Demonstrating Eco-Label Benefits in California Vineyards

The project seeks to increase the adoption of the Bee Better Certified (BBC) label by demonstrating the multiple benefits of the program, including supporting pollinators, monarchs, beneficial insects, soil health, and consumer interest in BBC-labeled products. The BBC label was created as a means to incentivize growers to adopt pollinator friendly
practices, such as habitat creation and pesticide risk mitigation. Although BBC is gaining recognition, the cost and logistics of becoming certified is often challenging for growers.
This project will focus specifically on the vineyard industry in California. Working with three
growers in major wine-grape growing regions of the state, we will walk these pilot farms through the steps required to achieve certification, including the creation of habitat, the adoption of nonchemical pest management techniques, and pesticide risk mitigation practices. Using these pilot vineyards, we will produce plant lists, seed mixes and pest management techniques that will support other vineyards seeking certification. We also will conduct market surveys to demonstrate the willingness, on the part of the consumer, to pay for sustainably produced, Bee Better Certified, products. As the project wraps up, we will develop a written summary on how NRCS programs and practices can be used to support grower adoption of BBC, provide detailed suggestions for updated conservation practice specifications, and conduct several outreach events to showcase practices on farms that are working towards BBC and how NRCS can help. We aim for this project not only to result in conservation and sustainable benefits for our pilot farms and the expansion of the BBC label, but also to further demonstrate how pollinator and wildlife habitat can be integrated into the working lands matrix and to increase markets for and distribution of forage mixes and plant materials for bees, monarchs, and other beneficial insects.