Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/210765
GRAPEGROWING Parts per million for pesticides? M onterey County grapegrower Steve McIntyre would like to see pesticide makers change how they label appropriate amounts of their products to use. Old spraying technology led to labeling that stated recommended pounds or ounces per acre, but he says that for newer sprayers, concentration labeling—parts per million, as with SO2 in winemaking—would be more appropriate. "The manufacturer has undoubtedly determined during testing what concentration threshold is required to kill the target organism," McIntyre says. He adds that growers would be able to save a lot of material, which is important "as we all try to reduce our pesticide use." L.D. disease? Growers with PD would undoubtedly use this defense. Then, five years later, it was discovered that salts from all the pine needles were starting to inhibit vine growth and building up toxic levels of salts in the soils. Meanwhile, Monsanto discovers the "molecule" in the pine needles responsible for PD suppression. What is the responsible thing to do: physically spread all those needles that ultimately inhibit a healthy soil environment, or use a synthetic form of the active ingredient without the same unintended consequences? It is imperative that we do not try and adopt standards for sustainability. Certainly, we need metrics to evaluate our progress, but to set standards will place practitioners once again within the proverbial box. Recently, a standard was adopted by SIP that stipulated a maximum width for an herbicide band under the vine. Some of our vineyards had a wider band, and we were in danger of not receiving certification. However, once we explained that the wider band helps facilitate our in-row ripping program, which helps incorporate our heavy use of compost to build up our organic matter to ameliorate the impact of naturally occurring cadmium in our soil, the certification panel realized the standard was flawed. Certainly organic is a great marketing tool, a whole other segment of the marketplace, but I would propose that there is ultimately more inherent industry integrity and benefit to the environment to be gained with the combination of scientifically peer-reviewed practices from all of the various farming systems. To me, this is the basis for sustainability. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! Win es & Vin es D EC EM b er 20 13 57