The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released “Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Program Fiscal Years 2024-2028 Strategy.” APHIS worked with members of the National Plant Board to develop a unified roadmap for USDA and its partners to protect American agriculture from the threat of invasive fruit flies and measure our progress along the way. “The United States is experiencing an unusually high number of invasive fruit fly detections – the worst of its kind in 70 years,” said Mark Davidson, USDA APHIS Deputy Administrator for the Plant Prot ..read more

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor will lead an agribusiness trade mission to Bogotá, Colombia, Aug. 13-15, 2024. USDA is now accepting applications from current and potential U.S. exporters who have interest in joining the delegation. “Colombia represents a top-tier food and agricultural export destination for American farmers, ranchers and processors,” said Taylor. “As the second-most-populous country in South America, Colombia enjoys highly favorable demographics, coupled with 20 years of continuous economic growth, whi ..read more

UC Cooperative Extension is hosting a Pear and Grape Day on May 28, 2024. This is the first event of its kind and we hope to provide programming like this each year for growers in California’s north coast region. The event will focus on the intersection between pear and wine grape production in the north coast. Presentations will be given by experts from University of California and other trusted organizations. Topics will include: Site Monitoring, Cover Crops, Fungal Pathogens, Common Pathogens, Soil Health, Water Use Efficiency in Perennial Crops, Insect Pests & Vecto ..read more

Two of the worst pests plaguing lettuce growers in the Salinas Valley area are aphids, specifically lettuce-currant aphids (Nasovonia ribisnigri), and western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). Lettuce-currant aphid is an invasive pest that sets up shop in the heart of the lettuce plant and will render the crop unsellable when it reaches high enough numbers. Thrips can both cause cosmetic damage to lettuce crops and are also responsible for the spread of Salinas impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), the fatal lettuce disease that has driven large losses since the 2020 growing season ..read more

As the 2024 crop season moves forward, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to determine acreage, yield, and production estimates throughout the growing season. “Each year, the agriculture industry anticipates USDA’s Crop Production reports, which provides monthly survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ yields throughout the year,” said Gary R. Keough, NASS Pacific Regional Director. “The May Agricultural Yield Survey provides the first indications of how farmers are doing.” NASS will m ..read more

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation has announced the 2024 crop loan rate differentials for upland and extra-long staple cotton. The differentials, also referred to as loan rate premiums and discounts, were calculated based on market valuations of various cotton quality factors for the prior three years. This calculation procedure is identical to that used in past years. The 2024 crop differential schedules are applied to 2024 crop loan rates of 52 cents per pound for the base grade of upland cotton and 95 cents per pound for extra-long staple cotton. The 2 ..read more

People have known for centuries about the usefulness, worth, and value of cotton, but one fairly recent innovation – intended to shelter the crop – has actually become an obstacle for the industry. Farmers frequently wrap their large round cotton bales in plastic to protect them from environmental contaminants as they await transportation from the field to processing plants. While effective, shreds of plastic sometimes break away during the removal process and become entangled with cotton fibers. The resulting contamination leads to machinery damage, processing inefficiencies, and a notable re ..read more

Mendocino Winegrowers Inc. (MWI) has announced the appointment of Bonnie Butcher as its new executive director. Butcher brings a wealth of experience in event management, sales, and strategic planning to her new role. With a diverse background in hospitality and event planning, Butcher is poised to drive MWI’s mission of promoting and advancing the Mendocino County wine industry to new heights. According to MWI Board President Hoss Milone, “We can’t imagine anyone better suited to take MWI in the direction we are envisioning, including more wine events and increased visibility for vineyards an ..read more

Few organizations or businesses have been as proactive in addressing environmental concerns and lessening their impact than the Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW). Ten years ago, Sonoma County Winegrowers announced its intent to become the nation’s – and likely the world’s – first 100% certified sustainable wine region by 2019.  It was a bold, ambitious declaration but Sonoma County’s winegrowers were committed and, together, they succeeded in meeting their target in just five years.  Today, Sonoma County has a record 99% of its local vineyards certified sustainable. Five years ago, Son ..read more

California ranks last in both housing affordability and availability, compared to the rest of the United States. This is having a major impact on California farm workers who are having to commute long distances to get to work or are otherwise struggling to get by. Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as they push for legislative support to streamline the permitting process for on-farm ag employee housing. Read more about it in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine. The post CAWG Pushes Legislation to Streamline Ag ..read more