North Coast Soil Health Hub Newsletter
News, events, and tools to maximize soil health on farms in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties
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How do farmers use SoilHub.org?
There are many ways to engage in the Hub:
- Learn about workshops
- Stay informed about services for growers
- See what farmers are doing
- Share your ideas
The SoilHub.org website is a platform for sharing information, having discussions, and connecting farmers with the resources they need to be resilient and sustainable in the North Coast region and throughout the state. Visit us:
to learn more about SoilHub.org!
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Soil Health in North Coast gets big boost from National Conservation Innovation Grant Award
By Frances Knapczyk, Napa County RCD
In late 2018, the North Coast Soil Health Hub got a big boost forward by receiving the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Innovation Grant (Grant). Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD), Gold Ridge RCD, Mendocino RCD, and Sonoma RCD, all partners in the Hub (SoilHub.org), were one of only 22 groups in the nation to be awarded the funding, which brings $389,432 to the North Coast of California. The Conservation Innovation Grant funds will be matched dollar for dollar by local funds secured by the RCDs.
With this new injection of funds, RCD partners will continue working with North Coast grape growers to expand understanding of soil health fundamentals, practices that impact soil health, and how soil health increase can lead to enhanced grape production as well as a host of other benefits, including improved water use efficiency, water quality, and on-farm habitat. RCD partners will also continue to develop Soil Health Hub as the best online resource for growers in the region that are hungry for information on soil health and vineyards.
The Grant will also jumpstart a new partnership between RCDs and Oregon State University (OSU) to develop a tool that will allow North Coast growers to understand how their vineyards are doing with respect to soil health as compared to how well they
could
be doing. As a first step to develop the tool, RCDs will be taking soil samples from a wide variety of vineyards and sending these samples to a lab at OSU to be analyzed for a variety of soil health indicators. RCDs will also be collecting information about the farming practices used at each of the soil sample sites. At the end of the project, RCDs and growers will have a better understanding of which soil management practices have the greatest potential to improve soil health and vineyard productivity.
Across the nation, USDA awarded more than $10.6 million through the Conservation Innovation Grant program to address three priorities: grazing lands, organic agriculture systems, and soil health. “Through our Conservation Innovation Grants, we are able to bring together a wide array of groups to drive innovation and spur cutting-edge projects,” said Bill Northey, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “This year’s competition resulted in an impressive array of proposals that will ultimately benefit the people who grow our food and fiber.”
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Congratulations to the Healthy Soils awardees in our region!
By Linda Macelwee and Katy Brantley, Mendocino County RCD
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Healthy Soils Program was rolled out in December of 2018. Applications were due March 13, 2019 and recipients for the CDFA Healthy Soils Incentives Program were announced in June. Grant funding awarded across the state totaled $8,667,596. Twenty-one (21) North Coast farmers, vintners, and ranchers received over $900,000 to implement carbon-friendly practices for their operations. Farmers contributed another $363,000 in match funding.
Proposed practices ranged from compost application, cover crop planting, conservation tillage, riparian planting, pollinator hedgerows, and silvopasture planting. In total, practices combined have the potential to sequester almost 1,980 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This would lead to the equivalent of 420 cars being removed from the roads per year. Additionally, implementing these practices has the potential to improve water holding capacity, increase soil organic matter, reduce nutrient inputs, stabilize soil to reduce erosion, attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and save fuel costs by reducing tillage. CDFA plans to open another round of Healthy Soils funding in late fall/early winter of 2019-2020. Check the
soilhub.org
website for updates and details.
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UCCE hires Community Education Specialist to assist CDFA's Healthy Soils Program to the North Coast
By Linda Macelwee, Mendocino County RCD
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Britta Baskerville, Community Education Specialist
UCCE Ukiah
Britta Baskerville is a Sacramento native who graduated from UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources, with a B.S. from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Her focus was in Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems, which she has continued to explore in her professional work since graduating in 2015. She's apprenticed with several farms throughout Northern CA, in between her many side jobs in markets, nurseries, landscaping and basic farm labor. Last year, she toured over a dozen local farms as a part of her job as Program Coordinator with the School of Adaptive Agriculture in Willits. Most recently, she returned to the University of CA to serve as a Community Education Specialist with the UC-Cooperative Extension, where she works in partnership with the CDFA on their Climate-Smart Ag programs. Britta can be reached at
blbaskerville@ucanr.edu
or (707) 463-4158.
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Welcome to the Soil Health Team!
By Linda Macelwee, Mendocino County RCD and William Hart, Gold Ridge RCD
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Katy Brantley, Soils Program Manager
Mendocino County RCD
MCRCD welcomes Katy Brantley as the Soils Program Manager! Katy is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS) and the new Soils Program Manager for the MCRCD. She is currently assisting landowners and managers with LandSmart Carbon Farm Plans and supporting grant management relating to soil health. Originally from the southeast, Katy graduated from Hendrix College with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and from the University of Arkansas with a master’s degree in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. Prior to joining the RCD, she worked for an environmental consulting company for over four years on projects spanning from Superfund cleanup sites, revegetation studies, phytoremediation projects, and environmental site assessments. Katy can be reached at
Katy.brantley@mcrcd.org
.
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Craig Macmillan, Agricultural Specialist
Gold Ridge RCD
Craig Macmillan recently joined our RCD team as the Agricultural Specialist. In his new position, he will be assisting agricultural producers in developing and implementing conservation plans, improving their productivity, enhancing agroecosystem resilience, and mitigating global climate change through the regional LandSmart program.
Craig holds an M.S. in Plant Protection Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University. Craig has over twenty years of experience making wine and managing vineyards on the Central Coast. Since 2003, his work has focused on teaching and research in the areas of grape pest management, enology, viticulture, and the intersection of agriculture and human values. About joining the Gold Ridge RCD, Craig says, "I am thrilled to be joining such a dedicated and talented team. Working with growers to conserve, preserve, and improve their lands will be a joy.” Welcome, Craig! Craig Macmillan can be reached at
Craig@GoldRidgeRCD.org
or (707) 823-5244.
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MacLeod Vineyard workshop demo recap
By Keith Abeles, Sonoma RCD
The RCD has been working with the MacLeod Family Vineyard in Kenwood to look at the impact of different types of tillage management on soil health and relative moisture availability. Field trials were established in fall 2017, to investigate differences in no till, alternate row till and full till management on soil health properties and soil moisture. We met at the site to discuss the project, tillage alternatives, and opportunities to maximize retention and conservation of water in the soil and at the ranch. Josh Beniston, soil scientist and program coordinator for the sustainable agriculture program at the Santa Rosa Junior College, presented on the findings to date in collaboration with Mark Greenspan of Advanced Viticulture. Grower John MacLeod share his perspective and interest in the project. Growers were invited to discuss their personal experiences and o
pinions on how to best manage the soil and water, and ask questions.
Presenters included: Keith Abeles, Soil and Water Specialist, Sonoma RCD; Josh Beniston, PhD, Soil Scientist and Program Coordinator for Sustainable Agriculture, Santa Rosa Junior College; and John MacLeod, Grower, MacLeod Family Vineyard.
This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number NR183A750008G015.
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Spring is for: soil sampling!
Photos from Sonoma, Gold Ridge, Napa County and Mendocino County RCDs
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Demo II: Tillage & Compost in the Vineyard
Sonoma County
3575 Slusser Road, Windsor, California 95492; 9:00 -11:30 am; Free;
FULL
Sonoma RCD and Jackson Family Wines invite growers to come learn the latest findings from their Healthy Soils Demonstration Project! This field trial, started in 2018 at Saralee’s Vineyard, is looking at how tillage frequency and compost application influences soil health and productivity in a working vineyard. The workshop will include a presentation by technical advisor Dr. Josh Beniston on current insights from soil health data gathered so far to be followed by a field tour of the test plots and discussion of practice adoption pros and cons with the vineyard manager.
A more detailed agenda to follow. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about boosting soil health in your own vineyard! QUESTIONS? Please contact Anya Starovoytov, project manager at (707) 569-1448 ext 109 or email astarovoytov@sonomarcd.org
The 2017 Healthy Soils Demonstration Project is funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds and is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment.
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20th Annual Sustainable Winegrowing Field Day
Sonoma County
3245 Guerneville Rd, Santa Rosa;
7:00 am - 2:00 pm; Free;
RSVP
On Friday, July 26 from 7:00 am - 2:00 pm SCW is hosting it's annual Sustainability Winegrowing Field Day on at their new offices: 3245 Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa.
With the ever-increasing cost and shortage of qualified labor, the desire to economize vineyard operations via mechanization has become increasingly important. A main part of the agenda will be spent discussing the impacts of vineyard mechanization on labor, vineyard management efficiency, and grape quality.
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Soil Health BMP Highlight
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Multifunctional hedgerows to
fit your operation
By Christine Kuehn, Sonoma RCD
Whether you’re a ranch owner, dairy producer, winegrape grower or have a small scale orchard or row crop farm, property edges are
everywhere
. Boundaries between crops or property lines should not be undervalued or underutilized, but rather seen as an opportunity to support pollination, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, or increase soil health. Bringing these edges back to life can greatly benefit your operation from a natural resource perspective as well as increase beneficial habitat.
Hedgerows are considered rows of trees, shrubs, forbs and perennial grasses and can have multifunctional purposes including: improving water quality, attracting beneficial insects such as pollinators, stabilizing the soil and providing ground cover, they can act as windbreaks, suppress weeds, offer habitat to wildlife, can reduce the need to use pesticides, and are easy to get established when utilizing drought tolerant California natives.
Hedgerows provide multiple benefits to both farmers and wildlife. Installing a diverse assemblage of vegetation in your hedgerow that blooms year-round offers important pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, bats, beetles, butterflies and flies with a continuous food source of nectar and pollen. These vital contributors to our ecological system help pollinate over 75% of our flowering plants, and nearly 75% of our food crops.
Creating multifunctional hedgerow habitat which incorporates food sources for pollinators year-round is a win-win situation. Last year, the Sonoma Ag + Open Space District announced that bees, butterflies and other pollinators annually contribute more than $360 million in value to Sonoma County. In the United States pollination by honey bees directly or indirectly (e.g., pollination required to produce seeds for the crop) contributed to over $19 billion of crops in 2010. Pollination by other insect pollinators contributed to nearly $10 billion of crops in 2010,” (U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, 2016). A few local crops that depend on pollination include apples, pears, squash, and blueberries. Since grapes are self-pollinating plants, vineyard owners may be less concerned about attracting pollinators; however, these individuals can support healthy cover crop production or other crops if a mixed use property. Without the presence of pollinators, most plants cannot produce fruits and seeds which ensure their future lifespan.
Sites to consider planting a hedgerow may include non-cropped areas along roads, drainage ways, fences, or field borders, and in some cases possibly even within the rows of your crops, depending on your goal. Always design hedgerows to fit the site-specific needs. If you are interested in hearing more about hedgerows or other natural resource best management practices for your farm or ranch please contact your local RCD.
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Discover More at SoilHub.org
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