The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase U.S.-grown table grapes as part of its 2022 Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP). The USDA recently announced its commitment of $30 million to purchase U.S.-grown table grapes in 2022 for distribution to food banks and other food programs around the country. Purchases will be made June through December, a timeframe …

With so much attention paid to climate change, the 2022 Unified Wine and Grape Symposium this January has appropriately recruited the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) climate director to open the prestige three-day event. As Unified’s Tuesday luncheon keynote speaker, Dr. Steven Ostoja, director of the USDA California Climate Hub, will offer his  insights into how a changing climate …

Scientists with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have teamed up with NASA to use satellites to monitor the water cycle on Earth, specifically “evapotranspiration” — the amount of water that enters the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration from plants. Transpiration occurs during photosynthesis when plants take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen. That information is especially important for farmers …

Argentina’s raisin production is forecast to remain stable in MY 2021/22 at 44,500 metric tons (MT). Exports are forecast at 39,000 MT, though exporters struggle to remain competitive in international markets due to various economic factors, such as high inflation and an unstable exchange rate. The COVID-19 pandemic created a slight increase in domestic consumption, as Argentinians prepared more at-home …

Australia’s table grape production is expected to increase to 210,000 MT in marketing year (MY) 2021/22, from an estimated 200,000 metric tons (MT) in MY 2020/21. Despite expanded vine plantings in recent years now coming into fruiting, production has remained relatively flat since MY 2019/20. Reduced labor availability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted production but also …

Up and down the roughly 70-miles of Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo County you will find over 250 wineries. But how do you decide who to support and maybe join their wine club? Consider filtering by eco-friendly and sustainable, and don’t forget to review our handy packing list! Combining the SLO Coast Wine region and Paso Robles Wine Country, SLO …

Two recent press releases issued by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the arrival of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF; Lycorma deliatula) in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and the first detection of SLF in Indiana. The following statement was released yesterday from the Ohio Department of Agriculture: Spotted Lanternfly Found in Cuyahoga County ODA …

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service forecasts that South African raisin production will rebound to normal levels and increase by 19 percent to 85,000 Metric Tons (MT) in the 2021/22 Market Year (MY), based on normal weather conditions, an increase in area planted, new orchards coming into full production, an improvement in yields due to new varieties and production practices, wine …

Brazil reached robust sales growth figures for wines in 2020, reaching 380 million liters or 15 percent higher compared to 2019. There is market potential for U.S. wines as Brazilian consumers become more interested in wines. The imports of fine wine continue to grow and the beverage is becoming more popular in the market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and …

For MY2021/22, Post projects 59,000 MT of raisin production and 56,200 MT of exports. This will represent a one percent decrease in Chilean raisin production and exports. The decrease can be attributed to a reduction in table grape planted area as farmers switched to more profitable crops such as cherries, walnuts, avocado, and citrus. Raisin production in Chile relies almost …