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34 W i n e s & V i n e s D e C e M b e r 2 0 1 4 34 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 Another metrics-based calculator that has gained significant attention during the past few years is the Cool Farm Tool. Initially developed by Unilever and the University of Aberdeen to help farmers understand the GHG emissions of their production areas, the Cool Farm Tool now is a free, online calculator. To run the tool growers enter information about the crop and growing site as well as data about inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and energy consump- tion from use of equipment, irrigation pumping and transportation of the crop. It allows a grower to try different production scenarios and see how these changes affect GHG emissions. It can also be used to iden- tify GHG emission "hotspots" in the crop- production process. The most visible metrics-based initiative for specialty crops is the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops. This multi-stakeholder initiative of growers, buyers and NGOs is dedicated to developing tools for measuring sustainable performance across the supply chain. To date they have published metrics for water use, water-use efficiency, nutrient use, energy consumption and soil organic matter. Who requires metrics? Several significant buyers also have devel- oped sustainability initiatives that require contracted growers and food companies to provide metrics data for on-farm inputs such as nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides, water and energy consumption. Examples are Unilever's Sustainable Agriculture Code, Sysco's Sustainability/IPM Audit and Walmart's Sustainability Index, which is based on key performance indicators devel- oped by The Sustainability Consortium. Several months ago Whole Foods Market announced it would be launching a sustain- ability initiative that would require growers of produce and cut flowers to record met- rics data for water use and fertilizer use, among other things. Performance metrics have also begun to be included in certain regulatory compli- ance programs in California. In particular, the Regional Water Quality Control Boards for the Central Coast (Region 3) and the Central Valley (Region 5) are developing regulatory compliance programs that will require growers to record and submit data about amounts of water applied during ir- rigation, the amount of nutrients applied (particularly nitrogen), and demonstrate that their irrigation and fertilization pro- grams take into account crop demand for water and nitrogen. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance proactively developed a program to educate California wine grape growers and winemakers about metrics and their use in measuring and managing sustainabil- ity performance in vineyards and wineries. They have integrated a calculator in their online self-assessment workbook, which calculates metrics for energy and GHG in- tensity (see figure above), water-use effi- ciency and nitrogen applied to a vineyard based on data input by users. Some important things have been learned CSWA's online self assessment has metrics calculators for wine grape growers and winemakers. Search Online for PEST CONTROL winesandvines.com/buyersguide Vineyard Suppliers Vineyard Equipment Vineyard Services Vineyard Supplies