21
September/October 2019
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
FLOCK OF SHEEP PUT MOWERS OUT TO PASTURE
If you visit the Davey Nursery, you might notice some
interesting residents on the property. A flock of Katahdin
sheep call the nursery their home. But, why would a nursery
need sheep?
At the nursery, there are groups of older trees that are
difficult to maintain due to holes in the ground, where
trees were once dug up for planting, or the trees are
simply too large to maneuver equipment around, said Rick
Hanshaw, branch manager, Davey Nursery. He had heard
of municipalities using sheep or goats to maintain sloped
or challenging areas. So, with 325 acres to manage at the
nursery, he thought it would be great to give the sheep a try.
"It's been fun," Hanshaw said. "It's really fun in the spring
when the females are lambing. We are maintaining a
breeding herd of roughly 40 sheep."
Hanshaw said they wanted low maintenance sheep and
Katahdin sheep are easy to look after.
"We chose this breed because there's no shearing involved.
They don't have wool," Hanshaw said. "They are also very
cold hardy and pest resistant."
Four years ago, the nursery started with four Katahdin sheep
in a 7-acre space, which now has a permanent fence. This
space has a steep valley, which was a challenge to maintain.
The nursery would have someone mow it three or four
times a year. Now, it's the sheep's domain.
When not inside their permanent pasture, Hanshaw said
nursery employees create temporary fenced in areas around
the older blocks in the nursery for the sheep to graze in.
At this point, Hanshaw said they haven't had the sheep long
enough to see any long-term effects on the trees, but they
have seen a cost savings by having them.
"There are a few big benefits to having them," Hanshaw
said. "The areas we put them in are the older areas of the
nursery where we just mow. They save on labor, wear and
tear on the equipment, chemicals, and while they are
grazing, we are getting soil in those areas fertilized."
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maintain a sustainable environment. Visit
our Corporate Responsibility Report online.
The Davey Nursery in Wooster is home to a flock of 40 Katahdin
sheep, which help maintain the grounds and graze in the hard-to-
maintain areas of the nursery.
