A southwestern Michigan vineyard and winery is the first to prove its environmental sustainability by becoming verified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) under the new Grape*A*Syst program.
More than 600 Michigan farms are MAEAP-verified, but Domaine Berrien Cellars and Winery in Berrien Springs is the first vineyard to complete the comprehensive Grape*A*Syst risk assessment that pinpoints best practices in land, water, fertilizer and pesticide use.
“MAEAP is a great way to show our customers how farmers try to be environmentally sensitive,” owner Katie Maurer says.” It’s important for people to understand how important agriculture is and how important farmers are to the environment as subdivisions move closer and closer to farms.”
Michigan State University (MSU) small fruit educational coordinator Paul Jenkins led the creating of Grape*A*Syst, working with a team from MSU Extension, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and the National Grape Cooperative.
“This effort is ultimately consumer driven and prompted by the interest of retailers such as Wal-Mart in selling products that are sustainably produced, processed and delivered,” says Thomas Davenport, National Grape Cooperative director of viticulture research. “Behind that interest are increasing numbers of consumers interested in environmentally friendly products and foods produced with worker and consumer safety in mind.”
For more on MAEAP, click here.