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Driving research to maximize the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness
of the American grape industries.
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THE VIEW FROM HERE
Sitting at my desk here in Sacramento, you can feel the activity increasing at California's state capitol across the street. There's a definite bustle as people meet with their elected officials, seeking to influence policy in the next legislative session. I imagine it's much the same from state to state and certainly in Washington, DC, where I joined with members of
WineAmerica and
Winegrape Growers of America for the
National Grape & Wine Policy Conf
erence, April 25-27. Together, we met with members of Congress and their aides to remind them of the importance of research in maintaining the competitiveness and furthering the economic impact of America's grape industries.
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Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL), Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research speaking at the National Grape & Wine Policy Conference in April
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The 2014 Farm Bill
expires in 2018 and ag groups are working on proposals to ensure this important legislation is not only renewed but strengthened. One such group is the
Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, s
pearheaded by the United Fresh Produce Association. The SCFBA brings together representatives from specialty crops nationwide to advocate for modifications that benefit us all. I represent NGWI on the group's steering committee, and I'm joined by other NGWI stakeholders on subcommittees addressing individual title components of the Farm Bill, including research (Title 7) and horticulture (Title 10). Rest assured, grapes are well-represented. The SCFBA plans to finalize the group's collective recommendations for Farm Bill 2018 in mid-June. If there are changes you'd like to see in the next Farm Bill, please reply to this email and let me know.
I hope to have a draft of the SCFBA's proposed recommendations to share at our
mid-year board meeting on Thursday, June 8, in Sacramento.
(Many thanks to the California Association of Winegrape Growers for hosting us!) This is just a small part of a robust agenda, reporting on our progress this year. I look forward to a productive conversation!
Donnell Brown
President
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DIG OUR DIGITAL PRESENCE
It's alive! The new NGWI website is now online. The mobile-friendly site was designed with the user in mind, enabling NGWI supporters and industry members to access information quickly and easily.
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| The homepage of the new NGWI.org |
The
NGWI Facebook page
has been revitalized, too. "Like" our page for the latest updates, news and information related to U.S. grape industry research.
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RESEARCH UPDATE: EFFICIENT VINEYARD & TABLE GRAPES
Earlier this month, Franka Gabler of the California Table Grape Commission and a member of NGWI's Research Committee, wrote about the value of efficient vineyard research. "The benefits to growers and potential use of the technology for table grape vineyard management can easily be envisioned," she said.
Read Franka's full article on efficientvineyard.com
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103RD ANNIVERSARY OF SMITH-LEVER ACT
May 8 marked the 103rd anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which established the cooperative extension service associated with land-grant colleges, enabling the dissemination of research produced by experiment stations. Thanks to all extension specialists throughout the US for bringing research into practice!
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NIFA ANNOUNCES $6 MILLION FOR RESEARCH ON PLANT-BIOTIC INTERACTIONS
National Institute of Food and Agriculture |
USDA
| May 3, 2017
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of approximately $6 million to support agriculturally relevant research on the symbiotic relationship between plants and other living organisms. The Plant-Biotic Interactions program is a joint funding opportunity through NIFA and the National Science Foundation. The deadline for applications is September 1.
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VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT MEDIA COMPANY CLOSES DOWN
Vineyard & Winery Management has gone out of business after 43 years of operation and halted publication of its trade magazine, the Santa Rosa-based multimedia company announced Wednesday.
"In recent years, the company experienced a series of unavoidable and unfortunate circumstances that led to acute cash flow issues," the company stated in a press release. (Editorial note: Sad news. We will miss V&WM.)
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MORE EVIDENCE OF THE BENEFITS OF MECHANIZED GRAPE PRODUCTION
The case for replacing hand labor with machines to manage growth and production of wine grape vines in San Joaquin Valley vineyards gets stronger and stronger as researchers continue documenting the advantages of mechanization-advantages that extend beyond lower labor costs.
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HAL HUFFSMITH HONORED FOR LONGTIME SERVICE WITH THE AMERICAN VINEYARD FOUNDATION
The Board of Directors of the American Vineyard Foundation (AVF) proudly extends our deepest gratitude to industry veteran Hal Huffsmith, whose commitment, dedication and enormous contributions to the organization have been paramount to its success. During Hal's twenty-six years of service, he has served on the Board, been a member of the Executive Committee and acted as Chairman from 2006 through 2010. Hal also actively serves as a technical reviewer on an AVF research review committee.
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PERDUE ANNOUNCES USDA REORGANIZATION
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the creation of an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture among other structural rearrangements. "Food is a noble thing to trade. This nation has a great story to tell and we've got producers here that produce more than we can consume," Perdue said in a news release. "Our people in American agriculture have shown they can grow it, and we're here to sell it in markets all around the world."
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Upcoming Events
NGWI Board of Directors Meeting
June 8, 2017
Sacramento, CA
ASEV National Conference
June 26-29
Bellevue, WA
ASEV Eastern Section Conference
July 10-12
Charlottesville, VA
ARS Grape Research Workshop and NGWI Board Meeting
Wednesday, November 29 - Friday, December 1, 2017
Portland, OR
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