more fire-resilient wildlands.
Christian Cain of Perennial Grazing said there are four reasons to let sheep graze in vineyards: soil fertility, labor savings, frost mitigation and cost reduction.
Sheep are also making practical sense as more growers go organic and eliminate pesticides.
“And we hope to do more,” Mochizuki said.
Chris Maschauer, who oversees those grazing programs, explained the science. As sheep graze on cover crops, they excrete “time-releasing fertilizer capsules.” That fertilizer feeds microbes, the microbes feed the soil, and the soil feeds the vines.
“You can cut your costs in half while increasing your tonnage,” Maschauersaid.
The trick is not to overgraze, he said. If the sheep eat the grass down to within a few inches of the ground, the grass will start to regrow, drawing nutrients from the soil that would otherwise nourish the vines. The absence of a cover crop exposes the soil to ultraviolet light, which kills the same microbes that grazing is supposed to support, and can contribute to mildew.
Sheep need to graze year-round but need to be used strategically in the vineyards, so it’s tough for growers to keep their own sheep for grazing purposes. That’s why businesses like Cain’s and Irwin’s are booming. Irwin said his sheep are busy enough that he never solicits new clients — they come to him.
Advocates say grazing promotes a balanced, dynamic ecosystem to support vineyards.
“Embracing these biological systems brings so many benefits,” Cain said.
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more at https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
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Uniquely, Napa Green isn’t just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
✅ Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
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Additionally, we support soil sampling and analysis, provide resource assistance, run practical training and education workshops throughout the year, and provide valuable, hands-on guidance in meeting your climate action goals.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Napa Green’s vineyard team is trained to develop regenerative, whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of the current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property. Each vineyard’s goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Clear pathways for employee advancement are essential for a thriving workforce and driving success. They boost retention, job satisfaction, productivity, and attract top talent. Napa Green Certified members develop pathways for growth, discussing career goals and progress with employees during reviews.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the world’s on-land diversity. We need healthy forests, which means a balanced density of native trees and plants. Healthy forests experience lower intensity fires with less tree mortality, meaning higher carbon retention and ecosystem function.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #greenpurchasing #supplychain
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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📷 @soilrainandhope
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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