Sustainable Farming Educational Resources

With current market shifts, vineyard mothballing can buy growers time—but it requires strategy. Chris Chen (UC Cooperative Extension) explains how to manage pests and diseases, adjust irrigation by rootstock and soil type, and protect long-term yields while reducing costs and avoiding fines.

When a newly dug well revealed water too salty for irrigation, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard faced a serious threat to vine health and wine quality. Discover how a reverse osmosis system and an unexpected salt-loving grass transformed a costly setback into a biodiversity-boosting solution.

When a newly dug well revealed water too salty for irrigation, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard faced a serious threat to vine health and wine quality. Discover how a reverse osmosis system and an unexpected salt-loving grass transformed a costly setback into a biodiversity-boosting solution.

Cover crops are essential for building healthy soils in vineyards and farms. Sarah Light (UC Cooperative Extension) explains how cover crops protect soil, improve water infiltration, and increase biodiversity. She also highlights a new cover crop selector tool designed for Western growing regions, helping growers match species to their land and management goals.

Consumers want transparency and sustainability—and they reward it with loyalty and sales. This episode breaks down four key ways to communicate sustainability, from tasting rooms to sales channels, showing how clear, credible messaging builds trust and drives purchasing decisions.