Wines & Vines

February 2016 Barrel Issue

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34 WINES&VINES February 2016 Vineyard View I f the goals of sustainable winegrowing are to reduce farming's environmental footprint and produce more with less, then the input supply chain business model is an impediment to real- izing those goals. Success is measured by selling more rather than less, since most input sales- people make commissions on the amounts they sell. Furthermore, many salespeople not only promote inputs to growers (primarily fertilizers and pesti- cides), they also provide recommendations on how to use them. Therefore, if the goal is to do more with less, the position of input supply salespeople has an inherent conflict of interest. If vineyard managers don't apply inputs to the acres they farm, their vendor's income will decline. If the salespeople want to make more money, then they need to sell more inputs—either by selling to more growers or selling more to the same growers. Historically, this issue has been raised in relation to pesticide sales and use. Now that we are con- fronted in many parts of the United States with significant water-quality problems related to ni- trates in ground and surface water, we need to recognize that the conflict of interest is not just connected to pesticides but also fertilizers, because consultants working for input-supply companies get paid commissions on their sales, too. A divisive topic I have not spoken or written about this topic for a very long time—mainly because when I do, some people get really angry and feel I am attacking them professionally and personally. This has never been my reason for discussing the topic. It is not the people that are the problem but the system in which they work. Moreover, the input sup- ply chain business model is the same as any other product supply chain, so why should we expect it to be different? That said, I think it is time once again to point out that the cur- rent system does not contribute to sustainable wine- growing goals of doing more with less—in fact, the system can work against those goals. Oversimplification is one of the pitfalls of dis- cussing conflict of interest in the input supply chain. Giving good recommendations for pesticide and fertilizer use takes a lot of knowledge and experience—and it comes with a significant level of risk. But agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers are created and sold in a free-market system where companies and their employees must make a profit to remain viable. The western world has evolved with this system, and it works until there is a movement to reduce the use of what is being sold—particularly if that item or service has potential to cause environmental harm. It is important to point out that inputs for organic farming are also part of this system. Less may be more, but less means less profit if you work on commission. Having been a practicing agricultural consultant for several years, I am very aware of the complexities of recommend- ing pesticide and fertilizer use. Grow- ing wine grapes is financially a very risky business, so growers are reluctant to take too many chances or cut too many cor- n CLIFF OHMART Business Model for Inputs Impedes Sustainable Growing Many pest control advisors make commissions from the inputs they sell to grapegrowers.

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