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JUNE NEWS Dry Farming Economics Grapegrowers discuss practices for quality and water conservation P lymouth, Calif.—Before irrigation systems became widely available, dry farming was standard practice for planting and managing wine grapes in California. Dry farming is still possible and successfully used by some growers, but it is site-specific and dependent on annual rainfall, climate, soil type and grape variety. "Dry Farming Winegrapes," an educational forum organized by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), the Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association and the Lodi Winegrape Commission (LWC) was held April 16 in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County in California's Sierra Foothills. Since dry-farmed grapes tend to have lower yields, long-time Amador grower Dick Cooper of Cooper Vineyards advised growers to consider the economics. "Generally, given the costs for production in this area, if you're not producing 4 tons per acre and getting at least $1,500 per ton, you aren't going to make it," Cooper said. Tom Dillian is a fourth-generation Amador Page 1 Cherokee_Nov05.qxt 9/19/05 10:52 AM grower. He dry farms 20 acres of wine grapes on property his family has owned since 1917. Grapegrower and winemaker Tom Dillian of Amador County, Calif., planted his block of dry-farmed Zinfandel in 1972. "My location is great for dry farming. I have very deep, loamy soils with super moisture-holding capacity—and with very few rocks, that makes this site very different from most of the Shenandoah Valley." Rather than dry farming, Dillian calls his practices "moisture management." In years winesandvines.com Learn more: with normal or less than normal rainfall, Search keywords "Dry farming." everything is cultivated to allow moisture to penetrate deeper for the vine roots. Higher rainfall years provide excess moisture for the vines, and native cover crops are left to grow to take up moisture, then every other row is cultivated later in the spring. Tim Holdener, owner/winemaker for Macchia winery in Lodi, Calif., seeks out grapes from dry-farmed vineyards in Lodi and Amador. Holdener said there is a market for dry-farmed grapes, and growers should ask an above-average price. "This is a marketing niche," he said. —Jon Tourney hauling precious cargo • 24 hour dispatch • Competitive rates • Personalized Service • Radio/Cell phone equipped • State-of-the-art equipment • Maximum payload capacity • Over 30 years in operation • References available • Fleet of over 200 trucks including Wine Tanks and Dry Freight Vans CHEROKEE FREIGHT LINES 5463 Cherokee Road • Stockton, CA 95215 Telephone: 209.931.3570 • or visit our website:www.gocfl.com 16 W in e s & V i ne s J U NE 2 0 13