By Rowan O’Connell-Gates, WFA GrizzlyCorps Fellow

In November 2024, we partnered with LangeTwins Winery & Vineyards to organize a field day focused on highlighting the impacts holistic biodiversity practices can have upon production viticulture. More than 40 participants braved a stormy fall morning and gathered at LangeTwins new hedgerow planting in Acampo, CA to learn from avian researchers, ecologists, conservationists and viticultural professionals about strategies to better support beneficial insects and birds for pest control in vineyards.  

The use of worm castings, hedgerows, and bird boxes are showing dramatic impacts on the LangeTwins vineyards' soil health and beneficial animal populations.

LangeTwins Winery Biodiversity Program - Kendra Altnow, Partner and Sustainability Manager at LangeTwins Winery & Vineyards welcomed participants and kicked off the event with an overview of the results her and the LangeTwins viticultural team have seen since implementing regenerative biodiversity practices into their land management. Many of the event's featured speakers, including Michael Dunn of PJ Dunn Working Red Worms, Stephanie Bolton of Lodi Rules and Nick Filaninno of Wild Farm Alliance, have partnered with LangeTwins to expand their use of regenerative farming practices. Altnow explained that their use of worm castings, hedgerows, and bird boxes are showing dramatic impacts on their vineyards' soil health and beneficial animal populations.

Beneficial Insects and Birds  – Jo Ann Baumgartner, Executive Director of Wild Farm Alliance, followed Altnow with a brief overview of Wild Farm Alliance’s work. She discussed the role that established hedgerow plantings play in supporting natural enemy insects and birds on farms. Then she went on to describe how several vineyard pests, including leafhoppers, mealybugs, spider mites and caterpillars, can help to be controlled by predator and parasitoid insects. The example was given of how parasitoid wasps (Anagrus spp.) attack grape leafhopper eggs during the growing season but rely on alternate host plants like coyote brush and blackberry during the winter. Natural habitat often contains these plants and when it is within 1/3 mile of vineyards, it supports higher early-season wasp populations, increasing parasitism and reducing late-season leafhopper numbers.

Vermiculture and Healthy Soils – Participants headed into the field to learn from several other speakers. The first stop was with PJ Dunn Working Red Worms. Michael Dunn and his apprentice Sophia Carte presented the unique properties that worm castings can have upon soil fertility and plant health. Dunn explained that worm castings can supplant conventional fertilizers and provide compounding effects on soil health due to their robust enzymatic and beneficial fungi properties. The second half of Dunn and Carte’s presentation focused on the role brewing plays in vermiculture. Dunn explained that by inoculating water with worm castings you activate their unique properties. To create a truly potent fertilizer, Dunn and Carte will often add a combination of soluble seaweed and fish emulsion to the mix.

Maria Zumkeller discusses LangeTwins Winery & Vineyards recent Chardonnay planting. Photo by Rowan O’Connell-Gates

LangeTwins Regenerative Vineyards – The second stop gave the LangeTwins viticulture team the opportunity to present their approach to regenerative farming. LangeTwins Viticulturist Maria Zumkeller and Altnow detailed what went into the planning and implementation of the winery's regenerative “pilot vineyard.” Zumkeller explained the team's use of 3D Mapping and electric conductivity devices to determine the vineyard sites topography, spacing, and fertilizer application rates. She also drew attention to the vineyard's unique trellising system, detailing the vineyard's 10 foot row spacing, trellis height, and angle. All of which were implemented in an effort to make sure the vineyard is equipped to deal with current and future climatic changes such as water access, heat, and UV light. Part of the trellis systems design is to ensure that regenerative grazing practices can be easily utilized at the vineyard for years to come. 

Ecological Avian Habitats – The third stop was led by Breanna Martinico of UC Cooperative Extension and two PhD students. Collectively they discussed long term ecological strategies for nest box installation on agricultural operations. Martinico focused on the concept of symbiotic relationships between songbirds and predatory birds. She explained how the best version of bird box biodiversity on farms involves the use of small, medium, and large nest boxes. Creating space for a variety of bird species such as Western Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, American Kestrels and Barn Owls allows for balanced predation across the farm’s ecosystem.

Hedgerows: Bringing Beauty and Productivity to Working Farms – The fourth stop was led by Sam Earnshaw of Hedgerows Unlimited and Nick Filannino. It revolved around a walking tour of LangeTwins recently planted hedgerow. Earnshaw and Filannino discussed how installing hedgerows has a number of cascading positive effects. He explained that by planting hedgerows, farmers create dynamic habitats that can support beneficial arthropods which help to control common viticultural pests. Furthermore, they provide stable overwintering habitat and early season floral resources for arthropod predators and parasitoids. On several occasions, Filannino directed the group to a specific plant in order to highlight the reasoning behind including it in a hedgerow planting. Through a grant partnership with CDFA, Pollinator Partnership, and Community Alliance for Family Farmers, Filannino and the WFA team has worked to plan and implement dozens of hedgerows across the state, including the planting exhibited at LangeTwins Vineyard.

Lodi Rules and Sustainable Farming Practices – The final field station was led by Lodi Rules Sustainable Winegrowing Director, Stephanie Bolton. She gave participants an overview of the history and work that Lodi Rules has been a part of since its inception in 1991. She touched on a number of topics ranging from the distinctions between sustainable and regenerative farming, to the Lodi Rules campaign against the invasive Tree of Heaven species.  

Stephanie Bolton, Kendra Altnow, Marissa Lange, Joe Lange, and Allison Jordan pose as LangeTwins Winery & Vineyards accepts the Wine Institue’s California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Award. Photo by Suzanna Mannion

Farmer Panel and California Green Medal –The field day concluded with a farmer panel moderated by WFA’s Baumgartner. The result was a robust discussion between panelists Daniel Meyers, viticulturist at Vino Farms, Christina Lopez, winemaker at Acquiesce, and Altnow. Lopez discussed the impact that biodiversity practices can have upon wine quality and the need for patience when implementing new farming strategies. Meyers shared his experiences with Lodi wine markets' limited demand for organic grapes. Additionally, he raised concerns about the cost of organic and sustainable certifications. Altnow closed the discussion with an open dialogue about the need for wildlife corridors in viticultural areas. At the panels conclusion Altnow and LangeTwins partners Joe and Marissa Lange were presented the Wine Institue’s California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership award by the Wine Institute’s Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Allison Jordan.