The Central Coast Vineyard Team’s Positive Points System for Biologically Integrated Viticulture: A Grower’s Perspective

Steve McIntyre

Co-authors: K. O’Conner, Central Coast Vineyard Team and J.C. Broome, UC SAREP

California produces 90% of all US grapes. In 1996 California’s 311,000 acres of wine grapes were valued at more than $1.2 billion. Similar to statewide trends, wine grape acreage in the Central Coast Region, which includes Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties, is increasing rapidly. In 1997, published wine grape acreage on the Central Coast represented 57,000 acres. Wine grapes are the top agricultural commodity in San Luis Obispo and in the top ten in Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties.

Traditional wine grape production in California has at times been associated with reductions in environmental and human health quality. In response, the Central Coast Vineyard Team developed the Positive Point System (PPS) as an integrated program to address these concerns without compromising our economic viability. The Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) is a tri-county (Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara counties) grower group whose mission is to promote sustainable vineyard practices on the Central Coast, to increase environmental quality, and to reduce human health risks. CCVT members own or manage over 30,000 acres of Central Coast wine grapes. We developed the Positive Points System (PPS) based on our own experience as successful vineyard managers and with technical input from University of California.

The PPS is a 1,000-point protocol for evaluating adoption of sustainable farming practices on a site-specific and regional basis. The PPS is organized into the following categories: pest management, water management, soil management, viticulture management, wine quality and continuing education. Through a series of questions, it outlines a model vineyard designed to be less dependent on chemical inputs and rely more on a balanced biological farming system that integrates soil, water, pest, and viticultural practices.

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) funded CCVT in 1995 to develop the PPS and then complete several years of evaluations on 30 growers in three counties. Grower and winery cash and in-kind support heavily matched these funds. In 1999, CCVT obtained funding from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program Farmer-Rancher grant to complete three objectives:

• Use the PPS to score the 30 existing cooperating growers' vineyards for an additional year and to score several new growers for their first year.

• Encourage growers to use the economically and environmentally sustainable viticultural practices outlined in the PPS through the use of grower testimonials, on-farm demonstrations, and cost analysis.

• Provide wine grape growers with information on sustainable viticulture.

The PPS evaluations have been completed for three full seasons (1996-98) and are being completed for 1999. Nearly 60 growers and over 100 blocks totaling 10,500 acres have been evaluated and interest in the program continues to grow.

PPS scores are used to target outreach and education efforts. Evaluations done in 1996-98 indicated that few Central Coast growers use compost in their vineyards, although the growers who do utilize this long-term soil building strategy are extremely committed. For example, one grower has applied 2 tons/acre of compost on over 2,000 acres for more than 5 years. Therefore, the use of compost in vineyards was a topic of regional extension efforts in 1999. Over 100 growers attended the three grower meetings that were conducted on farms with a regular compost program. Growers learned about methods of application, benefits of compost, and costs from other growers experienced with compost use and University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors, well respected commercial compost producers, and staff from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

My experience with the PPS is that it serves as a tool or checklist to measure how a given block is being managed from one year to the next, reflecting all of the various cultural practices. It helps me plan for a new season as I look at the same block over time and how the scores are changing. For example, on one block I rated I felt I had no choice but to use a Category 1 pesticide in 1996-1998, but in 1999 I was able to avoid it. I have found my scores fluctuate over time as each season presents its challenges and new technologies are adopted and refined. The PPS will glaringly point out which practices I might be deficient in, such as composting, and encourage improvements. Fiscally, the PPS helps in the budgeting process as it serves as a checklist of practices I might consider.

The PPS has been a useful tool to communicate the complexities of grape growing to consumers and those in the media, as it demonstrates the full scope of our activities as well as the commitment required to farm in the 21st Century.

Steve McIntyre
Monterey Pacific
40410 Arroyo Seco Road
Soledad, CA. 93960
Tel: (831) 678-4845

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