Sheep Hard at Work

Dry summer grass is transformed to a lush green. This cycle of the blossoming of cover crop is part of renewing the soil and preparing the conditions for vines to shoot up anew and bear a new fruit. While the vines are bare, it is an opportunity to bring in the sheep who have only interest in the cover crop sown below. The sheep gently press in their droppings into the wet winter soil while they chew down the grasses. This opportunity for biodynamic inputs from the sheep is part of our thoughtful stewardship of vineyard health. Interestingly, when we had the archeological survey of the properly done prior to development, special note was taken about the type of barbed wire found on the property. Together with the remains of what was thought to be a stone corral, it was guessed that the property may have once been the site of sheep farming by early settlers.