Croatia provides a unique opportunity for U.S. wine exporters to position their product. U.S. wine exporters should focus their market entry efforts on Zagreb, the nation’s capital, where niches exist for medium and higher quality wines. I. Market Overview Production Domestic wine production is an especially important segment of Croatian agriculture and plays an important role in tourism, which is …

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 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 …

Contents of the March Issue: The Year the Earth Stood Still Grape Crush Report Reflects Difficult Year Grape Growers Adapt with Pandemic Could There Be a Silver Lining? Rick Stark Retires from Sun-Maid A Gracious Farewell from the Raisin Industry The American Grapevine Grape Industry News Briefs California Oregon Washington

The 2020 crush totaled 3,542,038 tons, down 13.9% from the 2019 crush of 4,115,413 tons. A crushing disappointment for the industry, this represents the lowest tonnage and some of the lowest prices growers have experienced in the last decade.  Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,813,964 tons, down 15.9% from 2019. White wine varieties crushed …

On January 6, 2021 the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) issued a statement that importers of luxury goods must wait up to 365 days to legally exchange currency to complete foreign transactions. Effectively, this requires importers to finance the cost of imports from the day the items clear customs. After 365 days, importers will be allowed to obtain foreign currency from an …

California Department of Food & Agriculture — Free raisin tonnage produced by handlers in 2019 totaled 24,844 tons, up from the 9,423 tons reported in 2018. This figure does NOT include raisins purchased from other handlers or producers. The total 2019 raisin crop purchased from producers, for whom pricing had been finalized, reached 145,145 tons at an average price of $1,162 per ton, down significantly …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $676,000 grant to a pair of Cornell researchers aiming to use high resolution sensors to help vineyard growers identify nutrient deficiencies. The researchers – Terry Bates, senior research associate at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, and Justine Vanden Heuvel, professor of horticulture – are both from …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of assistance for residents and agricultural producers affected by recent wildfires. As of today, wildfires have burned nearly 6.9 million acres across 11 states. More than 31,000 personnel from the local, state and federal levels are working to contain 61 large fires. The USDA Forest Service has more than 7,800 …

President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced up to an additional $14 billion for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) will begin September 21 and run through December 11, 2020.  One of the exciting changes is that …