07/17/07 Wooly Weeders

What's a grape grower to do? Most growers who maintain sustainable operations must rely on pollution producing tractors and mowers to keep vineyard isles free of weeds and tall grasses. Researchers at the University of California Davis have come up with a novel solution with positive ramifications for the livestock industry as well. Mutton Mowers or as one company calls them , Wooly Weeders. At UC Davis they are training sheep through aversion therapy to graze only on the grass and weeds between the vines and forgo the wine grapes. By giving the sheep pills that make their tummy's a bit queasy after they have grazed on the forbidden grape vines, apparently the sheep the remember this unpleasant experience and will refrain from valuable grapes. Using sheep as manual mowers isn't anything new in fact during WWII sheep were used extensively in Europe to "mow" large estates due to lack of manpower. It also isn't uncommon today to see sheep grazing in vineyards usually under the watch of a good border collie but typically only when the vines are dormant