U.S. EPA recognizes Central Coast Vineyards for Achievement in Pesticide Stewardship

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Central Coast Vineyard Team with the agency’s Sustained Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award for its continued efforts in pest management.

Since joining the EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program in 2002, the vineyard team has certified many vineyards with its Sustainability in Practice (SIP) program. SIP requires vineyards to provide documentation and whole farm system management integration. Some SIP certified vineyards along California’s Central Coast include Baileyana-Tangent, D'Anbino Vineyards and Cellars, Halter Ranch, Jackson Family Wine Estates. Pomar Junction Vineyard, Robert Hall Winery, Saucelito Canyon Vineyards & Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Hahn Estates, and Ampelos Cellars.

 CCVT has been dedicated to reducing its pesticide and herbicide use through techniques such as:

• new independently audited certification programs that require whole farm management and prohibit the use of high risk materials;
• a whole-farm approach to vineyard management;
• adoption of biologically-integrated farming systems;
• striving toward eliminating organophosphate use in projects
• exploring low risk herbicides, mechanical cultivation, and managed vegetative cover as alternative to simazine; and
• continued research to learn more about alternative, reduced-risk practices and the grower-to-grower approach to share the information

The EPA’s voluntary Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program partners with pesticide users to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with pesticide use and implement pollution prevention strategies. PESP was established with 10 charter partners in 1994. Currently, there are more than 130 members nationwide. For more information on the EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, see: http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/  

For more information on others recently awarded for their sustained excellence in integrated pest management please visit http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/2dd7f669225439b78525735900400c31/0312599f995b248d8525767f00574885!OpenDocumentm