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J ANU AR Y NEWS NA VIGA TION Sustainable Ag Expo Takes on Water Flood of problems and solutions for winegrape growers S easide, Calif. —The availability and quality of water took center stage at the sixth annual Sustain- able Ag Expo held mid-November on the Monterey Peninsula. There were also sessions about nutrient budgets, social media and labor regula- tions at the expo, organized by the Central Coast Vineyard Team. But without water, one of the biggest challenges for Califor- nia agriculture, those subjects lose much of their urgency. "Water is big," said Kris O'Connor, ex- ecutive director of the Central Coast Vine- yard Team (CCVT). "It seemed irrespon- sible not to address water." Most of the more than 150 attendees Strip & Sip were connected to the wine industry, but seminars were not limited to wine-related topics. Many water-related presentations, for example, were directed at all types of California agriculture. Daniel Merkley, di- rector of water resources for the California Farm Bureau Federation, briefed the audi- ence on the comprehensive water package passed by the California Legislature in November 2009. Merkley cautioned that the incoming governor, Jerry Brown, and the new legis- lature could make changes to parts of the bond measure, scheduled to go before vot- ers in November 2012. Low-volume drip irrigation is one method for conserving water. The perfect wine closure. • Fast bottling applications: manual, semi & fully automatic • Fits standard finish glass • Creates market differentiation • Easy to open – no corkscrew • Easy to reseal – won't leak • FDA approved – no cork taint • 4 Reusable and recyclable At a more local level, Lisa McCann of the Central Coast Regional Water Control Board said the board would soon be issuing a new draft order to ensure that farming operations aren't damaging water quality. To illustrate the need for additional protec- tions, she presented studies that found excessive nitrates in wells and surface water, especially in the Salinas Valley and Santa Maria areas. The CCVT, founded in 1995 and based winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "sustainable ag." 1-866-996-ZORK (9675) ZORKusa.com ©ZORK2011 QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1321 20 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 in Paso Robles, promotes and educates participants about sustainable winegrow- ing. Among its programs is Sustainability in Practice (SIP), a third-party vineyard certifi- cation system. About 15,000 acres of vine- yards are currently SIP-certified. —Laurie Daniel