Commentary: Anti-farming agenda blocks vineyard in Napa Valley

By Peter Nissen and Ryan Klobas 

Napa Valley is an agricultural destination known worldwide for its wineries, vineyards and picturesque landscape.

The farmers of Napa Valley are devoted to this land. They are committed to world-class agricultural standards and to their roles as stewards of the land by embracing sustainability and environmentally sound practices.

Yet last month, our community witnessed a disturbing development. For the first time in this famous wine region, a vineyard project fully compliant with Napa County’s strict land-use rules was denied. The proposed Le Colline Vineyard, a modest-scale project in the works for nine years, fell victim to anti-agriculture stereotypes peddled by local activists and an out-of-state interest group.

Backers of the project, which includes a 20.55-acre vineyard on an 88.3-acre property, pledged to preserve vast forest acreage, plant additional conifer trees, increase erosion protections and operate the vineyard with net-zero carbon emissions.

In Napa Valley, farmers place a high priority on sustainability and organic farming. They limit agricultural burning to protect air quality and emphasize climate resilience in their operations.

But county staff’s approval of the vineyard project in March was challenged by a Tucson-based environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity. As the project was appealed, three members of a local city council sent a statement to the board of supervisors decrying “manure runoff from fields can contaminate our watershed.”

Given that vineyards in Napa Valley don’t use manure, the claim was nonsensical. That was just one example of their anti-agriculture arguments based on conjecture. A more general contention posited by the three council members was that “agricultural runoff can be a major source of water pollution.” Again, the argument is unfounded because Napa County’s strict irrigation regulations severely minimize any type of runoff at all.

The Napa County Farm Bureau has routinely raised concerns that public policy decisions regarding agriculture should be rooted in scientific and factual evidence rather than influenced by emotional appeals lacking data or substantive support. This thinking should be applied anywhere where such decisions directly impact farmers’ operations and livelihoods.

Since the inception of the Agricultural Preserve in 1968, Napa County chose to protect agriculture through policies and data that supported a strong and viable agricultural economy. But in the recent vineyard appeal, the Napa County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to accept the appeal and reject the project. The board majority opted for a false choice of restricting opportunities in agriculture in the name of environmental conservation. Yet our farmers and vineyard industry are unabashedly committed to both.

Lest we continue to witness this phenomenon in California, in which select groups and individuals can upset well- studied land-use decisions with inflammatory claims lacking basis in science or facts, it is imperative that county Farm Bureaus and other agriculture organizations push back against misinformation.

Our farmers who follow land use rules and respect their natural surroundings need our support. It is essential that we continue to educate our elected officials and the public about how farming practices work as opposed to what they may have been led to believe. If we don’t routinely do so, they are prone to accept misguided stereotypes and support actions that harm critical agricultural production.

In counties across California, the public and elected representatives should understand the struggles, regulations and daily realities of our agricultural operations. People should be mindful of political realities at play when decisions are made by their city councils, planning commissions and boards of supervisors.

The recent vineyard project denial in Napa County is just one example of how legitimate, compliant agricultural ventures can fall prey to political agendas. It must be a priority to ensure to the highest degree possible that decisions about our agricultural operations in California be rooted in evidence and science and not have the process hijacked by small factions lacking a basic understanding of how agriculture in California actually functions.

The significance of Napa Valley throughout California, our nation and around the world cannot be overstated. It is a renowned agricultural destination due to the farmers in Napa Valley who commit to the highest standards and best practices possible.

The misconceptions vocalized by agenda-driven critics are no match for the real stories and contributions of our farmers who truly are dedicated to the land and safeguarding the environment while ensuring their ability to continue farming.

(Peter Nissen, president of Nissen Vineyard Services, is president of the Napa County Farm Bureau. Ryan Klobas is CEO of Napa County Farm Bureau. They may be contacted at info@napafarmbureau.org.)