California Ag Network

Tag: Michael Miiller

  • Could Farmers Get a Tax Credit for Paying Employees Overtime?

    Could farmers in California get a tax credit for paying their employees to work overtime?  Other states have already implemented this to alleviate the pressures of inflating wage costs burdening ag employers. Watch this brief interview as Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) joins Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share how CAWG is working with the California Farm Bureau and Senator Shannon Grove through SB628 to support California ag employers and make this happen.
     

    Please thank this video’s sponsor SIPCAM AGRO USA for their industry support.

  • Compost Tax Credit Bill for California Farmers Progresses Through Legislature

    California growers investing in compost to boost soil fertility on the farm may soon reap additional benefits in the form of a tax credit. Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) joined Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share how this promising CAWG-sponsored bill is currently making its way through legislature. Watch this brief video to learn more.

  • CAWG Pushes Legislation to Streamline Ag Employee Housing

    California ranks last in both housing affordability and availability, compared to the rest of the United States. This is having a major impact on California farm workers who are having to commute long distances to get to work or are otherwise struggling to get by. Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as they push for legislative support to streamline the permitting process for on-farm ag employee housing. Read more about it in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

  • California Growers Celebrate Legislative Win Supporting Groundwater Recharge

    Last Fall, Governor Newsom signed SB 659, The California Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023, sponsored by the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the Regional Water Authority in Sacramento.  But what does this mean for California farmers implementing groundwater recharge practices in the coming months?  Watch this video with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers to find out.

  • Legislation to Improve California Water Situation With Recharge

    While a record amount of rain has fallen on the drought-stricken soils of California over the winter, this will unfortunately not solve the state’s ongoing drought and water supply issues.  Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he shares a new push for the state’s cooperation and support for groundwater recharge as a solution for times like these.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems 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.

  • Are Autonomous Self-Driving Tractors Legal in California?

    As California’s agricultural industries progress towards a more sustainable future with new technologies and innovations, current Cal OSHA regulations (unless changed) may hinder their progress, particularly with regard to autonomous or self-driving tractors.  Watch this brief video with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he explains.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • What You May Not Know About the Pierce’s Disease Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Control Program

    It’s getting to be time soon for California grape growers to vote on the continuation of the Pierce’s Disease Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Control Program. You may not feel that Pierce’s Disease is a threat to your vineyard, but other pests and disease are.  Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he shares about some new pests and diseases covered under this program that may soon otherwise become a threat to your vineyard.  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.

  • Could CA Farmers Lose CalEPA & Science-Based Pesticide Regulation?

    Anti-pesticide sentiment has never been more prevalent, as California courts and anti-agricultural organizations frighten the public with non-science based claims of the harmful effects of crop protection materials such as glyphosate.  What farmers need to understand though now, is that much more than glyphosate is currently at stake.  The legislature is now being pressured to change the whole pesticide regulatory system as we know it.  Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller, Director of Government Relations with the California Association of Winegrape Growers to learn more.

  • CAWG Seeks State Support for Wine & Viticulture Research at Legislative Hearing

    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) requested state support for critical wine and viticulture research during today’s joint hearing of the Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry and the Assembly Select Committee on Wine. The hearing – titled “Cultivating the Next Generation of Wine Industry Leaders and Emerging Markets in California” – covered the state of wine education and research, as well as emerging markets and appellations.

    Tony Stephen, chief sales officer for Scheid Family Wines in Monterey County, testified on behalf of CAWG about the value of and need for wine and viticulture research. Stephen is chair of the board of directors for the American Vineyard Foundation and the National Grape Research Alliance.

    “We must step up our investment in research if we want to secure the future of California winegrowing and the communities that depend upon our industry,” Stephen stated in his testimony. “For this reason, CAWG is proposing a public investment in a wine industry research endowment to ensure the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of California’s winegrape growers and wineries. Prudent investments in vineyard and wine research will deliver significant benefits to all Californians.”

    CAWG Director of Government Relations Michael Miller said, “With threats from climate change, increased wildfires, a declining workforce, global trade tensions and new invasive pests, the need for increased research is tremendous. A public-private research endowment will greatly augment the millions of dollars that are already invested by the industry.”