Wine Country and North Coast Food Ways

            California wine country and North Coast food ways are driven by sustainability. Because of limited water resources and a dependency on fossil fuels; agriculture in Northern California has embraced the idea of sustainability. The theme of sustainability not only ensures the longevity of Agra-business but it also meets consumer demand. Some of the components of sustainable practices include, water conservation, utilization of waste materials, moral stewardship of land and animals, and the utilization of technologies that increase efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Hog Island Oyster Co.

            Throughout our site visits water availability and quality was a direct concern for the operation the one exception is The Perfect Purée, because they don’t grow fruit. The owners of Gallo Vineyards had the foresight to create reservoirs’ on their property to help irrigate their vineyards during drought. Vella Cheese Co. sells the whey left over from its cheese production to local farms and vineyards as a means to utilize the left over water. Hog Island Oyster Co. depends heavily on the waters of Tomales Bay for its oyster production. Without adequate water Northern California agriculture would simply not exist. Therefore those who depend on water have implemented practices to efficiently use water and minimize waste. The utilization of waste materials is another way that these businesses reduce cost and utilize waste materials. Gallo grinds old barrels for mulch and Gourmet Mushroom Inc. chose to use reusable plastic containers to grow its mushrooms instead of wooden racks to cut down on waste

Moral Stewardship is another theme that is consistent throughout the sites we visited. I call it moral stewardship because the producer we spoke (Clover Stornetta Farms Inc.) believes that they have a moral responsibility to care for the animals and land in a humane manner.  They require their dairymen to use milking methods that keep the stress level of the cow to a minimum which they believe helps the cow producer a higher quantity and quality of milk. I would also argue that these methods are morally based by comparing their methods to the commercial milk production methods used in other parts of the country where—profit not cow comfort are the primary consideration.  Throughout the sites moral stewardship played a role in how a given product was produced. In general the producers we visited produce high quality specialty products, which are labor intensive and require quality inputs that are more expensive. Most food today is produced strictly for profitability—not quality. The producers we visited focused on quality and are willing to make the necessary technological improvements to ensure profitability.

UC Santa Cruz Center for Agrocology and Sustainable food systems

 The use of technology as a theme in the sites we visited included efficient irrigation systems, solar energy, wind power, electric fencing, and the Internet. These examples allow food producers to decrease costs and develop efficient production methods that reduce greenhouse gasses, minimize waste and increase sales. The use of scientific research also allows these producers to use cutting edge science to restore wild life habitats on a ranch and fertilize an organic walnut farm.

The food ways I witnessed are meeting consumer demand and fulfilling the ideals of the producers. The methods of production used at our sites have been passed on from generation to generation and if not practiced sustainably could be in danger of becoming lost arts. The producers we met understand the value of what they do, believe in it, and are taking the necessary steps to ensure that the food ways of Northern California live for a very long time.