Integrated grazing (sheep) for biodiversity & ecosystem
The impact, measured
Time horizon: 1–3 seasons
Why it works
Grazing creates a mosaic of vegetation heights and reintroduces the animal into the system, enriching the food web.
What to measure for this pairing
Why this goal matters
Functional biodiversity turns the vineyard into a self-regulating ecosystem. Beneficials keep pests in check, pollinators and cover-crop flora support the food web, and diversity above and below ground buffers climate and disease shocks.
It is measured through ecological infrastructure (hedges, flower strips, walls), beneficial abundance and diverse ground cover. It is also an explicit requirement of schemes such as sustainability certification and integrated production.
Goal indicators
Market & certification: Central to sustainability certification, integrated production and brand storytelling.
How to implement the practice
- 1Define the safe grazing window (dormancy, before budburst).
- 2Calculate stocking rate for the available cover.
- 3Respect the safety intervals of any applied treatments.
- 4Log entries, exits and grazed plots.
Frequently asked
Won’t the sheep eat the vines?
In the winter-spring dormancy, before budburst, there is no tender foliage within reach. Outside that window you need barriers or short breeds.
What about spray residues?
It is essential to respect safety intervals and record what was applied to each plot before introducing animals — something the field notebook guarantees.
Same practice, other goals
Same goal, other practices — Biodiversity
How GrapeFlow helps
The proof certification and buyers ask for — logged by plot and date.
Electronic field notebook
Log every operation — cover sowing, grazing, composting, mowing — by plot and date, with an audit-ready history that proves the practice over the years.
Phytosanitary register & copper balance
Every treatment is logged with product, rate and active substance, and copper is summed on the 7-year rolling mean — direct proof of input reduction.
Plot registry & map
Every practice tied to the right plot on the map, with area, variety and history — so you know where you did what and can compare blocks.