November 7, 2019
YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY.
VETERANS DAY / NOV. 11
THANK YOU
On Veterans Day -- and every day -- w e honor and appreciate all veterans, including CAWG members, who have served our country.
TOP NEWS ITEMS
UC Riverside Entomologists Preparing for Spotted Lanternfly
UC Riverside entomologists are on a mission to save California grapes and other crops from the spotted lanternfly. Some of their research was in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains, where they searched for an elusive native fly that’s key to controlling the destructive pest. Center for Invasive Species Research Director Dr. Mark Hoddle said, “We’re very worried about spotted lanternfly arriving in California, inadvertently becoming a potential invasive insect pest that could do a lot of economic damage. So, we are planning a biological control program in advance for the anticipated arrival of spotted lanternfly into California.”

> VIDEO
Government Relations Report
ASSEMBLYMEMBER MEGAN DAHLE
In a special election this week, Megan Dahle (R-Bieber) was elected to the California Assembly. 
 
In the Northern California district that runs from the foothills east of Sacramento to the Nevada and Oregon borders, Dahle defeated Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent. Dahle, a farmer, joins her husband, Sen. Brian Dahle, in the California Legislature. The Dahles may very well be the first husband and wife farmers in the history of the California Legislature. 

Dahle will likely be sworn in within two weeks.
 
COMING TO A GROCERY STORE NEAR YOU
The next time you go to the grocery store, don’t be surprised if you see someone circulating petitions for two proposed ballot measures:

Split Roll : Public labor unions are proposing a ballot measure to increase property taxes for businesses. Right now, California taxes all property primarily based on its purchase value. Instead, the proposed initiative would tax commercial properties based on current assessed value. That would require local governments to assess business property periodically and split their tax rolls between those taxed on current value and those taxed on purchase value. This would increase property taxes for California businesses by between $7.5 billion and $12 billion annually.
 
Plastics : Environmental advocates are proposing a ballot measure that would require manufacturers, distributors and retailers to limit the amount of products that people use once and throw away. The goal is to reduce the amount of discarded plastics and to keep those plastics away from wildlife, especially marine life.
 
Each initiative needs to gather roughly 1.2 million signatures by May to qualify for the November 2020 ballot. Typically, those circulating the petitions at the grocery store are not civic-minded volunteers. Signature gathering is a job that pays about $3 to $5 per signature. 
 
Consequently, the costs of getting these initiatives on the ballot is conservatively between $6 and $10 million each. To date, the split roll campaign’s largest donor is the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is the philanthropic arm of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. Funding for the plastics initiative is said to be coming from Hollywood celebrities.

- Michael Miiller / michael@cawg.org / 916-379-8995
2020 California Green Medal: Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards
Applications will be accepted through Jan. 24 for the 2020 California Green Medal: Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards -- now in its sixth year. California vineyards and wineries that participate in a sustainability program in the state are eligible to apply in four award categories that recognize outstanding achievement in sustainability: Environment Award, Community Award, Business Award and Sustainable Winegrowing Leader Award. The awards are presented by CAWG, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, Wine Institute, Lodi Winegrape Commission, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrowers and The Vineyard Team.

> APPLY
Podcast On Grapevine Leafroll Disease
A new podcast from the Vineyard Team features Gerhard Pietersen, a professor and plant virologist from South Africa. He discusses the severe plant health and economic impacts seen in South Africa from grapevine leafroll disease.

> PODCAST (31 minutes)

The feature story in the May issue of The Crush includes a section on Pietersen and this topic.
USMCA Update
A bipartisan Congressional delegation – led by House Ways and Means Committee chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) – met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week to continue discussing progress and concerns with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Labor standards, environmental protection and enforcement are still among the concerns, according to news reports. The trip to Canada follows a similar bipartisan delegation trip to Mexico last month.

New USDA Research Agency Proposed by Lawmakers
New legislation ( H.R. 4902 bill text ) from Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) would establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Terra (ARPA–Terra) within USDA. ARPA–Terra would provide funding to land-grant universities for early stage research on technologies that industry might not undertake due to existing long-term and high-risk technological barriers. The agency will enable the United States to develop technologies – and have farmers and ranchers implement them – to enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and crop resilience to extreme weather.


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CAWG SEMINARS AND WEBINARS

2019 Tax Update
WHEN: Nov. 19 / 10 - 11 a.m.
WHERE : San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, 3290 N. Ad Art Rd, Stockton
ABOUT: Join CAWG and the San Joaquin Farm Bureau for a seminar discussing updates to the 2019 tax laws and what they mean to you and your operation.
  • Tax structure
  • Compensation between family members
  • Estate taxes
COST: Free to members of CAWG and the San Joaquin Farm Bureau. Non-members: $20


Crop Insurance 101
WHEN : Dec. 4 / 10 - 11 a.m.
PRESENTER: Kristine Fox, Pan American Insurance Services
ABOUT: An important part of your 2020 planning process is risk management of your most valuable asset -- your crop. Learn more about the federal crop insurance program to insure and protect your winegrape production.
  • What’s covered, what’s not?
  • How do I sign up?
  • How do I file a claim?
  • Can I insure to my winery contract price?
  • How much is really subsidized?


Crop Insurance 102: Fires, Floods and Other Natural Disasters
WHEN: Dec. 11 / 10 - 11 a.m.
PRESENTER: Kristine Fox, Pan American Insurance Services
ABOUT: Following the Crop Insurance 101 webinar, learn more about claims involving smoke, flood and wildlife damage.
  • The ins and outs of fire damaged fruit
  • What's covered and what's not?
  • What if a winery rejects your fruit?
  • What kind of testing needs to be done?
  • What if you are unable to harvest due to surrounding fires?
  • Flood damage and when to file a claim
  • Other disasters resulting in crop damage
> REGISTER  


Whole-Farm Revenue Protection, Protect Against Market Losses
WHEN : Dec. 18 / 10 - 11 a.m.
PRESENTER : Kristine Fox, Pan American Insurance Services
ABOUT: Want to protect your crop against price and market losses? Learn more about whole farm revenue protection and if it’s right for you.
  • Insuring your farm revenue for yield and market losses
  • How WFRP can close the gap between the true contract price and the price paid under the typical multi-peril crop insurance policy
  • How crop diversification increases the policy subsidy, reducing the premium a grower pays. Diversification can be met by having red grapes and white grapes.
  • Information needed to proceed with a quote and coverage

EDUCATION
Current Issues in Vineyard Health
WHEN: Dec. 3 / 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
WHERE: UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, Davis
TOPICS: Grape breeding program, grapevine trunk diseases, Pierce’s disease, vineyard virus management, red blotch virus testing and sudden vine collapse. Hosted by Foundation Plant Services and UC Davis Extension. COST: $210 (includes lunch and materials).

CROP REPORT
Mendocino County: Value Up $17M
The leading ag commodity in Mendocino County continues to be winegrapes. The value was $138 million in 2018, up from $120 million in 2017. Production stats for red varieties: 11,040 bearing acres, 4.4 tons per acre and 48,195 tons. Stats for white varieties: 5,693 acres, 5.9 tons per acre and 33,693 tons. Combining red and white varieties, the price per ton was $1,685. The top varieties by value were chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon – each exceeding $32 million in value.


ARTICLES OF INTEREST
WILDFIRES
VINEYARDS & WINE
November issue

October issue

With drastic labor shortages up and down the West Coast, this year’s vintage may mark a dramatic shift in the way the wine industry views labor.
Nov. 4, Seven Fifty Daily

UNIFIED
Sponsorship and Ad Opportunities
Promoting your brand at the 2020 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium is a BIG opportunity you should take advantage of!
 


Registration and Housing

CAWG members receive up to a $200 discount (per employee) on their Unified registration. Call the CAWG office at 916-379-8995 if you need your discount code.


INDUSTRY EVENTS
Tree & Vine Expo - Turlock  
Nov. 12 / 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sonoma Grape Expo - Cloverdale
Nov. 15 / 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo - Fresno
Nov. 19 / 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Advanced Manufacturing in Agriculture Regional Workforce Advisory Meeting
Nov. 22 / 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. / Woodland