California Ag Network

Category: Grape Industry

  • Nisei Farmers League Celebrates 50 Years, Honors 5 Growers

    It’s a golden year for the Nisei Farmers League, and its members recently enjoyed their 50 year anniversary celebration.  The celebratory dinner in Fresno featured this special video presentation that included reflections from some of the league’s membership on 50 years, as well as interviews with its Agriculturalist of the Year honorees.  Watch this special video, featuring the five Central Valley grape growers that were recognized during this milestone meeting, and read more about it in the coming issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • ASEV Selects 2022 Best Enology and Viticulture Papers

    The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) has selected the 2022 Best Paper Award winners, who will present their papers during the 2022 ASEV National Conference in San Diego, June 20-22. Both papers are highlighted on asev.org and are available free of charge.

    The 2022 Best Viticulture Paper is “Field Performance of Winegrape Rootstocks and Fumigation during Establishment of a Chardonnay Vineyard in Washington” by Katherine E. East* of USDA-ARS, Washington; Inga A. Zasada of USDA-ARS, Oregon; Julie Tarara of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington; and Michelle M. Moyer* of Washington State University, Prosser. The authors concluded that incorporating plant-parasitic nematode management as part of the process of vineyard replanting and fumigation is not an effective long-term strategy for suppressing Meloidogyne hapla.

    For the 2022 Best Enology Paper, ASEV selected “Whole Cluster and Dried Stem Additions’ Effects on Chemical and Sensory Properties of Pinot noir Wines over Two Vintages,” by L. Federico Casassa*, Niclas P. Dermutz, Paul F.W. Mawdsley, Margaret Thompson, and Jean C. Dodson Peterson of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Aníbal A. Catania of Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Argentina; Thomas S. Collins and P. Layton Ashmore of Washington State University, Tri-Cities; Fintan du Fresne of Chamisal Vineyards and Winery in California; and Gregory Gasic, consultant from Oregon. The authors conducted this experiment at industrial scale to provide winemakers with a practical baseline for comparison when implementing whole cluster and stem additions to Pinot noir wines. The study took place during both relatively cool (2016) and warm (2017) growing seasons in California’s Central Coast, which allowed characterization of potential effects of vintage in the practice of whole cluster addition.

    Each year, the ASEV Best Paper Awards Committee evaluates all manuscripts published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV) during the previous year and selects one paper in viticulture and one in enology that reflect outstanding research and a substantial contribution to the field. Committee members are required to read and score each paper and the ASEV Board of Directors make the final decision. The 2022 Best Paper Award Committee includes Michelle Moyer (Chair) of Washington State University, Prosser; Torey Arvik (Co-Chair, Viticulture) of Sonomaceuticals/Whole Vine Products, California; Jeff Baccus of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, California; Mark Hoffmann of North Carolina State University, Raleigh; Molly Kelly of The Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Anji Perry of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, California; Joe Shirley of Trinchero Family Estates, California; Qun (Kristy) Sun of California State University, Fresno; Elizabeth Tomasino of Oregon State University, Corvallis; and Yun Zhang of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington.

    *Corresponding Author

  • Higher Commercial Insurance Coverage Limits Approved Under CA FAIR Plan

    Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved increases in the limits of coverage to the California FAIR Plan Association’s (FAIR Plan) commercial programs that are offered to businesses, no later than May 1, 2022. This action by Commissioner Lara allows those businesses unable to secure insurance coverage in the normal insurance market with access to insurance they need to operate and continue the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in high wildfire risk areas.

    “Businesses have been struggling. These increases in the limits of coverage will help youth camps reopen and businesses of all kinds keep serving their customers,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “The FAIR Plan has not kept pace with rising costs for more than two decades, which my action addresses for the first time. Offering expanded coverage to businesses will help as our state continues its economic recovery from the pandemic.”

    The increases approved today by Commissioner Lara expand the combined coverage limits for the FAIR Plan, under its Division I Commercial Property Program, from $4.5 million to $8.4 million, and, under its Division II Businessowners Program, from $3.6 million to $7.2 million.

    Over the past two years, Commissioner Lara and Department of Insurance representatives have met with many businesses and non-profit entities across the state regarding their commercial insurance availability challenges.

    “Commissioner Lara’s swift action will ensure that camps and non-profit youth serving organizations can keep their doors open and offer a safe and enriching experience for children and young adults,” said Gabe Valencia, Chair of the California Collaboration for Youth, which represents California’s recreational and youth camps. “We commend Commissioner Lara for continuing to hold the FAIR Plan and insurance companies accountable. Being assured of coverage at more reasonable rates will allow us to get back to what we do best: helping children make lifelong memories at camp.”

    Groups such as farms, ranchers, agricultural operators and processors, wineries and vintners, residential care facilities, affordable housing entities, homeowners associations, and recreational/summer camps, among others, have informed Commissioner Lara about the continued lack of availability of commercial property insurance coverage in the traditional insurance market. Many of these businesses also noted that the FAIR Plan’s current commercial property coverage and business owners’ coverage limits have been insufficient to meet their coverage needs today.

    “We thank Commissioner Lara for compelling the FAIR Plan to increase its coverage limits, which will help be a lifeline to farm owners and agricultural processing facilities in fire-prone areas that have lost coverage through the insurance market,” said Roger Isom, President and CEO of the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association and Western Agricultural Processors Association. “Our growers will be able to expand their coverage and in turn continue to grow an essential sector of the state’s economy.”

    Today’s action is a direct result of Commissioner Lara previously ordering the FAIR Plan to increase its own coverage limits. The Plan failed to meet the Commissioner’s deadline for a response describing how it would increase its commercial property coverage limits in response to his Order. These coverage limits have not been raised since at least 1997 and 1994 respectively, despite the Consumer Price Index showing costs have nearly doubled during that time in California.

    “This is a long-overdue step to help business owners in our state. We will continue to listen to the concerns of business owners and ensure the FAIR Plan truly takes all comers and meets consumers’ evolving needs,” concluded Commissioner Lara.

  • California Final Grape Crush Report Reveals Higher Tonnage

    The 2021 crush totaled 3,877,584 tons, up 9.2% from the 2020 crush of 3,551,312 tons — revealing that the preliminary report was off by about 18,743 tons. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 2,031,242 tons, up 11.5% from 2020. White wine varieties crushed totaled 1,600,508 tons, up 0.6% from 2020. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 137,976, up 225% from 2020, and tons crushed of table type varieties totaled 107,858, up 13.2% from 2020.

    The Grape Crush Report includes the total number of tons crushed for concentrate production. In determining grape tonnage crushed for concentrate production, each processor was required to report the estimated equivalent tons of grapes crushed for grape concentrate. For the 2021 season, this total was 254,381 tons, 6.6% of the 2021 grape crush total. This report provides only the aggregate figure for grapes crushed for concentrate production and does not include information by district, type, or variety.

    The 2021 average price of all varieties was $860.57, up 26.6% from 2020. Average prices for the 2021 crop by type were as follows: red wine grapes, $1,071.69, up 34.5% from 2020; white wine grapes, $674.98, up 20.8% from 2020; raisin grapes, $291.41, up 16.3% from 2020; and table grapes, $182.92, up 14.5% from 2020.

    Leading Grape Varieties & Districts

    In 2021, Chardonnay continued to account for the largest percentage of the total tonnage crushed at 16.0%. Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for the second largest percentage of the total crush at 15.3%. Raisin grape varieties crushed for wine accounted for 3.6% of the total crush and table varieties crushed for wine were 2.8% of the total crush.

    District 13 (Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo Counties; and Kings and Tulare Counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192)), had the largest share of the State’s crush at 1,193,041 tons. The average price per ton in District 13 was $336.86.

    Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price at $6,102.18 per ton, up 32.7% from 2020. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest average price at $2,681.50 per ton, up 11.1% from 2020.

    The 2021 Chardonnay average price of $975.38 was up 17.6% from 2020 and the Cabernet Sauvignon average price of $1,662.07 was up 34.5% from 2020. The 2021 average price for French Colombard was $324.60, up 13.0% from 2020, while the Zinfandel average price was up 23.3% from 2020, at $645.47 per ton. For a detailed analysis of the Crush Report, read the March issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

  • California Fresh Fruit Association Announces Strategic Food Safety Partnership

    The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) has announced a strategic partnership with George Nikolich Consulting, Inc. The agreement will focus on providing food safety services to Association members and their operations. George Nikolich has been a longtime partner of CFFA and has served the fresh fruit industry for over three decades. As determined by the CFFA Executive Committee in 2019, a focus in food safety has been a top priority area for the Association to take part in and this strategic partnership will provide an opportunity to engage with industry members in a way that has not been done before.

    CFFA President Ian LeMay stated “The Association is excited to partner with George and bring a service to our membership that is of great need. Our shippers and growers work tirelessly throughout the year to produce the freshest and healthiest fruits they can. Having George as a resource will allow them to continue to be proactive in bringing a safe product to markets and consumers homes.”

    George Nikolich of George Nikolich Consulting, Inc., added “I look forward to continuing my support of CFFA goals in translating the latest food safety science and information into effective, practical application for members. Thank you all for your commitment to this project.”

    As the Association’s new fiscal year kicks off, a series of roundtables and webinars have already been scheduled, and more will continue to be added as this strategic partnership continues to evolve. CFFA and George Nikolich Consulting look forward to engaging with the fresh fruit industry through this valuable joint venture.

    The California Fresh Fruit Association is voluntary public policy organization that represents growers, packers, and shippers of the California table grape, blueberry, kiwi, pomegranate, and deciduous tree fruit communities. CFFA serves as a representative for these growers, shippers, and packers, on issues at both the state and federal levels. More information on the Association can be found at www.cafreshfruit.com . 

  • Lake County Winegrape Commission Educates and Inspires with Master Vigneron Academy®

    In Lake County, a rugged, rural farming community in Northern California, winegrape growers invest not just in the soil and the vines but in the long-term success of the people. Their commitment to the Lake County wine industry and its people has led to programs like the Master Vigneron Academy® and Cultivate, which educate the workforce of today and inspire the workforce of tomorrow.

    This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Master Vigneron Academy, an innovative program that supports the professional development of Spanish-speaking vineyard supervisors. Started in 2012 by the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC) with support from the region’s winegrowers, the Master Vigneron Academy is the first of its kind in the United States.

    An important goal of the program is to institute an industry-wide standard by which a supervisor’s knowledge and achievement are formally recognized and rewarded through completion of an accredited training program leading to the MVA Credential of Master VigneronCM. Over the past 10 years, the MVA program has graduated more than 80 students and has expanded to include a new certificate program for vineyard crew leaders focused on supervisory skills, a new Spanish-language website, and an online library of viticultural videos with Spanish-language captions.

    “We’re excited at the growth of the Master Vigneron Academy,” said LCWC President Debra Sommerfield. “The program now supports all levels of in-the-vineyard leadership – from first-time crew leaders to seasoned vineyard supervisors – with classes on leadership topics like communication, conflict resolution, safety, and quality assurance and a range of videos on sustainable viticultural practices.”

    With support from the region’s winegrowers, LCWC recently launched two new educational programs – MVA Crew Lead Certificate, a program for first-time vineyard supervisors and crew leaders; and Cultivate, a program for high-school students to discover the wide array of career opportunities in the winegrape industry.

    As an extension of the Master Vigneron Academy, the MVA Crew Lead Certificate program addresses training needs of crew leaders and experienced vineyard supervisors. It focuses on leadership, communication, and supervision skills to prepare first-time crew leads and foremen to be successful, effective crew leaders. This program can be supplemented by “Ag Labor Management” seminars to provide additional training and skill-building in leadership and supervisory topics.

    The MasterVigneron.org website was created to provide a central resource for growers as well as employees to find information on this training. This bilingual website offers information about upcoming in-person or virtual training, and a video library of short viticulture practices videos that can be viewed as standalone training or used to start conversations with employees.

    “Cultivate – Careers in the Winegrape Industry” was created to increase awareness and inspire high school students to consider the many career fields in the winegrape industry. It’s intended to help build the workforce of tomorrow that will be critical to the long-term sustainability of our industry. Through “Cultivate,” students are introduced to careers in viticulture, winemaking, and marketing and sales.

    “Education and development of our current and potential workforce is a key part of developing Lake County as a world-class wine region…investing in people within our community has them turn around and invest in us,” said Lake County Farm Bureau Executive Director Brenna Sullivan. LCWC and the Lake County Farm Bureau collaborated to present Cultivate.

    In March 2020, the Cultivate program included an in-person seminar attended by 90 students from three Lake County high schools. In 2021 it was a delivered as virtual video series due to restrictions on public gatherings.

    About the Lake County Winegrape Commission

    Established in 1991, the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC) has been instrumental in developing the Lake County region’s unwavering commitment to farming high-quality winegrapes, promoting the winegrowers’ brand, and creating greater awareness of the region within the wine trade and among wine lovers. Learn more at www.lakecountywinegrape.org.

    About the Master Vigneron Academy

    In 2012, the Lake County Winegrape Commission established the Master Vigneron Academy® to cultivate a professional workforce of highly skilled and knowledgeable supervisors; and to institute an industry-wide standard by which a supervisor’s knowledge and achievement are formally recognized and rewarded through completion of an accredited training program leading to a certificate. Learn more at www.mastervigneron.org.

  • California Wine Grape Planting Trends with Allied Grape Growers

    In addition to the grape crush report, its also nice to get a good picture of where the California wine grape industry currently stands from a vineyard acreage and planting perspective. What varieties are being planted and where in the state? How’s the vineyard planting to removal ratio looking? Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers reporting from Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on the results of their annual nursery survey.  Read more about about planting trends and the state of the wine grape industry in American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Wildfire Threatened Vineyard & Winery Challenges for Removing Vegetative Debris

    With an ongoing drought in western US, wine grape growers surrounded by neglected wildlands are becoming more and more concerned about the drought-induced dying vegetation around them.  Many want to proactively manage this risk for them the communities around them; however, they are running into quite a few stumbling blocks as addressed by Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers in an interview with California Ag Network. Watch this brief video as he explains and read more in American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Scholarships & Educational Opportunities Through Sonoma State’s Wine Business Institute

    Interested in furthering your wine industry education or do you know someone that is? Watch this brief video with Ray Johnson, Executive Director of Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute, as he shares some upcoming programs and scholarship opportunities to take advantage of.  Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Concurrent Heat Waves Becoming More Frequent

    Multiple large heatwaves the size of Mongolia occurred at the same time nearly every day during the warm seasons of the 2010s across the Northern Hemisphere, according to a study led by Washington State University researchers.

    Using climate data from 1979 to 2019, the researchers found that the number of heatwaves occurring simultaneously in the mid- to high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere was seven times greater in the 2010s than in the 1980s. On average, there were concurrent heatwaves on 143 days each year of the 2010s—almost every day of the 153 days of the warm months of May through September.

    The concurrent heat events also grew hotter and larger: their intensity rose by 17% and their geographic extent increased 46%.

    “More than one heatwave occurring at the same time often has worse societal impacts than a single event,” said Cassandra Rogers, a Washington State University (WSU) post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study in Journal of Climate. “If certain regions are dependent on one another, for instance for agriculture or trade, and they’re both undergoing stresses at the same time, they may not be able to respond to both events.”

    Heatwaves can cause disasters from crop failures to wildfires. Concurrent heatwaves can multiply those threats, the authors pointed out, exhausting the ability of countries to provide mutual aid in crises as was seen during the multiple wildfires in the U.S., Canada and Australia associated with the 2019 and 2020 heatwaves. A previous study also found that concurrent heatwaves caused about a 4% drop in global crop production.

    The study defined large heatwaves as high temperature events lasting three days or more and covering at least 1.6 million square kilometers (about 620,000 square miles), which is roughly equivalent to the size of Mongolia or Iran.

    The researchers analyzed ERA5 data produced by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which blends vast amounts of observational data from weather stations on land, water buoys and aircraft as well as data from satellites with weather forecasting models. ERA5 provides globally complete estimates of hourly data for various climate variables from 1979, when satellite data became available, which is why the study focused on this time period.

    Using these observational data, the researchers found that the primary driver of the heatwaves was the overall rise in global mean temperature due to climate change. The world has warmed 1 degree Celsius (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the last century with the vast majority of the rise, two-thirds, occurring since 1975. The researchers also found that increasing occurrence of two hemisphere-wide circulation patterns made particular areas more vulnerable to concurrent heatwaves, including eastern North America, eastern and northern Europe, East Asia and eastern Siberia.

    The study adds more evidence for the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change, the researchers said, and the continued rise in temperature means the world should prepare for more concurrent heatwaves.

    “As a society, we are not currently adapted to the types of climate events we’re experiencing right now,” said co-author Deepti Singh, WSU associate professor in the School of the Environment.

    “It’s important to understand how we can reduce our vulnerability and adapt our systems to be more resilient to these kind of heat events that have cascading societal impacts.”

    In addition to Rogers and Singh, authors on the study include Kai Kornhuber of Columbia University, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick of the University of New South Wales in Australia and Paul Loikith of Portland State University. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council. — By Sara Zaske, Washington State University