Growers invited to see the benefits of cover crops in orchards and vineyards

Sheep graze on a cover crop at Burrough Family Farms. Photo by Benina Montes

Launched a searchable database of growers experienced in growing cover crops

Growers are invited to tour orchards and vineyards and hear from other growers about their experiences with cover crops.

UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, UC Cooperative Extension, Napa Resource Conservation District, and Community Alliance with Family Farmers have created a searchable database of orchard and vineyard growers experienced in growing cover crops that will help other growers bring the benefits of the practice to their operations.

"The tours are part of a project where we recently unveiled new tools for orchard and vineyard growers to learn cover cropping from experienced growers," said Sonja Brodt, associate director of the UC's sustainable agriculture research and education program.

The database describes cover crop strategies, details of field practices, benefits, and challenges faced by cover crop growers in orchards and vineyards in the southern Sacramento Valley (including including the Capay Valley) and the North Coast wine region. The cover crop grower database is available at https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/covercropsdb.

A mixture of yellow mustard, black mustard and canola is grown between the rows of an orchard. Photo by SAREP

Feb. 8pm, 1pm-5pm, Capay Valley tour:

The tour will visit three organic farms in the Capay Valley that incorporate cover crops and pasture into their orchard and vineyard systems. Discussion topics will include:

Strategies for integrating cover crops in orchards and vineyards Impacts of cover crops and grazing on soil health Funding and information resources for growing cover crops

Speakers will include:

Rory Crowley, Habitat Programs Manager, Apis m. Project Amélie Gaudin, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, Endowed Chair in Agroecology Hope Zabronsky, Climate Smart Agriculture Program Manager, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

To register for the February 8 tour, go to https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/events/grazing-cover-crops-orchards-and-vineyards-capay-valley-tour.

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March 8, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Arbuckle Area Tour:

The tour will visit two conventional farms in the Arbuckle area that incorporate cover crops into their orchard and vineyard systems.

Topics for discussion will include:

Strategies for integrating cover crops in orchards and vineyards Impacts of Cover Crops on Soil and Water Balance Protection and prevention of frost risks Funding resources for growing cover crops

Speakers will include:

Rory Crowley, Habitat Programs Manager, Apis m. Project Kosana Suvocarev, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist in Biometeorology, UC Davis Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources Hope Zabronsky, Climate Smart Agriculture Program Manager, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

To register for the March 8 tour, go to https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/events/cover-cropping-conventional-orchards-and-vineyards-arbuckle-area-tour