SUSTAINABLE FARMING - with great attention to detail
Our family has been farming in a responsible, sustainable manner long before such practices became vogue. While we grow grapes organically and biodynamically for several wineries and employ many of these techniques to our entire operation, we prefer to farm in a sustainable system. A sustainable system is much broader and more comprehensive than an organic system. Sustainability is a self correcting discipline that not only impacts the environment but society (our employees) and our bottom line as well.
Using a holistic decision making process and industry self assessment tools we endeavor to contemplate the unintended consequences of our decisions on all three of the aforementioned factors and take corrective action when we miss something. As an example; until an effective organic herbicide was developed we chose to us a fairly environmentally benign conventional herbicide (Roundup) to spray weeds underneath the vine rows. While this is not an approved “organic” procedure, such as mechanical tilling the weeds, it is nonetheless better for the environment when you consider the fact it would take three tractor passes thru the field to control the weeds organically, while it takes just one pass with the herbicide. Three passes means twice the equipment and diesel exhaust (and natural resources and energy to build the tractor) and three times the compaction to the soil in the vineyard! Once science produced an effective organically approved herbicide we attained the best of both worlds and improved on the process of sustainability.
We strongly believe that the net result of an organizations effort is exponentially greater than the sum of its individual exertion and that success is not a finite commodity. Our employees receive above average wages, 401K’s, scholarships, and we pay 100% of their health insurance premium. Our business philosophy is transparent and strives to remove any potential conflict of interest to inspire integrity, trust and lasting relationships.
COVER CROPS
Cover crops have been used for decades in agriculture and their use in permanent crops such as vineyards has expanded significantly in the just the past 10 years. In fact, I would venture to guess that the majority of vineyards in the state are now using them to some extent or another. Despite their widespread use most growers do not utilize them in a permanent manner. Many elect to plant them on a ongoing, yearly basis and then incorporate them into the soil by means of cultivation in order to increase organic matter and/or nitrogen levels. While this practice is certainly beneficial it fails to fully take advantage of all of the benefits of cover crop and from a carbon footprint perspective arguabley takes more carbon to implement then one receives as benefit.
Our farming company, Monterey Pacific farms 7,300 acres of vineyards in Monterey County all of which are farmed with permanent cover. The cover crop system is unique in that the process and its numerous benefits were discovered by serendipity. Doesn’t it always seem that the most elegant and robust solutions are discovered in this manner! I will endeavor to take you thru this process of discovery to hopefully demonstrate the beneficial subtleties of this unique sustainable system.
Back in 1985 while farming a hillside vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands that contained permanent cover crop for erosion control, I asked myself this question; why is this volunteer cover crop comprised of entirely native grasses while the seeded cover crop I was trying to establish in a vineyard down on the valley floor full of undesirable broadleaf weeds? After learning from a local UC weed extension expert, Harry Agamalian, that broad leaf weeds will not germinate in the shade, I vowed to reduce the number of times I mowed the cover crop in order to provide more shade to inhibit the germination of broadleaf weeds. However, we still mowed at least 3 times a year (spring, summer and fall) like most growers, to keep things neat and tidy.
Then, in 1994 while mowing a Merlot block that spring, we needed another tractor to catch up on our mildew spray program after a storm had come thru and washed the recently applied material off. Consequently, only half of the Merlot block was mowed while the other half was not. When we returned to finish the mowing 3 weeks later we discovered that the vines in the portion of the block where we had not mowed had 4-5 inches more shoot growth than the section we had mowed. While this may not seem like a significant impact, here in Monterey County with our infamous wind and super long growing season, anything you can do to speed up the process (especially with young vines) is important. Additionally, this discovery inferred that the cover crop had affected the vineyard microclimate by reducing the wind velocity thereby increasing the ambient air temperature within the vineyard. This is an important discovery in an area that often times could use more heat.
So far, we had discovered that cover crops: reduce dust and erosion, increase ambient air temperature, reduce soil compaction by increasing soil tilth, increase organic matter and provide an environment for beneficial insects. Additionally, recent research has shown permanent cover crops increase soil populations of Mycrorizhi and other beneficial bacteria and fungi, which are extremely important to overall plant health and well being.
So how do we establish and manage this cover crop to maximize its benefits and sustainability?
When we establish a new vineyard in a virgin, previously unfarmed pasture land we don’t need to plant a cover crop as there is suffient seed already in the soil and surrounding vegetation to inoculate the entire block with out assistance. Certainly, this is the best establishment scenario. However, in a previously cropped site (especially row crops) we need to provide some assistance.
The first year we plant Merced Rye every other row within the block. We selected this perennial as a result of Australian research that showed this cultivar could provide a beneficial allopathic property (to reduce the germination of other grasses and broadleaf’s in close proximity) to possibly reduce under vine weed control costs during the establishment phase. We use a band of contact herbicides down each vine row during the growing season to protect young vines from weed competition while establishing cover crop.
We do not mow this cover crop until late July or early August (we now mow only once per year) in order to insure that the seeds are properly mature (so that they might germinate next winter to reestablish cover crop next year) and to derive all of the benefits previously mention above. We plant the “other” row the following year to complete the process of establishment. In order to fully mature the seed AND to prevent the cover crop from competing with the vine for precious soil moisture in a very arid region (less than 14 inches annually), it is extremely important not to mow this cover crop before the “boot stage” of growth (when the seed head first emerges) that occurs in April/ May. Mowing before the boot stage is what we do when we mow our lawn. The grass will continue to grow and utilize water. If you wait until after the boot stage the perennial will not grow any longer and therefore, will not compete with vines for water. Grass cover crop systems are also “drought obligate”. If they do not receive irrigation or rainfall prior to the boot stage they will dry out and turn brown, but just like your lawn, once water is reapplied it turns green again. Drought obligate cover crops will not re-grow when additional water is applied after the boot stage.
Another aspect of certain grass cover crops that one needs to understand in this system of sustainability is the term “daylight obligate”. Once the day length achieves a certain length (May/ June) the mature seeds will not germinate until the days are shorter (in the fall). This mechanism insures that seeds in this arid environment will not germinate during the summer when there won’t be any rainfall to sustain them. Additionally, this mechanism insures that our cover crop will not grow adjacent to vines that are receiving drip irrigation during this timeframe.
Over a period of 4-6 years the native grasses in the area will repopulate vineyards farmed under this system resulting in a grass culture not unlike those we see on the gently rolling hills throughout the Central Coast. The native grasses grow to a perfect height, generally 2-2.5 feet, and provide all of the benefits that a grower could ask for in a sustainable crop culture.
As you can see, there is a lot more to cover crops than meets the eye!
Our family has been farming in a responsible, sustainable manner long before such practices became vogue. While we grow grapes organically and biodynamically for several wineries and employ many of these techniques to our entire operation, we prefer to farm in a sustainable system. A sustainable system is much broader and more comprehensive than an organic system. Sustainability is a self correcting discipline that not only impacts the environment but society (our employees) and our bottom line as well.
Using a holistic decision making process and industry self assessment tools we endeavor to contemplate the unintended consequences of our decisions on all three of the aforementioned factors and take corrective action when we miss something. As an example; until an effective organic herbicide was developed we chose to us a fairly environmentally benign conventional herbicide (Roundup) to spray weeds underneath the vine rows. While this is not an approved “organic” procedure, such as mechanical tilling the weeds, it is nonetheless better for the environment when you consider the fact it would take three tractor passes thru the field to control the weeds organically, while it takes just one pass with the herbicide. Three passes means twice the equipment and diesel exhaust (and natural resources and energy to build the tractor) and three times the compaction to the soil in the vineyard! Once science produced an effective organically approved herbicide we attained the best of both worlds and improved on the process of sustainability.
We strongly believe that the net result of an organizations effort is exponentially greater than the sum of its individual exertion and that success is not a finite commodity. Our employees receive above average wages, 401K’s, scholarships, and we pay 100% of their health insurance premium. Our business philosophy is transparent and strives to remove any potential conflict of interest to inspire integrity, trust and lasting relationships.
COVER CROPS
Cover crops have been used for decades in agriculture and their use in permanent crops such as vineyards has expanded significantly in the just the past 10 years. In fact, I would venture to guess that the majority of vineyards in the state are now using them to some extent or another. Despite their widespread use most growers do not utilize them in a permanent manner. Many elect to plant them on a ongoing, yearly basis and then incorporate them into the soil by means of cultivation in order to increase organic matter and/or nitrogen levels. While this practice is certainly beneficial it fails to fully take advantage of all of the benefits of cover crop and from a carbon footprint perspective arguabley takes more carbon to implement then one receives as benefit.Our farming company, Monterey Pacific farms 7,300 acres of vineyards in Monterey County all of which are farmed with permanent cover. The cover crop system is unique in that the process and its numerous benefits were discovered by serendipity. Doesn’t it always seem that the most elegant and robust solutions are discovered in this manner! I will endeavor to take you thru this process of discovery to hopefully demonstrate the beneficial subtleties of this unique sustainable system.
Back in 1985 while farming a hillside vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands that contained permanent cover crop for erosion control, I asked myself this question; why is this volunteer cover crop comprised of entirely native grasses while the seeded cover crop I was trying to establish in a vineyard down on the valley floor full of undesirable broadleaf weeds? After learning from a local UC weed extension expert, Harry Agamalian, that broad leaf weeds will not germinate in the shade, I vowed to reduce the number of times I mowed the cover crop in order to provide more shade to inhibit the germination of broadleaf weeds. However, we still mowed at least 3 times a year (spring, summer and fall) like most growers, to keep things neat and tidy.
Then, in 1994 while mowing a Merlot block that spring, we needed another tractor to catch up on our mildew spray program after a storm had come thru and washed the recently applied material off. Consequently, only half of the Merlot block was mowed while the other half was not. When we returned to finish the mowing 3 weeks later we discovered that the vines in the portion of the block where we had not mowed had 4-5 inches more shoot growth than the section we had mowed. While this may not seem like a significant impact, here in Monterey County with our infamous wind and super long growing season, anything you can do to speed up the process (especially with young vines) is important. Additionally, this discovery inferred that the cover crop had affected the vineyard microclimate by reducing the wind velocity thereby increasing the ambient air temperature within the vineyard. This is an important discovery in an area that often times could use more heat.
So far, we had discovered that cover crops: reduce dust and erosion, increase ambient air temperature, reduce soil compaction by increasing soil tilth, increase organic matter and provide an environment for beneficial insects. Additionally, recent research has shown permanent cover crops increase soil populations of Mycrorizhi and other beneficial bacteria and fungi, which are extremely important to overall plant health and well being.
So how do we establish and manage this cover crop to maximize its benefits and sustainability?
When we establish a new vineyard in a virgin, previously unfarmed pasture land we don’t need to plant a cover crop as there is suffient seed already in the soil and surrounding vegetation to inoculate the entire block with out assistance. Certainly, this is the best establishment scenario. However, in a previously cropped site (especially row crops) we need to provide some assistance.
The first year we plant Merced Rye every other row within the block. We selected this perennial as a result of Australian research that showed this cultivar could provide a beneficial allopathic property (to reduce the germination of other grasses and broadleaf’s in close proximity) to possibly reduce under vine weed control costs during the establishment phase. We use a band of contact herbicides down each vine row during the growing season to protect young vines from weed competition while establishing cover crop.
We do not mow this cover crop until late July or early August (we now mow only once per year) in order to insure that the seeds are properly mature (so that they might germinate next winter to reestablish cover crop next year) and to derive all of the benefits previously mention above. We plant the “other” row the following year to complete the process of establishment. In order to fully mature the seed AND to prevent the cover crop from competing with the vine for precious soil moisture in a very arid region (less than 14 inches annually), it is extremely important not to mow this cover crop before the “boot stage” of growth (when the seed head first emerges) that occurs in April/ May. Mowing before the boot stage is what we do when we mow our lawn. The grass will continue to grow and utilize water. If you wait until after the boot stage the perennial will not grow any longer and therefore, will not compete with vines for water. Grass cover crop systems are also “drought obligate”. If they do not receive irrigation or rainfall prior to the boot stage they will dry out and turn brown, but just like your lawn, once water is reapplied it turns green again. Drought obligate cover crops will not re-grow when additional water is applied after the boot stage.
Another aspect of certain grass cover crops that one needs to understand in this system of sustainability is the term “daylight obligate”. Once the day length achieves a certain length (May/ June) the mature seeds will not germinate until the days are shorter (in the fall). This mechanism insures that seeds in this arid environment will not germinate during the summer when there won’t be any rainfall to sustain them. Additionally, this mechanism insures that our cover crop will not grow adjacent to vines that are receiving drip irrigation during this timeframe.
Over a period of 4-6 years the native grasses in the area will repopulate vineyards farmed under this system resulting in a grass culture not unlike those we see on the gently rolling hills throughout the Central Coast. The native grasses grow to a perfect height, generally 2-2.5 feet, and provide all of the benefits that a grower could ask for in a sustainable crop culture.
As you can see, there is a lot more to cover crops than meets the eye!