YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY.
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CHEERS to the 26th Annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium!
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THANK YOU...
to all of the CAWG members who attended, supported, helped organize and presented at this week’s 26th annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium at Cal Expo in Sacramento. We hope the event was valuable for you and your business or organization. The February and March issues of The Crush will include photos from the event, plus articles on some of the sessions.
EVENT PHOTOS
PLEASE TAKE THE SURVEYS
Attendees are encouraged to take the brief
online surveys
for the keynote speaker luncheon, state of the industry and breakout sessions. Your responses will be valuable for future planning.
A general post-conference survey -- to be emailed to all session registrants in February -- will enable you to rate and comment on all aspects of the event.
2021 UNIFIED SYMPOSIUM
The event is slated for
Jan. 12-14, 2021 at Cal Expo
.
Read more
about the managing committee's decision.
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Grape Crush Prelim Report Scheduled for Release on Monday, Feb. 10
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CAWG will send an email upon release of the report.
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Government Relations Report
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SPOTTED LANTERNFLY – PEST OF WINEGRAPES
This week, the Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (PD/GWSS) Board designated the spotted lanternfly (SLF) as a pest of winegrapes. The SLF has not yet reached California and this designation does not obligate the board to take any immediate action. However, it does allow the board to fund and engage in outreach and education activities at a later date if needed.
SLF is an out of control problem in Pennsylvania and is spreading along transportation corridors. SLF egg masses look like mud smeared on almost any outdoor surface. This may be found on a train car, trailer, RV or other mobile surface. The egg masses contain 30-50 eggs and are protected with a mud-like covering, giving them a grey color and cracked-mortar appearance. Identifying and destroying SLF egg masses is crucial to stopping the spread of the invasive pest
(
see UC Sonoma County bulletin
)
.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been closely monitoring the status of the SLF in eastern states. In 2019, CDFA inspectors - who were conducting cargo inspections for Japanese beetles - reported finding a total of 11 dead adult SLFs on cargo planes arriving at California airports.
Additionally, CDFA has provided research funding to investigate SLF biocontrol options, such as a predatory wasp. CDFA has also been informing and training county ag personnel involved with GWSS monitoring in California to identify SLF, as well as personnel at CDFA border inspection stations and ports of entry. CDFA will be sending staff in March to a SLF symposium being held in Harrisburg, Penn.
Besides SLF, PD and GWSS, the board has designated other pests and diseases that are a threat to California’s winegrape industry. The list now includes the European grapevine moth; brown marmorated stink bug; all mealybug pests of winegrapes; and the diseases of red blotch, grapevine leafroll and fanleaf virus.
-Michael Miiller / michael@cawg.org / 916-379-8995
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PD/GWSS Board: New Officers and Members
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New officers and members were announced at the board meeting on Feb. 3.
NEW OFFICERS AND MEMBERS:
- Chair: Domonic Rossini, partner/owner of Fratello Farming.
- Vice chair: William Drayton, technical viticulture manager with Treasury Wine Estates.
- Treasurer: Randy Heinzen, president of Vineyard Professional Services.
- New members: Rich Hammond of Hammond Family Vineyards, and Aaron Lange, head of vineyard operations with LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards.
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Increase in Certified Sustainable Vineyards, Wineries and Wines
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The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) this week released its third annual
CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE annual report
. As of December 2019, 149 wineries producing over 85 percent of California's total wine production (255 million cases) and 2,097 vineyards farming 29 percent of statewide wine acreage (184,818 acres) are CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE.
CSWA is a nonprofit organization created by CAWG and Wine Institute.
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Jim Trezise Honored with Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award
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Jim Trezise, president of WineAmerica, was honored with the fourth annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award during a presentation on Feb. 5. It recognizes an individual who has made major contributions to the American grape and wine industry and research, while emulating Rich Smith’s defining traits of passion, commitment and collaboration. The award was presented by the Smith family at the Winegrape Growers of America (WGA) Leadership Luncheon, held during Unified. It is co-sponsored by WGA, the National Grape Research Alliance and WineAmerica.
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CAWG's preferred partner for insurance products for more than 20 years. Group workers' comp, wine industry package, federal crop insurance, employee benefits...and more. For more information: 209-955-2600 or
email
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Providing the very best California crop insurance services.
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Podcast: Vineyard Pruning Technology
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The Vineyard Team’s latest podcast features New Zealand viticulturists and grape growers Marcus Wickham and Nigel George (
Klima
co-founders), who solved their own labor issues by developing a highly efficient vineyard pruning system.
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Employers Should Begin Using New Form I-9
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The federal government's new
Form I-9
– used to verify workers' employment eligibility – has been posted “Expires 10/31/2022” is on the top right of the form and “Form I-9 10/21/2019” is on the bottom left. As of Jan. 31, employers are advised to begin using this form.
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CAWG & CAWG FOUNDATION NEWS
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Final Reminder: 2020 CAWGF Scholarship Applications Due March 6
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The CAWG Foundation will award scholarships to several high school seniors whose parents or legal guardians are employed by California winegrape growers.
Please share the information and link with your employees.
The application deadline is March 6
.
Since the program's inception in 1998, the foundation has awarded nearly $465,000 in scholarships.
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Feb. 13 Webcast on Navigable Waters Protection Rule (New WOTUS)
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To gain a better understanding of the key elements of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, you can tune in to a Feb. 13 webcast (11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST) hosted by the U.S. EPA and Department of the Army. The webcast will be recorded and posted online at a later date.
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VINEYARDS & WINE
North Bay Business Journal, Feb. 5
Amid a years-long labor shortage, workers in California’s wine region are headed to cannabis jobs offering better pay, working conditions.
Foothills Sun-Gazette, Feb. 5
The California Aggie (UC Davis), Feb. 5
The bill cleans up some regulatory language in a similar bill that was signed into law in September 2016.
Daily Republic, Feb. 5
January 29
January issue
AGRICULTURE
South China Morning Post, Feb. 6
Net farm income, a broad measure of profits, is forecast to increase $3.1 billion to $96.7 billion in 2020.
USDA Economic Research Service, Feb. 5
WATER
CalMatters, Feb. 4
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Current Wine and Winegrape Research
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WHEN:
Feb. 11 / 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE:
UCD Conference Center 550 Alumni Lane, Davis
ABOUT:
Researchers will give 20-minutes presentations on current winegrape and enology research.
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CSWA Sustainable Winegrowing and Certification Webinar
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WHEN:
Feb. 12 & 25, March 10 & 18 / 10-11:30 a.m.
Free webinar to learn about the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program, how to complete a self-assessment using the online portal, and steps required to become Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing.
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