I love this article! It discusses how the University of California is training sheep to graze in vineyards, but not eat the grapes or grape leaves. This is an alternative to using herbicides and mowing which uses fuel and causes soil compaction. It is also allows for organic vineyard management.
In short, they let the sheep eat grape leaves from the vine, and then intentionally educe a stomach ache with a shot of lithium chloride. The sheep assume the belly ache came from what they ate and don’t eat it again. It sounds like a win-win for sheep producers and the vineyard managers. -The sheep are well fed, and the floor vegetation is kept under control with little effort.
Article with Video: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/everyday/agriculture/trained_sheep.html
Comments
Post has no comments.