*Please note each event day begins with two workshop options – one onsite OR one offsite. Only 40 event guests will be able to attend the offsite workshop. If you would like to attend the offsite mentorship workshop please register on Eventbrite when ordering tickets. No additional cost.
(Max 40 Participants Per Workshop)
Mentor: Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager at Wight Vineyard Management
Mentee: Jesus Hernandez, Vineyard & Grower Relations Manager, Artesa Vineyards & Winery
Location: Clif Family Oak Knoll Vineyard
(Max 40 Participants Per Workshop)
Mentor: Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager at Wight Vineyard Management
Mentee: Jesus Hernandez, Vineyard & Grower Relations Manager, Artesa Vineyards & Winery
Location: Clif Family Oak Knoll Vineyard
Integrated Pest Management may not sound sexy, but it can be. During this workshop Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager at Wight Vineyard Management, who has extensive experience with organic viticulture, will mentor another grower who is ready to phase out the use of Roundup. They will explore how to use cover crops, bird boxes, and other IPM strategies to attract the beneficial insects and birds that eat unwanted guests. They will also touch on labor and management costs and considerations.
(Max 40 Participants Per Workshop)
Location: Onsite at Charles Krug Winery, Carriage House
This workshop will explore how to increase biodiversity in and around the vineyard, both below and aboveground. Jo Ann Baumgartner with Wild Farm Alliance, Sam Earnshaw with Hedgerows Unlimited, and Tom Clark with Napa Wildlife Rescue will lead a conversation about how to choose plants and establish insectaries and hedgerows, the benefits of Western Bluebirds and how to support them, and installing and maintaining owl and other bird boxes. A leading Napa Valley grower, Julie Johnson at Tres Sabores, will share how they’ve benefitted from incorporating biodiversity on their property, including sheep, guinea hens, and hummingbirds.
Kelly Mulville is the Vineyard director at Paicines Ranch. For the past 25 years Kelly has managed and consulted with vineyards, farms and ranches throughout the western USA, Spain, Australia and China. In 2012 he was sponsored by government and wine industry organizations to give presentations and workshops on extended-season vineyard grazing throughout Australia and New Zealand. His studies include Ecological Horticulture at UC Santa Cruz, Viticulture at UC Davis and Holistic Management with Allan Savory. His work is focused on combining experience in farming and viticulture with holistic management in order to design and manage more ecologically, socially and economically sound farming practices. This usually involves a considerable amount of help from livestock.
During this panel Matt Pfarr, M.S. Agronomy and Plant Physiology and Technical Manager at Lallemand Plant Care, North America will speak to the brain of the vineyard underground and how to enhance microbial soil health. Leading growers, Ivo Jeramaz, winemaker and Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Hills Estate, and Greg Gonzalez, Director of Central Coast Farming at Foley Family Farms, will share their experiences using nature-based solutions to increase vineyard resilience, as well as the costs and benefits of phasing out synthetic pesticides and shifting to organic agriculture.
Katherine Cole is a James Beard Award-winning fine wine expert.
The author of five books on wine, Katherine currently works across the disciplines of communications, digital media, journalism, and branding. She has been honored with both a James Beard Award and an IACP Award, tapped as a Louis Roederer International Wine Writer finalist, and was named to the “Imbibe 75” list of “the people, places and flavors that will help shape the way we all drink.”
As Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of The Four Top, Katherine is deeply involved in the issues that matter most to the wine and food industries. This award-winning podcast, founded in 2016, streams on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your digital audio.
Ivo Jeramaz is the Winemaker and Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Hills Estate.
Ivo was born in Croatia to a family of grape growers and as boy he assisted in making wine for his family’s enjoyment. However, he didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. Ivo earned a master’s of science degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb and dreamed of coming to California to work as an engineer.
In 1986, with the help of his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Ivo followed his dream and came to Napa Valley. He quickly fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and became fascinated with wine making. Ivo decided on a career change and Mike immediately put him to work washing barrels. During his almost-three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo has worked his way up in responsibility, learning the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the tools of science and technology. “There’s nothing in the winery or vineyard that I haven’t done, not just for one day, but really worked at it,” he explains.
Matt Pfarr is the Technical Manager for Lallemand Plant Care, North America.
His role supports the mission of Lallemand Plant Care to bring value to growers through microorganism-based solutions. Matt was born and raised on the fertile soils of the Des Moines Lobe. He gained appreciation for the land from a young age while working as sixth generation on the family farm. This led to a research degree program at the University of Minnesota studying agronomy, agroecology, and plant physiology. After university, Matt was attracted to Lallemand Plant Care as their values align with the modern grower – pride in private ownership with a focus on stewardship for the next generations. Matt’s interests include applying microorganism technology to prescriptive agriculture, striving for the intersection of theory and practice. He believes new ideas and innovations are the key to preserving the soil, our non-renewable resource.
Greg Gonzalez grew up in Oregon, splitting time between Eugene and Junction City where he worked on his family’s 10-acre Filbert farm (hazelnuts). From an early age, he excelled at soccer and eventually earned dual scholarships (academic and sports) to South Western Oregon Community College and California State University Monterey Bay. In 2008, he earned his BA in Social and Behavioral Sciences, with emphasis on Geographic Information Systems, Minor – Earth Systems, Sciences, Technology, and Policy.
Greg joined Scheid in 2009 as a harvest intern. Eight months later, he was a Ranch Supervisor handling Geographic Information Sciences & Technologies. After spending 12 years with Scheid developing and implementing agricultural technologies, advanced precision viticultural, and mechanization as the Director of Vineyard Operations. March of 2021 Greg accepted an opportunity to lead the farming operations in Santa Barbara County for Foley Family Farms, a subsidiary company to Foley Family Wines.
Lallemand group decided in 2006 to put its knowledge and technological assets in microbiology and fermentation for the agricultural world. And so was born the Lallemand Plant Care business unit, which has since grown significantly through the acquisition of companies specializing in plant bio protection and bio fertilization.
Microbes can be found both in the rhizosphere (the area close to the roots) and in the phyllosphere (the aerial parts, located above ground level) and some even colonize the plant interior. Although invisible to the naked eye, they have been linked to plants since the dawn of time and some have agronomic properties that allow their host plant to develop, better. Current technologies allow them to study these mechanisms, select microorganisms of agronomic interest, duly analyse, produce and formulate them to inoculate crops.
Advancing Eco Ag's regenerative agriculture systems balance microbial, mineral, and mechanical inputs to consistently improve farm profitability by increasing fruit size, quality, and overall yield. We work with growers to create custom plant nutrition programs that will bring the kind of results that farmers are looking for.
Since the beginning, Wilbur-Ellis has prided itself on looking forward. This relentless vision helped them grow into a multibillion-dollar portfolio of four businesses focused on providing the essentials for the world to thrive. It’s this tradition of always staying ahead that will carry us into the future.
Their forward-thinking approach to crop protection, nutrition and seed development combines years of service and expertise with the latest technology wherever you are, whatever your needs.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. As a science-based organization, we both conduct our own research and rely upon the most up-to-date information to guide our conservation work. Our key program areas are: pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts.
Napa Wildlife Rescue is the only organization permitted by the California Fish and Wildlife to rescue, rehabilitate and reunite/release wildlife in Napa County. Every year we work with well over a thousand orphaned or injured wildlife, with the goal of returning them to their wild lives.
Barn owls are an excellent alternative to harmful rodenticides, otherwise known as rat poison. Rodenticides weaken the rodents before killing them, making them slow and attractive to predators. Then, when they are caught and eaten, the poison spreads and kills the predators of the rodents. This makes the rodent problem even worse, because there are fewer predators to control their population. Instead of using cruel poisons, whose effects spread beyond your intentions, they recommend an approach called Integrated Pest Management. This is a systemic way of thinking about pests in the environment, which addresses the root of the problem instead of only the symptoms.
Napa RCD empowers the community to voluntarily conserve, protect, and restore natural resources in a landscape that supports agriculture, urban areas, and wild lands.
We provide technical assistance, educational programs, monitoring programs, and funding sources to help land managers meet their conservation goals.
Napa Green serves as a catalyst and facilitator to grow certified sustainable, responsible businesses committed to the environmental stewardship and climate action in Napa County. Our members stand as leaders exemplifying that sustainability and caring for nature and community elevates quality and experience for employees, customers and community, now and in the future.
From soil to bottle - A comprehensive sustainability certification program for Napa Valley Wineries & Vineyards.
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