306: Using Barn Owls for Gopher and Rodent Control in Vineyards

Barn owls are natural predators of gophers, voles, and mice, three of the most common vertebrate pests in vineyards. Matt Johnson, Professor in the Department of Wildlife at Cal Poly Humboldt University, studies how farms and wildlife can mutually benefit each other. Matt shares practical guidance on barn owl nest box design, placement, and maintenance, and explains how vineyard landscapes and surrounding habitat influence owl occupancy.   Resources:   272: 30 Gophers a Night: Why Barn Owls Belong in Your Vineyard Barn Owl Hunting Animation – Yarrow from the Lodi Wine Visitor Center Barn Owl Nest Box Placement and Maintenance Barn Owl Nest Box Plans Cal Poly Humboldt Barn Owls Probability of Nest Box Occupancy by Barn Owls Map  Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

Wine buyers care about sustainability—but are you talking about it? Learn three practical ways to share your sustainable winegrowing story through tasting room interactions, sales conversations, and social media that builds trust with today's conscious wine consumers. Resources: *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course *** Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter Sustainable Stories Support the Podcast: Make a Donation Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing

With current market shifts, vineyard mothballing can buy growers time—but it requires strategy, not abandonment. Chris Chen, Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, draws on research in Australia and field experience in California to outline what minimal management really looks like. From pruning approaches and livestock integration to pest and disease management, irrigation by rootstock and soil type, and long-term yield risks, he explains how to reduce costs now without compromising a vineyard's future—or risking fines.  Resources:   4/8/2026 REGISTER: Tailgate | Mothballing Roundtable Chris Chen - Twitter Out of Sync: vineyard responses to changing conditions  Partial Solar Radiation Exclusion with Color Shade Nets Reduces the Degradation of Organic Acids and Flavonoids of Grape Berry (Vitis vinifera L.) UCCE North Coast Viticulture UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County UCCE Viticulture Publications Online - North Coast  Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

When a newly dug well revealed water too salty for irrigation, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard faced a serious threat to vine health and wine quality. Discover how a reverse osmosis system and an unexpected salt-loving grass transformed a costly setback into a biodiversity-boosting solution. Resources:  *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***   Apply for SIP Certified Wine  Marketing Tips eNewsletter  Sustainable Stories  Sustainable Story Worksheet   Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education  Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings  SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards  Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year  Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

Cover crops play a critical role in building healthy, resilient soils in vineyards and agricultural systems. Sarah Light, Agronomy Farm Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, shares how cover crops protect soil from wind and heavy rain, improve water infiltration, and increase on-farm biodiversity. She introduces a newly released cover crop selector tool developed for Western growing regions, with guidance on species selection, termination practices, and grower goals such as reducing compaction, fixing nitrogen, and supporting pollinators. This practical resource helps growers choose the best cover crops for their location, crops, and management objectives.  Resources:   151: The Role of the Soil Microbiome in Soil Health  159: Under-Vine Vegetation to Control Vine Vigor 298: How Cover Crops Shape Grapevine Root Systems Cooperative Extension, Sutter-Yuba Counties Cover Crop Decision Tool Cover Cropping in California's Water Scarce Environment Cover Crop Resources Sarah Light's Research  New tool helps farmers select cover crops UC Ag Experts Talk: Considerations for Cover Crops and Weed Management (video)  Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

Consumers want transparency and sustainability—and they reward it with loyalty and sales. This episode breaks down four key ways to communicate sustainability, from tasting rooms to sales channels, showing how clear, credible messaging builds trust and drives purchasing decisions.  Resources:  *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***  Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter Sustainable Stories Sustainable Story Worksheet   Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing   

A decade of viticulture education is right at your fingertips. Executive Director Beth Vukmanic interviews longtime host Craig MacMillan to celebrate ten years and 300 episodes of the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Together, they reflect on some of Craig's most memorable interviews—from new discoveries in sour rot and space-to-farm technology, to using storytelling to sell more wine and tackling leadership transitions.  Resources:   17: New Discoveries about Sour Rot  129: The Efficient Vineyard Project  161: Use Storytelling to Sell More Wine  233: The Gap Between Space and Farm: Ground Truthing Satellite Data Models  239: Ford Pro Pilot – Trialing Electric Trucks in the Field  249: Making it Easier to Use Satellite Data in Agriculture  257: Understanding Winery Visitors – Increase Sales with your Messaging  268: How to Tackle Leadership Transitions Successfully  286: To Till or Not to Till: Impacts on Soil, Vines, and Vineyard Budgets  Craig Macmillan  Support the Podcast:  Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education  Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings  SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards  Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year  Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

While the Whale Rock Music Festival is renowned for rocking the Central Coast every year with live music and family-friendly activities. The event has an even greater purpose: supporting Templeton High School musicians through the parent-volunteer organization, TIMBA.  Resources:  *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***  Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter Supporting Arts & Community | Castoro Cellars Sustainable Story Worksheet   Print   Electronic   Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate  Online Courses – DPR & CCA Hours  SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet    Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year  Vineyard Team – Become a Member  

Root systems are more than just anchors, they are the plant's stomach, communicating with their environment through a network of microbes. Suzanne Fleishman, Assistant Professor of Root Biology at Penn State University, introduces the emerging field of Root Agroecology, which integrates plant physiology and omic methods to improve sustainability in vineyards. She shares insights from a five-year red fescue cover crop trial showing reduced pruning weights and improved vine balance, as well as shifts in rhizosphere microbiomes. Her future goal? A grower tool that predicts the best cover crops by site.  Resources:   72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability  151: The Role of the Soil Microbiome in Soil Health  159: Under-Vine Vegetation to Control Vine Vigor  Can Cover Crops Improve Wine Grape Production Resilience?  Research revealing grapevine root relationships  Root Agroecology Lab  Suzanne Fleishman  Suzanne Fleisman – Google Scholar   Suzanne Fleishman – Research Gate  Undervine groundcover substantially increases shallow but not deep soil carbon in a temperate vineyard  Support the Podcast: Make a Donation  Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Help students from vineyard families pursue higher education  Online Courses - Earn DPR and CCA hours with expert-led sustainability trainings  SIP Certified - A trusted third-party certification proving your sustainable practices with science-backed standards  Sustainable Ag Expo - Join top experts at the premier winegrowing event of the year  Vineyard Team Membership - Connect with a community advancing sustainable winegrowing 

Eco-conscious wine lovers are willing to pay more for sustainable products—but they won't dig for details. In this Marketing Tip Monday, learn how to meet consumer demand for sustainability by making it easy. With 60% of younger and multicultural wine buyers preferring sustainable wines, visibility is key. Show your story at a glance with the SIP Certified logo on your label. It's fast, simple, and signals your commitment to people and the planet.  Resources:  *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course ***  Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter Sustainable Story Worksheet   Vineyard Team Programs:  Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate  Online Courses – DPR & CCA Hours  SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet    Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year  Vineyard Team – Become a Member