Soil health the focus for SA North Regional Program

The one in a hundred-year hailstorm event that a few regions experienced in late October is a stark reminder that with the changing climate comes more extreme weather events.

In the face of a changing climate – witnessed by a warmer, drier climate and extreme weather events – Barossa and Clare Valley grape and wine associations are continuing to focus their Wine Australia Regional Program efforts on soil health in a bid to improve the resilience of local vineyards.

“Although wine grapegrowers can do little to prepare for hailstorms, they can certainly improve soil health, which will enable vines to better withstand the highs and lows of other challenging seasonal events,” said Barossa Grape & Wine Association Viticultural Development Manager, Nicki Robins.

“Some seasons bring a lack of rainfall, so water needs to be conserved. Other seasons bring heavy rainfall events that require vineyards to retain vast amounts of water quickly. Increasingly hotter, drier summers can bring heatwaves that will knock vineyards around if soil health – and therefore vine health – is poor,” she said.

Nicki said good soil health will improve water and nutrient infiltration and stand growers in good stead to produce a consistently yielding, high quality crop year after year – in spite of seasonal variation.
Some of SA North’s “soil health-focused” activities include:

• In April, Barossa Grape & Wine Association hosted regenerative agriculture farmer and podcaster Charlie Arnott to address 100 guests at its annual “young people working in Barossa grape growing” event.
• In May, 70 growers attended an event showcasing the results of mid-row and under-vine trials at Barossa and Clare Valley vineyards. 
• In November, around 30 growers travelled to McLaren Vale to visit the vineyard of Nuffield Scholar Richard Leask, who has been practicing regenerative agriculture on his vineyard for 15 years – and with his Nuffield scholarship, travelled to 10 countries in 2019 to study this holistic farming practice. 

^{Nuffield scholar and McLaren Vale grower Richard Leask hosting Barossa growers at a field day recently}

Nicki said a Soil Health Symposium was also planned for April 2022.

“As part of the symposium, growers will tour Barossa vineyards looking at examples of on-farm composting facilities,” she said.

“They will also be able to ‘see, smell and touch’ pre-dug soil pits demonstrating the results of 6–8 year-old under-vine mulch and mid-row treatments designed to improve soil health and increase vineyard resilience.