Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
overall goal was to help growers recognize the importance of enhancing
biological processes in their farming operation. The BIOS vision of a
grower-to-grower outreach model was fully institutionalized in the Lodi
Woodbridge Winegrape Commission.
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The three basic components to the BIFS program were grower
outreach, field implementation, and evaluation. Outreach included
neighborhood grower meetings, field days, breakfast meetings, half-day
research seminars, and newsletters. Ohmart worked with leading grow-
ers to demonstrate field implementation, to operate BIFS demonstration
vineyards, and to host field days and other events. These growers
managed 40 percent of the district's winegrape acres, and have very high
credibility in the region. Many of them had campaigned to create the
commission, wanted to learn more though this partnership and encour-
aged other growers to learn about these practices. During the late 1990s,
growers already familiar with IPM approaches applied those techniques
more consistently throughout their vineyards, and those new to IPM
were repeatedly encouraged to monitor their vineyards and make pesti-
cide decisions based on data about economic thresholds.
The 14 PCAs enrolled in BIFS monitored half the acreage in the dis-
trict, and even affiliated PCAs came to recognize that they were helping
add value to the growers' crops. Several of the affiliated PCAs in the
district realized this was the direction the PCA industry was heading.
The affiliated PCA Steve Quashnick said: “That train [of change in agri-
culture] is leaving the station, and I can either get on it or watch it
leave.”
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He says he now questions every pesticide application. Even
though the commission's efforts challenged his established business prac-
tices, he came to recognize and value their innovative character, and he
realized that if he did a good job serving the needs of growers, he would
have an economic future.
Buoyed by the success of the BIFS program, in 1999 Ohmart began
a third stage, based on the development and implementation of their
workbook, described in chapter five. Ohmart does not simply pass
out the workbook, but rather presents it in half day workshops to help
growers understand how to put its recommendations into action. This
self-assessment describes and affirms good farming practices being done,
identifies farming practices that are of concern from an environmental or
wine quality perspective, and develops an action plan, and a time table
