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F. EWE SHEEP COMPANY FEweSheepCompany.com
LOCAL
Nature’s Lawnmowers
HOW SHEEP ARE CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF LODI VINEYARDS BY SUZANNE LEDBETTER
F
or as long as he can remember, Frankie Arburua III has dreamed of one thing: to start his own sheep ranch in Lodi Wine Country. He grew up working on his family’s sheep operation and knew that one day,
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he wanted to own his own sheep, and use them to make our world a more sustainable place. That dream became a reality in 2020, when Arburua launched F. Ewe Sheep Company, and the landscape of Lodi area vineyards will never be the same. You may be wondering how sheep play a role in wine grape farming, or sustainability for that matter. The truth is, sheep are a maintenance tool as old as time. A centuries old farming practice used to mow down weeds is quickly becoming the hottest trend in Lodi vineyards, and for good reason. With growing labor costs and an emphasis on sustainable farming practices, Lodi area wine grape farmers are eager for ways to manage their land with as little impact to the environment as possible. What Arburua offers farmers is a service where they rent out their girls to graze properties for a week, or even months, depending on the need for
weed abatement. Sheep have insatiable appetites and love to eat, so they can manage a lot of land every spring and summer. By using sheep in the vineyards, farmers can reduce the number of times a tractor passes through each row, reducing the use of fossil fuels. It also helps farmers reduce their cost of labor by utilizing animals to mow down what tractors and their drivers would normally accomplish. Not to mention, can we acknowledge how cute they are as they meander in and out of the vineyard rows? As an added bonus, Arburua’s sheep play an integral role in fire control by mowing down unnecessary weeds and dead vegetation. For Arburua, his love of sheep runs deep. But he also acknowledges his best employee is, in fact, his border collie, Jack. “There is no way I could do this business without him,” Arburua says. “He’s invaluable to me.”
