“By having people in leadership positions who are Mexican American, that’s only going to help. The future of the industry lies in having a highly skilled workforce with leadership skills and a diverse group of consumers.” Making their voices heard The leadership academy participants have already made their voices heard in some high-profile venues. In July, through a partnership with Alaska Airlines, Sonoma County Winegrowers flew the entire academy to Washington, D.C. The workers, along with Dutton, Pratt and other growers, visited monuments, toured the Capitol and met with the Congressional Wine Caucus and other members of Congress, who sipped wines made from their grapes. “It was unforgettable,” says Luis Guillermo Velasquez, a crew leader at Dutton Ranch. José Cervantes, operations supervisor at Cornerstone, has worked in vineyards for more than three decades. “I come from a small town in Michoacán,” he says. “I never imagined being somewhere like that.” In the future, the growers plan to continue the academy, with new classes each year. Meanwhile, academy graduates are looking to use the skills they have learned to benefit a new generation of vineyard workers. “In many aspects of agriculture, you can never finish learning,” Vieyra García says. “I want to keep learning and teaching newcomers.”
Caleb Hampton champton@californiabountiful.com
Editor’s note: Some quotes in this story were translated from Spanish.
More than winegrapes: A glimpse at agriculture in Sonoma County
Sonoma County wines are known throughout the world. The county’s temperate climate, with cool nights and warm days tempered by ocean fog that drifts across the vineyards from the Pacific Coast, creates ideal growing conditions for more than 60 varieties of winegrapes. But winegrapes aren’t the only agricultural commodity Sonoma County produces. According to the most recent county crop report, Sonoma County dairies generated more than $120 million in 2021. Cheese lovers will be interested to note that the California Cheese Trail, which winds through Sonoma
County’s canyons, pastures and oak-covered hills, links nearly 30 farms and creameries. The county is also famous for its Gravenstein apples. The fruit was widely planted in Sonoma County in the 1800s. Local farmers, including the Dutton family, continue to grow it. Ripening in late July and celebrated each August at the Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol, Gravs are some of North America’s first apples to hit the market each year. Sonoma County’s other top agricultural commodities include poultry, beef cattle, vegetables, cut flowers and hay crops.
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