Written by: Anya Starovoytov, Sonoma RCD
On December 4, the Sonoma Resource Conservation District hosted its first “Demo Workshop: Tillage and Compost in the Vineyard” in partnership with Jackson Family Wines at the La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in Windsor. Forty six landowners, land managers, regional partners, and industry professionals joined the conversation about how compost application and reduced tillage practices can improve soil health and increase carbon levels in agricultural soils. Participants discussed carbon farm planning, the challenges associated with specific practices or settings, implications for quality and productivity of the grapes, and the multi-benefits that can be obtained from these soil management practices.
As an introductory workshop, Project Manager Anya Starovoytov shared an overview of this Healthy Soils demonstration project, funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the information we aim to glean over the 5-year project term. The project team is using the winter months to gear up for another round of soil sampling and compost application in 2019 and 2020. Soil samples will then be collected again in 2022, to gain further insight on changes on soil carbon levels, soil stability and density, and also grape yield and grapevine productivity that may not be seen in the first few years after practice implementation. We look forward to sharing additional insights in future workshops.
