Napa Vineyard Sheep Grazing & Napa Vineyard Fencing
Integrating Viticulture with Livestock
Growing Soil, By Feeding Microbes
Chris Maschauer, Owner
Jack O'Dell, GM
Integrating Viticulture with Livestock
Growing Soil, By Feeding Microbes
Chris Maschauer, Owner
Jack O'Dell, GM
At Napa Vineyard Sheep Grazing, we believe in the power of nature to help create the best wine in the Napa Valley. For almost 13 years, we integrate viticulture with livestock and encourage the soil to be more fertile by feeding the soil microbes. That's why we are encouraging vineyards to use our weed eating sheep.
These viticulture practices will produce high-quality grapes and wine. Utilizing organic weed removal with the help of sheep allows you to reduce the toxic fuel emissions and exhaust landing on and potentially affecting the flavor of your grapes and wine.
Join us and other vineyards that not only care about their wine and vineyards but also about the ecology of their surroundings and help reduce pollution and help your business at the same time.
We use Dorper sheep to graze vineyards because of their size. They can get under and between without damage to the vines.
They are delivered to your location, set up inside a fenced perimeter and allowed to graze for just the right amount of time. This technique is called rotational grazing. This is the magic component.
At Napa Vineyard Sheep Grazing, our sheep eat your unwanted weeds and then fertilize your soil and improve your water cycle. This reduces pollution and equipment emissions. The system we use typically doubles yearly harvest!!
Lambing season is a magical time at Napa Vineyard Sheep Grazing. As our ewes (mother sheep) graze your vineyard, munching on weeds and grass, they’re not just maintaining your land—they’re nurturing the next generation of grazers.
Within just a few short weeks, the newborn kids are up on their hooves, running, playing, and joining the grazing efforts alongside their mothers. Their boundless energy and growing appetites add even more mouths to our team, helping your vineyard thrive in a sustainable and joyful way.
Sheep offer a natural and sustainable way to manage vineyard vegetation and soil. They graze on weeds, roughen the soil with their hooves, and return vital nutrients through their manure, acting as living fertilizers. These actions contribute to healthier, more fertile land, a key factor in grape quality. In fact, factors like climate, soil health, pruning techniques, and harvest timing all influence the flavor and richness of wine.
Here in the Heart of Napa county, our sheep graze away at Rombauer Vineyards.
Across the United States, vineyards are increasingly adopting regenerative agriculture practices, such as no-till farming and cover cropping, to support long-term soil vitality. When paired with sheep grazing, these practices encourage a transition in subsoil microbial communities from bacteria-dominated to fungi-dominated systems. This shift fosters greater resistance to threats like fungal pathogens, mildew, and bunch rot while boosting overall plant resilience.
The most efficient way to prevent a fire on your property is by keeping it clean from weeds and debris. The most organic way to effectively weed eat is with sheep or goats. Napa Vineyard Sheep Grazing can help you with fire prevention!
We are partnered with Timeless Fence System to offer durable, eco-friendly, and long lasting solutions. With their system of Rigid PVC T-Posts and more, all designed to last for many years with minimal upkeep. The posts never need painting and will never rust or rot. They are protected with a UV coating that is backed by a 20 year Warranty.
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