North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) — The New York Times’ The Daily podcast’s examination of the beef and cattle markets is simply wrong.
The beef and cattle industry is a complex marvel of American ingenuity with innovations that have allowed the US beef industry to produce more meat with fewer cattle, while improving sustainability, food safety, affordability, worker safety and beef quality.
There are many steps in the beef value chain: cow calf operators, feeders, packers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and food service entities. To suggest only packers have a role in determining prices is misleading.
The Times narrowed its focus to the struggles of one moment in a global pandemic and ignored that since the summer of 2021, prices for cattle producers have rebounded.
In fact, cattle producers are earning the highest prices for their animals since 2014, which was the previous highest year on record. Multiple agricultural economists have predicted in congressional testimony, op-eds, and reports that, given a black swan event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the markets have behaved predictably. They also predict that the cattle herd in America will shrink over the next two to three years, drawing down supply.
The laws of supply and demand apply to packers as well as producers. While we cannot predict the future, we can learn from the past.
In 2014, the last year of record profit margins for cattle producers, due to drought and other market conditions, there was a shortage of cattle and beef packers lost money. This led some of them to close packing facilities or to go out of business.
The podcast leads the listener to believe that beef industry consolidation is increasing when it has had the same four firm ratio for nearly 30 years.
If The Daily’s listeners would like to learn more about beef packing and processing, they can go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s economists for the facts.
Supply and demand:
Packers do not always profit:
Beef prices rising at retail:
Packer share of consumer dollar is the lowest:
About North American Meat Institute
The Meat Institute is the United States’ oldest and largest trade association representing packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal, turkey, and processed meat products. NAMI members include more than 350 meat packing and processing companies, the majority of which have fewer than 100 employees, and account for more than 95 percent of the United States’ output of meat and 70 percent of turkey production.
The Bureau of Reclamation is making its initial 2022 selection of 13 projects for $20.5 million in grants to build long-term drought resiliency. These projects will leverage more than $66.7 million in non-federal funding to complete projects in five states.
“Climate change presents growing challenges to our communities across the West and the natural systems that we all depend on,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. “The Department of the Interior will continue to work with our partners to develop innovative solutions that address the challenges we face.”
Reclamation will fund the projects through supplemental appropriations included in the first fiscal year 2022 continuing resolution. Reclamation may select additional drought resiliency projects once the regular fiscal year 2022 appropriations have been received. Applicants are being notified of project funding on a rolling basis.
“The Western United States is experiencing unprecedented dryness and drought,” said Chief Engineer David Raff. “This WaterSMART funding will help communities be more resilient and diversify their water supplies as climate change makes droughts worse.”
Reclamation’s Drought Response Program is part of WaterSMART. It supports a proactive approach to drought by providing water managers assistance to implement projects to build long-term resiliency to drought and climate change while supporting President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.
The 13 selected projects are:
Bear River Water Conservancy District (Utah), $2 million
Bella Vista Water District (California), $2 million
Casitas Municipal Water District (California), $2 million
City of Fresno (California), $293,450
City of Gallup (New Mexico), $2 million
City of Grand Junction (Colorado), $300,000
Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District (California), $2 million
Deschutes Irrigation District (Oregon), $1,370,473
North Kern Water Storage District (California), $500,000
Rancho California Water District (California), $2 million
San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (California), $2 million
South Coast Water District (California), $2 million
South San Joaquin Municipal Utility District (California), $2 million
Through WaterSMART, Reclamation works cooperatively with states, tribes, and local entities to plan for and implement actions to increase water supply reliability through investments to modernize existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. Visit www.usbr.gov/watersmart to learn more.
Reclamation’s efforts will be boosted by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investments in water efficiency and recycling programs, water storage, rural water projects, watershed projects, dam safety and other projects that will ensure that western communities have the opportunity to leverage federal funding for their benefit.
Agricultural producers and landowners can sign up soon for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a cornerstone conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a key tool in the Biden Administration effort to address climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits. The General CRP signup will run from Jan. 31 to March 11, and the Grassland CRP signup will run from April 4 to May 13.
“We highly encourage farmers, ranchers and private landowners to consider the enrollment options available through CRP,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). “Last year, we rolled out a better, bolder program, and we highly encourage you to consider its higher payment rates and other incentives. CRP is another way that we’re putting producers and landowners at the center of climate-smart solutions that generate revenue and benefit our planet.”
Producers and landowners enrolled 4.6 million acres into CRP signups in 2021, including 2.5 million acres in the largest Grassland CRP signup in history. There are currently 22.1 million acres enrolled, and FSA is aiming to reach the 25.5-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2022.
CRP Signups
General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland.
Meanwhile, Grassland CRP is a working lands program, helping landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland and certain other lands, while maintaining the areas as working grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations and provides important carbon sequestration benefits to deliver lasting climate outcomes.
Alongside these programs, producers and landowners can enroll acres in Continuous CRP under the ongoing sign up, which includes projects available through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE).
Climate Benefits
Last year, FSA enacted a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive for CRP General and Continuous signups, to better target CRP on addressing climate change. This incentive aims to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CRP’s climate-smart practices include establishment of trees and permanent grasses, development of wildlife habitat and wetland restoration. The Climate-Smart Practice Incentive is annual, and the amount is based on the benefits of each practice type.
Additionally, in order to better target the program toward climate outcomes, USDA invested $10 million last year in the CRP Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation (MAE) program to measure and monitor the soil carbon and climate resilience impacts of conservation practices over the life of new CRP contracts. This will enable the agency to further refine the program and practices to provide producers tools for increased climate resilience.
More Information on CRP
Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program — for General CRP before the March 11 deadline, and for Grassland CRP before the May 13 deadline. Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. Due to the pandemic, some USDA Service Centers are open to limited visitors. Additionally, fact sheets and other resources are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.
It’s 2022 and the California Weed Science Society was back in person at the Hyatt in Sacramento!
It was touch and go leading up to the conference, but after it started everything seemed to go off without a hitch. There were lots of good exhibitors and a great lineup of speakers to listen to.
My favorite part of the conference is the student presenters. This year we had a great turnout, with 5 graduate students participating in the oral contest, and 12 students in the poster contest (10 graduate, and 2 undergraduate).
All of the students did an excellent job, making the final decisions by the judges quite difficult! Two independent judging panels compiled scores and delivered prizes. Below is a list of the Winners!!
Undergraduate Poster Contest Winner
First Place: Jennifer Valdez Herrera presented- Potential of Roller-Crimper Technology for Weed Suppression in Annual Crops. (Fresno State)
Graduate Poster Contest Winners
First Place: Wenzhuo Wu-The Comparative Flower development of Palmer Amaranth: Male vs. Female (Davis)
Second Place: Sarah Marsh- Weed Control and Rice Response to Pyraclonil, A New Broad-Spectrum Herbicide in California Rice (Davis)
Third Place: Aaron Becerra- Alvarez-Screening for Herbicide Resistant Weeds in California Rice Fields (Davis)
Graduate Paper/Oral Winners
First Place: Wenzhuo Wu-Sterile Pollen Technique as a Novel Weed Management Tool (Davis)
Second Place: Liberty Galvin-Pre-emergent Oxyfluorfen Application to Control Weedy Rice in California (Davis)
Third Place: Margaret Fernado-Impacts of Native and Introduced Cover Crops on Soil Health and Weed Populations in a Table Grape Vineyard of the San Joaquin Valley (Fresno State)
I would like to thank all of the students who participated and attended the conference this year!
If you know any students in weed science keep your eye out for the upcoming CWSS Scholarship program, and encourage them to participate in the contest at next year’s conference in Monterey! — By Thomas Getts, Weed Ecology & Cropping Systems Advisor, UCCE
Almond Board of California — Today, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a Section 18 SPECIFIC exemption for the use of Kasumin 2L to control bacterial blast in almonds. The exemption is effective February 1, 2022 through April 15, 2022. In the announcement, DPR advised operations to use the chemical number for kasugamycin (6197) for their “Restricted Material Permit Program.”
The approval applies to the counties of Butte, Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo and Yuba.
Growers interested in this application are heavily encouraged to reference the Almond Board of California’s Honey Bee Best Management Practices as well as the Quick Guide for Applicators (in English & Spanish) to ensure pollinator health is maintained. As stated in these practices, growers should only use applications when absolutely necessary and should only make applications in the late afternoon or evening, when bees and pollen are not present.
Please contact your local County Ag Commissioner’s office for further details if interested in using this product. This emergency exemption may also be viewed on the DPR website at http://apps.cdpr.ca.gov/section18.
For the last three months of 2021, retail dietitians shared tempting ideas for incorporating California grapes into meals with their clients in four states.
Nine registered dietitians and licensed food nutritionists from a large grocery chain highlighted California grapes from October through December in 168 stores in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Delaware. Dietitians held in-person and online classes designed to inspire their customer clientele with creative ways to use California grapes, including building a better charcuterie board. Among other things, the team of dietitians used blog posts and podcasts, social media, and an “Ask the Expert” column in Savory magazine to tempt consumers with grape usage and recipe ideas.
“The outreach the dietitians conducted was broad and deep,” said Karen Hearn, vice president of domestic marketing for the California Table Grape Commission. “It was also beautifully done, full of enticing ideas and mouthwatering photos. The work was tied to retail promotions and we know it helped motivate consumers to purchase. The program will serve as a model for future work.”
Hearn noted that the timing of the promotion was important because over 45 percent of the California grape crop shipped October through December.
The Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program has enrolled over 200,000 acres of farmland in California including the majority of vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The Fish Friendly Farming program has now been benchmarked against SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment version 3, at Silver Level. SAI Platform is a global non-profit organization working with its 150 members across the global food and drink industry to develop sustainable agriculture solutions through pre-competitive collaboration. SAI Platform aims to catalyze change and establish sustainable agriculture as a pre-requisite for doing business throughout the food and drink industry supply chain. Underpinning all of SAI Platform’s work are the Sustainable Agriculture Principles and Practices. These eleven sustainable agriculture principles provide a holistic framework and are interdependent, with best practices often benefiting several principles. These principles address: climate, land and soil, nature, water communities, legal compliance, livelihoods, working and living conditions, health and safety, markets and resources and animal welfare. They help SAI Platform prioritize activities and resources and form the foundation for the development of industry solutions and regional initiatives.
One of the industry solutions developed by SAI Platform is the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA). It was developed in 2014 by the members, their suppliers, farmers, and external stakeholders as a tool for measuring and verifying on farm sustainability. It has been created and reviewed in keeping with the Sustainable Agriculture Principles and Practices. The Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program joins over 150 other systems, standards and certifications which have been benchmarked against the FSA. FSA 3.0 was released in April 2021.
National Marine Fisheries Service certifier discussing farm plan with grower
The benchmarking process involves scoring against the 109 questions of the FSA, as well as a consistency check by a SAI Platform-approved independent expert. This benchmark is an endorsement of the value that the Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program holds for addressing sustainability concerns on farm. It means that for any farmer using the Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program, the crops that they grow can be recognized at FSA Silver Level. Moreover, by-products derived from a supply chain that were successfully Fish Friendly Farming certified can now also be sold as FSA equivalent.
Joe Iveson, FSA Manager at SAI Platform said: “Congratulations to Fish Friendly Farming on reaching FSA Silver Equivalence. This is a great achievement that reflects the certification’s commitment to promoting sustainable agricultural production.”
A project of the Napa-based nonprofit, the California Land Stewardship Institute, Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) certifies growers on management practices that protect the health of their local watershed and the community. First developed in 1997, the initiative has since grown to more than 1,900 participating sites in 15 counties. This expansion reflects the growing interest, both among consumers and winegrowers themselves, in sustainable management practices.
Laurel Marcus, Executive Director for FFF, admits that farmers have to comply with a complicated series of rules to achieve certification. “It is a very detail-oriented program, but that’s the way the environment and community are. It is a complex system, so you have to look at all the places a farm touches the environment that could cause an impact and how it affects the community and workers.”
FFF visits the farms and works with farmers to collect information on assessing erosion and native vegetation. They note how drainage systems work, how vineyards are winterized and perform a complete road assessment. There is a labor and work force element, a business practices element and a green initiatives element. They look at wells, which chemicals are used and make sure farmers have legal water rights.
All information collected by FFF during their assessment is put onto maps and templates which are read and accompanied by more on-site inspections by official governmental certifiers like the National Marine Fisheries Service and County Agricultural Commissioner. They inspect the site and can add requirements to the original farm plan. The farmer gets a list detailing what they need to do to implement their farm plan along with a time frame to get the work done. “Fish Friendly Farming has more rigorous standards and compliance is more difficult to achieve than other programs,” said Marcus. “It’s not just that a majority of vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counites are certified, it’s that they are certified to a very high standard.”
“Through our role as an independent, third-party certifier for Fish Friendly Farming, we are able to work directly with hundreds of growers to assure stream conditions are improved for steelhead and salmon through water quality and habitat improvements,” said Joe Dillon, Water Quality Specialist with NOAA’s National Marine Service.
The FFF program clearly resonates with Napa Valley grape growers. Julie Nord is the owner of Nord Vineyard Services and currently farms nearly 1,000 prime Napa Valley acres, selling grapes to over 60 ultra-premium wineries. “Our winery clients are focused on sustainability and our impact on the environment,” said Nord. “Fish Friendly Farming gives us ongoing help about farming in ways that best protect the environment. Once they even helped us obtain a grant to work on an erosion project. Their certification guarantees our clients that we are up to date on the latest regulations and that our vineyard practices protect fish, waterways, workers and the environment.”
Constellation Brands, Wine & Spirits have had a long-standing association with Fish Friendly Farming dating back to early 2003. With over 1,800 acres currently certified against the program requirements, Fish Friendly continues to be an important contributor to ongoing sustainable practices across their Napa and Sonoma vineyard Operations. “Fish Friendly Farming has provided our Napa and Sonoma vineyard teams with a practical framework focused on environmentally-beneficial land practices that are supportive of local ecosystems and the unique environment in which we conduct our business” said Matt McGinness, General Manager, Global Environmental Sustainability, Constellation Brands Wine & Spirits.
Matt Crafton has worked at Chateau Montelena since 2008 and was named winemaker in 2014. He worked with Fish Friendly Farming to obtain certification for the winery’s vineyards. “Fish Friendly Farming is based on vetted science. It is a verified approach with clear cut goals,” he explained. “The team is very professional. They understand the farming, the viticulture, and they understand that the two goals of protecting our waterways and farming can be one and the same, especially with a high-quality, valuable crop like wine grapes. They do a fantastic job of making sure the practices that are beneficial to the fish are also beneficial to the vines, so you really have farmers and scientists and environmentalists all working together to the same goals.”
“We are proud to have our vineyards certified Fish Friendly Farming, especially as the stewards of 360 acres in the Napa Valley as well as miles of the Napa River. I appreciate the rigor of Fish Friendly Farming’s scientific approach. From the environmental scientists on staff to the regulatory agencies they engage us with, every project and practice the California Land Stewardship Institute recommends is specific, results based, and enduring,” said Russ Weis, president Silverado Vineyards. He added, “Sustainability is all about making sure we celebrate more milestones like this. We will continue to rely on Fish Friendly Farming’s practical and visionary guidance as we work to preserve our land for future generations.”
The Fish Friendly Farming certification program not only benefits the local environment but is also a cost-effective, efficient management strategy for farmers. Because of that, local growers have been practicing revegetation efforts along local creeks and streams that provide for cool shade that helps benefit fish. In addition, the certification program calls for controlling erosion from roadways which improves water quality and stream flow. And it requires fish screens on all water diversions, legally approved water rights and conserving water in the vineyard. The program has implemented environmental improvements on more than 1120 miles of roads, 465 miles of creeks and 83 miles of rivers. The grower must also demonstrate they follow all labor regulations and wage requirements and work to improve their employees lives through training and advancement.
Fish Friendly Farming was previously associated with the Napa Green program of the Napa Vintners. However, the programs are now separate to better differentiate the environmental and social improvement certification of Fish Friendly Farming from the Napa Green marketing program.
A listing of wineries who have all of their lands certified by Fish Friendly Farming reads like a Who’s Who of the California Wine Industry: Treasury, Sterling, Beaulieu Vineyards, Beckstoffer Vyds, Boeger Winery, Provenance, Beringer, Robert Mondavi Winery, Trinchero Family/ Sutter Home, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards, Clif Family Winery, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Chateau Montelena Winery, Domaine Chandon, Domaine Carneros, Long Meadow Ranch, Hall Wines, Charles Krug Winery, Boisset Family Estates, Frog’s Leap Winery, Hess Collection, Saintsbury Winery, Schramsberg Vineyard, Silver Oak Cellars, Trefethen, Clos Du Bois, Simi Winery, Fetzer Vineyards, Bonterra Vineyards, Golden Vineyards, Roederer Estate, Duckhorn Wines, Francis Ford Copolla Wines, Foley Wine Group, Parducci Wines, Ridge Vineyards, V. Sattui and many others.
Rural communities and electric cooperatives could begin to aggressively close the energy transition gap over the next decade, pivoting from their role as underdogs to leaders on clean energy. Despite an absence of financial incentives, electric co-ops are already transitioning to low or zero-carbon resources at a similar or faster pace than the U.S. national average.
According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, electric co-ops have quietly emerged as laboratories for clean grid innovation, outpacing investor-owned utilities on smart meter installations, time-based pricing pilots and experimental storage solutions.
“The next chapter of the nation’s transition to renewable energy will require greater supply-side adoption of renewable generation, as well as profound consumer coordination,” said Teri Viswanath, lead energy economist with CoBank. “And, given their unique governance structure built on member alignment, rural electric cooperatives are uniquely equipped to excel at this phase of decarbonization over the last mile.”
Rural communities already host 99% of onshore wind projects and a growing share of utility-scale solar projects, positioning them well for growing economic opportunities. In addition, electric co-ops’ coal dependency largely stems from contracted purchase power agreements rather than coal plant ownership, which gives them more flexibility to transition to renewable energy.
The scope of the opportunity for rural communities is substantial.
According to the Department of Energy, solar energy has the potential to power 40% of the nation’s electricity by 2035. Solar currently makes up 5% or about 96 GW of the utility-scale electricity supply. To achieve the 40% solar target, the U.S. would have to double the annual average installations or install 30 GW of solar capacity each year between now and 2025, and 60 GW per year from 2025 to 2030. For rural communities, this accelerated timeline could spur a new cycle of economic development.
Historically, cost considerations have been the primary factor influencing the timing of energy transition in rural communities. Unlike investor-owned utilities where shareholders bear the cost of renewable development projects, electric co-ops must assess those costs to their memberships. However, as the cost of wind and solar developments has fallen, co-ops are increasingly likely to pursue renewable projects for the rural communities they serve.
Thirty-eight states currently have defined renewable or clean energy electricity mandates, with roughly half of U.S. renewable generation growth attributable to these requirements. In turn, the regulatory and public pressure applied by these programs, as well as more favorable economics, have prompted utilities and electric cooperatives to increasingly adopt clean energy goals.
CoBank is a $155 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 75,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.
CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and maintains an international representative office in Singapore.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is conducting the first-ever National Agroforestry Survey. Data collection begins Feb. 1 and concludes April 5, 2022. NASS will mail the survey to 318 farmers and ranchers in California to gather information on the five agroforestry practices used for climate, conservation and production benefits, including windbreaks, silvopasture, riparian forest buffers, alley cropping as well as forest farming and multi-story cropping.
“In this first-ever survey, ag producers have the opportunity to share the different ways they manage valuable agroforestry resources,” said Gary R. Keough, director of the NASS Pacific Region Office. “The data will inform programs and policy to benefit both the landowners and farmers as well as the environment.”
The survey is conducted cooperatively with the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), which is a partnership between USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The NAC will release the summarized data in studies, press releases, and publications such as highlights. Highlights will give an overview of how agroforestry practices are used in regions across the United States.
“Information shared directly from farmers and ranchers really is one of the best ways to learn what works and what doesn’t in agroforestry. We will use the data to discover the most effective, efficient and profitable ways climate-smart agroforestry practices are used, and share what we learn in a series of research reports to benefit U.S. farmers and ranchers,” said NAC Research Program Lead Matthew Smith.
Producers can respond to the survey securely online at agcounts.usda.govor by mail. The survey will take no longer than 50 minutes to complete if producers have all five agroforestry practices on their operations. Response time will be shorter if there are fewer practices to report. The information provided by farmers and ranchers is protected by federal law (Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347), which keeps respondent identity, operation, and answers confidential. For more information, visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/Agroforestry. For assistance with the survey, please call 888-424-7828. Subscribe to Agroforestry Connection for new agroforestry-related publications and other items of interest.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., January 27, 2022…From information to application, guests at the 2022 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium returned after a two-year absence to Sacramento’s newly renovated SAFE Credit Union Convention Center to learn about changing environmental conditions, sustainable practices, and expanding markets while visiting with hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the resources, equipment and services to address those challenges.
Discussion of rebounding markets set an upbeat tone for the industry, while expert panelists helped winegrape growers, vintners and other industry representatives digest the latest information on major issues like climate change, drought, wildfire smoke and evolving consumer demand.
“The Unified offers guests a unique opportunity to listen to some of the most informed and respected voices in the industry discuss emerging trends and issues, and then step into the exhibit hall where much of the equipment, supplies and services they had just heard about are on display,” says John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and co-sponsor of the Unified. “That melding of cutting-edge information with onsite practical solutions is what makes the Unified such a powerful resource.”
With the January spike in the omicron COVID-19 variant, the Unified’s management committee recognized the need to maximize safety and took a myriad of steps to limit spread. All guests were required to pass through the Safe Expo Health & Safety Screening Center before registration, which verified guests’ vaccination status and conducted onsite COVID testing. Additionally, masking was strictly enforced throughout the show. The organizers also canceled the welcome reception, regional wine tasting and exhibitor luncheon to limit exposure.
And while COVID had a definite effect on registration numbers, the Unified’s organizers reported that more than 6,000 people attended the show, maintaining its status as the largest industry trade show of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. More than 600 exhibitors filled the 200,000 square feet of exhibit floor space, where guests perused the latest technology, innovations, services and equipment for the wine and winegrape industry.
“Putting on a huge show and symposium, ensuring safety for thousands of visitors during a pandemic and navigating a wonderful new convention center made for challenges this year, but I’m very pleased by the outcome. We were able to present important content, provide a live venue for the industry to connect and offer invaluable opportunities for guests and exhibitors to interact and connect,” Dan Howard, American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) executive director and Unified co-sponsor, said. “The Unified is all about bringing people and ideas together to advance success, and while we had to jump through some hoops to make that happen this year, it was worth all the effort.”
The 2023 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium will take place on January 24-26 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. Built with the joint input of growers, vintners and allied industry members, the Unified Symposium has served as a clearinghouse of information important to wine and grape industry professionals for 28 years. The Unified Symposium also hosts the industry’s largest trade show of its kind. For more information, visit www.unifiedsymposium.org
Muriel Bañares
Brown·Miller Communications, Inc. | 1114 Jones St. · Martinez, CA 94553
The Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program has enrolled over 200,000 acres of farmland in California including the majority of vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The Fish Friendly Farming program has now been benchmarked against SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment version 3, at Silver Level. SAI Platform is a global non-profit organization working with its 150 members across the global food and drink industry to develop sustainable agriculture solutions through pre-competitive collaboration. SAI Platform aims to catalyze change and establish sustainable agriculture as a pre-requisite for doing business throughout the food and drink industry supply chain. Underpinning all of SAI Platform’s work are the 
“The Unified offers guests a unique opportunity to listen to some of the most informed and respected voices in the industry discuss emerging trends and issues, and then step into the exhibit hall where much of the equipment, supplies and services they had just heard about are on display,” says John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and co-sponsor of the Unified. “That melding of cutting-edge information with onsite practical solutions is what makes the Unified such a powerful resource.”