NAPA VALLEY (California) REGISTER

May 26, 2008

Lessons in the vineyard

Nord, state combine to offer instruction in English and farming

By MIKE TRELEVEN
Register Business Editor

Both Ernesto Trujillo and Fernin Gonzalez Guzman have been working in Napa vineyards for more than a decade, but their employer, Nord Vineyards, decided to send them back to school.

The two men were among 16 Nord employees who recently participated in a 45-hour course on English, viticulture, identifying good bugs, math skills, plant physiology, dust, erosion control and tractor fuel efficiency. As part of their workday, Nord set four hours aside on Tuesdays and Fridays for their vineyard workers to become better informed about the sustainable farming practices the company is noted for.

Each session included two hours of English and two hours on sustainable farming practices.

Because Nord Vineyards, north of Napa, uses sustainable farming practices, the California Employment Training Panel provided a grant that lets them customize teaching sessions specific to their farming operation. The panel put up $16,000 and Nord pitched in $8,000 for the training

 Since its inception in 1983, the ETP has provided more than $1 billion to train more than 660,000 workers in nearly 60,000 California companies. In Napa County, four businesses have received grants from the ETP, totaling $74,880.

Nord officials and employees say it’s a win-win situation. Nord manager Jon Kanagy, who acted as interpreter for Trujillo and Guzman, said both men sing praises for the skills they have gained.

Trujillo and Guzman believe other farmworkers would benefit from similar training — if their employers tapped into such a program.

“This is the first time anything like this has been offered to me,” said Trujillo, who has been with Nord for 11 years.

Trujillo and Guzman said they now look at things differently while working in the vineyards. They catch potential problems much sooner when working between the vines.

Guzman, who has been with Nord for 16 years, said he found learning the U.S. weights and measures helpful, since he was raised in a country that uses the metric system.

While farmworker courses are offered by the Napa County Ag Commissioner’s office, the Napa County Grapegrowers Association, Napa Valley College and private consultants, those programs are more general than the one Nord put together with the state training panel.

Most other farmworker training tackles a single subject such as farm safety, handling pesticides or English as a second language.

Nord’s grant from the ETP allowed them to customize their sessions to focus on their cutting-edge sustainable farming practices, which involve pest control using “good bugs,” erosion control to protect streams and more.

Nord’s vineyard workers were not restricted to sitting in a room, listening to a lecture. Employees walked outside into the vineyards to see firsthand sustainable farming practices — such as using a sweep net to catch beneficial insects or to learn how best to thin the shoots springing forward at this time of the year.

“We wanted to train our employees on why we are doing the things we do in the vineyards,” said Julie Nord.

Nord Vineyards was able to make the sessions specific to their vineyard practices.

“It’s not generic. We stay on top of the latest techniques that are best for the environment. We are able to give up-to-date information to our employees,” Nord said.

Worker retention and a better quality employee are reasons Nord said they opted to get a state matching grant to offer the classes.

Kanagy added, “These employees make a million decisions a day in the vineyards ... if they have more of an understanding, they will make better decisions.”

Guzman said, “I am now more sure of what I am doing.”

Trujillo agreed. “I’m more attentive of what is going in the vineyard,” he said.

Businesses can get a state grant when they can show what they will teach helps promote California products. Kanagy expects additional state-funded training will be offered, possibly at a higher level, in the future.