Speaker Series

We have had some very interesting speakers address our last 2 Vineyard Management classes.

Last week we heard from Nick Frey, with Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. The SCWC promotes Sonoma County grapes and wines, builds community support for the industry, and offers continuing education to grape growers and the public. A few really interesting facts we learned from Mr. Frey: there are actually people here who don't like to see vineyards planted in the community - ! what?! why?? I was surprised to hear this - I would have guessed just the opposite would be the case, given the economic value generated by wine and all the related industries that exist here (grapes generate 71% of Sonoma County farm revenues but only grow on 6% of the county's land area!). But some people feel the vineyards use too much water and too many pesticides. The statistics Mr. Frey provided, giving a comparison of water usage by an average vineyard vs a family of four, showed that vineyards use only a fraction - in fact, grapes don't require a lot of water - over-irrigation actually reduces their quality! And it's the local apple growers (home of the Gravenstein) who use more pesticides than the grape growers. I suspect those folks who don't want "alcohol farms" in their midst don't pay any attention to these facts!

This week's speaker was Alex Klein from American AgCredit, who talked about the role of AAC in financing vineyard development and operations. Mr. Klein reinforced what I've heard about how expensive it is to start a vineyard - you should come prepared with very deep pockets: $25-30 thousand dollars PER ACRE, and upwards, depending on the location! I had better start buying lottery tickets.