Last month’s widespread lightning storms resulted in multiple fast-moving and devastating wildfires that affected many regions of the state. More than 1 million acres have burned, resulting in lives lost, damaged structures and property, and smoke-filled days. These wildfires have produced unprecedented challenges for California’s winegrape growers and wineries. Growers and wineries have been challenged to determine with certainty how …

Cal/OSHA is reminding employers that California’s protection from wildfire smoke standard is still in effect, and they must take steps to protect their workers from harmful exposure to unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. “Employers are obligated to protect their outdoor workers and must evaluate the health hazards posed by wildfire smoke,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker. “If employers cannot …

The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) reports over 729,000 households relying on wells potentially affected in counties with flooding in ten states during a series of late winter-early spring 2020 storms. The household count includes those on domestic wells in 237 flooded counties across the United States, per Census Bureau data*.  The states include Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, …

In 2018, California wildfires burned more than 1.8 million acres and caused smoke to drift hundreds of miles. As the frequency and intensity of wildfires increases with climate change, California agricultural workers are at greater risk of smoke exposure as they often have no option but to work outdoors. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, finds that …

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue this week announced that growers who suffered crop losses due to natural disasters in 2018 or 2019 can apply for assistance through theWildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Winegrape growers who suffered losses due to smoke exposure events in 2018 are eligible. The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) worked with members of …

Tim Martinson – In most of New York, numbers are running well behind last year at this time. Among the standard French and Geneva hybrids, soluble solids are running 2-5 °Brix lower and titratable acidity (TA) 3-8 g/liter higher than last year. Cold climate Minnesota varieties Frontenac, La Crescent, and Marquette are 1.7 to 4.7 °Brix lower, and TAs are …

Five years ago, the Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) made a bold declaration to the wine world that its more than 1,800 winegrowers were committed to becoming the nation’s first 100% certified sustainable wine region in 2019. Today, Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, addressed the local winegrowing community to announce that Sonoma County now has a record-breaking 99%  …

Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is an invasive species first detected in Minnesota in 1968. In recent years, JB adult activity has been most active in the Twin Cities region, but the beetle is also found in southeast MN, and in selected counties in central MN. In recent years, Japanese beetle (JB) populations have been increasing significantly, primarily in the southeast, …