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32 W i n e s & V i n e s D e C e M b e r 2 0 1 4 g r a p e g r o w i n g A performance metric is a measure of the outcome of a practice or set of practices. I have dedicated this space to performance met- rics three times in the past (the May 2009, September 2011 and December 2012 issues of Wines & Vines), more than any other topic. There are several reasons for this. First, it is becoming much more common for buyers down the agri- food supply chain to ask growers to provide metrics data. Second, some regulatory agen- cies are also beginning to request this kind of data. Third, I believe performance metrics have a role to play in finding efficiencies and cost savings in farming. And finally, despite the increase in visibility of performance met- rics, a large portion of the grower commu- nity is still reluctant to embrace their use. The current drought in California presents an excellent illustration of why performance metrics are needed in agriculture. An oft- quoted statistic is that California agriculture accounts for 80% of the water used in the state. During the current drought, which is one of the most severe on record, many ag- riculture groups have been telling the media they are good stewards of water. During the previous serious drought, the state legislature passed a law requiring irrigation districts to report their water use to the state. Yet an article published in May by the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed that only 20% of the irrigation districts (48 out of 242) had complied with the law, even though re- ports from the districts were due 10 months before the article was published. How can growers say they are good stew- ards of water if they don't know how much of it they are using? It is one thing to use low-volume irrigation systems, irrigate only when it appears to be needed and to be sure irrigation systems are well maintained and adjusted properly. However, if farmers do not measure how much water they use in the field or vineyard, set a benchmark of this water use, compare future water use to this benchmark and, even better, measure the amount applied to the water demand by the crop, they do not know how good of a water steward they have been. Total water applied and water-use efficiency measures are both important performance metrics that are the true measure of water stewardship. A growing trend It is clear from staying abreast of supply chain sustainability initiatives that perfor- mance metrics are being emphasized more and more. Probably the most visible sus- tainability performance initiative is Field to Market, which is used for commodity crops like corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and rice. It is a diverse alliance working to create improvements in productivity, environmen- tal quality and human wellbeing—the three planks of sustainability. The group provides collaborative leadership that is engaged in dialogue across the agriculture industry, grounded in science and open to the full range of technology choices. The alliance has produced a free online performance ap- plication called the Fieldprint Calculator, which enables growers to enter data and calculate their farm's performance metrics for land use, conservation, soil carbon, ir- rigation water use, water quality, energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Highlights • The author makes the case for why performance metrics should become standard vineyard-management tools. • California's drought provides a good example of the usefulness of grower metrics. • This column describes the lessons learned by attempting to introduce the topic to California grapegrowers and winemakers. Sustainability Performance Metrics Revisited Vineyard View C L I F F O H M A R T The Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops designed this calculator to record the amount of energy, water, fertilizer and other soil additions used to grow crops each year.