Back to the Vineyard: Weed Management
January 28, 2026
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Back to the Vineyard: Weed Management
Revisiting traditional under-vine cultivation methods with modern tools and precision. This approach to weed management blends old-school techniques with contemporary efficiency. As synthetic herbicides face increased scrutiny and resistance issues, mechanical cultivation is re-emerging as a sustainable, effective alternative. By disrupting weed growth mechanically, growers reduce chemical inputs while improving soil health and biodiversity.
Today’s equipment might boil down to two core concepts; cultivating and mowing, but the variety of tools and manufacturers out there gives growers plenty of site-specific options. From in-row weed knives and more aggressive cultivators to rotary mowers and variable-axis twister mowers, there’s no shortage of gear designed to match the unique needs of each vineyard.
These tools allow for highly targeted weed control, giving growers the flexibility to fine-tune their approach depending on the block, season, or challenge at hand. However, the shift requires additional considerations, including the cost of equipment maintenance, repair, and wear overtime. Factoring these operational expenses is essential to evaluating the long-term economic viability of mechanical weed control.
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Moderator
To be announced.
Speakers
Garrett Buckland
Premiere Viticultural Services, California
Sessions:
To be announced.
Hilary Graves is a winegrower, winemaker and viticulture educator with more than 20 years of field experience on California’s Central Coast.
Hilary graduated from high school in Hawaii and studied business at CSU Fresno. While her father hailed from a Central Valley farming family, she never planned to pursue agriculture—but, in time, her true calling came clear. After earning a master’s degree in library and information science, she returned to CSU Fresno to serve as the academic librarian in the university’s Viticulture and Enology Research Center. It was here that Hilary’s interest in viticulture was awakened, prompting her to pursue master’s studies in Crop Science and ultimately a career in wine and viticulture.
After studying Crop Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Hilary taught viticulture at Cal Poly for four years under Dr. Keith Patterson. She also started her own business in 2002, planting a vineyard and making wine under the Mighty Nimble brand. She later started a vineyard management company and grew fruit for, among others, Booker Vineyard’s Farmer- Winemaker Eric Jensen. Hilary and Eric formed a strong connection, and she ultimately joined Booker Vineyard as Vineyard & Grower Relations Manager in 2020.
Charlie Hamilton
KG Vineyard Management, LLC, California
Sessions:
To be announced.