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Article: Inside the tool sheds of organic growers: some vineyards customize plows, modify sprayers, jury-rig spreaders.(GRAPEGROWING)
- Article from:
- Wines & Vines
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Wines & Vines. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Custom plows, disks, modified sprayers and jury-rigged compost spreaders. If you ask a grower of organic or Biodynamic grapevines how the equipment he uses differs from that used for conventional growing, chances are good he'll say, "Not much." "We use tractors, we use shovels," says John Williams, one of Napa Valley's best-known organic grapegrowers." Dig deeper, however, and you'll find many differences--some subtle, some significant.
Since 1986, Andy Hoxsey has been organically managing 635 acres of vineyards in Yountville and Oakville, Calif., for his family, the Pelissas, making them pioneers in such efforts. The grapevines, which lie on 1,000 acres ...