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26 Wines&Vines February 2015 Vineyard View O ne of the most com- mon questions I am asked by growers try- ing to decide whether to participate in a sustainable farming program is, "What's in it for me?" How does a 1,000% re- turn on investment sound? That was the 2013 ROI for participants in the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing Certification pro- gram, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. After working together for two years, Protected Harvest (a national nonprofit organization for sustainable farming certifi- cation) and the Lodi Winegrape Commission launched the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Wine- growing certification program in 2005. To qualify for certifica- tion, a vineyard needs to meet two requirements: Score 70% or more of the total number of farming practice points avail- able in the program's farming practice standards, and not ex- ceed 50 environmental impact units for all pesticides used in the vineyard during the year, as calculated by the Pesticide En- vironmental Assessment System model developed for Protected Harvest's certification pro- grams. Each vineyard is certi- fied individually on an annual basis. For the Lodi Rules pro- gram logo to be used on a wine label, the wine must be made from 85% or more certified wine grapes. There are several significant attributes of the Lodi Rules pro- gram that deserve recognition as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. I already mentioned the fi- nancial impact the pro- gram has had for the region and partici- pating growers. The 1,000% ROI in 2013 is based on the $1.4 million in bonuses paid by several wineries for Lodi Rules-certified grapes, compared to the total in certifi- cation fees the growers paid to Protected Harvest that year. Fur- thermore, Lodi Rules growers received a total of $772,204 and $1.2 million in bonuses in 2011 and 2012, respectively, making a total of $3.37 million bonuses from 2011 to 2013. As far as I know, Lodi Rules is the only sus- tainable certification program in the United States that has deter- mined and published an ROI for participants. The Lodi Winegrape Com- mission (LWC) also has bene- fited financially from the Lodi Rules program. In 2009 LWC and Protected Harvest decided to allow vineyards located out- side the Lodi appellation to be certified according to Lodi Rules. Since the cost of Lodi Rules de- velopment was borne by the Commission and Lodi growers, organizers decided to charge an extra $2 per acre in certification fees for vineyards outside of the Lodi appellation. Protected Har- vest passes the extra fees to the Commission to recoup some of the development costs of the program. Since 2009, the LWC has collected $75,626 in fees for vineyards being certified in the North Coast and Central Coast of California, Clarksburg and the Sierra Foothills. Another significant attribute of the Lodi Rules program is its remarkable growth since its in- ception in 2005. Seven brave Lodi growers certified 1,555 acres that first year. In 2014, Protected Harvest certified 643 vineyards encompassing 30,100 acres farmed by 185 growers. According to the California Sus- tainable Winegrowing Alliance, Lodi Rules-certified vineyards account for 24% of the 122,000 acres of vineyards in California certified by regional and state- wide sustainable winegrowing programs. More than 20 winer- ies are marketing Lodi Rules- labeled wines. A very important attribute of the Lodi Rules program is that it is accredited and managed by Protected Harvest, making it a true third-party certification pro- gram. Growers apply and pay fees to Protected Harvest for cer- tification each year. Protected Harvest then contracts with in- dependent auditors who visit the vineyard participants to verify that they qualify for certification. To ensure full transparency, both Protected Harvest and LWC pub- lish the requirements to verify practices are being imple- mented. The Protected Har- n Cliff Ohmart lodi rules Program turns 10 the 1,000% rOi in 2013 is based on the $1.4 million in bonuses paid by several wineries for lodi rules-certified grapes. cliff ohmart