If you make your living in agriculture today, your focus has to be on more than just tending your livestock or getting a crop into and out of the ground.

Scientific advancements in seed choices, equipment, technology, animal welfare and environmental issues all play a part.

And regardless of your product, sustainability is the watch-word for everyone involved, protecting the land and preserving the natural resources that make farming possible.

In California wine country, sustainability involves issues that center on soil conditions, water conservation and energy efficiency.

All to turn out award winning wines.

>> It's a region famous for its scenery as well as the beverages it produces.

And protecting these spectacular hills and valleys of California's wine country has taken on new urgency in light of a statewide drought and a higher profile of environmental concerns.

>> Perhaps fitting to its famous name, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery has the look of a sumptuous Hollywood set.

The Coppola winery produces dozens of award winning vintages on a site with its own Hollywood-esque museum and famous restaurant.

But key to the operation here is sustaining the land which provides the essential ingredients for great grapes and exceptional wine.

>> You know, sustainability is such a buzz word now, but what does it really mean?

>> In a nutshell it's doing the right thing, right?

And so what I mean by that is, is that looking at things in terms of your, your waste, okay?

And what we're doing with waste water, and using that in the vineyard instead of just putting it back into, into the ground, and now using that to irrigate what we can do.

So, it's looking at things differently.

Bee colonies, you know, that's another aspect and we have bee colonies on the property as well.

The wine growers of Sonoma County have made a pledge to become certified sustainable in 5 years.

So that means the entire county being certified, every single grower.

>> As you might expect conserving water is at the heart of sustainability here.

Every drop that goes to every vine.

>> Wine grapes need a lot less water than you would presume they do.

And every year that goes by we learn more about technology, we learn more about vine physiology, and how much water we don't really need to put on.

>> Even in a time of drought!

>> Even in the time of drought.

In fact you know what?

The drought probably made us better because it required us to get better.

>> Some of that same innovation takes place at the nearby Rodney Strong Vineyards.

The focus here includes wildlife protection and soil conservation as well as targeted watering in the vineyards.

This winery began more than 50 years ago, when celebrated American dancer Rodney Strong fulfilled a lifelong dream of creating distinctive wines.

On this afternoon, the tasting room is bustling with visitors and, outside, wine grower Ryan Decker is checking his crop.

>> Part of the sustainability program is, is not only doing the best that you can, but also, you know, it has to be economically feasible, you know, as far as fungicides go, or pesticides, we make sure that we absolutely have to use that tool, it's called the economic threshold.

Drip irrigation on every single vine helps control runoff and excessive watering.

>> And cutting edge technology also plays a role.

At the Coppola Winery, aerial overviews even give growers pinpoint information on water needs for specific fields and planting areas.

For vintners that kind of detail enhances environmental choices.

>> There's a lot of really neat technology that's coming down the pike that's a lot of really exciting things, We participate in a fish family farming program that has more to do with sediment control, erosion control, and keeping it all out of our rivers and streams that we have around here.

>> Growers and winemakers recognize that production changes like these can not only improve their products but show consumers that they are good stewards of the land.

Hundreds of California vineyards have signed up to take part in certified sustainability efforts.

>> Certification really is important if you want to be talking about your sustainability in the marketplace or with your stakeholders because it really adds that third-party credibility.

Self-assessment is really important too, just really taking a step back and looking at every aspect of your operations.

So in the vineyard you're looking at things like soil and water.

>> Back at Francis Ford Coppola Winery, even waste water is being purified to the highest levels.

This machine purifies and recycles an astounding 2 million gallons of waste water each year.

>> There's sort of three stages where you can see the water comes in, the water gets treated, it looks kind of a little bit dirty, soily, and then this is what it looks like in the final stage.

>> Oh wow, that's clear!

>> Yes.

>> And that goes on the vines.

>> So this is what goes on the vines.

>> Sustaining a resource that's critical to the image of a world famous industry.

>> In the past 2 years the amount of improvement we've been able to do is mind blowing, I never thought we could do it, and I can't wait for the next two, three, ten years to come and see what we can do in the future.

>> Californians like their wine!

Not only does the Golden State produce more than 80% of the wine made in America.

Californians drink a lot of it as well, enjoying, on average one of every five bottles consumed in the U.S.

But what about those calories?

Well, a four ounce glass contains about 80 to 100 calories.

Here's the good news.

Wine is fat free and cholesterol free.