Comments on: Sustainability in the Vineyards

By: GrapeRadio Bunch

GrapeRadio Bunch — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:24:55 +0000

I must confess that I love this subject. Maybe I was a vineyard worker in a previous life. I plan to explore the subject again in future.

Jay

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:47:09 +0000

Floored. Wow, that was the best show i’ve ever heard on the radio(or in this specific case, itunes). Awesome guest, Jon has an amazing ability to speak intelligently, calmly and convincingly. And great hosting too — way to let the star speak; and did Jon ever!!!! I know not the words to convey my admiration for Jon, and his … one day, i hope one day to be able to sit and share stories over glasses of wine.

Thank you.
Thank you very much,
Justin

By: Todd Trzaskos

Todd Trzaskos — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:32:48 +0000

Great show guys…glad to hear the mention of Fukuoka, his work is underappreciated. Way to dig below the surface of the subject, and discuss in such a way that will help folks understand the shift in thinking that is required to make sustainability feasible.
When I was in the environmental program at VT Law School 20 years ago, we earnestly discussed the concepts and logistic of sustainable agricultural, and industrial practices ( over many glasses of wine ), and wondered how long it would take for the ideas to become mainstream. Let’s hope that the integration picks up more speed.
Cheers.

By: Doug Smith

Doug Smith — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:26:17 +0000

Interesting show, guys. Enjoyed hearing Jon’s take on running a sustainable vineyard site in a reasoned, responsible manner.

It might be interesting to discuss the difference between being organic and using something like lutte raisonée, which is not strictly organic but which advocates the use of artificial chemicals only when necessary. It’s not clear to me that natural chemicals are necessarily inferior or more dangerous than artificial. They can’t be when they are chemically identical. For another example, copper sulphate may be entirely natural, but is quite damaging to the soil environment and does not degrade over time. On the other hand, certain artificial chemicals like glyphosate are quite safe. (There may be ways to run a vineyard where one would not need to use glyphosate, but that’s not my point).