Resources to maximize soil health on farms in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties
Fall-Winter 2020: Edition 10
In this edition

  • Science Spotlight: Soil Health and Wildfire
  • BMP Highlight: Water Conservation Interview with Mark Greenspan
  • From the Field: Sonoma Valley Vineyard Field Trial Summary
  • What's New at the Hub: Find us on Instagram
  • Events | Resources: Soil Health Symposium 2021, Match.Graze and more!
Message to our Community
Dear Neighbors,
As 2020 comes to a close, a trying year filled with hardships from fires and the impacts of COVID-19 on our local families and businesses, we want to also highlight the strength within our networks to persevere. Despite the difficult days we all endured, progress was made to improve soil health and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. We deepened partnerships and our sense of community with a common goal to steward the lands we love. We are here for you now, as always, and are ready to work side by side with you as our community recovers together. May you and your loved ones have a safe and healthy holiday season and a happy New Year!

In partnership,
Your Soil Health Team
Science Spotlight
How Does Wildfire Impact Soil Health?
By Caitlin Notch, Fire Safe Sonoma
California wildfires set new records this year, with a total of 1,492,128 acres burned as of Nov 1, 2020. The LNU Lightening Complex Fire and the Glass Fire heavily impacted our North Coast community and left many of us wondering about the lingering impacts in food production and the nuanced relationship between wildfire and soil health in our region.

The impact of fire on soil can lead to both positive and negative outcomes depending on factors such as fire intensity and soil type. Generally, low intensity fires can be beneficial and improve the productivity of the soil. Inversely, high intensity fires can have significant negative impacts on soil health, killing microorganisms and sterilizing the soil. In all instances, soil will regenerate, over time, although the regeneration process may take longer in some cases depending on fire severity.
 
Fire can impact the soil either directly or indirectly. Soil impacts include physical, chemical or biological changes. Direct impacts include the combustion of organic matter. Indirect impacts result from changes in the ecosystem such as vegetation cover or changes in flora. Impacts from fire can be short-term, long-term or permanent depending on fire severity. For example, soil fertility can increase after low intensity fires which increases site productivity. Fires do this by restoring soil nutrients through the release of elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and carbon.
 
However, high intensity fires can change a soil’s physical characteristics and make them more susceptible to nutrient loss due to erosion. Severe fires can increase density and reduce porosity and permanently alter soil texture. If fires are hot enough, they can kill microorganisms and partially sterilize the soil. High intensity fires also decease water infiltration rates and water storage capacity of soils which accelerates run off. This can lead to increased sedimentation which can negatively impact water supply and reduce reservoir storage.
 
Click here for our full story on fire’s effect on soil and a list of resources!
Best Management Practice Highlight
Keith and Mark talk Water Conservation
By Keith Abeles (Sonoma RCD)
Watch this 20 minute video where Dr. Mark Greenspan, viticulturist and President of Advanced Viticulture in Windsor, CA, discusses his approach to managing irrigation in vineyards to achieve optimal grape quality using the least amount of water necessary. In this interview with Keith Abeles, the Sonoma RCD’s Soil and Water Specialist, he explains his program of using soil moisture probes in conjunction with pressure chambers and porometers to deliver precise amounts of irrigation when needed, and how to hold off when it is unnecessary. Discussing these and other tools, Dr. Greenspan provides a framework for any type of agricultural producer to grow the highest quality crop using water as efficiently as possible. View here on Sonoma RCD's YouTube channel.
From the Field
Tillage Impacts on Soil Health and Water Retention
Summary of a Sonoma Valley Vineyard Field Trial
By Keith Abeles (Sonoma RCD)
There is spirited, ongoing debate on how to best manage tillage in vineyard tractor rows. Proponents and practitioners of full till, no till or alternate row tillage all make good arguments, often with great passion. The “best tillage” for a site might depend on soil, slope, or management needs, but pertinent questions remain:
  • What is the best management to retain moisture in the soil?
  • Can water be conserved through a specific type of tillage management?
  • Which management is the best for soil health and ultimately grape production and quality?
Proponents of tillage see it as a necessary tool to diminish competition for water and nutrients, and to control weeds. Those who favor no till argue that it improves soil structure and increases organic matter, which improves soil health and water retention. Many argue that alternate row management provides the best intermediary solution – a tilled row to manage inputs and fertility and a non- tilled row to access vines in winter and spring, and reduce impacts and costs associated with tillage. With these questions and considerations in mind, and a desire to get more answers based on data versus observation, or a growers’ sense of what is best management, the Sonoma RCD secured a NRCS grant in 2016 to do a field trial at a working vineyard in Kenwood. We partnered with John MacLeod of MacLeod Family Vineyards, who shared interest in these questions as a long-time grower and retired environmental geologist. Soil scientist Dr. Josh Beniston, head of the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) Sustainable Agriculture program, was brought on board as the project scientist. Dr. Mark Greenspan, President of Advanced Viticulture, joined the effort as a consultant assisting with soil moisture tracking and analysis. Read the full trial summary here.
What's New at the Hub
Have you followed us on Instagram yet?
This summer we created a North Coast Soil Hub Instagram account! We're sharing photos that put the spotlight on soil and the folks that love soil just as much as we do! Tag us with @NorthCoastSoilHub, #soilhealth, and your local RCD's handle!

Find your local RCD on Instagram too!
Gold Ridge RCD: @GoldRidgeRCD Mendocino County RCD: @MendocinoRCD
Napa County RCD: @NapaRCD
Sonoma RCD: @SonomaRCD
Upcoming Events | Resources
4th Annual "Soil Health Symposium" goes virtual in 2021
Our RCD Soil Health regional team is hard at work developing our fourth annual Soil Health Symposium which will be held virtually March 11-12, 2021 from 8:30 am - Noon both days. This event will bring together growers, vineyard managers, scientists, agency representatives, and others to discuss cutting edge conservation practices and the latest data from the field. Sessions will cover topics including, but not limited to: Climate Change and Soil Health - Global and Regional Perspectives, North Coast Soil Hub project, Shop Talk: Soil Health in the Field - grazing, under the vine management, compost, and more, as well as a panel on Economics and Marketing.

For the latest information on the Symposium and more soil health news make sure to sign up for our eNewsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Match.Graze from UCCE
Match.Graze is a free online platform that connects livestock producers and landowners throughout the state of California. Whether you're a landowner seeking a small flock of sheep to mow your back 40, or a producer in search of seasonal pasture for a goat herd, Match.Graze can help you pair up with the animals or land base that you need! With this service, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) aims to support the expanded use of grazing to achieve California's collective habitat enhancement and fuels reduction goals.
Created by UCCE and South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, the Match.Graze map displays pertinent data from individuals that have voluntarily submitted information to the database, such as acreage or animal type available, forage characteristics, approximate location, and contact information. Search the map to find an answer to your personal grazing needs. Visit Match.Graze today!
Healthy Soils Program (HSP)
Several new processes and tools were implemented this year to help farmers and ranchers apply for and participate in our Healthy Soils Program (HSP), including a rolling first-come-first-serve process for incentives program applications; a new CDFA HSP Re-Plan Tool developed in collaboration with the Strategic Growth Council allowing applicants to have a map-based platform to develop their project design; and an updated the CDFA HSP Comet-Planner Tool to integrate payment rates for practices, eliminating the need for a separate budget sheet. The CDFA HSP program does not having funding for 2021, but to reach out to your local RCD to make sure to receive updates on the program as it becomes available, and to sign up for the CDFA email notifications.

Taken from: @CDFAClimateNews "Climate Smart Agriculture and Science News from the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI)" Fall/Winter 2020 Edition
Discover More at SoilHub.org