Sustainable Winegrowing

Numerous vineyards have utilized sheep and goats for grazing but most only during the winter. Kelly Mulville was on a mission to design a vineyard for year-round grazing to restore the ecosystem with livestock. The challenge was to find a vineyard design where the animals could not eat the vines. In a partnership with Paicines Ranch in California, Kelley and the team utilized the Watson Training System which holds the cordon wire at 66 inches. The vineyard incorporated nine grape varieties and trialed year-round sheep grazing last summer with great success. Using the sheep will eliminate all suckering and tipping, dramatically reduce fertilization, decrease irrigation use, and lower labor costs. Listen in as Kelley explains the trial process for tips on how to set up your own vineyard for year-round grazing.

• 107: How Grazing Sheep Can Benefit Your Vineyard (Podcast)
• 113: Microbial Inoculants for Soil Health (Podcast)
• Grazing Vineyards
• Paicines Ranch
• Savory Holistic Management
• SIP Certified
• Sustainable Ag Expo
• Watson Training System for Bunch Wine Grapes
• Virtual Viticulture Academy

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

A healthy soil has hundreds of different species of microbes while a depleted one may only have one dozen. A number of common viticulture practices are not conducive to a healthy soil biology so Dave Olson of Sustainable Growing Solutions is looking at how we can improve soil quality with microbes, ultimately improving plant quality. This process can be foliar with soil inoculations over time. Microbes do not colonize all at once so it important to add them over a period of time so that some will pave the way for others. Dave discusses the best time for applications and the importance of having an objective before trialing inoculants.

• 72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability
• 112: How Deficit Irrigation Impacts Soil Quality
• David Olson | [email protected] | (916) 284-9706
• SIP Certified
• Sustainable Growing Solutions (website coming soon)
• Top 5 Soil Health Resources
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship
• Water and Nitrogen Use Webinar

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Deficit irrigation is used in winegrape production to keep berries small and enhance the flavor of wines, particularly with reds. Joan Davenport, Emerta Professor of Soil Sciences at Washington State University says to get an accurate measure of soil moisture, you need to focus monitoring where the roots are. These measurements are ideally taken about 15 to 20 inches from the vines. Deficit irrigation can lead to a buildup of salt and sodium, negatively impacting soil quality. Salts cause root burning and damage to root systems, hurt microorganisms, and prevents calcium uptake. Joan talks about her research project to compare soil quality between Washington vineyards irrigated with snow melt (surface water) versus ground water (water from wells).

• 72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability
• Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils
• Irrigated Soil Management
• Irrigation Best Management Practices
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship
• Washington State University Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences
• Water and Nitrogen Use Webinar

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Every vineyard has a portion of the property that is non-productive, but are there ways to maximize the benefits of this land? Fintan du Fresne, General Manager and Winemaker for both Chamisal Vineyards and Maine Wines and Christian Rodriguez, Assistant Vineyard Manager at Chamisal Vineyards found the answer to this question with a Miyawaki Mini-forest. Conceived by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, these mini-forests can take be developed in spaces as small as 30 square yards.

Development of a coastal oak woodland at Chamisal Vineyards began by excavating three feet down, adding mulch and compost, and planting 400 to 500 native plants at a high density. This process enables the forest to establish three to four times as rapidly as it would in a natural setting. The established forest will not only proffer a habitat for local fauna but, also provide carbon sequestration. The next phase of this project includes a partnership with Cal Poly State University to pipe C02 from the winery into the forest to see how much carbon sequestration is possible.

• 92: Regenerative Agriculture
• 102: Effects of Landscape Management on Pest Control in Vineyards
• Akira Miyawaki
• Chamisal Vineyards
• Conservation Plan Template
• Malene Wines
• Las Pilitas Nursery
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Vineyard development begins with the soil. Steve Vierra, Director of Vineyard Operation at Derby Wine Estates and Certified Professional Soil Scientist, has developed many vineyards since the 1990s and always begins with a site evaluation to determine what is actually plantable. This includes a deep dive into all aspects of the prospective vineyard including climate, rain fall, aspect, slope, rootstock, soil types, and best varieties to create a self-sustaining vine. The goal is to develop a vineyard that is easy to farm around natural resources and the goals of the business.

Steve covers how he evaluates soils with both pits and physical property tests for micro- and macronutrients. Learn about ideal rootstocks and clones for different soil types, plus Steve's favorite development projects in Paso Robles California.

• 72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability
• 107: How Grazing Sheep Can Benefit Your Vineyard
• Biochar: Soil Amendment for Improved Vine Performance and Long-term Carbon Sequestration
• Derby Wine Estates
• Making Nitrogen & Potassium Fertilizer Decisions in the Vineyard
• SIP Certified
• Steve Vierra
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

The introductory voice and producer of this podcast, Beth Vukmanic, joined Jaime Lewis of CONSUMED in the much-awaited season nine. The CONSUMED podcast stokes candid conversation about life and flavor, ten episodes at a time. Jaime interviews eaters, drinkers, thinkers and makers across California and especially at its heart, the Central Coast. And, this past year, CONSUMED hit the top 40 podcasts about food and wine in the United States. Enjoy this rebroadcast.

An Introduction from the CONSUMED podcast:

When Beth Vukmanic came on the podcast, I was certain we'd talk only about her work with the Vineyard Team, an organization based in Atascadero, California that promotes sustainable winegrowing throughout the U.S. But Beth surprised me with all her many special fun facts: she was born in a moving VW Rabbit on a freeway in Detroit, she plays the harp professionally, and — here's the biggie — she is a fitness superstar. No really. Beth is a hugely popular Instagram fitness instructor with a following like you wouldn't believe. She's kind, sharp, thoughtful and fun, and I liked her immediately. Listen to Beth talk about her background in agriculture, her longtime commitment to sustainable winegrowing, and how she likes to eat when getting home from a big HIIT workout.

• Bethercize
• CONSUMED: a podcast
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Team Staff
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship

There is no doubt that water is a precious resource, particularly in drought prone regions like California. It is very important for growers to measure soil moisture and there are a bevy of technological devices available to utilize. From soil moisture probes to pressure bombs, these tools are helpful but, they only provide data on once specific area at a time and many are time consuming to use.

Today, there is a lot of free satellite data available and that data is being captured by Irriwatch. Founder and CEO Wim Bastiaanssen is an international academic leader and is engaged as a Visiting Professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). He holds a Ph.D. degree in crop-soil-atmospheric physics from Wageningen University.

Having grown up on a potato farm, Wim aims to provide practical guidelines for irrigation management. The IrriWatch software aggregates data from 10 satellites to provide daily moisture measurements down to the pixel, allowing growers to optimize irrigation water applications in a world of dynamical weather, soil and crop processes.

• 67: Impacts of Climate Change on Wine Production (Podcast)
• 101: Sub-surface Micro-irrigation in Vineyards (Podcast)
• How Thermal Remote Sensing Helps Farmers to Optimize their Irrigation (Video)
• Irrigation Best Management Practices
• Irrigation System Maintenance Tips - English
• Irrigation System Maintenance Tips - Spanish
• IrriWatch
• [email protected]
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Team's 'Juan Navarez Memorial' Scholarship

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Using sheep to graze vineyards has many benefits including lowering the carbon footprint, fewer tractor passes, and reduced herbicide use. Kelsey Brewer, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of California at Davis has been researching how these living lawnmowers impact nutrient and energy flows in the eco system.

When tractors were replaced by sheep, the research team found that vineyards had 1.3 times more organic matter and nitrogen plus twice as much available soil nitrogen in the soil. Grazed vineyards have very high microbial activity, improved infiltration, and porosity. Of course, sheep are not a good fit for every vineyard system. Their benefits are not seen in ranches where heavy tillage is still used. While a manager could establish their own flock, most grazing is contracted with experienced professionals who can intensively and efficiently graze in vineyard.

• 30: Managing the Landscape Around the Vineyard (Podcast)
• 106: What? Bury Charcoal in the Vineyard? (Podcast)
• Conservation Plan Template
• Fibershed
• Gaudin Lab UC Davis
• Kelsey Brewer on Twitter @k_m_brewer
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Development Ecological Considerations
• Vineyard Team's Juan Navarez Memorial Scholarship

What, bury charcoal in the vineyard? Biochar is a specialized form of charcoal made from waste woody biomass at high temperature in the absence of oxygen. We know soil organic matter is important for the health of any crop. It turns out the use of charwood (biochar) goes back to ancient civilizations and it can be found naturally in soils from fire events.

Doug Beck, Science Officer at Monterey Pacific in Monterey California, recently conducted a four-year trial to test the impacts of biochar and compost as soil amendments on wine grape growth, water use, yield, and water quality. This is an excerpt from his presentation at the Sustainable Ag Expo in November 2020. This fascinating trial showed that the addition of biochar and compost to the soil improves nutrient efficiency, improves water holding capacity, and positively impacted yields.

• 56: Conservation Burning and Biochar (Podcast)
• "Biochar increases vineyard productivity without affecting grape quality: Results from a four years field experiment in Tuscany" | Scholarly article
• California Biochar Association
• "The Conservation Burn Technique" | Vineyard Team Technical Article
• SIP Certified
• Sonoma Biochar Initiative
• Sustainable Ag Expo
• Vineyard Team Educational Scholarship

Higher education is important to many students but paying for college can be challenging. The Vineyard Team Educational Scholarship helps college students whose parents work in members' vineyards and wineries achieve their dreams.

The Smiths of Saxum and James Berry Vineyard, know that our people are vital to sustainability. Justin Smith tells the story of Juan Nevarez, a person instrumental in their wine business for over three decades, and their inspiration to donate to the scholarship fund in his name.

Pebble Smith says, "The year is 1985 and we're looking at our first harvest at James Berry Vineyard. Our family, alone, has deer fenced, laid out, staked, and planted 35 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. We know there is no way we can get the grapes off and to the winery just using our family and any friends still willing to help us. Our very first thought was to call our friend Juan who was then helping the Baldwins develop their vineyard and winery. He looked at us pleading for help and said 'no problema, I'll be there before the sun's up with enough men to get all your grapes off before noon.' He was true to his word and our first harvest was the exciting start for two successful careers: our fledgling vineyard and Juan's labor contracting business. Thirty-five harvests later and Juan and now his family, are still supplying us with skilled and trusted vineyard laborers. I know this is not the end for our relationship with Nevarez Labor but Juan's passing has left his family and ours with a big hole in our hearts. To help heal that hole we have put forward money for the Vineyard Team Educational Scholarship Fund and we know that would have made him very happy. So in honor of Juan, Terry, Justin, Heather and I would like to honor all the Nevarez family for being such an integral part of our community."

The Vineyard Team is grateful for the Smith family's donation which helps us reach our goal to raise $25000 in 2021. You too can make a life changing impact on a student's future. Donate at vineyardteam.org/scholarship.

• Donate to the Vineyard Team Scholarship

Subscribe on Google Play, iHeartRADIO, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.