EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY FOR THE NEW KIDS AT HESS
|
47 goats - 26 adults and 21 kids arrived at the Hess Collection winery in March to perform an important task,
one they happen to enjoy.
They munch on noxious weeds that threaten to choke the precious grape vines or cause brush fires depending on the season.
.
Hess viticulturist Sander Scheer said, "Getting the goat herd is another asset in our self sustainable farming program." |
 |
For these galloping gourmets, Earth Day just happens to come along during their busy season.
.
Winter rains have made vegetation, shrubs and weeds over-abundant. With more than 40 acres of dry brush on Mount Veeder Summit, its the perfect time and place to send in the goats.
.
The goats also get to feast on yellow star thistle, and mountain misery.
They balance on the steep, rocky outcroppings, standing on hind legs to reach low-hanging branches to reach the choicest morsels. |
|
 |
At night, they amble back to their own room with a view a custom shed with one of the best views in Napa Valley.
But best of all, a bond has formed between the winerys veteran two-legged workers and the newbie four-legged ones.
Several of the vineyard workers volunteer on their own time on weekends to make sure that the babies get fed on a regular schedule.
|
| |
Why goats? Why not cows? Or zebras?
Technically, goats don't graze; they browse.
They eat leaves and twigs first, only gobbling grass when there's nothing else left.
.
Goats also don't munch plants down to a nub and move on. They'll pick off the flower heads so the plant doesnt seed and eat the leaves so it can't photosynthesize.
But they'll leave the stalk, which holds the soil in place, preventing erosion.
.
With only a bare stem left, the plant has to work overtime just to stay alive, giving the grape vines a chance to grow. |
 |
 |
Although the goats seem to be a sign of the environmentally-friendly times, they are only the most recent in a series of earth-friendly agricultural practices at Hess Collection dating back 30 years to 1978 when Donald Hess first acquired land on Mount Veeder, 502 rugged acres named Veeder Hills.
In 1992, Hess hosted the first International Symposium on Natural Farming at The Hess Collection Winery. He saw the need for sustainability in the vineyards and instituted key sustainable measures that continue in the vineyards, winery and marketing practices today.
|
 |
|
