Sustainable Farming: We wanted to do it right, we just weren't sure what "right" meant

We all experience it every day. Thirty million of us wonder if we should toss a plastic water bottle in the trash or reuse it for a while and risk bacterial infections. We all want to try to do things right, but what would "right" look like? For several years we farmed our vineyards organically. Organic farming addresses important issues facing farming today, but I wanted to move beyond organic farming by addressing the efficient use of electricity and water, the rights of laborers, and meeting specific sustainability farming criteria. SIP Certification meets a broader, more comprehensive goal of sustainability. SIP™ certification standards have been reviewed by more than 30 state, federal, environmental, social, agricultural and university experts. Outside auditors certify results and assure that program participants are doing exactly what they promise. We were thrilled to hear about the new SIP™ certified sustainable program for vineyards, and we signed up the first year for the pilot program.