Meet The Expert: Lindsay Jordan, UC Cooperative Extension Viticulture Advisor
March 18, 2015 
Lindsay Jordan, UC Cooperative Extension Viticulture Advisor
Lindsay Jordan recently joined the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources staff as a Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor for Merced, Mariposa and Madera counties. American/Western Fruit Grower caught up with her to find out what interests her about viticulture and her plans for helping grape growers solve big problems – from drought to pest management – while promoting sustainability.
Q: What interests you about viticulture and why?
Jordan: I love how agriculture, and especially viticulture, aims to integrate chemistry, physics and biology to grow a delicious and beautiful end product. You could say I fell for grape growing during my freshman year at UC-Davis in an intro course for viticulture and enology, when I saw the opportunity to be a part of an applied science that connected me to farming, California and mankind’s long history of making wine.
Q: How familiar are you with California? With the San Joaquin Valley? What drew you to the place?
Jordan: I’m a California native and went to UC-Davis for my undergraduate education. I have worked two harvests in the wine industry in Northern California as well. While I left the golden state to earn my Master’s at Cornell University in New York and went to do research and work in New Zealand, I have been and always will be a California girl at heart. I am very happy to be back, not only to escape the frigid temperatures of New York, but also to be in the state where the vast majority of the country’s grapes are produced.
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley where I will be able to reach large and small producers in a dynamic setting of wine, raisin and table grape production. In the SJV, growers are facing many challenges, including drought and changing consumer demands, and that makes it a critical time to have a farm advisor available for local growers. I’m passionate about promoting the environmental and economic sustainability of viticulture, and being assigned to about 90,000 acres of grapes offers me an opportunity to respond to growers’ needs and create a positive impact across a lot of acreage.
Q: Are you very familiar with the industry?
Jordan: Having worked three harvests for wineries, I understand the fast-paced, dynamic and sometimes beautifully chaotic nature of grape farming and winemaking. I have a balanced background of academic and industry experience, and I’m eager to connect with the industry within Madera, Merced and Mariposa counties.
Q: Being in Extension, you’ll likely do both research and work with growers. Both are valuable and necessary. Do you think of yourself more as a researcher or a hands-on advisor?
Jordan: Right now I think of myself as more of “learner.” I have a responsibility to learn as much as I can about the needs of the region and learn from the growers themselves — they are the local experts. I certainly have a background in research and am excited for future opportunities to run experiments, but more importantly right now I need to be in the vineyard, talking, meeting and eventually advising my growers. But no matter if it is for research or a farm call, I’m happiest when my boots are in the vineyard. So I guess you could call me a “field-oriented” advisor and researcher.
Q: Have you set any short-term goals as of yet? Any long-term goals?
Jordan: My immediate short-term goal is to connect with as many of my local grape farmers as possible. I’ve been fortunate to have several people reach out to me already, but I’m still working to connect with as many growers as possible. While I have a strong background in the grape and wine industry, I know I have much to learn about the San Joaquin Valley and grape growing within my three counties.
In the near future, I am also hoping to work to start reestablishing the support base for the network of weather stations in Madera county. There has been a gap of coverage by UCCE viticulture advisors in the region due to position vacancies, and they previously oversaw the weather stations for Fresno and Madera counties. I want to promote and find the support to keep this valuable grower resource going straightaway.
My long-term goals are more vague, since I’m trying to base my program around what the big problems are. However, I do hope to work collaboratively with the other UCCE viticulture advisors in the SJV to create workshops, meetings and research programs addressing the top issues growers are facing — drought, pest management, variety selection and the other big issues facing the industry. I’d love to continually work toward experimenting to find balance of the best sustainable vineyard management options for SJV vineyards and test new varietal suitability for the region.
Q: As you know, grapes have been doing well of late. What can you bring to the table to help ensure growers’ continued success?
Jordan: I have a mix of an industry and academic background — so hopefully I can combine my scientific background and ability to hit the books with an applied understanding of how this all then translates into the real world. My previous research has followed data from budbreak through to the bottle, and this comprehensive style of research is a strength of mine. I also have a pretty diverse background, having worked with grapes in California, New York and New Zealand, so I’ve seen lots of different styles of farming and hope to take the best of all and use that knowledge to serve Madera, Merced and Mariposa counties.
Q: If the drought continues, some growers are going to have to take extreme measures. How can you help them?
Jordan: I’m a resource of information for growers, and I hope to be a part of the larger conversation about what grape farmers are facing and what their options are. As a farm advisor, I want to work toward finding the best ideas and resources of how to cope with these dry conditions, including exploring options for salty soils, extreme deficit irrigation situations and water use restrictions. I always want to try and be available to meet a grower in the field and assess their specific situation, but also focus on providing outreach through workshops or publications.
Q: If you could have dinner with one well-known person, who is either alive today or from the pages of history, who would it be? Why?
Jordan: So, confession time: I’m a really big nerd. I grew up reading every fantasy and sci-fi book I could find. When I was in New Zealand, I went to the Hobbiton movie set, twice. I’d love to meet J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings, so I could ask him all about the fictional world he created.
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