As California wine grape growers continue dealing with warmer, drier conditions, new UCCE North Coast Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor Christopher Chen suggests growers think outside the box when planning for the vineyard of the future. Watch his interview and read more about improving grape growing practices in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
As grape growers strive to continue minimizing herbicide drift and residue on their vines/fruit, watch this brief video with Emeritus UCCE Weed Science Advisor John Roncoroni on best practices that can also save money on spray applications. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, which is dedicated to the advancement, protection and promotion of the region’s quality wines, vineyards and experiences, announced today that they have rebranded to Livermore Valley Wine Community. The group’s collective decision for a new name and look was made to better reflect the community of growers and vintners in Livermore Valley and their dedication to being a destination that intersects incredible wines with family-style hospitality.
“It is not unusual to come to Livermore Valley Wine Community and find the winemakers behind the tasting room bar,” said Brandi Lombardi, Interim Executive Director for the Livermore Valley Wine Community. “We wanted our new branding to reflect the personal, friendly nature of our vintners and tasting rooms as well as their commitment to be a world class wine region.”
The Livermore Valley Wine Community underwent the rebrand after the region was awarded the designation of Livermore Valley Wine Heritage District. The new logo highlights both the vintners and growers as well as the official founding year of 1880. The color palette evokes the natural colors that are present in the vineyards.
Livermore Valley captured America’s first international gold medal for wine in 1889 at the Paris Exposition, putting the state of California on the world wine map. One of California’s oldest wine regions, it is just 35 miles east of San Francisco and features 44 wineries. In addition to the wineries themselves, Livermore Valley Wine Country puts on events throughout the year that provide another reason to visit the region. Some of the events include Taste Our Terroir, Winery of the Week, and Holidays in the Vineyards, among others.
For more information about Livermore Valley Wine Community and their wineries, visit: www.lvwine.org.
ABOUT LIVERMORE VALLEY WINE COMMUNITY
The Livermore Valley Wine Community is a 501(c)6 organization that supports the wineries, growers and members in the Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area through educational and marketing programs. For more information, please visit www.LVwine.org.
California table grape growers are offering three types of scholarships to graduating high school seniors from the table grape growing regions of California.
There are two types scholarships offered for field workers and their families. The first is a $14,500 scholarship for graduating seniors who will attend two years of a community college and transfer to a California university or college. The second is a $25,000 scholarship for graduating seniors who will attend a four-year California university or college.
The third type is a $25,000 scholarship offered to graduating seniors who will attend a four-year California university or college and are interested in studying agriculture and building a career in the table grape industry.
Three of each scholarship type are available. The deadline to apply for all scholarships is Friday, February 10, 2023 at 5 p.m.
Since 1985, California table grape growers have offered scholarships to graduating high school seniors from California’s table grape growing regions. To hear recent scholarship recipients in their own words, visit: https://www.grapesfromcalifornia.com/community- outreach/scholarship-recipients/.
For more information on the scholarship program, please email Scholarships@grapesfromcalifornia.com or visit: https://www.grapesfromcalifornia.com/community-outreach/.
Amidst the current drought, growers can use all the water they can get, and recycling winery wastewater back into the vineyard would seem like a nice idea — except that water from the wineries are generally high in salts/chlorides, which would prove detrimental to soil health… unless certain cover crops planted down vineyard rows could remove the unwanted additives. Watch this brief video with Kristy Sun from the Dept. of Viticulture & Enology at Fresno State as she explains, and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
There is not always sufficient time and labor to accomplish all the tasks that need to be taken care of in the vineyard. Fortunately researchers and allied industry stakeholders have collaborated and innovated to provide an economical way for the full automation of winter pruning in wine grape vineyards. Watch this brief video with Kaan Kurtural from UC Davis as he explains, and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
At Fresno State Grape Day, Cliff Yu from the department of viticulture and enology reminded growers of the value of measuring the bulk electrical conductivity (EC) of their vineyard soils to better meet their grapevine water needs. Watch this brief video as he explains, and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Viticulture and enology researchers from multiple universities have been feverishly working with the western wine grape industry to learn more about how wildfire smoke impacts developing wine grapes. The hope is to develop some form of industry standard threshold for smoke taint, so that wine grapes will not be rejected at the winery unless they have truly been compromised. Watch this brief video with Miguel Pedroza from the Viticulture & Enology Dept. at Fresno State to find what they are learning about this issue. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
California Farmland Trust (CFT) is proud to announce Farm Credit, Pacific Coast Producers, Burroughs Family Farms, and Dwelley Family Farms as presenting sponsors of the second annual Race to Slow the Pace 5k/10k, set to take place on September 25 at Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, CA.
Farm Credit’s support of CFT and the Race to Slow the Pace complements their mission of supporting communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Farm Credit members American AgCredit, CoBank, and Farm Credit West are cooperatively-owned lending institutions that specialize in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses, making them a trustworthy source for farmers and landowners.
Pacific Coast Producers joins as a recurring presenting sponsor, after supporting last year’s inaugural event. Pacific Coast Producers prides themselves as an agricultural cooperative representing over 150 family farms, with a focus in the production and processing of canning fruits and tomatoes for various private brands. With production facilities across the West Coast, Pacific Coast Producers stays true to the same world-class standard of making healthy, sustainable, and affordable products for the world to enjoy.
Burroughs Family Farms is enriched with five generations of farming heritage in the northern San Joaquin Valley. Their collaborative efforts remain rooted in offering hand-raised and sustainably-grown products directly to the consumer, while protecting soil and water for generations to come. Their products can be found at area grocers and farmer’s markets or picked up at their farm. As regenerative farming advocates, Burroughs Family Farms’ mission clearly aligns with that of CFT, and the purpose behind the Race to Slow the Pace.
Located in Contra Costa County, Dwelley Family Farms has been growing a large variety of premium fruits and vegetables in the Brentwood area since 1921.Their conventional and organic produce can be found at their local fruit stand or at retail outlets across the Bay Area. With an emphasis on sustainability, all the generations involved in the farm are dedicated to providing the healthiest-quality and best-tasting products to consumers.
“We could not be more thankful to have the industry support from these robust companies and businesses for our second annual Race to Slow the Pace,” said Charlotte Mitchell, executive director at CFT. “Farm Credit, Pacific Coast Producers, Burroughs Family Farms, and Dwelley Family Farms are industry leaders in each of their respective areas, and our collective efforts will make a greater impact in slowing the pace of development on valuable California farmland.”
For event details and information on registering, visit www.cafarmtrust.org/racetoslowthepace.
The first cohort of the Sonoma County Winegrape Growers Foundation Leadership Academy for Vineyard Employees has graduated! I spoke to this group at their first get-together several months ago, and their final installment for this innovative program was a visit to CDFA headquarters in Sacramento, so we were honored to be the “bookends” for them. I thoroughly enjoyed a chance to sit down with them and hear each one of their stories and what the program meant to them.
This first class of graduates is comprised of 15 local vineyard employees, each nominated by their employer. The goal of this first-of-its-kind program is to create future community and business leaders. The Academy class attended eight half-day sessions and two field trips, all focused on advancing skills and empowering vineyard employees to seek leadership roles within their organization or in the community. The program goes beyond farming to advance communication skills, financial literacy, and business knowledge.
It was so inspiring and touching to listen to these employees’ experiences in the program, and about how much they love agriculture and working in the vineyards. A common thread was how important it is to be treated with respect by their employers. They all have more than ten years working in the vineyards of Sonoma County, many of them with the same employer. A number of them started in harvesting and progressed to more responsibility with specialties like irrigation and operating tractors, and some are now supervisors.
They also shared stories and spoke about their children as the reason they work so hard, and that is something I hear so often as I speak with California’s agricultural workers. One class member expressed such gratitude for being invited to CDFA, and it really made me remember and appreciate just how fortunate we are to be considered “leaders” and to do that work for California’s agriculture industry. It really is something special and I am excited to support these new leaders!
For the growers out there who nominated these dedicated employees, you’ve done something meaningful by participating in this program and empowering your very best to become even better. And for the graduates, I hope you embrace your newfound leadership skills. Your farms, your industry and your state will be better for it!
The Leadership Academy will be held annually and will soon be taking nominations for the 2023 Class. — By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross