Sustainable Winegrowing

The biggest challenge in ag tech isn't innovation — it's making tools that actually work on the farm. Matthew Hoffman, General Partner and Head of Farms at Reservoir, shares how the company is helping ag tech startups develop tools that solve real farming challenges.

By partnering directly with specialty crop producers, including winegrape growers, Reservoir gives companies access to farms, equipment, and real-world feedback to refine technologies before they reach the market. Matthew highlights emerging innovations in autonomous equipment, robotics, machine vision, and farm management technology, and explains why grower involvement is essential to creating solutions that fit the realities of vineyard operations.

Resources:

• 6/10/2026 REGISTER: Technology Field Day Tailgate
• 129: The Efficient Vineyard Project
• 233: The Gap Between Space and Farm: Ground Truthing Satellite Data Models
• 249: Making it Easier to Use Satellite Data in Agriculture
• Matthew Hoffman - LinkedIn
• Reservoir
• Reservoir - LinkedIn

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Andy Fles, Vineyard Manager at Shady Lane Cellars, wanted to make his fungicide program even more sustainable. So, he set up an experiment that put "soft" materials head to head with his usual program.

• Make a Donation

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Can your soil hold enough water to carry vines through the season without irrigation? Miguel Garcia, Regenative Agriculture Project Manager at Napa RCD, shares findings from a 15-vineyard study across California's North Coast. By measuring organic matter, soil respiration, active carbon, and aggregate stability, the project evaluates how soils store and supply water over the growing season. Learn how cover crops, tillage practices, and deep root systems shape soil and moisture dynamics, and how dry-farmed vineyards compare with the broader soil health database.

Resources:

• 4/28/26 Dry Farm Site Tour, New Cuyama, CA | REGISTER
• 5/21/26 The Science and Practice of Dry Farmed Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA | REGISTER
• 171: How to Farm Wine Grapes for Climate Change
• 181: Can Applying Compost Reduce Water Use?
• 287: Dry Farming Vineyards: Where It Works and How to Begin
• California Winegrape Dry Farming Potential Map
• Dry Farming in Coastal California Vineyards
• Napa County Resource Conversation District
• North Coast Soil Hub

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Memorable winery visits don't happen by accident. They're designed. Craig Macmillan (Niner Wine Estates) shares how storytelling, insider access, and well-trained staff turn winery tours into long-lasting customer relationships.

Resources:

• *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***
• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Sustainable Stories

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Making the best sustainable farming decisions isn't about choosing one solution; it's about weighing the best strategies for your vineyard.

Lucas Pope, Vice President of Altera Solutions, shares how growers can balance performance, cost, and long-term impact by understanding trade-offs. Lucas dives into developing a vineyard for efficiency, the best irrigation setup, composting, herbicide-free practices, and fungicide resistance, while emphasizing collaboration with clients to select the best approach for each unique site.

Resources:

• 117: Grapevine Mildew Control with UV Light
• 219: Intelligent Sprayers to Improve Fungicide Applications and Save Money
• 302: New Cover Crop Tool for Western Growers
• Alterra Solutions
• Healthy Soils Playlist
• Pre-Season Checklist for Powdery Mildew Management | DPR 1 - O; CCA 1 - IPM

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

147 native plants now create a thriving monarch butterfly sanctuary. What started as a passion project now supports biodiversity with minimal maintenance.

Resources:

• *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***
• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Planting for Pollinators | Sustainable Story
• Sustainable Story Worksheet | Electronic

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Barn owls are natural predators of gophers, voles, and mice, three of the most common vertebrate pests in vineyards. Matt Johnson, Professor in the Department of Wildlife at Cal Poly Humboldt University, studies how farms and wildlife can mutually benefit each other. Matt shares practical guidance on barn owl nest box design, placement, and maintenance, and explains how vineyard landscapes and surrounding habitat influence owl occupancy.

Resources:

• 272: 30 Gophers a Night: Why Barn Owls Belong in Your Vineyard
• Barn Owl Hunting Animation – Yarrow from the Lodi Wine Visitor Center
• Barn Owl Nest Box Placement and Maintenance
• Barn Owl Nest Box Plans
• Cal Poly Humboldt Barn Owls
• Probability of Nest Box Occupancy by Barn Owls Map

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

Wine buyers care about sustainability—but are you talking about it? Learn three practical ways to share your sustainable winegrowing story through tasting room interactions, sales conversations, and social media that builds trust with today's conscious wine consumers.

• *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***
• Apply for SIP Certified Wine
• Marketing Tips eNewsletter
• Sustainable Stories

• Make a Donation

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

With current market shifts, vineyard mothballing can buy growers time—but it requires strategy, not abandonment. Chris Chen, Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, draws on research in Australia and field experience in California to outline what minimal management really looks like. From pruning approaches and livestock integration to pest and disease management, irrigation by rootstock and soil type, and long-term yield risks, he explains how to reduce costs now without compromising a vineyard's future—or risking fines.

Resources:

• 4/8/2026 REGISTER: Tailgate | Mothballing Roundtable
• Chris Chen - Twitter
• Out of Sync: vineyard responses to changing conditions
• Partial Solar Radiation Exclusion with Color Shade Nets Reduces the Degradation of Organic Acids and Flavonoids of Grape Berry (Vitis vinifera L.)
• UCCE North Coast Viticulture
• UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County
• UCCE Viticulture Publications Online - North Coast

Support the Podcast:

• Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

• Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education
• Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings
• SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards
• Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year
• Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

When a newly dug well revealed water too salty for irrigation, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard faced a serious threat to vine health and wine quality. Discover how a reverse osmosis system and an unexpected salt-loving grass transformed a costly setback into a biodiversity-boosting solution.

Resources:

*** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***

Apply for SIP Certified Wine

Marketing Tips eNewsletter

Sustainable Stories

Sustainable Story Worksheet

Support the Podcast:

Make a Donation

Vineyard Team Programs:

Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education

Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings

SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards

Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year

Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing