In the heart of Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, Husch Vineyards is doing more than just preserving history. The region’s oldest, most historic winery is also setting new standards for the future of sustainable winemaking, embracing regenerative farming and agriculture and implementing eco-conscious farming practices to make vineyards more self-sufficient without relying on outside sources.
By adopting innovative techniques like eliminating discing and reducing reliance on fertilizers and insecticides, Husch is proving that vineyards can thrive without these and other synthetic interventions, paving the way for a more sustainable future both within Anderson Valley and beyond. In 2025, guests attending the Pinot Noir Festival weekend events can enjoy an intimate tour & tasting with Zac to learn more about their commitment to sustainability and the land.
A Natural Approach to Vineyard Balance Through Regenerative Farming
Husch Vineyards proved itself a pioneer of no-till farming, eliminating the practice back in 1976 long before “regenerative agriculture” became a recognized industry term. At the time, eliminating “discing,” or using a machine to break up and loosen soil and eliminate weeds, was a bold move, but Husch stuck by the decision it made after watching a neighbor’s vineyard experience devastating hillside erosion and continues to do so to this day.
Why? For starters, discing can disrupt the intricate fungal networks that lie below the soil’s surface.
“The fungi benefit the grapevines, which in turn give back the carbon food the fungi need,” said Zac Robinson, who is part of the third generation of the Oswald family, which owns and operates Husch Vineyards. “It’s like a highway network in the soil. When you disc, you destroy this natural network of channels.”
By eliminating discing and keeping this network in check, Husch maintains healthier grapevines that need fewer external additions, allowing vineyard operators to work hand-in-hand with nature as opposed to against it.
Zac Robinson Discusses Regenerative Farming & Vineyard Diversity
Husch has also made strides as far as reducing its use of insecticides, parking its spray rig in 2008 and not moving it since. Instead, Husch works to promote biological diversity on its land, using it as a natural defense against pests.
“Insects eat other insects, so when you use insecticides, you kill off one group, and suddenly another takes over because you’ve broken the balance,” Robinson said.
In comparison to other wine-producing areas, many of which are “monoculture regions,” meaning they produce grapevines with little, if any, other plant diversity, Anderson Valley offers a rich combination of forests, creeks and riparian areas to further support this equilibrium and reduce vineyards’ reliance on insecticides.
Husch also prides itself on avoiding dependence on fertilizers and excessive irrigation.
“Keeping grapevines in balance with the environment around them leads to healthier plants; probably because of the highway networks in the soil,” Robinson said. “No one really knew this stuff existed 10 years ago.”
This method also comes into play when producing Pinot Noir, a popular Anderson Valley varietal that tends to perform best under careful vineyard management.
“Achieving modest yields in Pinot Noir is fundamental to wine quality,” Robinson said.
An Alternative to Importing Nitrogen for Regenerative Farming
While it’s common knowledge that vineyards need nitrogen for healthy growth, many vineyards rely on compost and synthetic fertilizers for this chemical element, which can come at a steep environmental cost.
“The carbon footprint of compost is through the roof,” Robinson said. “It takes boatloads of diesel to get compost to, and applied to, the vineyard. So, the magic is, you can grow your own nitrogen through clovers, legumes or whatever you can grow within your native grasses. If you can do that, you eliminate the need to burn diesel to bring in compost, or to burn natural gas to generate synthetic fertilizers.”
By generating its own nitrogen naturally through animal grazing and other methods, Husch reinforces its own commitment to prioritizing self-sufficiency. In fact, Husch continues to produce highly sought-after wines from vines initially planted in 1968 and 1971, relying on this approach to reduce its carbon footprint – and reinforce its commitment to sustainable farming.
An Industry Leader in Regenerative Vineyard Management & Farming
While Husch Vineyards has cemented itself as an industry leader in terms of managing pests and maintaining soil health with minimal, if any, outside intervention, the vineyard and winery also takes additional steps to promote sustainability and eco-friendly farming practices. For example, every drip irrigation system and electrical component on the grounds runs on timers, which shut off during times of peak electrical demand in California. This effort helps balance the electrical grid, and it also reduces the state’s reliance on fossil fuels, particularly during the summertime.
Husch also encourages other wine producers who may be hesitant to adopt no-till farming and other regenerative farming practices to trust the process.
“People are scared to go no-till – I like to tell them they don’t have to be,” said Robinson. “We did it, and the vineyard didn’t die. If anything, we have better longevity than conventional vineyards. We converted another Mendocino County vineyard, too, and it’s going great. Have a little faith.”
