Troon Vineyard (Applegate Valley, Oregon): Regenerative Organic Certified

Craig Camp utilized the structure imposed by the requirements for USDA and Demeter Biodynamic certifications to transform Troon Vineyard from a disease-ravaged, underperforming vineyard to one that was reborn, regenerated, rejuvenated, and recreated. But, while he was enamored with the success afforded by the application of those programs, there were some things that were of concern:

• The USDA Organic certification, in his view, had been largely taken over by industrial organic farms
• USDA allows hydroponic agriculture (organic without soil is a "head-scratcher" for him)
• Many animals on organic-certified farms, while in better condition than animals residing in feed lots, do not live in humane conditions
• He is less-than-comfortable with Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposocial side of biodynamics.

These concerns were some of the accelerants that pushed Craig to seek certification under the new Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) program. According to Craig, "Regenerative Organic Certified excites me as it incorporates all the things I find important about the Organic and Biodynamic certifications while also resolving my concerns with both" (Wine Camp). The program:

• Includes an essential word -- Regenerative
• Combines the restrictive nature (what you can't do) of organic certification with the proactive, probiotic nature of biodynamics, thus creating a more complex structure for rebuilding soil
• Adds social programs as a cornerstone, bringing an important element to the certification process
• Adds animal welfare as an important component.

Troon Vineyard was eventually awarded ROC at the Silver Level, subsequent to a Regenerative Organic Alliance assessment of its farming program as it relates to Soil Health and Land Management, Animal Welfare, and Social Welfare. The information following is gleaned from an interview with Craig Camp (Troon's GM) and Garett Long (its Director of Agriculture).

Soil Health and Land Management

Possession of Organic and Biodynamic certifications meant that Troon easily met the ROC minimum entry requirements while also simultaneously vaulting well down the road to ROC certification. Troon Vineyard regenerative-relevant practices which were not previously discussed include:

• Agroforestry -- fruit production in the orchard block (some perennials, some annuals), trees on the farm (sycamore, oak, redwood), and incorporation of trees around the pond habitat
• Increasing biodiversity by managing the farm to integrate wild animals. According to Garett, keeping the overall health of the ecosystem in balance will keep the pest population in check
• Controlling invasive species -- the two big ones are Yellow Star Thistle and Foxtail Weed. They utilize animals as much as they can and set fires in some areas.

The Gold Level ROC requires no-till for vineyard floor management. Troon is moving towards no-till as quickly as they can with the major impediment being the Red Blotch virus infection of older vineyard blocks. There is some concern that no-till in the older vineyards would encourage leafhopper populations with the potential for proliferation and spread to the newer blocks (The linkage between leafhoppers and Red Blotch virus is not definitive). The approach that Troon is using in the interim is tilling every other row and mowing.

Unlike the other certification systems, ROC seeks measurement data to show that programmatic requirements are being met. Gartet pointed out that ROC requires both in-field and lab testing. For example, soil may be tested for density and texture. Baseline samples are taken from three different parts of the farm and sent to the lab for testing. The samples must include GPS coordinates and multiple sub-samples as well as a composite.

Troon Vineyard will be working on a number of initiatives going forward:

• No-till drill
• Integration of animals into the environment
• Rotational grazing
• Development of a vegetable garden
• Increasing the number of perennials
• Biochar
• Moving to solar/wind power on the farm
• Moving to electric farm vehicles
• Sourcing wine bottles from within a 400-mile radius
• Ceasing the use of capsules on wine bottles
• Diam corks

Animal Welfare

Troon needs to be certified for animal welfare as it has sheep, chickens, and dogs. The requirements are much simpler, however, as the meat is not sold. The eggs are sold so the chickens have to meet all organic standards.

Social Welfare

In Craig's view, Social Welfare certifying organizations "do not know what to do with the small farm" (this sentiment, by the way, is shared by the folks at Tablas Creek). Troon Vineyard sought Fair Trade certification but they had no relevant programs (they are tuned to large-scale outfits). Troon therefore went through the ROC Silver with a specially modified program. 

The Regenerative Organic Alliance has heard the complaints in this area and is working with Equitable Food Initiative to design a program that is relevant for the small farmer.

Where Tablas Creek had run up on the living-wage rocks, Troon did not have such a problem. Everyone working at Troon is an employee and is fairly well compensated.

Craig's Thoughts on the ROC

Craig thinks that the framework can be applied to a broad range of farming philosophies and can be used either as a farming framework or to build the culture of the company. 

Craig is very interested in working to convert a broader range of people to this type of farming. To that end, he will help to provide leadership on the issue within the farming community by giving talks, hosting farm tours, and hosting farm-to-table dinners. Troon has set aside a Biodynamic area on the property to entice visitors to walk around the farm. He hopes that their actions will serve as a model for farm and agricultural producers.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Troon Vineyard (Applegate Valley AVA, Oregon): The road to the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) door

As was the case for the first winery to attain Regenerative Organic certification -- Tablas Creek -- Troon Vineyard, the second winery to claim that honor, is organic- and biodynamic-certified and is focused on wines made from Rhone varieties. Their life experiences, however, have been markedly different. As a precursor to discussing Troon's experience with the Regenerative Organic certification process, I describe herein the trodden path. Information sources for this blog post are an interview conducted with Craig Camp, the enterprise General Manager, and Garett Long, its Director of Agriculture, as well as Craig's elevated musings in his blog Wine Camp.

I have known Craig for many a year now, having first met him at the 2012 Oregon Wine Bloggers Conference and then interacting with him at several subsequent industry events and through his sojourn as General Manager of Cornerstone Winery. Craig is a warm, giving, insightful, cerebral observer of the wine scene who uses social media to great effect. Craig's focus on soil quality and healthful wines have been driving forces all along his career, with organic, biodynamic, and regenerative certifications at Troon Vineyards the proof in the pudding. 

Troon Vineyard is located in the Applegate Valley AVA, a location whose modern history begins in 1972 with Dick Troon's planting of the forerunner of today's estate. The AVA designation was awarded in 2000. The AVAs locale is shown in the chart below.

High-Level view of Troon Vineyards
(Source: weinlagen-info.de)

According to Craig, Troon was an old-school farm with great unrealized potential. Dick eventually sold the farm to the Martin Family and, somewhere along the way it was divided, into the East and West Ranches (separate owners) with the winery attached to the West Ranch. Craig left Napa to manage the ranch and winery.

The initial plan was for Craig to whip the enterprise into shape in preparation for a sale but he saw the potential and initiated a plan to rejuvenate the soils by "going cold turkey" for organic certification. The then owner was not interested in extensive efforts to upgrade the vineyard and it was not until the property was bought by the Whites, and reunited with the previously hived-off portion, that Craig got a sympathetic ear, and the associated investment, to begin rehabilitation of the lands. And Biodynamic farming, according to Craig, provided the framework for moving the vineyard forward.

Writing in his blog, Craig noted that he was drawn to biodynamics for two reasons:

First, I had tasted too many excellent wines made biodynamically and I aspired to make wines with that kind of life and energy. I wanted to make better wine and was convinced this was the way to achieve that goal. Second, was the focus in biodynamics on rebuilding soil microbiome through a proactive series of probiotic applications based around compost, compost teas and other fermented applications. I believed that the tenets of biodynamics created an ideal framework to rebuild our soils and indeed they did at Troon Vineyard. As with almost every biodynamic winegrower I know, I was drawn to the regenerative farming concepts of biodynamics, but was less comfortable with Rudolf Steiner and the Anthroposocial side of biodynamics.

The steps taken along the biodynamic path are laid out in the following chart.

The compost program has an area 1 acre in size devoted to it and will eventually host four piles. The organic manure is obtained from neighboring Noble Family Organic Dairy while the organic hay is obtained from another neighbor.

The investments from the owners were necessary to set Troon Vineyard on its current path but Craig also highlights the addition of Nate Wall (Winemaker), Andrew Breedy (Biodynamic Consultant), and Jason Cole (Viticultural Consultant). More recently Garett Long has been added as Director of Agriculture with responsibility for the Farming, Biodynamic, and Regenerative programs.

Given the diseased nature of the vineyard, Craig had determined that a complete replant was in order. The plan, and its implementation are shown in the chart below. They are currently 2/3 of the way to completion but the soil revitalization effort has been so successful that even the remaining diseased vines are producing high-quality fruit.

In terms of vineyard floor management, Troon is moving towards no-till as quickly as they can with the major impediment being the Red Blotch virus in place in the older vineyard blocks. There is some concern that no-till in the older vineyards would encourage leafhopper populations with the potential for their proliferation and spread to the newer blocks (The linkage between leafhoppers and Red Blotch virus is not definitive but ... why take the chance). The approach that Troon is using in the interim is tilling every other row and mowing.

In Craig's view, and as demonstrated in his writings, he was practicing Regenerative agriculture. And then along came this program with that exact title -- Regenerative Organic Certified. His interest was more than piqued.

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"The Regenerative Organic Certification excites me as it incorporates all the things I find important about the Organic and Biodynamic Certifications while also resolving my concerns with both." So said Craig in his blog and we will explore this topic further in an upcoming post.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme