As part of Healthy Soils Week, which concludes today, representatives from CDFA, the California Legislature, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), California Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), and other climate-focused agencies from around the state joined the Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers, and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) for a tour of Bogle Family Vineyards in Yolo County to learn about the importance of healthy soil management practices and the vital role soil health plays in producing California wines.
Soil experts and agronomists from the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) showcased these practices through a hands-on application. Bogle Vineyards staff explained how healthy soil practices are incorporated into the day-to-day operation of the vineyards and the benefits they provide.
UCCE Agronomy Advisor Konrad Mathesius discussed the soil formation process and gave a presentation on how this process resulted in various layers of soils in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while highlighting the soil profile from the vineyard. He also discussed the impact of healthy soils practices on soils and how these practices change soil structure, improve belowground biodiversity, and boost soil organic matter. This all plays an important role in delivering the elements essential to life, such as water, air, and nutrients.
During his presentation, Mathesius explained that, “Erosion control, nutrient cycling, movement of air and water up and down the soil profile are all very positive things we can see, and the healthy soils objectives are one way to achieve that.”
That understanding and knowledge base is behind CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program, which was established in 2016. The objectives of the program are to increase statewide implementation of conservation management practices that improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These objectives are achieved by providing financial incentives to California growers and ranchers to implement one or several of 27 different practices.
The Healthy Soils Program has awarded more than $100 million to more than 1,500 projects. The program is currently working on details for an additional $85 million that was allocated in the fiscal year 2022.
For more information on the program, please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/