At a virtual annual meeting of the membership, incumbents were re-elected to serve three-year terms on the Board of Directors for the Washington Winegrowers Association including: Becca De Kleine, Four Feathers Wine Estates, Prosser Scott Williams, Kiona Vineyards & Winery, Benton City Shane Collins, Rocky Pond Winery, Chelan Immediately following the annual meeting, a board meeting was held with Shane …

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. USDA is dedicating at least $6 billion toward the new …

The grape breeding program team collects annual grapevine bud survival counts at the UMN Horticultural Research Center in late winter. In general, bud survival was high at this location. Most varieties are coming out of the winter very well. The data reported below is meant to help inform grape growers about relative 2021 expectations, but only reflects a sample of …

Washington’s wine grape crop may have been smaller in 2020, but according to farmers and winemakers—quality is high. The Washington State Wine Commission’s annual Grape Production Report, compiled with information provided by all Washington State wineries, showed 178,500 tons of wine grapes were harvested in 2020, an 11% decrease compared to 2019. “The smaller harvest is due to many factors,” explained …

Mann Packing Co., Inc. (“Mann”), a subsidiary of Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc., and one of the largest suppliers of packaged vegetables in North America is excited to announce the addition of a fresh-cut fruit area to its new facility in Gonzales, California. This new section of the facility will allow Mann Packing to grow its fresh-cut fruit and organic …

Automating the labor-intensive task of crop estimation has long been a research goal of the wine grape industry. Washington State University researchers are leading an effort to develop a cutting edge smartphone app to address the issue, and the industry is invited to a one-hour webinar on April 8 to hear all about it. Each summer, wine grape growers and …

Sonoma County Winegrowers — As the calendar changes to March, Sonoma County vineyards are starting to awaken following a long, dry winter. Bud break marks the traditional start of the new year for the 2021 vintage meaning each day ahead is filled with a task intended to bring about the best harvest later this year. Given that bud break comes at the …

The Washington wine industry, five years into its stepped up investment in research, is well on its way to creating a world class research program, said an industry leader during the opening session of the virtual WineVit® wine convention and tradeshow on March 9. Wine grape grower Dick Boushey shared results of the industry’s investment in research that is detailed …

The year 2020 will be remembered for a lot of things. Many of them are bad. The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to stay home, led to millions being infected and over a million deaths globally. In California, wildfires ravaged the state, with more than 9,600 fires burning more than 4.3 million acres. The blazes destroyed homes, offices, and many agricultural …