Sustainable Winegrowing

While Santa Barbara's Foxen Canyon area is known for its natural beauty, reliable cell service is not one of its amenities.
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Many winegrape growers don't realize that grapevine roots are constantly growing, dying, and regenerating throughout the season. In this episode, David Eissenstat, Professor Emeritus at Penn State University, explains how decades of root research have challenged the myth that roots only grow at bloom and after harvest.
He shares how underground research techniques reveal the hidden life of grapevine roots, why young roots drive water and nutrient uptake, how root growth changes with temperature and moisture, and what growers should know about managing vineyards with a deeper understanding of root biology. 

Resources:  

281: How Rootstock Impacts Vine Drought Tolerance and Longevity
Crop load – physiology, modelling and relationships to root growth in grapevines 
David Eissenstat
Importance of internal hydraulic redistribution for prolonging the lifespan of roots in dry soil
The Efficiency of Nutrient Acquisition over the Life of a Root 

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

Think print is a thing of the past? Think again. Discover why print remains a powerful marketing tool for wineries, offering lasting impressions, stronger recall, and a personal touch that digital channels can't always match. Learn how to make your print materials work smarter and more sustainably. 

Resources: 

Apply for SIP Certified Wine
Marketing Tips eNewsletter
Real Stories, Real Impact
SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course  

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

Three-cornered alfalfa hopper (TCAH) is the only confirmed insect vector of grapevine red blotch virus in Vitis vinifera, yet many growers first realize they have the pest only after spotting petiole girdling in the vineyard. Cindy Kron, North Coast IPM Advisor at UC ANR, shares findings from two years of weekly sweep-net monitoring at Oakville Research Station that revealed TCAH adults are present well before bud break, suggesting grapevines are not their preferred host.
She explains the insect's life stages, why legumes serve as key feeding and reproductive hosts, and why detecting early instars remains a major challenge for vineyard IPM. Cindy also discusses how degree-day models may help growers better time tillage to reduce TCAH populations and limit grapevine red blotch risk. 

Resources:  

71: New Techniques to Detect Grapevine Leafroll Disease
131: Virus Detection in Grapevines
Can a pesky treehopper be foiled because its growth is regulated by temperature? 
Cindy Kron
How to use a model for reduction of three-cornered alfalfa hopper in vineyards
Identification of Nonhost Cover Crops of the Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper (Spissistilus festinus) 
Use of Ground Covers to Control Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper, Spissistilus festinus (Hemiptera: Membracidae), and Other Suspected Vectors of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus
Weather Models and Degree Days 

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

Meet Gilbert the Pig and friends. These goats, sheep, and Kunekune pigs replaced herbicides and mowing with year-round weed control. And they're adorable.
Resources: 

Apply for SIP Certified Wine
Marketing Tips eNewsletter
Real Stories, Real Impact
SIP Certified Marketing Toolkit
Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course  

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