Biochemist working to bridge the gap in conventional and organic farming in Sonoma County

Micah Bernstein grew up on a ranch in rural Two Rock and Mother Nature unwittingly became his muse.

He spent a great deal of time tending a full lineup of crops — including potatoes, melons and broccoli — smitten by the smell of wet earth combined with the briny mist of the fog.

Bernstein, 45, is a biochemist and his company, AgVerra, is a fertilizer company based in Katy, Texas, with an expanding presence in Wine Country. He senses a tipping point in Sonoma County and believes more vintners are interested in farming as pesticide free as possible.

In late February, Bernstein reached out to vineyard managers and viticulturists with a presentation at Geyserville’s Robert Young Estate Winery.

“My experience is that every grower — conventional or organic — but especially on the conventional side is that once they start incorporating alternative/additive agronomic inputs (added nutrients), their overall pest pressure subsides because a healthy plant can stave off pressure, whether it's pest pressure/heat stress etc. The vines can stave off pressure by simply being healthy,” he explained.

At the presentation at Robert Young two agronomists — Wood Thorpe and Mark Veteto — gave power point presentations.

Hannah Fetzer, a viticulturist with E. & J. Gallo, said one of Thorpe’s photographs, captured by an electron microscope, made a big impression on her. It showed the healthy hair roots of a vibrant plant treated with organic nutrients compared to less robust hair roots of a plant that was farmed conventionally.

Gallo, Fetzer said, is transforming some of its conventional vineyards to organic.

“I can see a push in the wine industry for more organic practices,” she said. “We try to incorporate organic practices where we can.”

Vineyard manager Dan Rotlisberger of Robert Young said he wanted to host the event so his colleagues could hear about alternatives to pesticides. He liked what agronomist Mark Veleto had to say about seaweed and humic acid, organic additives that can help vines become more resilient when they’re stressed.

Rotlisberger said the 350 acres he farms on the estate are certified sustainable, but he’s going to begin adding organic nutrients at bud break in March.

“The reason I like these kinds of products is we get heat spikes in the county,” he said. “They’ll make vines more resilient to extreme weather like heat spikes.”

Rotlisberger said it’s time to introduce some organic alternatives.

“I think over the years through conventional farming our soils are tired and they’ve been stretched,” he said. “It’s time for a little rejuvenation.”

Bernstein said it’s not his intent to persuade a grower only to use organic or sustainable products.

“My intent is to discuss the benefits of these products and how they can slowly start implementing them into a conventional nutritional program,” he said. “Truth be told, as a business, I do also sell conventional NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertilizer if a customer requests it.”

Bernstein purchased AgVerra LLC in 2021.

“I saw the writing on the wall with the drought,” he said. “I thought I better start building the business where water flows … I went to the Central Valley and Salinas Valley to really grow my business because the crops (row crops of cane, berries, strawberries, etc.) grow faster and show response practically overnight versus a slower grower (vine, tree crop).”

Today, Bernstein is circling back to Wine County, he said, because the sustainability movement is gaining momentum.

The biochemist said he’s aware that in 2018 the Sonoma County Grape Growers treated 55% of the vineyard acres in the county with nearly 48,000 pounds of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, according to the California Department of Pesticide.

“I’m sensing people are wanting to try to farm as pesticide free as possible, but with a safety net of being able to employ conventional inputs,” he said.

Bernstein also talked about how his fertilizers can bridge the gap between conventional and organic farming practices, as well as what he hopes his legacy will be.

Question: Are your customers mostly in the conventional or organic farming camp?

Answer: Over 90% of our customers are conventional growers who see the value in sustainable/organic products and use them as inputs in tandem with conventional agronomic inputs.

Q: Why do you sense Sonoma County is ripe for your organic fertilizers?

A: I’m sensing the sustainable farming movement is the future, not just here in Sonoma County but in this state. There has been so much conventional input for so many years that traditional inputs are not as effective as they once were. On that note, I’m not anti-conventional input at all. I look at it like medicine. Sometimes you absolutely need traditional western medicine along with naturopathic inputs.

Q: What do you hope your legacy will be?

A: My wife Becky and I have two small children and my hope is that one day, if they choose to get involved in the family business, they will be proud to be part of it. If they choose not to, I'm 100 % fine with that. But at the end of the day, my hope is that they see the blood, sweat, tears and integrity of our business practices.

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.