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Watch this three-part workshop to explore the opportunity of climate friendly farming – implementing regenerative practices that store more carbon in soil, increase soil health, and enhance the resilience of vineyards to drought and heat stress.
PANEL I – THE WHY, HOW AND BENEFITS OF CLIMATE FRIENDLY FARMING: Vineyard managers and winemakers discuss the day-to-day reality of implementing “carbon farming” practices and reduced pesticide use, and share the benefits of these practices, including employee wellbeing and enhanced soil health, biodiversity, and fruit quality.
MONARCH TRACTOR DEMO AND Q&A: Take a tour of this 100% electric tractor with autonomous capabilities, and learn about the Carl Moyer program, which can subsidize 50-85% of the cost of these cutting-edge tractors.
PANEL II – WHAT’S NEXT? THE FUTURE OF CLIMATE FRIENDLY FARMING: Learn more about the new Napa Green Vineyard certification program, the technology behind Monarch tractors, tools to track the health of the microbiome, and the potential for Napa Green certified growers to join an agricultural carbon market.
Elaine Chukan Brown | Wine Writer, Communicator, and Educator
Elaine Chukan Brown serves as a writer, speaker, and educator specializing in wine, personal empowerment, and social justice. She has been a celebrated keynote speaker for events worldwide, and serves as one of the world’s most celebrated educators of wine.
Ashley Anderson Bennett | Vineyard Manager at Cain Vineyards
At Cain Vineyard and Winery, Bennett oversees eighty-eight acres of hillside vineyards, including a year-round crew of nine. Together they plant, prune, manage weeds, pests, and vineyard canopy, and harvest the grapes—all while working closely with winemakers to achieve the desired fruit. Read more in The Women Behind Some Of Napa And Sonoma’s Best Wines.
Sophie Drucker | Winegrower & Vineyard Manager at Raymond Vineyards | Boisset America
Winegrower and Vineyard Manager Sophie Drucker did her undergraduate studies at UC Davis in viticulture and enology and then worked in the wine industry doing cellar and vineyard work in Napa Valley, Portugal and New Zealand. She returned to California and UC Davis for a master’s degree in horticulture and agronomy.
Steve Matthiasson | Owner at Matthiasson Wines
Steve dreamt of farming his entire life. In 1994, while back in grad school for horticulture he found a job in vineyards and orchards working for a small sustainable agriculture consulting firm. In 1999 he co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. In 2002 he started consulting on vineyard practices in Napa. He still loves the challenge of solving vineyard problems for others, but since 2003 the primary focus has been on our own family farming and winemaking.
Carlo Mondavi | Co-Owner of Raen Winery and Co-Founder & Chief Farming Officer at Monarch Tractor
Carlo is an expert viticulturist with experience in Organic, Bio dynamic, and Permaculture Farming. He is a fourth generation winegrower from the world-renowned Mondavi family and is co-founder of Raen Winery, as well as a partner at Continuum Estate. Carlo is the co-founder of the Monarch Challenge, an effort focused on elevating farming by eliminating herbicides and powerful chemicals from farms in Sonoma, Napa and beyond
Alberto Acedo | CSO & Co-Founder of Biome Makers
Anna Brittain | Executive Director at Napa Green
Anna Brittain has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy. She has spent more than eight years working as a sustainability consultant with the wine industry, with an expertise in communications and certification standards. Anna has a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara. Her mission is to spread the message that sustainability is sexy.
Rebekah Carlson | Agriculture Supply Lead at Nori Carbon Removal Marketplace
Rebekah combines her experience in agronomy, science, and crop modeling to help effectively enroll farmers into the Nori marketplace. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from Biola University and M.S. in Agronomy and Plant Genetics from the University of Minnesota.
Praveen Penmetsa | Co-Founder & CEO at Monarch Tractor
Praveen has nearly two decades of hands-on experience in translating creative visions into products for startups to Fortune 50 companies alike. He co-currently serves as founder and CEO of Motivo Engineering, a product-engineering firm with clients in the Mobility, Energy, AgTech, and Aerospace sectors. Praveen holds an MSME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
