May 6, 2021
YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY.
SIGN UP BY SUNDAY, MAY 9!
A Taste of Monterey — Virtual Wine Tasting Event in Support of CAWG PAC
Last chance to sign up for and sponsor this fun and interactive virtual wine tasting event featuring a discussion on Monterey AVA geology and remarks from winemakers. Local elected officials also plan to participate.

WHEN: May 13 / 4-5 p.m. (sign up by Sunday, May 9)

FEATURED WINERIES: Holman Ranch Estate Vineyard & Winery, Scheid Vineyards, Puma Road Winery

SPECIAL GUEST: Brenna Quigley

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! Allied Grape Growers, Balletto Vineyards, Coastal Vineyard Care Associates, JSC Agricultural Supply, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Pellenc, Quiedan Company, Slater Farms, Sunridge Nurseries, Vista Verde Labor

NEWS ITEMS
Farm Conservation a Key Part of Biden's America the Beautiful Plan
A new report from the Biden administration outlines a 10-year locally-led campaign to conserve and restore lands, waters and wildlife – specifically, to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 (30x30). One of the six priority areas is to incentivize and reward the voluntary conservation efforts of farmers. The report states, “President Biden has recognized and honored the leadership role that farmers, ranchers, forest owners and fishers already play in the conservation of the nation’s lands, waters and wildlife, and has made clear that his administration will support voluntary stewardship efforts that are already underway across the nation.” The report was developed by USDA and other agencies.

Government Relations Report
TAX RELIEF SIGNED INTO LAW 
Gov. Newsom last week signed into law AB 80 (Burke, D-Los Angeles) to provide an immediate COVID-19 tax break. AB 80 conforms state law to federal law with respect to the tax treatment of advance grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. 
 
In short, AB 80 excludes from gross income, forgiven  loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The bill also allows deductions for expenses that were paid for using forgiven monies from the PPP and EIDL programs.  Broken down by state budget years, below are the annual statewide tax savings from AB 80:   
  
  • $140 million in FY 2020-2021 
  • $2.9 billion in FY 2021-2022 
  • $1.5 billion in FY 2022-2023 
  • $950 million in FY 2023-2024 
  • $490 million in FY 2024-25 
  • $230 million in FY 2025-2026 
 
To ensure all potential tax year filers are included, AB 80 provides that these tax benefits begin on Jan. 1, 2019. If you have already filed your 2020 tax return, you may want to talk with your CPA, as you may have the opportunity to file an amended return to take advantage of AB 80. 
 
LABOR UNIONS & THE RECALL 
At the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, the stock market declined substantially, unemployment skyrocketed and the state budget was predicted to take a disastrous hit. Consequently, Newsom implemented an immediate across-the-board pay cut for all state employees. For the 6,000 members of Cal Fire Local 2881, this meant a 7.5% pay cut heading into last summer’s horrific wildfires.    
 
A few months later, the stock market rebounded in historic fashion and the federal government pumped billions into state coffers, thereby creating an unexpected surplus in the state budget. However, state employees' pay cuts remained in place.   
 
In a press conference this week, two firefighting labor unions threw their support behind Newsom, who will face his recall election this fall. Cal Fire Local 2881 President Tim Edwards was notably absent. Edwards said he’s not ready to endorse Newsom and stated, “I speak for a membership that sees that their pay has not been restored.” Other state union leaders face a similar problem, as disgruntled state employees are unhappy with their continued pay cuts.   
 
Newsom will soon release his May revise budget proposal. In that revised budget, many state employees are seeking a retroactive restoration of their full pay. 
 

Michael Miiller / michael@cawg.org / (916) 204-0485
With over 30 harvests, the G3 Ag Team has deep experience in winegrape hauling. Our operational expertise and agile planning combine to provide responsive service for wineries and grape growers large and small. Click on image or here to view video.
PPP Application Deadline is May 31
A reminder that the Paycheck Protection Program  application deadline is May 31. The SBA released its latest PPP report on 2021 approved lending through May 2. California businesses accounted for 574,293 loans totaling $33,503,665,160. The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting subsector (national) had 514,453 loans totaling nearly $9,697,316,910 (4% of the total amount of 2021 PPP loans).
New Reports on IPM, Invasive Pests
The National IPM Coordinating Committee recently published summaries and reports showing the importance of IPM to U.S. agriculture and the economy, its role in managing invasive pests, and how IPM helps reduce resistance pressures. 
 
Invasive Pests: A $120 Billion-a-Year Threat to America’s Farms and Lands
 
U.S. Agriculture is Vulnerable to Weeds, Diseases, Insects and Other Pest Threats
 
The Growing Threat of Pests Resistant to Pesticides and Other Management Tactics
Powdery Mildew Risk Assessment Index
UCIPM’s grape powdery mildew risk assessment index (RAI) – available online – is useful for determining disease pressure and how often you may need to spray to protect the vines. RAIs are based on actual weather data for stations that take appropriate readings. The webpage includes data for Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Lake, Madera, Mendocino and San Joaquin counties.
Providing the very best California crop insurance services.
DPR Testing: Pesticide Residues in Food Not an Issue
DPR’s recently-released 2019 California Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report shows that 96% of fresh produce samples collected in 2019 were legal and had either no detectable pesticide residues or amounts below U.S. EPA tolerance levels. DPR collected 3,274 produce samples from 28 countries representing 124 types of fruits and vegetables. More than 98% of the samples labeled as grown in California had legal or no residues detected on them.
“We Love California” — California Grown Annual Report 2020
California Grown, a marketing campaign that promotes the state’s ag commodities to consumers, today released its 2020 annual report. Among the report highlights: how the program adapted its messaging and outreach during the pandemic, the launch of the “We Love California” campaign, and the first California Grown Farmer and Farmworker Month in October 2020.
Podcast: How Grazing Sheep Can Benefit Your Vineyard
The Vineyard Team’s May 6 podcast features Kelsey Brewer of UC Davis, who discusses the benefits of using sheep to graze vineyards: lowering the carbon footprint, fewer tractor passes, reduced herbicide use, and impact on nutrient and energy flows in the ecosystem.

WILDFIRES & WATER NEWS
It's California Wildfire Preparedness Week
Being Prepared is Critical
May 2-8 is Wildfire Preparedness Week (read governor’s proclamation) and helpful resources are available online.
 
CAL FIRE WEBSITE: Cal Fire is urging residents to create a wildfire action plan, create defensible space and harden your home to protect families, land and communities. The website has an interactive checklist, guides, videos and more.
 
PG&E ACTION CENTER WEBSITE: PG&E is also recommending residents create defensible space during the spring. The website offers easy-to-use educational videos and visual guides.
Drought & Reservoir Conditions
Drought conditions as of this week are mostly extreme drought. Read a drought summary for the West and see statistics comparing current conditions with conditions at this time last year. The latest reservoir conditions map shows all of the major reservoirs below the historical average mark.


DROUGHT-RELATED ARTICLES

Bureau of Reclamation, May 5

DWR, May 3

The Press-Democrat, April 30

UC – ARE Update, March/April

COVID-19
COVID-19 Resources and Articles
COVID19.CA.GOV

COUNTY DATA AS OF MAY 6:
Substantial/red = 12 (April 29 = 13)
Moderate/orange = 39 (April 29 = 41)
Minimal/yellow = 7 (April 29 = 4)

CDPH

CAWG 


NEW
Cal Matters, May 6

Ag Alert, May 5
 
Sonoma Index-Tribune, May 3

UC – ARE Update, March/April
Ventura County Approves $3.65M for COVID Aid to Farmworkers
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved an additional $3.65 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to support the Farmworker Household Assistance Program (FHAP), bringing total support to more than $7.1 million to assist farmworkers and their families. The funding will provide financial aid of $1,000 to eligible households that were previously funded through FHAP and still reside in the county. FHAP is a collaboration between ag employers and farmworker advocates working in partnership with the Ventura County Community Foundation, House Farm Workers!, the Farmworker Resource Program and Ventura County.  

ARTICLES/NEWSLETTERS OF INTEREST
The Crush May Issue
The May issue was emailed to members yesterday. You can access the digital copy here.

If your company is interested in placing an ad in an upcoming issue, please contact Natalie Collins at natalie@cawg.org. 

CALENDAR