Rutherford, Calif. -- Controlling costs was a strong theme during last week’s fifth annual Organic Grapegrowing Conference at Frogs Leap Winery in Rutherford. A sell-out crowd attended the Napa Valley Grapegrowers’ meeting to hear experts discuss important topics, see demonstrations of techniques and equipment and learn the latest from vendors about products and services for organic growing.

It was a far cry from the stereotype of organic practitioners. The business-oriented program focused on practical cost savings and efficiency, which seem particularly important in a cool year that keynote speaker Frank Leeds, vineyard manager for Frogs Leap and Longmeadow Ranch Winery, deemed challenging, following the winter’s heavy rains.

Leeds commented that the first conference attracted only nine attendees, compared to the 250 at this one. “Organic winegrowing is no longer fringe, it’s cool. Organic, Biodynamic, fish-friendly, dry farming -- these are all the buzz phrases you hear in Napa County.”

He also said that the emphasis comes none too soon. “The average age of a vineyard that gets pulled in Napa County is only 17 years. It’s fairly obvious that the conventional methods of the last half-century are not working. Organic is the future of the valley.”

That initiated a discussion about the cost of organic farming, often considered more expensive than conventional grapegrowing.
Grower Ted Hall of Long Meadow Ranch disagreed: “There is only one reason we farm organically, and that’s because it results in higher quality and lower costs.”

The former engineer and high-level management consultant added, “Organic growing could double the life of a vineyard, perhaps to 40 years. That should be considered in calculating its costs.”

Two grower panels moderated by Steve Matthiasson of Premiere Viticultural Services focused on reducing costs and improving efficiency of organic farming. Panel members included Hall, Patrick Riggs of Jack Neal & Son Vineyard Management and Kirk Grace of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

Matthiasson emphasized that timing is especially critical for controlling the costs of organic growing. “Every farmer watches the weather forecast, but if you’re an organic farmer, you have to watch it a little more, because you have to get it right the first time.”

Organic treatments aren’t always as powerful as conventional treatments. With mildew spraying, for example, “You have to do a better spray application. You can reduce the total number of sprays by focusing more on getting the coverage correct early in the season,” Matthiasson said. Similarly, catch weeds when they’re young -- February and December.

Hall mentioned that a heat blast is an effective and inexpensive way to kill weeds on hilly soil, and a strong vinegar solution kills star thistle.
 
Likewise, Matthiasson stressed understanding the life cycles of pests to control them effectively. “You can use predatory mites to catch European grapevine moths early.” He also mentioned that you can control costs in many ways: “There is no reason to buy nitrogen when you can get it for free in a cover crop.”

The organic objective
Hall said that the fundamental objective of organic farming is to create a healthy plant. “We’re trying to create a plant that is balanced and appropriate for its site, slope and conditions. A healthy plant can produce fantastic flavors at full physiological ripeness without practices like water stress and long hang-time that can weaken the plant.”

He continued, “You have to take a systems approach to organic growing. You can’t just substitute organic pesticides or fertilizers for conventional chemicals.”

Hall added a warning, “As much as we like to believe when we tell the rest of the world about the value of the Napa Valley appellation, not every piece of property is suitable for growing quality grapes at a reasonable cost.” Hall also grows olives, fruit and vegetables and raises animals commercially on his property, selling some of his produce at markets and his new restaurant, Farmstead.

He noted that serpentine soil is bad for grapes but good for olives. “A by-product of olive production is a vegetable water that is extremely high in nitrogen.…We take that byproduct and compost the organic matter on our ranch. We made several hundred tons of our own compost last year. You make it yourself, but you also have to construct a farming system that allows that. That’s why we grow veggies but we also use the manure from our chickens.”

Patrick Riggs also discussed costs. “It’s a myth that organic growing is more expensive. It may be less in one year, more in another. It depends on the vineyard.”

He pointed out that people can obsess over expensive control issues, esthetics of vines and vineyard rows and other trivial issues: “We remove far more leaves than leafhoppers could ever destroy. And the days of a vineyard looking like a pool tab le are over.”

That said, Kirk Grace admitted that weed and pest control are the most expensive parts of organic growing, but he said one reason is that they are still in the experimental mode. “We’ve farmed conventionally for a long time. It will take a lot of effort to repair the damage.”

All speakers agreed that sulfur dust is the cheapest and most effective control for mildew problems, particularly this year.

Some cover crops can smother weeds, but there was no agreement on permanent vs. annual cover crops, nor their use. It all depends on the site, the speakers felt.

They also concurred that compacted soil is a huge issue, and cover crops can help. Hall is experimenting with using horses to till the rows.

Other suggestions: To fight Eutypa, Frank Leeds does all his pruning after the sap rises in late spring and summer. He also said that dry farming has a side benefit: No mildew. Surface water from irrigation seems to encourage it.

The panel also warned about “snake oil” remedies and debunked home remedies such as using whey to fight mildew. They noted that introducing microbes to the soil is relatively pointless: The natural organisms will quickly outnumber and suppress them.

Unlike conventional growers, who argue that organic farming is difficult and expensive, the speakers at the symposium said it is satisfying and practical. Steve Matthiasson mused: “To me, organic farming is just a lot more fun. You have to really think about it: How can I get two things done at once?”

Also at the meeting, entomologist and Napa farm advisor Monica Cooper gave a separate update on the dreaded European grape vine moth; and Napa Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer explained required quarantine procedures this year; Andy Walker of the University of California, Davis, discussed choosing rootstocks for the long term, and other speakers concentrated on soil health, the practicalities of compost and the marketing of organic wines.