Watch this brief interview with Dwayne Cardoza from the Raisin Bargaining Association as he shared some key insights on the current state of the California raisin industry at their recent annual meeting. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Vmech for their industry support.
Just last month, a vote passed to shut down the California Raisin Marketing Board. But what of generic California raisin marketing and the iconic dancing raisins? Watch this brief interview with Dwayne Cardoza from the Raisin Bargaining Association and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Vmech for their industry support.
Whoever would have thought a raisin packing facility would be not only be receiving and shipping raisin product, but also turn into a drive-thru vaccination clinic? It’s true, and National Raisin Company has already assisted in getting 1,000 essential ag workers vaccinated for COVID-19 — exactly one year from the start of the pandemic. Watch this brief interview with LindaKay Abdulian and read more in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
With smoke-filled skies and ongoing wildfires in forested areas, one may wonder just how the California raisin industry may be impacted by all this. As harvest continues through the pandemic year, what should we expect from the 2020 crop? Watch this brief interview with Rick Stark from Sun-Maid growers to find out and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
California raisin growers are always asking, “When will the Dancing Raisins come back, or will they ever?” Although not currently part of the raisin market promotions, the Dancing Raisins have returned to the spotlight of mainstream media in a recent Business Insider podcast. The 45-minute podcast known as Brought to You Byhighlights powerful brands and marketing strategies through the years and how they came to be. East Coast Showrunner Sarah Wyman recently visited California and several raisin industry members to learn and share the following story of the Dancing Raisins and the raisin industry that created them.
Wyman shares, “The 1980’s TV commercials for California raisins have been called some of the best ads ever made. The claymation raisins singing and dancing to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” became a kids TV show, recorded an album that went platinum, launched a range of toys and costumes, and starred in an Emmy-winning Christmas special. But were they a success for the raisin industry? Or did the dancing California raisins cause more trouble than they were worth?” Listen to the podcast HERE.
California raisin growers have been disappointed this year with the raisin market after coming off of record high raisin prices the year before. Is this price volatility expected to last, and will the continued removal of raisin acreage impact future pricing? Watch this brief interview with Steve Kister, Chairman of Board with Sun-Maid Growers, and read more about it in the February issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and tell them you saw them on California Ag Network.
The dried fruit sector hasn’t been as popular with millennial consumers as in other generations, but Sun-Maid Growers are working to turn things around (at least for California raisins) with some new strategies and investments as shared at their annual meeting in Fresno recently. Watch this brief interview with Sun-Maid CEO Harry Overly and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and tell them you saw them on California Ag Network.
As the farm labor force in California continues to shrink and costs continue to climb, growers have been compelled to mechanize much of their farming tasks. Harvesting is one of the most labor-intensive tasks for California raisin growers, and fortunately, mechanical harvesting is an option for them. The technology has been around for quite some time now; however, some growers have been hesitant to convert to mechanized harvesting for one reason or another. For many, it’s a question of finance. Many of the old Thompson raisin vineyards are not set up to be mechanically harvested, but times are changing.
Total acreage harvested by mechanical means in 2018 was 45,429, nearly 30 percent of the State’s total raisin-type grape acreage, according to the Pacific Region Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The Overhead Trellis Management System was used on 13,346 bearing acres in 2018, accounting for 8.8 percent of the total raisin-type grape acreage. Fresno and Madera County growers have 49 and 42 percent of the Overhead Trellis acreage in the State, respectively. Kern County growers have 6 percent of the Overhead Trellis acreage. Other mechanical harvest systems include Continuous Tray at 20 percent of the raisin acreage, South Side with 0.4 percent and Open Gable with about 1.2 percent of the raisin-type grape acreage.
Although Fresno County has the most acreage with mechanical harvesting, at 32,991, that acreage only represents 31 percent of the Fresno County raisin-type grape acreage. Kern and Madera County growers harvest 11 and 43 percent of their raisin-type grape acreage by mechanical means, respectively.
By variety, Thompson Seedless grape acreage with mechanical harvesting is 32,191 or 25 percent of the total raisin-type grape acreage. Fifty percent of the Fiesta grape acreage is harvested mechanically and 68 percent of the Selma Pete acreage is harvested mechanically.
Most California raisins are produced by sun drying after placing bunches on paper trays on terraces between vine rows. The Overhead Trellis System has led to increased production of dried-on-the-vine raisins, increased machine harvesting, and decreased hand labor use.
The Pacific Region Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, conducts an annual grape acreage survey. The 2018 Grape Acreage Report, published in April, summarized the latest survey results. At the request of the raisin industry, an additional question was added to the grape acreage survey form the past ten years to gather information on raisin-type acreage that is harvested mechanically. In addition to the mechanical harvest data, producers were asked to update acreage by variety and year planted. Growers were initially contacted by mail and follow up was done by telephone. This report summarizes data for mechanical harvest methods of raisin-type grapes. The totals included are only for those that voluntarily reported to this survey.
We sincerely thank the many vineyard operators, owners, and management for firms providing the information. Funding for the raisin-type grape acreage report was provided by the Raisin Administrative Committee.
