In a panel discussion titled, “Water: What Real, What’s Not, What’s Next” at the Annual Convention of the Almond Alliance of California, Friant Water Authority CEO Jason Phillips shares his views on solutions to California’s water crisis based on the reality of the San Joaquin Valley’s water supply and use. Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
What Ag Employers Should Know about Firing Employees
When is it appropriate to fire an employee and how should you go about doing it properly to prevent negative repercussions? At the Annual Convention of the Almond Alliance of California, Stacy Henderson, Almond Alliance’s go-to attorney for ag labor law, shared some key insights every ag employer should know. Watch this brief video with Stacy as she explains. Please thank …
Lodi PCA Warns Grape Growers of Danger in Not Screening Imported Plant Material
Many insect pests currently plaguing California agriculture are not native to the state. As grape growers continue to battle pests like vine mealybug and are threatened by other potential pests such as spotted lanternfly, watch this brief interview with Lodi PCA/CCA Larry Whitted as he reminds growers how important it is for imported grapevines to be properly quarantined and screened …
California Table Grape Commission Expands Global Marketing Focus with Announcement of Chief Marketing Officer
The California Table Grape Commission bolstered its global marketing focus with the promotion of Alyson Dias to the new position of Chief Marketing Officer. Dias is responsible for leading the development of an integrated, strategic, global marketing campaign targeting consumers and the trade in the U.S and export markets to motivate purchase of California table grapes. Her responsibilities include stewardship …
Concord Grape Innovation Contest Offers $100K in Prizes
Applications are being accepted through Aug. 1 for the New York Concord Grape Innovation Award, a first-of-its-kind business competition aimed at stimulating innovation and development of new products and markets for one of New York’s largest and most historic grape industries. Funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and organized and hosted by Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, the …
Texas A&M AgriLife Makes Verjus When Growers Experience Uneven Harvest Conditions
The Texas High Plains is home to 80% of the grapes that fuel a burgeoning Texas wine industry. But the High Plains is also home to some formidable obstacles to grape growing, which is why Texas A&M AgriLife has focused research initiatives to help growers find solutions. One of the people supporting that industry is Pierre Helwi, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the …
Pestalotiopsis and Neopestalotiopsis: Missouri Research Update
Some plant diseases are sporadic and only flare–up when environmental conditions or host plant health is in decline. In comparison, some diseases appear every growing season such as downy mildew or Phomopsis cane and leaf spot. The former are endophytes and can be either bacterial or fungal and live within plants for a portion of time without causing plant disease. …
Grape Scale, an Inconspicuous Grape Pest
Unlike many other insect pests that we readily see in the vineyard, the grape scale remains mainly hidden out of sight. The hidden nature of the pest can result in the populations building up over time, but even these population increases remain hidden. Sometimes your first clue that scale insects are becoming a problem is when you see vine decline. …
RNA Interference in the Vineyard: a Potentially Transformative Tool?
The mechanism of gene silencing, also called RNA interference (RNAi), involves the production of small RNA molecules named small-interfering RNA or siRNA. These stretches of double-strand RNA (dsRNA) are 21 to 24 nucleotides in length. Their production will trigger a series of molecular reactions that will either repress gene expression (Transcriptional Gene Silencing or TGS) or protein synthesis (Post-Transcriptional Gene …
PD/GWSS Board Ups Assessment Rate for 2022 California Grape Harvest
The Pierce’s Disease/Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Board (PD/GWSS Board) recently voted to set the grower assessment rate in support of the Pierce’s Disease Control Program (Program) at $1.25 per $1,000 of crop value for the 2022 harvest. This assessment provides vital funding for research on GWSS and other designated vineyard pests and for research on developing crop resistance to PD. “CAWG …
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