California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • USDA California Walnut Nursery Sales Report Reveals Steady Decline

    Combined sales of walnut trees to California growers were 6,444 acres for the 2021 crop year and 10,650 acres for the 2020 crop year. The majority of tree sales in 2021 were Seedlings, at 62% of new plantings. The Chandler variety came in second at 30%. For 2020, Seedlings were the largest percentage of new plantings at 58%, with the Chandler variety coming in second at 35%. The remaining percentages by variety can be seen in the pie charts.  Based on reported nursery sales data, planted walnut acreage for year 2021 was down by 12,471 acres from just five years prior. The table below reveals a steady downward trend in walnut nursery sales in the last several years, likely correlated with increased global competition, softening prices and drought conditions in the state.

    OBJECTIVE

    The primary objective of the California Walnut Nursery Sales Report survey is to estimate planted acres by variety for the 2020 and 2021 crop years based on the number of walnut trees sold for new plantings. This report summarizes data supplied by California nurseries throughout the State who sold to walnut growers for commercial plantings. Results from this survey will be used in conjunction with the Walnut Acreage Survey to estimate the walnut acres in California.

    PROCEDURES

    Questionnaires were mailed to all known walnut nurseries in California, and responses were received from most operations. Nurseries that did not report data were estimated. The nurseries were asked to report the number of trees sold by variety for commercial plantings, and to estimate the percentage of trees sold for new plantings. Acres planted by variety were then estimated based on the data reported. Acre estimates were calculated using the reported number of trees sold, along with the trees per acre by variety from the Walnut Acreage Survey.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    The USDA, NASS Pacific Regional Office sincerely appreciates the nurseries for providing the information. A special thanks goes to the California Walnut Board for providing funding and support for this special Walnut Nursery Sales Report survey.

  • Navel Oranges Dominate CA Citrus Production, Mandarin Acreage on the Rise

    The Pacific Regional Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts an acreage survey of California citrus growers as funding is available. The purpose of this survey is to provide bi-annual citrus acreage, which includes information on new plantings and removals. It is the continuation of a long series of industry-funded Citrus Acreage surveys. Resulting data reveals that the navel orange by far continues to dominant California citrus acreage and production; however, while bearing acreage of navels has been on a decline, mandarins and mandarin hybrids are trending higher than in previous years, with a significant amount of nonbearing acreage in the ground this year.  Overall, the industry has seen an increase in citrus acreage over the past couple years in the state.

    Users are cautioned that this report consists of two parts:

      • ➢  Table1 shows estimated statewide bearing acreage for the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

      • ➢  Tables 2, 3, and 4 show detailed acreage data by type, variety, and year planted — as voluntarily reported by citrus growers and maintained in NASS’ database.

    With perfect information, the estimated statewide bearing acreage and the detailed acreage data would be the same. Generally, this will not be the case for the following reasons:

    • ➢  A voluntary survey of approximately 5,400 citrus growers is unlikely to ever attain 100 percent completeness.

    • ➢  It is difficult for USDA/NASS to detect growers who are planting citrus for the first time. 

    PROCEDURES

    The major source of the citrus detailed acreage data was a questionnaire mailed to all citrus growers currently in NASS’ database. The mailing was sent in January 2022. The questionnaire contained previously reported crop, variety, and acreage information preprinted. Producers were asked to update the information with new plantings, removals, and any other corrections. New growers were mailed a blank questionnaire. Growers were given about eight weeks to respond by mail. A telephone follow-up was then undertaken. Data collection ended in July 2022.

    To arrive at the estimated statewide bearing acreage, the NASS citrus acreage database was compared with pesticide application data maintained by County Agricultural Commissioners and the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    The USDA, NASS Pacific Regional Office sincerely appreciates the many orchard operators, owners, and management firms that provided their acreage information. Funding for the survey was provided by the California Citrus industry.

  • Celebration of the Life and Legacy of World Renown UC Apiculturist Eric Mussen

    Dr. Mussen, a 38-year California Cooperative Extension apiculturist and an invaluable member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty, died Friday, June 3 at his home in Davis from liver cancer. He was 78.

    Known to all as “Eric,” he joined the UC Davis entomology department in 1976. Although he retired in 2014, he continued his many activities until a few weeks prior to his death. For nearly four decades, he drew praise as “the honey bee guru,” “the pulse of the bee industry” and as “the go-to person” when consumers, scientists, researchers, students, and the news media sought answers about honey bees. Colleagues described him as the “premier authority on bees and pollination in California, and one of the top beekeeping authorities nationwide,” “a treasure to the beekeeping industry,” and “a walking encyclopedia when it comes to honey bees.” Among those featuring him and his expertise: The Lehrer Hour, BBC, Good Morning America, National Public Radio (Science Friday), The New York Times,  Boston Globe,  and The Los Angeles Times.

    “Eric was a giant in the field of apiculture,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “The impact of his work stretched far beyond California.” (See tributes at https://bit.ly/3wpnPrc)

    Registration open for Webinar

    Attendance to the UC Davis-sponsored event celebrating the life and legacy of UC Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, an internationally respected “honey bee guru,” is closed, but UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal will live-stream the event on Zoom. It will be permanently housed on YouTube.

    Registration for the Zoom webinar is underway at https://bit.ly/3dIyAhG. The YouTube account is at https://youtu.be/Kj5NuQ_rBuo. The webinar starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Aug. 28.

    As part of the webinar, Dr. Leal has interviewed local, state and national officials.

    The program at the Putah Creek Lodge will include:

    Welcome Address and Introduction of the Chancellor

    Dr. Steve Nadler, professor and chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology

    Tribute to Eric Mussen

    UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May

    Remembering Eric Mussen

    Gene Brandi of Los Banos, Emcee
    Brandi, who served with Eric Mussen for 37 of his 39 years on the California State Beekeeping Association’s Board of Directors, currently chairs the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc. He also served as president of American Beekeeping Federation and chaired both the California Apiary Board and National Honey Board.

    Remembrances of My Dad
    Dr. Timothy Mussen, older son of Eric and Helen Mussen

    Remembering Eric Mussen

    Robert “Bob” Curtis, Carmichael, former director of Agricultural Affairs, Almond Board of California

    A Tribute to Eric Mussen

    Ettamarie Peterson, veteran 4-H beekeeping project leader of the Liberty 4-H Club, Petaluma, a past president of the Sonoma County Beekeepers’ Association, and a close friend of Mussen’s.

    Open Microphone

    With Emcee Gene Brandi

    Special Musical Performances 

    Frank Fox will emcee the special performances. Bill Cavins will direct Tune Up, a doo wop group.  Eric enjoyed singing with the Davis doo wop groups.

    The live stream event is expected to be draw a large, appreciative crowd. “Eric was an icon in the beekeeping and almond industries and a friend of everyone, no matter if they were a 4-H’er with one hive or a large commercial scale operation with thousands of hives or someone just interested in bees,” said Dr. Leal, a UC Davis distinguished professor of biochemistry, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and a former chair of the Department of Entomology. Leal, who has organized and moderated dozens of webinars dealing with worldwide scientific organizations, received the UC Davis Academic Senate’s 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award for his series of webinars educating the public about COVID.

    Family and friends suggest memorial contributions be made to the California State 4-H Beekeeping Program, with a note, “Eric Mussen Memorial Fund.” Checks may be be made out to:

    California 4-H Foundation
    Attn: Development Services (Eric Mussen Memorial Fund, California State 4-H Beekeeping Program)
    2801 Second Street
    Davis, CA 95618

    For more information, contact Mary Ciricillo, Director of Development, California 4-H Foundation, UC ANR, at mciricillo@ucanr.edu.

  • Competition Winners Showcase Recipe Innovation Using California’s Hispanic-Style Cheese

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced the winners of the 2022 Cal-Mex Invitational – its inaugural culinary competition to find the nation’s top recipes that incorporate Hispanic-style cheeses and dairy from California with Mexican cuisine and California flavors.

    Chefs Chad Clevenger of Atlanta, Ga., Claud Beltran of Pasadena, Calif., and Marco Colin of Chicago, Ill., won $5,000 each in the cook-off finals while competing in three meal categories: Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert. Each chef received a trophy, $5,000 cash prize and the distinction of being a Cal-Mex culinary pioneer.

    The event is a new foodservice competition that celebrates Cal-Mex, an emerging trend in foodservice nationwide. Cal-Mex marries California and Mexican cuisines and spotlights recipes featuring California cheese and dairy products.

    The cook-off finals, which took place at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, Calif., included six professional chefs selected from a group of culinary experts from throughout the U.S. who submitted recipes in the three categories for review by the judging panel.

    Three nationally recognized chefs judged the live event: Ben Diaz, Executive Chef of Leoness Cellars in Southern California; Claudette Zepeda, San Diego-based Chef and Culinary Entrepreneur; and Barbara Alexander, California-based Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator. The judges scored dishes in each category based on factors including taste, innovation, and creative use of Hispanic-style cheeses and dairy products made with Real California Milk.

    The winning chefs and dishes for the 2022 Cal-Mex Invitational are:

    Appetizer Category Winner: La Menonita en El Molcajete

    • Chad Clevenger, Owner of pop-up restaurant El Nido Del Buho in Atlanta, Ga. and formerly at Alma Cocina in Atlanta as well as Mel’s Bar & Grill and Porker Street Food Cart in Denver, Colo.
    • Chad’s winning La Menonita en El Molcajete recipe features tortilla-crusted, fried Real California Queso Menonita, served with fresh salsa verde and presented in an authentic Mexican Molcajete.

    Entrée Category Winner: Grilled Panela and Eggplant

    • Claud Beltran, Chef/Co-Owner at Claud & Co. Bacchus Kitchen in Pasadena, Calif. and formerly of California-based food, catering and restaurant companies Evo Company, Beverly Hills Wine Merchant, Barbara West, and Dickenson West.
    • Claud took home the prize for his Grilled Panela and Eggplant recipe, a plant-forward signature entrée featuring California Panela cheese, eggplant, squash and corn with pops of fried Cotija cheese.

    Dessert Category Winner: Winter Corn

    • Marco Colin, Chef at La Luna in Chicago, Ill. And formerly of The Publican, Alinea and Soho House in Chicago.
    • Marco’s winning Winter Corn dessert relies on Real California Queso Fresco as the base for a luscious ice cream, served on a sweet corn cake and topped with buttery caramel sauce.

    “The competition demonstrated how Hispanic-style cheeses from California can be the centerpiece for standout dishes across multiple meal parts,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “The winning recipes displayed tremendous innovation in the use of California dairy as ingredients and each chef’s take on the marriage of California and Mexican cuisine. We look forward to sharing these concepts and insights on the category with operators interested in tapping into the Cal-Mex trend.”

    Competition recap videos, including the live awards ceremony for each category, can be found on the CMAB Foodservice YouTube channel.  Additional details are available on the Cal-Mex Invitational site.

    California leads the nation in the production of Hispanic-style cheeses, headlined by Queso Fresco, Quesadilla, Cotija, Oaxaca, and Panela. The Golden State is also the nation’s largest producer of milk, butter, ice cream, and nonfat dry milk. California milk and dairy products can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made with sustainably sourced milk from the state’s dairy farm families. California boasts an impressive lineup of award-winning cheesemakers and dairy processors that are helping to drive dining innovation.

    About Real California Milk/the California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs.

    The Foodservice Division of the CMAB supports foodservice operators and distributors that use Real California dairy products. The CMAB offers marketing and promotional support for foodservice operators that purchase dairy products with the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with 100 percent milk from California’s more than 1,100 family dairy farms, using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the nation.

    For more information on sourcing cheese from California, contact the foodservice team at 209.883.6455 (MILK), businessdevelopment@cmab.net or RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

  • Still Time to Respond to the California Irrigation Survey

    USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Pacific Regional Office wants recipients of the California Irrigation Survey to know that there is still time to respond. Survey recipients may respond securely online at www.agcounts.usda.gov, by phone or mail.

    In July, NASS mailed the survey to around 20,000 California farmers and ranchers. A joint project between NASS, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Department of Water Resources, the California Irrigation Survey measures irrigation methods used within the state.

    “The data gathered will be compared with earlier surveys (1972, 1980, 1991, 2001, 2010, and 2016) to study how irrigation methods are changing and to make projections of future changes.” said Richard Snyder, Emeritus Biometeorology Specialist, University of California, Davis.

    All information reported by individuals will be kept confidential, as required by federal law. For assistance with the survey, producers can call the NASS Pacific Regional Office at (800) 851-1127. 

  • Third Generation Family-Owned Sangiacomo Vineyards Celebrates 95 Years in Sonoma County

    The pioneering Sangiacomo family, leaders in sustainable grape growing in Sonoma County, are honored to celebrate 95 years of farming and stewardship in Sonoma.

    The Sangiacomo family’s roots in Sonoma County began on August 30, 1927, when founder Vittorio Sangiacomo signed the deed to the 55-acre Eden Dale ranch, at the southern end of the Sonoma Valley in what is now the Carneros appellation. The historic agricultural property, dating back to the mid-1800s, was at the time an award-winning fruit tree farm, planted to apples, pears, peaches, prunes and cherries. Though Vittorio and family first found success focusing on the cultivation of pear trees, the Sangiacomos shifted their agricultural focus when they planted their first Sonoma vineyard, Green Acres, in 1969. For the past 53 years, the family has continued their farming heritage by growing premium cool-climate wine grapes from their 1,600 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards in Carneros, the Petaluma Gap, and Sonoma Coast. Along with launching their namesake wine brand in 2016, they are proud to continue to work with over 70 wineries, many with long-lasting relationships spanning decades.

    The original Eden Dale property, now known as the Sangiacomo family “Home Ranch,” is the heart and soul of the family business. It’s where the second and third generations of the family learned the value of stewardship and sustainability, and where, 95 years later, they continue their long-standing tradition in farming. The 110-acre Home Ranch is also home to the Sangiacomo Family Wines tasting room, where visitors can taste small-lot Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the family’s historic vineyards, while gaining insight into the history of the family and the land they’ve farmed for nearly a century.

    “When my brother Mike, sister Mia and I reflect on 95 years of farming, commitment, passion, and family heritage come to mind,” says Steve Sangiacomo, third-generation partner. “From the progression of growing pears to wine grapes, three generations have worked side-by-side and have shared the vision to seek opportunity, take risks, and evolve our family business. We would not be where we are today without the knowledge and values we learned from our grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunt. It’s an honor to continue our family’s agricultural journey, planting the seeds to enable future generations to build upon this legacy.”

    To celebrate this near-century milestone, the Sangiacomos are releasing the remaining amounts of their Home Ranch Chardonnay from their library, including the inaugural 2016 vintage, along with many of their other exclusive estate bottlings. All are available at the Sangiacomo Home Ranch tasting room, located two miles south of the Sonoma Plaza.

    About Sangiacomo Vineyards

    As multigenerational Sonoma farmers with roots tracing back to 1927, the Sangiacomo family have continued their farming heritage by growing premium cool-climate grapes from their 1,600 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards. Widely recognized as leading growers in California, the Sangiacomos also make estate wines for their own label, Sangiacomo Family Wines. A true family business with over 50 years of grape growing experience, they bring unparalleled knowledge and expertise, and lead with a commitment to quality and authenticity in all areas of operations. Working with acclaimed winemaker James MacPhail, the family produces limited quantities of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines that express the character of the land they’ve farmed for 95 years, and hope to call home, for generations. For more information, visit www.sangiacomowines.com.

  • Valley Congressional Representatives Host Ag Roundtable

    Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) and Congresswoman Connie Conway (CA-22) recently hosted a roundtable discussion with local leaders in the agriculture community to discuss how ongoing drought conditions, labor shortages, input costs, and supply chain disruptions are impacting the Central Valley agricultural sector. Roundtable participants also shared suggestions for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill.

    “Agriculture is the backbone of our Central Valley community, but our farmers, ranchers, and producers are facing a long list of challenges,” said Congressman Valadao. “Ongoing drought conditions and low water allocations, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions are having a severe impact on our Central Valley agriculture sector. I appreciated the opportunity to have productive conversations about how we overcome these challenges to continue providing food for the nation.”

    “Our Valley is built on agriculture, and Congressman David Valadao is an indispensable voice for our farmers and ranchers. I thank him for bringing together agricultural leaders across the Valley to discuss the water crisis, labor shortages, and other pressing ag issues. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Valadao and other Valley representatives in Congress to address these ongoing concerns,” shared Congresswoman Conway.

    Congressman Valadao was joined in the roundtable discussion by:

      • Matthew Watkins, Citrus Farmer and President of Tulare County Farm Bureau
      • Stewart Fleeman, CFO of Porterville Citrus, Inc.
      • Marina Abitia, Regulatory Compliance & Food Safety Officer of Porterville Citrus, Inc.
      • Christopher P. Greer, Assistant Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights & Measures County of Tulare
      • Jimmy Hook, Agricultural Commissioner-Sealer of Kings County Department of Agriculture
      • Justin Mendes, General Manager of North Fork Kings GSA
      • Dusty Ference, Executive Director of Kings County Farm Bureau

  • Innovation Competition Finalists Highlight Dairy as an Ingredient in Everything from Biomaterials and Textiles to Global Foods & Beverages

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced eight finalists in the Real California Milk Excelerator, a partnership with innovation consultancy VentureFuel. The program is focused on identifying, curating, and accelerating dairy-based products – including traditional consumer food and beverage items, textiles and beyond. The competition will award up to $500,000 in prizes for startups that introduce novel benefits and drive use of California milk and dairy in formulations.

    In its fourth year, the 2022 Real California Milk Excelerator advances innovation in its truest state: open. As one of the biggest dairy competitions in the world, the program seeks early-stage applicants with high-growth potential that create a 50% cow’s milk-based product or working prototype.

    “We launched the Excelerator to foster a culture of innovation in support of California dairy and this year’s contestants certainly delivered on our high expectations. Our ‘Open Innovation’ finalists’ focus on themes important to the next generation of consumers: sustainable sourcing and use of upcycled materials; clean labels and benefits from convenience to function; and global flavors and ingredients,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “It’s exciting to take the next step with each of these candidates in preparation for the final pitch event.”

    The eight members of the 2022 Real California Milk Excelerator cohort are:

    Dosa by DOSA (Chico, Calif.) – Indian yogurt Lassi drinks.

    Board at Home (Chico, Calif.) – E-commerce company, offering an experience of artisanal crafted cheeses and products shipped directly to consumers’ homes.

    Goon with the Spoon (Danville, Calif.) – Specialty super premium ice cream from hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, and chef Earl “E-40” Stevens.

    Mi Terro (City of Industry, Calif.) – A first-of-its kind, venture-backed synthetic biology and advanced material company that engineers biomass waste into compostable biomaterials to end microplastic.

    Neutral Foods (Gustine, Calif.) – Organic Half and Half product that has a carbon neutral footprint.

    Pariva (Boston, Mass.) – Spreadable marinated yogurt bites.

    Tres Lecheria (La Habra, Calif.) – Traditional and flavored Tres Leches cakes.

    Wheyward Spirit (Sonoma, Calif.) – A clear, specialty spirit upcycled and distilled from whey.

    “This VentureFuel innovation program for CMAB was designed to uncover the many uses of dairy,” said Fred Schonenberg, Founder and CEO of VentureFuel, Inc., the corporate innovation advisory firm that curated and runs the Excelerator. “Our curation of new startup solutions, especially the finalists, demonstrates the many ways dairy can innovate to connect with the next generation of consumers, showcasing sustainable options, creative packaging, new markets and direct-to-consumer approaches.”

    Each member of the cohort will have access to a group stipend and a robust network of resources to refine and scale their product and business. They will also participate in the CMAB/VentureFuel Mentorship Program, consisting of elite counsel from successful founders, investors, leading corporate executives, and experts across design, marketing, sales, manufacturing, distribution, farming, and processing industries.

    Finalists will participate in a pitch event Wednesday, November 2nd in San Carlos, Calif. where all eight companies will present before a live audience and panel of industry expert judges.

    For the first time, up to four of the eight startups will receive $50,000 each to grow and expand their product in California. One of the participating companies will win an additional $100,000 grand prize by establishing their presence in California and exhibiting the most promising growth. The competition awards have a total value of half a million dollars.

    California, known for innovation, has a reputation for quality dairy products. As the number one milk producer in the U.S., California also leads the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. More than 1,100 family dairy farms produce the milk found in fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products identified by the Real California Milk seal.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

    About VentureFuel, Inc.

    Founded in 2014, VentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory that helps the world’s best organizations ignite change through startup collaborations. Its innovation programs include Diagnostics, Corporate Accelerators and Commercial Pilots; and focus on solving clients’ biggest challenges by driving greater efficiencies across their supply chain; closing strategic capability gaps; and identifying emerging business models. VentureFuel provides organizations like Hershey’s, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, AARP Foundation and the States of California and New York the tools to drive transformative change with less risk, more speed, and greater proximity to the consumer than traditional innovation models. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. You can listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast on Apple, Spotify or Simplecast.

  • Abby Hammermeister of UC Davis Wins National Grape Research Alliance Inaugural Award

    In Spring 2022, the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) announced the NGRA Fellowship, offering $30,000 per year for up to three years to a Ph.D. student conducting research addressing one or more of NGRA’s industry research priorities. In addition to the monetary award, the doctoral fellowship also includes a unique opportunity to receive mentorship, exposure to commercial grape production and networking with the organization’s national Board of Directors, representing all sectors and regions of the American grape and wine industry. The NGRA Fellowship is made possible by a grant from the NGRA Research Fund.

    “Many of the legends of grape science are retiring, and a tremendous wave of talented new scientists are coming up—it’s a unique window of opportunity we wanted to leverage,” said NGRA Board Chairman Russell Smithyman. “We established the NGRA Fellowship to begin to initiate and nurture lifelong relationships with promising Ph.D.-level students who aspire to make a career helping to advance grape and wine science through innovative, industry-priority grape research. It’s an exciting initiative for an exciting time in our industry.”

    The inaugural NGRA Fellow is Abby Hammermeister (shown above), a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in Biophysics as a member of the McElrone USDA-ARS Plant Physiology Lab at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Her proposed research, “From Leaves to Space: Linking Physiological Responses to Stress with Proximal Sensing Systems,” focuses on how grapevines’ complex response to heat and drought may be monitored and ultimately managed using proximal sensors and other technologies. In her NGRA Fellowship application, Ms. Hammermeister explained that, as an undergraduate student, she discovered the field of biophysics and its applications to plants. Her research “helped me realize that I could apply my quantitative and computational skills to studying plants and sustainable agriculture,” with a specific interest in water management and grapes and vineyard systems.

    Nick Dokoozlian, Vice President – Winegrowing Research at E. & J. Gallo Winery and NGRA Research Chair said, “Abby is an impressive young scientist, who is passionate about applying basic research to further elucidate the bio-physical mechanisms related to grapevine water use. We are anxious to learn how her research progresses and have no doubt that both she and her work will be assets to the industry.

    “We are also very pleased to further strengthen our relationship with Abby’s Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Andrew McElrone of the USDA-ARS and UC Davis,” Dr. Dokoozlian continued. “Andrew and the members of his laboratory are highly respected researchers working on the cutting edge of new technologies to improve vineyard irrigation management. Our industry continues to benefit significantly from their research to increase grapevine water use efficiency.”

    A native of Cheney, Washington, Ms. Hammermeister earned her bachelor of arts degree in Biology with a minor in Mathematics at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. Her undergraduate research was funded by a Connie Callahan Munzenrider CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) Scholar award in 2019 and, in coming to UC Davis in 2021, she received the university’s highly competitive Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship for her first year of study.

    “Abby has a bright future as an academic or federal researcher, and can make significant contributions to the grape industry,” said Andrew McElrone, USDA-ARS Research Plant Physiologist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, who serves as Ms. Hammermeister’s academic advisor. “Support from the NGRA Fellowship will help to ensure that she is working exclusively on grape research and applying her computational and quantitative skills to real-world problems across grape commodities.”

    “The opportunity to connect with industry mentors and do research in commercial vineyard settings is a great way to help me better understand how I could contribute to advancing applied research in grapes,” Ms. Hammermeister said. “I welcome these partnerships and the insights into potential career options in the grape industry for Ph.D.-level scientists.”

    Ms. Hammermeister was one of 13 Ph.D. students who applied for the NGRA Fellowship. The applicants spanned the U.S., representing California, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Texas and Washington. The research projects they proposed addressed remote sensing and mapping; disease, pest and irrigation management; yield estimation; vineyard soil health; genetics and grapevine breeding and more. And their academic advisors are a who’s who of scientists working in grape today.

    “We were humbled by the response from the academic community to our call for entries for the NGRA Fellowship and overwhelmed by the quality of the 13 top-notch applications we received,” said NGRA President Donnell Brown. “These young scientists already are setting a high bar for grape research, and their pursuit of doctorate degrees in grape and wine science underscores their commitment to the industry. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and are excited to be part of Abby’s promising career.”

    ABOUT THE NATIONAL GRAPE RESEARCH ALLIANCE

    The National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) was organized in 2005 as a strategic planning organization for research to strengthen the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of America’s grape and wine industry. The nonprofit organization unites all grape sectors including raisin, juice, table and wine grapes together with researchers and grant funders in a unique collaborative effort that focuses on initiating game-changing, national-level research to advance the industry. For more information, visit graperesearch.org.

  • California Olive Oil Crop Estimate at 1.8 Million Gallons

    The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) Board of Directors has established a pre-season crop estimate of 1.8 million gallons for the 2022/23 season. The estimate is down significantly from the 2021/22 season when just over 3 million gallons were produced by OOCC members, who represent approximately 90 percent of California’s olive oil production.

    The Board also reviewed and adopted a budget for the OOCC’s 2022/23 fiscal year. The assessment rate remains at 16 cents per gallon and is mandatory for producers with 5,000 gallons or more of olive oil per year.

    The budget for OOCC expenses was approved at $416,000 with an additional $97,848 set aside in reserves. The OOCC expected expenditures breakdown as follows: $110,000 for the Testing and Sampling Program; $105,000 for Research; $38,000 for Outreach and $160,100 for Administration and Operations.