Parameters influencing cost and benefits per hectare in the outsourced regenerative agriculture (RA) scenario compared to the conventional viticulture (CV) scenario. VM, vineyard manager; Mg, Megagram.
| Parameter | Cost ($) | Benefit ($) | Year of occurrence | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mower | - | 12,500.00 | 1 | Savings on equipment that are not required when integrating sheep grazing. | VM |
| Disk implement | - | 10,000.00 | 1 | Savings on equipment that are not needed when reducing soil disturbance. | VM |
| Compost spreader | 13,500.00 | - | 1 | One-time investment for equipment to broadcast compost in the vineyard. | VM |
| Cover crop seed | 113.60 | - | 1 to 30 | Cost difference between the forage mix used in the CV scenario and the sheep mix required in the RA scenario. | VM |
| Compost acquisition | 840.00 | - | 2 to 30 | 9.88 Mg applied per ha. Costs include trucking. Increases operational costs by 67% of RA-specific costs. | VM |
| Compost application | 50.00 | - | 2 to 30 | Cost associated to broadcasting the compost in the vineyard. | VM |
| Sheep grazing events | 444.60 | - | 2 to 30 | A single sheep grazing event lasts 3 to 5 days by a 20-sheep flock in 0.4 ha. Two events were considered in the year. These events explain the 28% of RA-specific costs. | VM |
| Nutrient inputs (compost) | - | 253.20 | 2 to 30 | Fertilizer nutrient value by considering its N, P, and K nutrient content, and their equivalent from the commodity prices on commercial fertilizers. | Coker et al. 2022, Estimateda |
| Nutrient inputs (manure) | - | 18.10 | 2 to 30 | Based on the amount of manure delivered by sheep per day (5% of its body weight), and its fertilizer nutrient value (N, P, K content). | Moreno-Caselles et al. 2002, Ogejo et al. 2010, Marzi et al. 2020, Coker et al. 2022, Estimateda |
| Soil erosion control | - | 48.00 | 2 to 30 | Vineyards with permanent cover crop and no-till show average soil reduction losses of 1.8 Mg/ha/yr (74 to 91%). | Robinson et al. 2014, Biddoccu et al. 2020 |
| Carbon credits (compost) | - | 64.20 | 2 to 30 | Average carbon sequestration value of compost per Mg, $3.98 to $9.20. | Coker et al. 2022 |
| Carbon credits (manure) | - | 2.10 | 2 to 30 | Studies show a 5.3% increase in carbon over 10 yr in topsoil when permanent rotational grazing is adopted. Therefore, an increase of 1049 kg C/ha (5.3%) in 10 yr was estimated. | Wiltshire and Beckage 2022, Estimateda |
| No herbicides | - | 170.00 | 2 to 30 | Savings on chemicals and spray costs. | VM |
| No mowing | - | 240.00 | 2 to 30 | Savings on labor and equipment maintenance costs. | VM |
| No tilling | - | 240.00 | 2 to 30 | Saving on labor and equipment maintenance costs. | VM |
↵aMore information can be found in Appendix 2.