ORGANIC FARMING
At our Rudd Oakville and Mt. Veeder Estates, we farm our land organically and biodynamically with an in-house farming team for two primary reasons. First, to ensure the health of our land will be here for the next generation. Second, to obtain the best possible expression of our terroir. Our in-house farming team is dedicated to the year-round care of the vineyards from pruning through harvest — their meticulous attention to detail plays an essential role in realizing the potential of our land. In refocusing farming as a complete system, we are cutting back on our use of purchased fertilizers and pesticides. The biggest challenge we face in the vineyard is the weather. Weather which can involve frost, rain, wind, and extreme heat — all can cause increases in pest and disease pressure (mildew, fungal diseases, and harmful insects that can spread virus).
In our holistic farming approach, canopy management plays one of the largest roles in our vineyard activities. Post-flowering in May, leafing and lateral removal is performed to decrease mildew pressure by allowing dapple sunlight to enter the canopy on the morning side to encourage air flow. Laterals on the morning side are retained for protection against sunburn during the summer months through ripening. Our options for organic fungicides are limited and less intense than conventional fungicides, making the timing of canopy management critical in order to prevent mildew from taking off. Insecticides are another set of products that we aim to eliminate from our vineyard. By encouraging beneficial insects (ladybugs, lacewings, various types of thrips) and incorporating insectory rows during the spring and early summer, as well as the release of beneficial insects through a process called augmentation, we strive to create a boost in natural enemies. Herbicides additionally are eliminated as an option for weed control. Instead of a traditional strip spray of a glyphosate product, we work the weeds mechanically through our Clemens weed knife, additional shoveling work, and weed eating as needed. The addition of mulch under the vines is used as a weed suppressant and aids in water retention.
By reducing our fertilizer usage, we switch our focus to post-harvest compost and seeding cover crop. Areas of the vineyard that require an increase in vigor are applied a higher input of compost and seeded with blends such as clovers (for a no-till system), beans, peas, oat, and vetch (for a tilled system). Areas where we need to control the vigor are given little to no compost and seeded with vigorous grasses to compete against the vines for water and nutrients (more roots = more hairs = more uptake). Rudd Estate compost is made on-site, including winter prunings (chipped), pomace from the winery, and cow manure. The pile is made during harvest and applied to the vineyard after the following year’s harvest.
To utilize our surroundings and wildlife, bluebird boxes, owl boxes, and raptor perches are dispersed throughout the vineyard. The bluebird boxes house a handful of bluebirds that feed on sharpshooters, one of the main vectors of transferring Pierce’s Disease. Owl boxes and raptor perches, while fewer in number on the property, aid in rodent hunting, including ground squirrels and gophers that feed on the vine’s root systems. Specific placement of these three items is critical as birds are territorial and will only live and hunt in zones within their box’s radius. This is another example of our holistic systems approach. Using insecticides eliminates not only bad insects, but also the beneficial ones.
During the winter months, sheep graze through the Estate, ultimately cutting back on mowing by tractor, and also to feed the soil nitrogen through manure. They will be in the vineyard from the time we have reasonable cover crop growth up until bud break. By the practice of intensive grazing, sheep are placed together in small panels to effectively graze in that section, and then moved before they overeat and cause compaction.
The final critical aspect to our farming approach is the soil’s health. As mentioned above, the use of compost, cover crop, and weed management keeps the soil alive and healthy, and is one of our biggest tools to successful winegrowing, allowing the vines to express the terroir. The nutrients are there in the soil, but how the vine’s root system takes them up can be a challenge. By incorporating compost teas and soil microbial enhancers through irrigation, we are supplying the root hairs mychorrizae and microorganisms to aid in the uptake of minerals. In order to have a full cycle ecosystem in the vineyard, we need to create and sustain a healthy food chain from the ground up.