The Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (PD/GWSS) Board officially added the spotted laternfly (SLF) to its list of designated pests and diseases, making it eligible for research and outreach funding. “The best quarantine efforts happen at the points of origin. By showing that this is a pest we don’t want in California, we have a better chance of getting cooperation and action to …
Have you ever found yourself in the morning looking down the vineyard row and seeing what looks like a sumo wrestling match had taken place the night before right in your vineyard? You may likely have a problem with feral pigs. Ryan McCreary from USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services recently addressed large wildlife pest threats in the vineyard at Malcolm Media’s Sonoma …
By now, most farmers know the regulations regarding pesticide use notifications near school sites; however, many are still getting fined by the counties for violation of this rule. So where are farmers coming short? Watch this brief interview with Travis Howard from the Sonoma County Ag Department as he clarifies some important dates and requirements farmers need to know about …
Whether you’ve experienced wildfire damage on the farm or other disasters, disease outbreaks on your trees and vines — the USDA-Farm Service Agency has a program to support you. Watch this brief interview with Farm Service Agency California representative Lisa Velasquez as she explains some of these programs to get involved in. Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support …
Pierce’s Disease (PD) is a serious threat to the cultivation of grapes in the United States, especially in the warmer southern regions. Recently the UC Davis grape breeding program has developed new European (Vitis vinifera) grape selections with resistance to PD that are expected to produce high quality yield in regions with PD pressure where the Vitis vinifera production was previously not a …
Agriculture and the science of crop protection materials is too often misunderstood by the public and is under constant attack by extremists in the political arena. As legislation and jurisdiction begins to more commonly ignore sound science in their decision-making, farmers are rightfully concerned about the future of agriculture and what may or may not be in their power to …
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, in cooperation with Pacific Biosciences and Penn State University, have published the first genome of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) in the journal Gigascience and they did it from a single caught-in-the-wild specimen. Not only is it the first published genome for this pest, but no closely related species has had its genome sequenced, making the data even more important, …
BASF launched a new industry-wide initiative to eliminate on-farm weeds. Operation Weed Eradication calls on growers and partners to take action against troublesome weeds in their fields, through cultural practices, chemical control and enhanced diligence. Research by Stratus Ag shows that nearly 75 percent of growers nationwide are dealing with glyphosate-resistant weeds in their fields and today’s management practices are …
Wasps, hornets, and even bees are opportunistic feeders, and during the mid to late summer they are actively searching for sources of sugars. Once they find sources of sugary foods, they will aggressively forage in those areas and recruit additional workers from the colony. As such, these stinging insects can be a real nuisance in grapes, especially at harvest. Unfortunately, …
Spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD) trap catches continued to remain high at our four remaining locations in the last week of August. In addition to fall raspberry risk of damage, a key concern for grape growers should be the high numbers of SWD at Chanhassen (Hort. Research Center, HRC), and at Hastings. Traps in our network are effective at catching both male and …
jim grady: I think Jeff is a little out of touch with the current market. There is NO spot...