November 7
Select Committees on Wine - Joint Hearing, UCSB
November 9
Regional Dinner Honoring Aaron Lange, Lodi
November 9-10
CAWG Board of Directors meeting, Lodi
January 23-25, 2018
Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, Sacramento
February 22-23, 2018
CAWG Board of Directors meeting, Temecula
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CAWG Board Election Ballots Due Nov. 17
Official election ballots for the CAWG board of directors were mailed to all grower members. Votes will either re-elect existing directors or fill vacancies for 11 seats among six districts on the CAWG board. For CAWG districts 1-6, members received a 2017 ballot and biographical information about the candidate(s).
Please take a moment to complete your ballot in electing your district's leadership. Ballots must be returned on or before Nov. 17 to be included in the ballot count.
To see a full listing of growers seeking election, click here.
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Institute to Conduct Wildfire Assessment Study of North Coast Wine Industry
The Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University is conducting a fact-based assessment to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of the wildfires on the North Coast wine industry. It will also serve as a "roadmap for recovery" to share with other wine-growing regions that could experience a similar situation. "
As we transition to recovery and revitalization, our business owners, policymakers and community leaders need accurate information on the effects of the fires, best practices for rapid recovery, and strategies to prevent future losses,"
said WBI dean
William S. Silver.
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Select Committees on Wine to Hold Informational Hearings at UCSB
The
Senate Select Committee on California's Wine Industry
and the
Assembly Select Committee on Wine
are conducting a joint hearing at the University of California-Santa Barbara next week. The hearing will address wine country fire recovery and pest management awareness. Attending the hearing will be Mike Testa, CAWG board secretary, who will also participate on a panel, and Michael Miiller, CAWG director of government relations. Please contact Michael for more details.
WHEN: Nov. 7 / 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
WHERE: UCSB, Loma Pelona Center, Oklahoma 3W, Isla Vista
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Government Relations Capitol Report
With the state Legislature in interim recess until January, it is important to look ahead and determine what is needed legislatively to address the needs of the industry. Toward that end, this week CAWG attended a community town hall in Santa Rosa. The meeting was focused on agriculture relief and recovery programs in response to the recent wildfires in Northern California that have impacted rural property owners and agricultural operations.
It will be very important in the months ahead for growers to participate in crop loss surveys. These surveys will help determine funding and programs that will be available for growers. This information will also help inform potential legislation in 2018.
Government officials and ag organization staff toured the area prior to the meeting and then gave presentations to about 300 Sonoma County residents in attendance. They included California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross; Sonoma County Winegrowers President Karissa Kruse; the Sonoma County ag commissioner; and representatives from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, California Office of Emergency Services and Sonoma County Farm Bureau.
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Reminder to File Insurance Claims
As a result of the recent fires, CAWG wants to remind you that now is the time to file a claim with your crop insurance agent if you suspect a crop loss due to smoke. Nov. 10 is the end of the 2017 grape crop insurance policy cycle. With this date just around the corner, be sure to address any concerns of a potential yield and/or quality loss as soon as possible. Crop losses may include any reduced prices paid by wineries. Please be sure to collect all the information needed by your insurer. When in doubt, please call your agent.
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House Passes Wildfire Management Bill
In the wake of the wildfires in California and the West, the House passed a bill (H.R. 2936,
Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017) to reduce the risk of wildfires in national forests. The bipartisan measure now goes to the Senate. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), said it
would
provide protection to the national forest system by implementing proactive management standards intended to lessen the threat of wildfires and other risks.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said
, "Passage of today's bill will finally allow forest managers to get rid of the dead and dry wood that fuels these fires and swiftly take other management actions all to help prevent wildfires, rather than just suppress them when they take place."
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VINEYARDS & WINE
Maria Brunn is the new executive director at the Lake County Winery Association.
Wines & Vines, Nov. 1
The Vineyard Advisor, created by a Texas Tech viticulture professor, provides recommendations for managing 350+ problems affecting grapes.
Growing Produce, Oct. 30
Your vineyard scouts probably aren't sampling nearly as randomly as you think they are. A Washington State University extension viticulturist discusses scouting methods.
Good Fruit Grower, Oct. 27
Both biotic and abiotic causes can turn grape leaves red. The best strategy is not to rely on guesswork, but to get the vines tested for accurate diagnosis as soon as possible.
Here's what you should look for.
Good Fruit Grower, Oct. 27
WILDFIRES
Napa Valley Vintners say 47 NVV members sustained some degree of direct property damage from the fires. CAWG members Karissa Kruse and Jeff Bitter quoted.
Western Farm Press, Oct. 25
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"Be Flood Ready" and Know Your Risks Before Winter Storms
Anticipating another rainy winter, the California Department of Water Resources is encouraging residents to be prepared. Many communities across the state are at risk of flooding, particularly those that have been impacted by wildfire damage. DWR offers the following tips:
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- Talk to your insurance agent about flood insurance or contact the National Flood Insurance Program (800-427-4661).
- Prepare an emergency supply kit and develop a disaster plan - click here.
- Stay informed during heavy storms.
- Don't walk or drive through flood waters (even 6 inches of water is dangerous).
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Water Articles and Resources
Officials announced that Oroville's main flood control spillway has been largely reconstructed and is ready for the rainy season. A second phase of work will be completed next year. Repairs and updates are also being made at some of the 93 other dams throughout the state.
Sacramento Bee, Nov. 1
The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is working with regional and local agencies to
assess and reduce the risk of flooding and to prevent fire-related debris, pollutants and sediment from burned areas from being carried into storm drains, creeks and rivers.
State Water Board, Nov. 1
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UC IPM Advisor David Haviland recently shared some tips on mealybug control with California AgNet. He said the goal is to lower mealybug populations, prevent movement, protect the cluster and keep the vines compatible for biocontrol (especially post-harvest).
He highlighted effective insecticides for vine mealybug, temperature and weather patterns.
Haviland will be presenting his latest research on vine mealybug management at the annual
Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo
on Nov. 14 (free admission for growers and PCAs).
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Two-Day Wine Grape Production Course
Researchers, farm advisors and extension specialists will be presenting at this UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology course. Here's a look at what's on the agenda:
1) Vineyard soils/site preparation and irrigation system design: soil parent materials, micro-irrigation system design, rootstock choices and cover crops and interactions with the vineyard planting systems.
2) Production: information on trellising systems for high-efficiency production, grapevine mineral nutrition, grape berry ripening and how to counteract heat spikes, irrigation scheduling and virus diseases.
3) Mechanical and precision viticulture: science-based information on mechanization steps in canopy management, interpreting proximal and remote sensing data, processing sensor data and data gathering by neighborhood associations.
Washington State University's Tom Collins, the only U.S. researcher conducting large-scale smoke taint trials, is one of the presenters.
WHEN: Dec. 12-13
WHERE: UCD Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, Davis
COST:
$350
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Final Call ~ Honor Outgoing CAWG Chair Aaron Lange at Regional Dinner
The CAWG board of directors invites members to an evening of wine, food and friends to celebrate the two years of outstanding leadership and contributions
of outgoing CAWG chair
Aaron Lange. We hope to see you there!
Please RSVP by Nov. 3.
WHEN: Nov. 9 / 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. dinner
WHERE: Wine & Roses, Lodi
COST: $89 per person
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UNIFIED WINE & GRAPE SYMPOSIUM
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** REGISTRATION NOW OPEN **
REGISTRATION
Your CAWG membership entitles you to a $200 discount on 1-day or 3-day registration. The discount may be used for all employees of your company, so the more you register, the more you save!
If you need your discount code, please call Debby in the CAWG office at 916-379-8995.
>REGISTER (registration by phone is available)
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7th Annual Ag Labor Issues Forum
WHEN: Nov. 15-16
WHERE: Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, Lemoore
TOPICS: Immigration updates, changing demographics of California's farmworkers, farm safety, labor laws and pesticide safety laws, workers' comp.
Tree & Vine Expo
WHEN: Nov. 7 / 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Stanislaus County Fairgrounds
FEATURES: Grower seminars, grower/PCA breakfast, industry lunch, 4 hours of PCA credits.
Sonoma Grape Expo
WHEN: Nov. 10 / 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds
FEATURES: Grower seminars, grower/PCA breakfast, industry lunch, 4 hours of PCA credits.
Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo
WHEN: Nov. 14 / 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Big Fresno Fairgrounds
FEATURES: Grower seminars, grower/PCA breakfast, industry lunch, 5 hours of CEUs.
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