“LIVE takes a whole farm approach. LIVE growers use good practices and natural materials found on the farm to grow their grapes. When growers go off-farm for fertilizers, for example, or for grape disease treatments, they must choose from a limited list of approved materials. These are chosen for their safety to consumers, workers, and the environment. Many of these materials are also organic approved.”

Jason Lett
Eyrie Vineyards & Winery

(Sustainable Agriculture)

Prevention: Indirect plant protection.

The use of methods that prevent the outbreak of disease and insect damage beyond an economic threshold. This is an attempt to establish and manage the vineyard in a way to prevent problems that would later need to be addressed by higher off farm inputs, examples would be the planting late ripening varieties prone to rot that would later need several Botrytis sprays to combat or putting in a training system that caused too much shading and increased the incidents of disease requiring additional sprays.

• Planting of varieties and clones adapted to the local conditions
• Appropriate yield expectations
• Planting of resistant varieties and clones
• Weed management appropriate to the level of competition to the crop
• A mixture of varieties and crops
• Appropriate timing of planting and vineyard operations
• Appropriate training systems for the local area
• Ecological compensations areas

2. Farming practices with impacts on the agro-ecosystem

• Avoid the surplus input of nutrients including excess Nitrogen
• Provide for the optimal crop and foliage ratio
• Protect soil fertility through minimum tillage/cultivation
• Manage weeds for plant competition and erosion control
• Enhance biodiversity through habitat management

3. Protection and increase of antagonists (beneficial insects,fungi, plants, etc.).

• Assessing the importance of individual antagonist species
• Release of predatory species
• Management of the habitat 

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Use of Monitoring and Forecasting systems.

The use of models and monitoring systems for determining the use of control measures. This could be the use of infra-red photos to detect phylloxera, the use of traps and tape to determine insect populations and damage levels, etc.

1. Determining risk of disease and insect damage
   
2. Determining economic thresholds of damage

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Control Methods: Direct Plant Protection
 

Control measures should be used from the most selective to the less selective

• Release of sterile insects
  
• Repeated release of parasitic organisms
  
• Encouragement of predators
  
• Introduction of competitive plants
  
• The use of selective chemicals (Pheromones)

2. The application of less selective control measures, to be used when the previous measures do not prevent economic damage

a. The use of semi selective pesticides (i.e. BT, insect growth regulators, sterol synthesis inhibiting fungicides, etc.,)
b. The use of non-selective short persistence pesticides

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The Role and Concept of biodiversity

Practices designed to increase the diversity of genetic, species, and ecosystem elements to provide a natural resource for the vineyard to minimize pesticide usage.

1. Areas for ecological compensation are to cover at least 5% of the farm surface (excluding forests).  This includes areas such as hedges, non-farmable ground, field boundaries, streams and ditches, and other agricultural surfaces that receive no input of fertilizers or pesticides

2. The encouragement of flowering plants in the vineyard to provide habitat and food for beneficial predators and parasitoids

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 Program Goals

As wine growers in Oregon we acknowledge that we are, in many ways, truly fortunate.  Our vines are free of many of the pests and diseases that affect vineyards in other regions of the world.  Therefore, our chemical usage is rather limited at present.  Our purpose in crafting this program for Oregon vineyards is to maintain and enhance the advantages we currently enjoy.

The objectives and scorecard should not be seen as an endpoint, but rather as the beginning of an ongoing process.  The Oregon vineyard is a dynamic entity, presenting us with fresh challenges requiring innovative solutions.  New pests will require thoughtful responses, which preserve the integrity of our program objectives.  Better solutions to old and chronic problems need to be encouraged.  Clearly this program should be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary.

Finally, it must be emphasized that participation in this program should be entirely voluntary.  We have no interest in compelling anyone to be a part of this plan who is not committed to the program objectives outlined below.  Although vineyards will be visited periodically to monitor compliance, the commitment of the participants will be assumed and relied on for this program to be successful.

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Program Objectives

1.  To see the vineyard as a whole system.

2.  To create and maintain viticulture that is economically viable over time.

3.  To maintain the highest level of quality in our fruit production.  Integrated production should not require any compromise of our quality standards

4.  To implement cultural practices and to solve problems in such a way that we minimize the use of off farm inputs, such as agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, with the goal of protecting the farmer, the environment, and society at large.

5.  To encourage farming practices which promote and maintain high biological diversity in the whole vineyard.

6.  To encourage responsible stewardship of soil health, fertility, and stability. 

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Evaluation Information

The LIVE organization grants certification to vineyards and wineries.  The participants in the LIVE program follow a set of rules that satisfy an international standard, which may vary regionally.  The performance of the grape grower is evaluated annually by means of a point system (score card).  A score of zero indicates conventional farming practices are being used.  Negative scores suggest the need for improvement.  Unacceptable scores would need to be corrected before compliance could be certified.

Bonus points (10-20) are given to solutions and actions aimed at improving grape quality, diversification of the agro-ecosystem (vineyard), and reducing chemical inputs (pesticides, fertilizer, fuel, etc.).  One single unacceptable will cause the disqualification of the respective grower.  Additionally, the grower has to achieve at least 50% of the maximum number of positive points.  For instance, a minimum of 200 points out of 400 is necessary to participate in the LIVE program.  Evaluation is based on grower submitted records of fertilization, pesticide use, and management practices (score card).  Growers are subject to unannounced inspection at least once a year for verification.

The LIVE organization has a tried to be as inclusive as possible, while not compromising the program objectives.  Often, the LIVE organization will chose to give negative scores for questionable practices rather that to absolutely forbid them.  The goal of the system is not to exclude, but to encourage continual improvement. 

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