Mario Ibarra, Vineyard Health & Pesticide Manager, Wagner Family of Wines

There is lots of talk these days about carbon and how to manage it, especially when it comes to carbon in our atmosphere. Over the centuries, humans have expanded their carbon emissions as societies have advanced, resulting in more carbon in the atmosphere which leads to climate change.

It’s important to think about plants as being incredibly adroit at adapting to changing conditions and consider how we can best support them as they try to function efficiently.

The definition of regenerative agricultural practices is evolving. In the beginning, my definition was simple: engage in agricultural practices that work to maximize carbon sequestration in your soils and do it in a manner that minimizes your carbon footprint. Recently, I read a definition of regenerative agriculture as a “toolkit of principles/practices to restore and preserve biodiversity and soil health by creating a functional ecosystem that reduces external inputs while producing nourishing farm products.” This definition begins to consider how carbon is cycling through the system, emphasizing supporting microbial activity and nutrient cycling. All good in my thinking, but how do we get there?