CAWG PAC fundraiser, Goehring Vineyards, Inc., Lodi
July 17
CAWG PAC Golf Tournament, Napa
July 17
CAWG Awards of Excellence Program and Dinner, Napa
July 18
CAWG Summer Conference, Napa
July 19
CAWG Board of Directors meeting, Napa
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CAWG AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
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CAWG is proud to announce Bradford and Randall Lange of LangeTwins Family Winery
and Vineyards
as the 2017 Grower of the Year and
Al Scheid of
Scheid Vineyards Inc.
as the 2017 Leader the Year
. The awards will be presented at the 2017 CAWG Awards of Excellence Program on July 17 in Napa.
The Langes are co-founders of LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyard in Acampo. The twin brothers are fourth generation Lodi growers who have been farming together since 1974. They are innovative growers who focus on advanced technologies and sustainable winegrowing to farm and make quality wines. Bradford and Randall have been actively involved in the industry for four decades and continue to be front and center with key issues affecting the winegrape industry.
Scheid is the chairman of Scheid Vineyards Inc. in Greenfield. His leadership legacy is that of a visionary pioneer who co-founded two influential organizations, the California Association of Winegrape Growers and Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association; was instrumental in building a successful Central Coast winegrape growing industry; and grew his own namesake company into a fully-integrated winery operation. He was also part of a group that pushed for the creation of the California Grape Crush Report, an invaluable industry tool.
"Al, Bradford, Randall and their families are exceptional role models with their forward-thinking and sustainable winegrape growing practices," said CAWG President John Aguirre. "They have also gone above and beyond as powerful advocates for winegrape industry issues. We are grateful to them for their decades-long involvement with CAWG and all that they have done for our organization."
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California Congressman Forms Ag Research Caucus
Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), both members of the House Agriculture Committee, have established and will serve as co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus. The group will focus on agricultural research, innovation and mechanization efforts.
"Strategic investments in research for plant breeding, crop protections and mechanization will support the future success of the agriculture industry while also helping to address major concerns relating to resource conservation and labor shortages," Panetta said in a statement.
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California, Other States Challenge EPA Regarding Chlorpyrifos
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on March 29 signed an order denying a petition filed by environmental groups that would have banned chlorpyrifos for agricultural use. The decision meant farmers could continue using chlorpyrifos (Lorsban). Now, a coalition of seven state attorneys general want EPA to reverse its March 29 decision. California, New York, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont on June 5 submitted legal objections to EPA, arguing that EPA violated federal law regarding the pesticide. "EPA's order is unlawful and conflicts with two notices of proposed rulemaking stating that the agency could not find the [chlorpyrifos] tolerances safe," states the letter.
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California, Washington, New York Governors Launch US Climate Alliance
Less than a week after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris accord, Gov. Jerry Brown, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York united to form the U.S. Climate Alliance. The coalition has since added 10 more states. The alliance intends
to achieve the U.S. goal of reducing emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan. "
The U.S. Climate Alliance will also act as a forum to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy," stated a press release.
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Government Relations Capitol Report
California is one of 10 states with bottle redemption recycling laws. Every time a consumer purchases a beverage, they pay a CRV fee, which goes to a fund administered by CalRecycle. California's CRV program is in need of a complete overhaul. As more Californians recycle, the cost of running the program has outpaced the amount paid into it. If every consumer returned their bottles and cans for a refund, the program would crash immediately. As the Legislature prepares to finalize a state budget next week, one of the last unresolved issues is how to fix this program. Some lawmakers have been pushing for a budget provision that would charge a CRV on wine. CAWG has pushed back with data showing that wine bottles are already being recycled at a high rate. Consequently, the CRV fee would be nothing more than a tax on wine. Many lawmakers agree, and it appears that adding wine to the CRV program will not be included in the budget this year. However, we should expect that the Legislature will revisit this issue again in the near future.
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Board of Equalization in the Spotlight
The Legislative Analyst's Office issued on Wednesday a report highlighting problems for the Legislature to address regarding the Board of Equalization and options for reforming the agency. The recommendations include limiting the board's administrative duties, consolidating tax agencies and eliminating board member elections. In addition, two op eds about the BOE were published in the Sacramento Bee this week.
>OP ED BY BOE CHAIR DIANE HARKEY: California's tax board mystifies people. It doesn't have to be that way.
>OP ED BY CA TAXPAYERS CEO: Backroom deals to fix the BOE won't bring transparency
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How Wine Descriptions Influence Buyers: Study
A consumer study by wine researchers at the University of Adelaide's School of Agriculture, Food and Wine has shown that far more than just influencing consumer choice, wine descriptions can alter consumer emotions, increase their wine liking and encourage them to pay more for a bottle. The study, conducted using Australian white wines, has been published in Food Research International
.
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Mark Your Calendar: National Organic Standards Board Announces Public Webinar
The
National Organic Standards Board is hosting a webinar on Oct. 24 to assist USDA in developing standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the agriculture secretary on other aspects of the implementation of Organic Foods Production Act. Public comments will be requested during the meeting.
>
FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE
If a bottler or importer of alcohol beverages uses the word "organic" on a label in any fashion likely to be perceived as claiming that a product is organically produced, contains organic ingredients, or was processed in an organic manner or facility, TTB considers this an organic claim and thus the requirements outlined by USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) at 7 CFR part 205 apply.
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AGG's spring newsletter features California winegrape acreage analysis, bunch count survey results, a message from Nat DiBuduo, and an article about varieties that are in high demand.
June 2017
The Bartolucci family has been growing grapes in California since 1921. They are focused on preserving and sustaining the quality of their land for the sake of generations to come. (Bartolucci Vineyards is a CAWG member).
Western Farm Press, June 7
Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit community health and children's education.
Press release, June 4
Possible budget cuts to the National Ag Statistics Service may affect funding for the California Grape Crush Report.
North Bay Business Journal, June 2
Bill Harlan is about to officially unveil his latest - and presumably, last - wine estate in the foothills of Mount Veeder. It is being developed as vineyard property and wine brand.
San Francisco Chronicle, June 2
The age-old "not in my backyard" reaction threatens growers' ability to fill the current
labor shortage and exacerbates the long-term housing crisis for local farmworkers.
Los Angeles Times
Dirt as a solution in the climate change fight: The Healthy Soils Initiative is a statewide program rolling out this summer that is the first of its kind in the country.
New York Times, May 31
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FDA Intends to Extend Compliance Dates for Ag Water Standards
Earlier this year, FDA began exploring ways to simplify the agricultural water standards established by the Food Safety Modernization Act's produce safety rule (PSR) after receiving feedback that some of the requirements are too complex to understand and implement. The agency announced on June 6 its intention to extend the compliance dates for agricultural water requirements in the PSR.
The PSR sets microbial quality standards for agricultural water, including irrigation water that comes into contact with produce.
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Water Articles and Resources
A new study estimates that around 9.5 cubic miles of groundwater was pumped from the region during the state's five-year drought to make up the shortage from surface water supplies.
News Deeply/Water Deeply, June 2
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Show Your Support! Join Us on July 11 in Lodi and July 17 in Napa
Decisions made in Sacramento can lead to unnecessary, costly and intrusive regulations in your operation. That's why it's critical to identify and financially support elected officials and candidates who understand and can help our industry. Your support of CAWG PAC helps the association elect winegrape industry-friendly officials who support and carry out our advocacy efforts on important issues affecting our daily priorities. A strong CAWG PAC is imperative to our political agenda and goals.
Join your colleagues in supporting the CAWG PAC at these upcoming
events:
July 11:
Fundraiser at Goehring Vineyards in Lodi.
July 17: Golf tournament at Silverado Resort golf course.
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CSWA Sustainable Winegrowing Workshop
WHEN: June 16 / 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Robert Mondavi Institute S
ensory Theater, UC Davis
Learn about programs and resources, including CSWA's new economic tools that can be used to assess the costs and benefits of adopting specific practices, including a trunk disease prevention tool and certification cost tool.
Lodi Vineyard & Wine Economics Symposium
WHEN: June 29 / 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Wine & Roses Conference Center, Lodi
Program features wine experts and influencers active in shaping the future of the wine business in Lodi and surrounding regions.
2017 Forbes AgTech Summit
WHEN: June 28-29
WHERE: Salinas
Silicon Valley and global agriculture converge to tackle critical challenges and showcase the latest innovations for farmers, investors and stakeholders of global food systems.
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