There is a new California Water Bond coming down the pipeline for the November elections, with much promise to benefit California farmers. Watch this interview with California Fresh Fruit Association President George Radanovich at their annual conference as he briefly shares what the bond comprises.
Fresno, Calif., (April 23, 2018) – California table grape growers produced 109.1 million boxes in 2017 with a crop value of $1.81 billion.
A majority of the crop is typically consumed domestically and in 2017 that remained true with 64.2 percent of the crop consumed in the U.S. and 35.8 percent consumed in export markets. California table grapes were shipped to 59 countries around the world in 2017 with the top six volume markets being Canada, Mexico, mainland China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan.
“After breaking the 100 million box mark only six years ago, a 109 million box crop has become the new normal for California table grape growers,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. In 2016, 110 million boxes were shipped at a value of $1.85 billion.
With the 2018 season only weeks away, the commission is gearing up its global campaign for California grapes. “The commission campaign focuses on motivating the trade to promote, and consumers to buy, more California grapes more often,” said Nave.
Grapes from California are available from May through January.
“The raisin price is going up this year” is what raisin growers were looking to hear at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Raisin Bargaining Association (RBA), and that is exactly what RBA representatives shared at their recent gathering in downtown Fresno. Watch this brief interview with RBA CEO Kalem Barserian following his address at the meeting, and read the full report in the April issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
Santa Rosa, Calif., (April 12, 2018) – With the value of wine riding on a delicate balance of aroma and flavor, the impact of winegrapes’ exposure to smoke from a wildfire could have significant economic consequences. Last fall’s Northern California wildfires sent smoke wafting over an experimental vineyard in Napa Valley, giving scientists the opportunity to study the interplay of smoke and wine quality, reported Jeff Quackenbush in the North Bay Business Journal.
“The moment the smoke started, my phone started ringing off the hook,” said Anita Olberholster, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture and enology specialist. “I quickly realized how thin the data is I need to base recommendations on.”
The fires near the UC Davis vineyard provided the perfect experimental platform. Olberholster and her research team sprang into action to start a research project on the fly. Remaining grapes on smoke-exposed vines were picked, loads of commercially grown grapes deemed too questionable for commercial wineries were accepted. Over the past five months, small batches of wine were made from the grapes.
“They all have different levels of smoky character,” Olberholster said. “Some on the nose are actually quite pleasant and not smoky, but the aftertaste is the problem. All of them, even if in small amounts, had that ‘old smoke,’ ‘ashtray,’ ‘new smoke’ aftertaste. It all depends on how sensitive you’re going to be at it.”
The scientists are now looking for a process that will remove the smoky compounds, as little as possible of anything else.
Powdery mildew is an early season disease and growers should have a strategy in place as to how to manage it. Viticulture Farm Advisor Rhonda Smith talked about this at the recent Sonoma Grape Expo. Watch this interview with Rhonda as she offers some considerations for growers moving into the 2018 growing season.
Oakland, Calif., (April 9, 2018) – If you’ve ever taken a drive through California’s picturesque vineyards and pastoral farms, you know it’s impossible to imagine the Golden State without them. But California wouldn’t have become a dream destination for foodies and oenophiles without research from the University of California.
Today, California rivals France, Italy and Spain as a global wine producer, contributing billions of dollars each year to the economy. California also produces a majority of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts, and a large portion of its livestock and dairy, with yearly production valued at $45 billion.
That wasn’t always the case. In 1860, New York was America’s top dairy state, Ohio led the nation in winemaking and California trailed 27 states with its farm value of less than $50 million.
California’s rise in agriculture, including its reputation for producing world-class wine, has gone hand in hand with the work of researchers and scientists at the University of California.
In the late 1800s, UC soil scientists led the foundational research that showed farmers how to remove salts from the alkali soils in the Central Valley, transforming barren land into one of the the world’s most productive farming regions. UC researchers also helped establish California’s wine industry, then brought it back from the brink after prohibition nearly destroyed it.
Its partnership with farmers, vintners and ranchers is just as strong today, with cooperative extension offices in every county in the state.
A new industry takes root – UC launched its Department of Viticulture and Enology in 1880, after being directed by the state legislature to help California develop its nascent wine industry. UC agriculture professor Eugene Hilgard, director of the first State Agricultural Experiment Station, led the charge.
… California can hardly fail to become one of the foremost grape-growing countries of the world, since it possesses all the natural advantages.
EUGENE HILGARD, UC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SUPPLEMENT NO. 1 TO THE REPORT OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS, 1890.
He was convinced that the California climate made it ideal for winemaking, and thought that with the right techniques, the state could move beyond the “faulty wines” being currently produced to create something truly worth drinking.
While the Mediterranean weather in California was perfect for growing grapes, on the ground there was confusion about varietals, crude and insufficient fermentation processes and an infestation of the root louse, phylloxera.
Hilgard began studying California’s soils and developing phylloxera-resistant plants at the university’s farm at Davis. By 1919, California’s young wine industry was beginning to flourish when Prohibition brought things to a screeching halt.
Hundreds of wineries went out of business. Farmers tore out their vineyards and planted fruit trees. UC’s enology program ended, too, but its work on grape growing and fruit production continued. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, UC was an established authority on grape growing in California, and it stepped in to help the wine industry recover.
UC Davis launched its Department of Viticulture and Enology in 1935, and hired plant physiologist Maynard Amerine. Over the coming decades, Amerine and his colleagues developed detailed information about which wine-making grapes would grow best in which climates. Their 1944 study on grape zones gave detailed information about where to plant grapes for different types of wine, such as chardonnay or cabernet.
That discovery recharged the wine business in California, and was the foundation of the appellation system that is still used to this day. Tailoring the varietals to California’s microclimates revolutionized grape growing in California, leading to better harvests, better fruit and ultimately, better wine.
UC researchers haven’t just helped produce wine — they’ll also help you drink it. At least that was the goal of UC Davis professor of viticulture and enology Ann Noble, who in 1984 grew tired of hearing people describe wine with abstract and highly subjective terms like “harmonious.”
Her wine wheel, which you can download here, is designed to help consumers pin down the aromas they like with increasingly specific language. Do you like your wine “woody”? If so, is it “burned” or “resinous”? Does it have hints of “tobacco” or “cedar”? Noble’s wheel spread like wildfire and has now been translated into eight languages for the connoisseur’s delight.
From barren land to the world’s breadbasket – UC research has helped to grow more than just grapes. Through the Cooperative Extension and in-depth research by its campuses, UC has worked with California farmers in almost every aspect of food production, from developing new crop varieties to fighting pests to determining the most efficient ways to irrigate and conserve water.
UC’s partnership with farmers and growers stretches all the way back to Eugene Hilgard, the legendary 1880s soil scientist. He led much of the foundational research that showed farmers how to remove salts from the alkali soils in the Central Valley, turning what was once barren land into one of the world’s most productive farming regions.
In the early 1900s, the university deepened its agricultural research by establishing the University Farm (which would become UC Davis) and the Citrus Experiment Station (which would become UC Riverside).
Over the years, these two campuses have become internationally renowned for their agricultural expertise. UC Davis developed nearly half of the world’s strawberry cultivars, for example, while Riverside and the division of Agriculture and Natural Resources is responsible for producing 40 new citrus varieties.
UC also branched out into the counties under the leadership of B.H. Crocheron, who joined UC in 1913 and directed the UC Agricultural Extension Service from 1919-48. Buoyed by the Smith-Lever Act that created Cooperative Extension, Crocheron developed a network of farm advisors, who worked to get important research-based knowledge from campuses to the community. As Crocheron said, the farm advisor’s work “is on the farms and among the people.”
UC research continues to evolve with the agricultural needs of the state. Today, UC researchers are focused on addressing the challenge of climate change by building sustainable local and regional food systems, a resilient water future and integrated pest management systems to ensure a prosperous future.
Sacramento, Calif., (April 5, 2018) – China has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on American exports following President Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Agricultural exports are in the crosshairs, reported Thaddeus Miller in the Merced Sun-Star.
China’s tariffs would first hit U.S. products such as avocados and nuts with 15 percent duties, the article says.
“It doesn’t really matter which one it is, whether it’s alfalfa, almonds or wherever it may go,” said David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Merced County. “They’re as much political as they are anything else.”
The potential tariff would have a significant impact on Merced County, where almonds are the second largest commodity valued at $578.5 million in 2016.
The back and forth trade disputes happening between the U.S. and China make trade less predictable and could lead to disruptions that impact California food and wine producers, even before potential Chinese tariffs go into effect, said Dan Sumner, director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Issues Center in an interview with Julia Mitric of Capital Public Radio.
If China hits the U.S. with a 15 percent tariff on wine, that’s a problem, Sumner said.
“We may think California wine is special, but not everybody does,” Sumner said. “And if it’s 15 percent more expensive than it used to be because of the tariff, there’ll be a substantial reduction in how much gets sold in China.”
Sumner said the proposed tariffs would likely hurt California’s tree nut growers more than its wine producers because a larger proportion of almonds and pistachios are exported.
In 2016, the value of pistachios sold to China was $530 million, more than three times the value of wine exports to that country, Mitric reported.
The recent early Spring freeze hit various Ag commodities all over the state, and the extent of the damage so far is unknown. Fortunately, most vineyards were still dormant at the time; however, some early white wine grapes, such as Chardonnay, had begun budbreak when the freeze hit. Watch this interview with Temecula grower JD Harkey, who shared how some of the vineyards fared. Read more in the April issue of American Vineyard Magazine, coming soon!
Fresno, Calif., (March 29, 2018) – The California State University Trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building at Fresno State, in honor of the late and esteemed professor emeritus of viticulture. The action item was approved by the Committee on Institutional Advancement.
Among his many accomplishments during his 46-year career, Dr. Petrucci led successful fundraising efforts to support students, faculty and capital projects. Most notably, he raised more than $1.5 million for the viticulture building, which houses state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, a discipline-specific library to serve students and industry and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center.
“Dr. Petrucci was Fresno State’s first viticulture professor and played pivotal roles in developing academic programs and robust and collaborative research programs in viticulture and enology,” said Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro. “His extraordinary work transformed the lives of thousands of students at Fresno State and influenced an entire grape-growing and winemaking industry.”
Dr. Petrucci taught at Fresno State from 1948 to 1993 and helped establish the University’s renowned viticulture and enology program. He was conferred an honorary doctorate of science by the California State University in 1994 before passing away in 2016.
In 1985, Dr. Petrucci founded the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Research Center, which includes the Vincent E. Petrucci Library, and he served as its director until his retirement in 1993.
The Petrucci’s Crush wine, a limited Fresno State Winery edition of a student-produced vintage named in his honor, was introduced in December 2016 at a special release event that included Petrucci, family, friends and alumni, along with the department’s faculty, staff and many students. The wine also commemorated his wife of 69 years, Josephine, who supported him and his career.
The Petrucci’s Crush is a red wine blend designed by Petrucci and former Fresno State winemaker Matt Brain. The vintage is comprised of area Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot grapes.
Fresno State served viticulture and enology students since 1948 through several programs before the Department of Viticulture and Enology was established in 2000. Fresno was the first California State University campus to combine research and academic offerings in both disciplines.
In 1997, Fresno State became the first university in the nation with a winery bonded to market student-produced wines commercially. Program graduates fill leading grape and wine industry positions worldwide.
“Today, Dr. Petrucci’s name is synonymous with viticulture and enology at Fresno State, and our alumni and industry partners can be found in every corner of the world,” said Dr. Sandra Witte, dean of Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State. “It is a distinct honor to name the viticulture building in his memory, given his many enduring contributions to Fresno State and the San Joaquin Valley.”
Since his retirement, Dr. Petrucci published numerous papers and books detailing wine and grape growing best practices.
The V.E. Petrucci Library, which is part of the Henry Madden Library collection, supports and continues his legacy in academics and research in the heart of California’s Central Valley.
Library resources reflect the diversity of its patron community with materials generated by the Department of Viticulture and Enology in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology by public and private research institutions and associations, and by other resources released regionally, nationally and globally.
Among Dr. Petrucci’s many accolades during his career was lifetime service to the wine grape industry in the Valley by the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association in 2009.
Originally from Escalon in the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Petrucci earned a bachelor’s degree in pomology in 1947 and a master’s in horticulture in 1948, both from University of California, Davis. He served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps at the end of World War II.
A naming ceremony of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building will be held in the near future.
Fresno, Calif., (March 28, 2018) – Nat DiBuduo will be honored at the Outlook 2018 Agribusiness Conference in Visalia tomorrow, March 22, at the Visalia Convention Center, as the Distinguished California Agriculturalist of the Year. The award, recognizing an individual who has contributed in a significant and highly visible way to the betterment of California agriculture, is presented by the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) annually.
DiBuduo is currently President and CEO of Allied Grape Growers, a marketing association with over 500 members who produce over 250,000 tons annually. Nat has been involved in agriculture all of his life, having worked with his family (Papagni Fruit Company) farming and developing vineyards in Fresno, Madera and Kern Counties through college. Nat and brother, Jerry, formed DiBuduo Farm Management (DLM) in 1978 where Nat stayed until 1984 at which time Jerry expanded and incorporated the company while Nat went on to work as Vice President of Pro Ag, a pioneering fully integrated pest management company. Ownership of DiBuduo Ag Services, an agricultural consulting firm, and employment with Capital Agricultural Property Services, Inc. managing agricultural land throughout California and Arizona, were all part of Nat’s career journey prior to joining Allied Grape Growers in 2000.
Nat has received numerous recognitions for his work and leadership in agriculture including being named one of the Top 50 Leaders in the California Wine Industry by Wine Business Monthly in both 2016 and 2017, receiving the ‘2014 Profiles in Leadership Award’ by the Agriculture Leadership Foundation, and being recognized by the California Association of Winegrape Growers as CAWG Leader of the Year in 2012, to name a few.
Nat’s career has always gone hand in hand with his support of the agriculture industry, his community, and his Alma Mater, California State University Fresno, further demonstrating his commitment and dedication to improving and promoting California Agriculture. He was appointed to the CSU Fresno Foundation Board of Governors, was past chair of the CDFA DP/GWSS Board, is a member of Friends of Fresno Fair, and served on the City of Fresno Mayor’s Advisory Committee. Nat is also a graduate of the California Agriculture Leadership Program Class VI and earned the Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) designation with the nationally recognized American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.
Questions may be directed to the California Chapter, ASFMRA Office at 209-368-3672 or info@calasfmra.com.
Source: California Chapter ASFMRA, News Release, March 15, 2018