Welcome to Troon Talk, where we dig deeply into biodynamic and Regenerative Organic Certified™ farming and winemaking from Troon Vineyard in Oregon’s Applegate Valley. Two years ago, we became the 2nd Regenerative Organic Certified™ winery in the world when we achieved our silver certification. This year we became one of four farms globally to achieve Regenerative Organic Gold Certification. Achieving gold certification requires not only agricultural certification but an independent social welfare certification that examines all aspects of the welfare of all the humans on our farm.

The Equitable Food Initiative carried out the social welfare certification process, and Troon's assistant winemaker Hannah Thorning, our guest today, led the team here at the winery. This was a complex, demanding but worthwhile process as we explored communication on our farm. Even on small teams, these issues can be complicated. Hannah led her team through a series of workshops that explored how we communicate between the various teams on our farm. Our group that underwent this training represented roles in every aspect of our farm. Though we are a small property and company, this self-examination was enlightening. Hopefully, the lessons learned will help us to be proactive in making Troon a rewarding place for people to work and grow.

The concept of the farm as a whole is fundamental in biodynamic agriculture. That whole includes soil, plants, animals, microbiology, wildlife, and people. In this episode with Hannah Thorning, we discuss attaining certification from EFI and becoming Regenerative Organic Gold Certified®.

Hannah Thorning - hannah@troonvineyard.com

Craig Camp - craig@troonvineyard.com

Troon Vineyard

Equitable Food Initiative

Regenerative Organic Alliance