NEWSLETTER
January 2018
Advancing research to maximize the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness
 of the American grape industries.


FIFTEEN AND COUNTING
NGWI is 15 years old this year! Since our founding in 2003, we've established a track record of success aligning national research priorities across wine grapes, table grapes, juice grapes and raisins, and helping to ensure the industry's most critical projects get done. As we enter the next phase of organizational life, I invite you to get to know us better. 
In This Issue
First , meet our new Board Chair, Tony Stephen  (shown at left). Elected at our Annual Meeting of Members on January 26, Tony is Chairman of the Board of the American Vineyard Foundation and Chief Planning Officer for Scheid Vineyards. He takes the helm with re-elected officers Vice Chair Rick Stark (Sun-Maid Raisin Growers of California) and Secretary/Treasurer Dan Martinez (Martinez Orchards). Eleven Commodity Sector, Regional and At-Large Representatives signed on for new three-year terms at the January meeting, too. See all our newly re-elected leaders and/or check out the complete list of NGWI Board members.
 
Now, download our new overview presentation and see how well you know NGWI. Get a refresh on our mission and values, organizational structure, research support process, and more. Learn what research we've been instrumental in getting organized and funded, and just how much support we've generated, dollar-wise, over the last 15 years. See how many folks you recognize throughout the slides (!), then educate others about who we are and what we do.
 
NGWI is a vibrant, action-oriented organization seeking to advance our industry through research--and we're only getting better! Wish us a happy birthday by inviting others to join our cause. We look forward to the next 15 years!
Donnell Brown
President

AROUND THE INDUSTRY
SAVE THE DATE FOR NVEELC 2018

If you serve in an extension or outreach role in the United States, the National Viticulture & Enology Extension Leadership Conference (NVEELC)  is an event you can't afford to miss! Save the date  for  May 20-22, 2018 , when NVEELC 2018 unfolds in Prosser, WA--the heart of Washington Wine Country--hosted by Washington State University Viticulture Extension . Check out the agenda, which is packed with professional development, site visits, best-practice-sharing  and networking with other extension and outreach colleagues. Stay tuned--event registration will open soon. NGWI is a proud sponsor of NVEELC.
USDA CHIEF CALLS FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

In the "Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Chair of the Task Force Sonny Perdue provides a roadmap to promote agriculture and rural prosperity in America. The report is organized in five "calls to action" around e-Connectivity, Quality of Life, Rural Workforce, Technological Innovation and Economic Development. Call to Action #4, Harnessing Technological Innovation, includes recommendations for precision agriculture and biotechnology (including genome editing and genomic selection) and the regulation thereof. See pages 30-34 in the full report.
RICH SMITH AWARD PRESENTED TO PETE DOWNS

The award recognizes one industry colleague each year who emulates the passion, commitment and collaboration of the late Rich Smith (Paraiso Vineyards and Smith Family Wines). NGWI is proud to collaborate with the Smith Family, WineAmerica and Winegrape Growers of America to create the Rich Smith Award and to continue to celebrate Rich's legacy of service. Congratulations to Pete Downs!
NEW DEAN NAMED FOR WSU'S AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

Congratulations to André-Denis Wright, incoming dean of  Washington State University 's College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Science, which houses the enviable Viticulture & Enology Program.  Dean Wright's appointment is effective June 1.  Learn more about the new dean.
SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING LEADERS SOUGHT

Applications are now being accepted for the California Green Medal: Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards.  Nominate yourself or another vineyard or winery that's leading in the 3 E's of sustainability: environment, economic and social equity. The deadline is February 9.
CLIFF OHMART RETIRES

Sustainability pioneer Cliff Ohmart retired this month. Cliff authored the LODI RULES program, which paved the way for the sustainability movement in California's wine industry, and he was instrumental in the formation of NGWI, too. Read more in this tribute from the Lodi Winegrape Commission .
2017 PD RESEARCH PROJECT REPORTS ONLINE

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Pierce's Disease Control Program ' s  2017 progress report is now available online. The 278-report covers topics from PD-resistant grapevines to pest control programs and includes research on other vineyard pests.

RESEARCH UPDATE
NGWI RESEARCH PRIORITIES APPROVED

In 2017, NGWI refreshed our research themes to include four broad areas: genetics and grapevine improvement, integrated production systems, natural resources and environment, and extension and outreach. Now, thanks to the efforts of the 39 members of our Research Theme Committees, we now have an approved set of research priorities and platforms within and across these areas, ratified last week.
 
For the first time ever, the NGWI research priorities include a shortlist of top-line to-do's  across all grape and wine sectors nationwide. They are: 
  • Advance our understanding of gene function and linkage to important traits
  • Identify, establish and maintain high-performing, disease-free plant materials
  • Develop integrated models for the utilization of key natural resources at the vineyard-block level, including water, nutrients and sunlight
  • Build improved mechanization and automation systems to enhance labor efficiency
  • Improve pest and disease detection, modeling and control systems
  • Strengthen and support extension and outreach for viticulture and enology in America
From these big, broad ideas to more granular "streams and themes," our new priorities and platforms will guide our thinking around grape projects to develop, pursue and support in 2018 and beyond.  Check them out!
NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITIES ANNOUNCED
  • Collaborative Robotics: The National Robotics Initiative (NRI-2.0) program, a partnership between USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Department of Energy, is funding $7 million in grants to research the development and use of collaborative robots. There are two proposal deadlines: February 5 and 20. See full details.
  • Crop Breeding & Functional Genomics: A new grant program jointly funded by the National Science Foundation Biological Sciences Directorate, NIFA and the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council makes available $8 million for Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGERs) to fuel significant advances in crop breeding. Summary letters are due March 14. See full details.
  • Organic Agriculture: This year, NIFA's Organic Transitions (ORG) program is making available $3.8 million in funding to address critical issues related to organic agriculture. The deadline for applications is March 29. See full details.
  • Women and Minorities in Science: A total of $400,000 in grants is available for research and extension projects that have robust collaborations to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields that are relevant to USDA priorities. Deadline is March 28. See full details. 

 
IN THE NEWS
January 18, 2018 │ The New York Times
NASA scientists rank 2017 as the second-warmest year on record, behind 2016. What made the numbers unexpected was that last year had no El Niño, a Pacific weather pattern that's usually linked to record-setting heat.
 

No more pancake syrup? Climate change could bring an end to sugar maples

January 17, 2018 │ Science
How climate change could affect another beloved agricultural product.
 
January 16, 2018 │ Science
In the wake of recent failures to replicate published scientific work, aka the "reproducibility crisis," a new report from the  Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences  calls for fundamental changes to how science is conducted and published. It focuses on the life sciences, medicine and psychology, but recommends that all scientific disciplines assess the reproducibility of their results. One committee member also suggests that 5 to 10% of research funding be spent on replication studies.
 
January 11, 2018 │ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Is it possible to predict the "tipping point" when ecosystems abruptly shift? Researchers at  Colorado State University  developed a dimension-reduction framework that uses empirical data from 59 complex multidimensional plant-pollinator mutualistic networks to develop simpler 2D models for studying and predicting tipping points.
 
January 9, 2018 │ Farm Journal AgTech
Cornell University  Entomologist Dr. Anthony Shelton is paving the way for the use of gene-editing for a "new wave of pest management, based on species-specific tools targeting pest insects [that could] result in a significant reduction in broad-spectrum insecticide applications. GE insects may provide growers with a major new pest weapon if all goes according to plan."
 
January 4, 2018 │ Science
Robots are wielding a new kind of soft power. Two new technologies are creating a new class of robot muscles, which-like our own-offer both strength and sensitivity. By not overpowering and damaging the objects they're manipulating, they could one day perform delicate tasks-everything from picking fruit to assisting elderly people.
 
December 28, 2017 │ FarmJournal AgWeb
When asked, "what do you do?" the answer isn't farmer or grower. AgTech Expo speaker John Ellis says "You are a technologist who has chosen to deliver farm products."
 
December 20, 2017 │Foundation Plant Services News
Foundation Plant Services found and destroyed five vines infected with Grapevine Red Blotch Virus at its Russell Ranch Vineyard. They took swift action to ensure the disease didn't spread.
 
December 19, 2017 │ MIT Technology Review
As some gene-edited crops like soybeans go commercial, this article observes the state of GMO vs. gene edited plants and their regulations worldwide. "Broadly speaking, companies argue that these plants should be unregulated because they could have been created by conventional breeding. The proof? In many cases, there would be no way to tell a gene-edited plant from a natural one."
 
December 18, 2017 │ Forbes
Wine writer  Cathy Huyghe  (founder of Enolytics) shares highlights of developments in the wine world last year, including a few forward-thinking initiatives and emergence of indigenous grapes.
 
December 2017 │ Wines & Vines
"Classic wine grape cultivars and their names have spread throughout the globe, but their genetics are frozen in the Middle Ages," writes Cornell University's Tim Martinson in a new monthly column. New tools are emerging that can broaden the narrow genetic base of current cultivars, and thereby overcome their susceptibility to pests and diseases, and climate change. "The key obstacle that seems insurmountable," Tim says, "is the marketing dominance of varietal wines."
 
December 2017 │ USDA AgResearch Magazine
At the USDA ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Lab in Beltsville, MD, William Kustas and Martha Anderson are tapping into data collected by satellites that measure land surface temperature to create a novel measure of evapotranspiration and model for irrigation. Using the California vineyards of E&J Gallo, they can determine how much water is needed in specific vineyard areas and exactly when it should be applied. By improving how Gallo targets irrigation water, ARS scientists are helping the company to substantially reduce water use. The techniques will be shared with other operators and potentially save water across more than a million acres of grape vineyards in California, and eventually other states, as well. 

Find these stories and more, published as we find them, on the NGWI Facebook page.

UPCOMING EVENTS
February 6-8, 2018
 
February 9-10, 2018
Baltimore, MD
 
February 19-20, 2018
 Ohio Grape & Wine Conference
Dublin, Ohio
 
February 20-21, 2018
 Oregon Wine Symposium
Portland, OR
 
February 20, 2018
Washington, DC
 
February 21-22, 2018
 US Wine & Beverage Expo (USBevX)
Washington, DC
February 22-24, 2018
Virginia Vineyards Association Winter Technical Meeting
Charlottesville, VA
 
February 28-March 2, 2018
 B.E.V. NY
Henrietta, NY
 
 
June 18-21, 2018
 National Winegrape Policy Conference
Washington, DC
 
June 18-21, 2018
Monterey, CA
 
July 9-11, 2018
 
 

Find all upcoming events on the NGWI website.