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The solutions Lum might be struggling to make a career of farming, but he’s managing, and like other farmers he’s finding innovative means to survive. Lum manages farms for other land owners as well as himself. “People who are moving out here from the city don’t have the ability or knowledge to farm,” Lum said. “So we manage properties. You become a custom farm manager.” |
Gary Goldsmith/Daily Republic
Freddie Messa discs a field to prepare for
planting at The Vegetable Patch in Suisun Valley.
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Lanza and King also see a future
in farm management. “It generates income for the farmers who stay,” Lanza said. “In a way we are agricultural landscapers.” Farmers also hope to generate more farm management deals by selling land to wealthy city-dwellers who want a second home in the country. “It’s kind of a compromise that still makes agriculture viable but allows farmers out here to sell a piece of property and gain some capital,” said Lanza, who endorses lowering the zoning requirement to 20 acres. The Suisun Valley Grape Growers association, of which Lanza is a member, has also endorsed lowering the land requirement to 20 acres. In conjunction with wanting to raise money, farming technology and new practices are moving farmers away from large tracts of land and leading them to work smaller parcels that deliver higher yield or higher quality crops. Lum might remove some of his old pear trees that produce seven or eight tons an acre and replant them with new higheryield pear trees that produce 19 to 20 tons an acre, he said. The new trees would be planted so a picking machine can help harvest the crop – cutting down on labor costs. “It’s a shame to see the old trees pulled out,” Lum said. “But it’s a matter of red ink or black ink.” |
Grape growers are also moving
toward smaller, more focused
operations. Growers
have replaced more common
varieties with more specialized
ones such as Riesling, Pinots
and Muscats. These less-known
varieties command higher
prices from buyers who are
looking to meet growing demand
in niche wines. These
buyers usually come from
smaller wineries that only need
a few acres worth of grapes. So
planting 3-5 acres with one kind
of grape is ideal, King said.
Making a name Grape growers are also working hard to put Suisun Valley on the map. Growers want people from San Francisco to Austin to recognize the name Suisun Valley and associate it with quality wines. It’s an uphill battle. Currently more than 90 percent of the grapes harvested in Suisun Valley are taken to wineries located elsewhere and bottled under labels from other areas, perpetuating the valley’s anonymity in the wine community. “Good wines that were made out here were being buried under other people’s labels,” King said. But recently the valley has been gaining notoriety. In 2005, two wines from Suisun Valley were reviewed in Wine Spectator magazine – a publication whose endorsement often brings fame and fortune to a winery. The magazine scored two Suisun Valley wines in the 90s, a very difficult-to-achieve score that established those wines as being among the best in the world. Ledgewood Creek’s 2004 Sauvignon Blanc received a 91 rating. It quickly sold out of its remaining 300 gallons. Its 2005 Sauvignon Blanc will be bottled soon and another high score could bring notoriety to the winery for years. The other high score was for Syrah grapes grown on Roger King’s vineyards and crafted by Olabisi winery. The bottle received a 91 and was also labeled as having originated in Suisun Valley, bringing more attention to the region. |
“Anything in the 90s is going
to be in the luxury-class level,”
said King. Wine that receives a score of 90 or above can charge $25 a bottle or more, King said. But until it received that 91, Ledgewood Creek was only charging $10 for its bottle. The recognition will allow the winery to charge more in the future. “And it’s that marketplace recognition that is the most important thing now,” King said. More awareness of the valley’s wines will also draw more tourists to the area, which the nonprofit Suisun Valley Fund Advisory Committee hopes will bring more prosperity into the valley. The fund is working to develop a marketing campaign for ag tourism in Suisun Valley. The group developed signs along Interstate 80 and is working on signs that will guide tourists through the valley. The fund is also working to establish a wine tasting room, which would give local growers a place to sell their wine. The committee would also like to increase the number of wineries in the valley. They have set a goal to help establish about eight new wineries. While growing grapes hasn’t always been profitable, the winery has consistently generated profits, Lanza said. “The winery works. We know that,” he said. Tourism, market recognition, and diversified business models might just be what saves agriculture in the valley. “We’ve got the vineyards. Now we’ve got to build the image and stature of Suisun Valley,” King said. “Because if the world loses Suisun Valley, they’ll lose one of the great grape growing regions of the world.” Reach Nathan Halverson at 425-4646 ext. 267 or nhalverson@dailyrepublic.net. |
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