Fellow Spotlight: Joel Chambers
This Fellow Spotlight is on Farmer and Winemaker, Joel Chambers!
Joel is an eighth-generation wine producer in the Chambers family from Rutherglen in North-east Victoria. Joel manages his family's 16-ha vineyard estate and frequently experiments with different sustainable and eco-friendly farming techniques. His research involves conducting soil tests to cut emissions and capture as much carbon into the soil as possible.
During this segment, we discuss regenerative agriculture and the growing movement of sustainable farming practices in the fight against climate change!
Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into sustainable farming.
I was born and bred in Rutherglen Victoria. My parents own a vineyard and farm and produce their own single-vineyard wines. Naturally, I grew a passion for viticulture and farming. After spending four years in the Australian Infantry Corps, I returned home to focus on Agriculture and viticulture. In the past, our site has traditionally been operated as a grower vineyard supplying larger wine producers including Brown Brothers, Treasury Wines, and Casella Family Winemakers. From the 1960s to the 1990’s the main aim was to achieve maximum yield for higher profit.
Over the last 30 years, we have redirected our focus away from high yields to high quality. The change in focus was inspired by a conversation with retired Chambers Rosewood owner and winemaker Bill Chambers, who told us that our vineyard sits atop the best soil he has ever seen.
A complete overhaul of viticultural practices has seen us go from a very conventional vineyard to a sustainable one. Some would call it an overgrown mess, others with more understanding and a keen eye understand it as ‘regenerative viticulture’. By focusing on grape quality, we have seen a change in our own wines from medium-bodied to delicately rounded and full-flavored. While we do not achieve the yields previously grown, we are now producing A-grade fruit that is free of stress and full of flavour.
How are you actively capturing carbon in soil and reducing carbon emissions at your family vineyard?
Over the last five years, we have implemented a cover cropping program and a sustainability action plan for our vineyard. This has seen us completely remove herbicide use under vine and replace it with straw mulch, sourced from our own cereal crop stubble. This has improved our water holding capacity during drought and is actively building organic carbon due to bulk organic matter breaking down into the soil.
We have also completely moved away from cultivation, which meant we had to replace and upgrade plant/ equipment to disc operated machines. However, because of zero cultivation and the above practices, we have seen a rise in organic carbon of .5% over 5 years. We are currently in the process of formalising this carbon farming method in our vineyard by registering the activity with Climate Active.
What have been some major findings from your Fellowship research so far?
Major findings so far are:
Raising organic carbon via cover cropping, sheep grazing, reduction in cultivation, Mulching, is an active successful method. Although it is also a lifetime project.
Sustainable/regenerative Viticulture methods improve soil microbial health and successfully reduce the use of herbicides.
Integrated cover cropping and sheep grazing are hugely beneficial to both enterprises (I’m doing a lot of work in this area and its ongoing developing research. I can say both enterprises do have huge benefits to each other)
There are a couple of other streams I’m following and I am actively researching such as ‘intense grazing’ to encourage increased photosynthesis to capture more carbon into the soil via winter cover crops. Bulk organic fertiliser via sheep manure via cell grazing if that makes sense.
As extreme climate events become more prevalent, are you seeing a shift in farming practices, specifically within the winemaking industry?
Yes, there is a major shift among younger farmers and viticulturists. The Australian winemaking industry is extremely proactive in this area. I believe most farmers understand that reducing our footprint on the planet will ultimately reduce extreme climate activity.
For example, our Winery/vineyard is going through its audit procedure to be certified carbon neutral. Farmers don’t have the capability to solve and stop climate change alone, but we can surely adapt our activities. Offsets should be created by carbon farming on your own farm though, not buying illegitimate third-world offsets.
What are your main changes right now for adapting to a changing climate?
Climate change has increased the challenges of growing varieties like merlot and cinsault in our vineyard. Heatwaves have become longer and more severe.
2017 – 2020 was a harsh drought that forced us to address our lack of available water. This past season we have experienced severe flooding across our entire property causing widespread crop loss due to water damage and trafficability. We have implemented cover cropping, straw mulching, wire lifting, shoot thinning, and reduced tractor runs to mitigate the effects of climate change. This season we only used the tractor for fungicide sprays, reducing compaction in the vineyard due to flooding. New warm climate-tolerant varieties such as Grenache Blanc and Tempranillo have been selected to plant in 2023.