The Whole Farm Podcast
The Whole Farm Podcast is brought to you by CHONEX.
Whole-farm planning is at the center of regenerative agriculture and at the core of the conversations on this podcast. Each episode explores how soil health, nutrient management, crop performance, and farm economics are interconnected, and why managing them as a system matters.
Featuring growers, agronomists, researchers, and industry partners, The Whole Farm Podcast focuses on practical, data-driven insights that support long-term farm resilience. From nitrogen efficiency and soil biology to regenerative practices and operational decision-making, these conversations are designed to help farms function better as a whole.
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The Whole Farm Podcast
Vineyard Soil Health & Microbial Biology: Improving Vine Resilience with Misha Vandal
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What if the biggest lever for healthier vines, better fruit quality, and more resilient vineyards is belowground?
In this episode, microbiologist and Napa Valley vineyard consultant Misha Vandal shares results from multi-site vineyard trials focused on soil health, vineyard management, and rebuilding microbial communities. We dig into how shifting the soil microbiome can support nutrient cycling, reduce fungal disease pressure, and even improve yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN)—a key quality metric for winemaking.
Misha also explains why compost teas can work but often don’t scale, and what makes a broad microbial community approach more consistent than single-strain inoculants.
If you manage wine grapes and are navigating heat stress, drought, grapevine red blotch, trunk diseases, or soil carbon decline, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why vineyard soil biology is becoming central to modern viticulture
- How soil microbial imbalance can contribute to vine stress and decline
- Key grower challenges: heat, drought, water stress, viral disease, and trunk diseases
- Trial results showing increases in beneficial microbes (including Pseudomonas and Bacillus)
- How one site moved from 0 YAN to 80 mg/L YAN after treatments
- Compost tea: why it’s valuable—and why it’s hard to scale across large acreage
- Practical tips for pairing microbial applications with biochar, soy hydrolysate, minerals, and low-dose sugars
About Our Guest: Misha Vandal
Misha Vandal is a microbiologist and independent crop consultant based in Napa Valley. With a background in microbial ecology and soil biology, he specializes in integrating regenerative agriculture practices into vineyard nutrient management systems.
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If you’re navigating vine decline, nutrient inefficiency, or soil degradation in your vineyard, this episode offers practical, research-backed insight into how rebuilding soil microbial communities can support stronger vines and better wine.
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