Parlaying environmentally friendly farming practices into a marketing advantage through "ecological labeling" of California winegrapes will be discussed during a Feb. 4 conference at Sacramento's Radisson Hotel. "'Eco-labeling' offers consumers a choice and growers a potential marketplace advantage for using environmentally sound growing practices," says Jenny Broome, of the UC Davis-based Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, co-sponsor of the conference. Participants will include winegrape growers, winery representatives, wine retailers, consumer advocates, university researchers and pest control advisers. Conference presentations will draw upon lessons learned from ongoing eco-labeling efforts for other agricultural products and from the organic certification process. Speakers will present information on retail developments that support eco-labels, local and regional marketing programs, and the implications for California winegrape growers and wineries. Results of a survey of California wineries and their interest in eco-labeling will be presented by Clifford Ohmart of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission. The conference is co-sponsored by the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Robert Mondavi Winery. .