July 7, 2022
YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY.
IN THIS eNEWS
  • PD/GWSS Grower Assessment Rate for 2022 Harvest
  • New Central Coast Water?
  • COVID-19 Cases Rise
  • New Activities Helping Growers and Grapevine Viruses
  • Spotted Lanternfly Reaches North Carolina
  • Farmer and Farmworker Mental Health Webinar
  • CAWG 2022 Directory Now Available!
  • CAWG Foundation: Golf Tournament Photos
NEWS ITEMS
PD/GWSS Grower Assessment Rate for 2022 Harvest
Last week, the Pierce’s Disease / Glassy Winged Sharpshooter Board (PD/GWSS Board) voted to set the grower assessment rate in support of the Pierce’s Disease Control Program (Program) at $1.25 per $1,000 of crop value for the 2022 harvest. This assessment provides vital funding for research on GWSS and other designated vineyard pests and for research on developing crop resistance to PD.

Click here for the full news release on the Grower Assessment Rate for 2022 Harvest.
New Central Coast Water?
Pacific Gas & Electric announced on Tuesday that it will apply to receive federal funds to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open well past the current 2025 shut down date. Because Diablo Canyon does not emit CO2 or air pollution, its continued operation would provide significant environmental benefits, as well as economic and grid reliability benefits. Diablo Canyon provides 9% of California’s total energy production and, if operated through 2045, California would save an estimated $21 billion in systems costs.

The plant, located on the Central Coast, also provides an opportunity to develop a large-scale source of fresh water, which would significantly help reduce the strain on California’s water infrastructure and increase the survival of agricultural commodities up and down the state. A recent Stanford/MIT study shows that if the plant was used to desalinate water, it could produce up to 4.5 million acre-feet of fresh water annually.

CAWG recently joined a growing coalition of ag associations asking Governor Newsom to keep Diablo Canyon open to ensure electricity reliability and preserve the option of utilizing the plant to help address California’s water crisis.
COVID-19 Cases Rise
As COVID-19 cases are climbing across the state, it is important to look at what this means for potential changes in workplace safety standards. California COVID-19 data shows the following:
  • COVID-19 cases have risen substantially since April, mostly for the unvaccinated. 
  • Hospitalization rates have nearly tripled for the unvaccinated and increased from 1 to 3 per million vaccinated Californians. 
  • Fortunately, there are very few cases of new COVID-19 deaths. On a week-to-week basis, there continue to be 0.5 to 0.2 deaths per million people over the last three months.

Cal/OSHA is currently relying heavily on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in defining close contacts and exclusion periods for COVID-19 cases and requirements for close contacts. Consequently, changes in CDPH guidelines may serve as a good indication of potential upcoming changes in workplace safety standards. For example, in recent months, there has been a push to increase reliance on rapid antigen tests. Last week, CDPH issued new guidelines recommending schools rely on rapid antigen tests, rather than PCR tests, to track COVID-19 spread. 

Next week the Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee will meet to discuss workplace safety regulations. CAWG staff serve on that committee. In response to the increase in COVID-19 cases, Cal/OSHA announced this week that the meeting will be virtual. COVID-19 workplace safety standards will no doubt be a significant part of the discussion at that meeting.  Look to CAWG’s eNews for future updates on any changes in workplace safety standards.
New Activities Helping Growers with Grapevine Viruses
The Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board set aside funding for two new activities to help the California winegrape industry in controlling grapevine viruses, especially grapevine red blotch virus and grapevine leafroll-associated virus type 3.
 
To support the industry’s need for clean plant material, the Board is providing $647,905 to UC Davis Foundation Plant Services to collect, propagate, and test industry-identified priority grapevine selections for protection in the new Foundation Greenhouse. 
 
The Board is also working with the National Academy of Sciences to explore conducting a review of the Board’s research portfolio related to the two viruses. The report will help direct future research funding decisions to address knowledge and management gaps to minimize the spread of and economic losses due to these viruses. 
Report it, Then Kill it: Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Threatens North Carolina Vineyards
(Spotted lanternfly predicted to establish in California by 2033)
The spotted lanternfly has reached North Carolina.
 
Chris Jones, a research scholar at North Carolina State University’s Center for Geospatial Analytics, created a model to predict the spread of the spotted lanternfly and says the pests could unfortunately reach California wine country as soon as 2027. The model further predicts that the spotted lanternfly could be established in California by 2033 without preventative management.
 
Jones says the insect likely arrived in North Carolina years before the reported infestation last week. “The biggest problem with the spotted lanternfly is that the detection is really difficult until you get a large enough population,” he said.

Farmer and Farmworker Mental Health Webinar
Thursday, July 14, 2022
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (PST)
English and Spanish
       
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, UC Davis AgrAbility, CSU Fresno, and the CalHOPE campaign are teaming up to offer a webinar to provide insight to the unique challenges farmers and ranchers experience, walk participants through the steps of implementing QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training, and provide referral resources.

Stressors unique to the agricultural community have led to increased mental health challenges in agricultural producers and workers, contributing to increased rates of suicide in rural areas. In an effort to address the rising rate of suicide, QPR training gives anyone the tools to recognize the warning signs of suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to lifesaving services.

Benefits of this webinar:
  • Confidence when talking to someone in crisis
  • Recognizing the warning signs of suicide
  • Becoming familiar with national and local resources
  • Knowing how to offer hope and save a life

For more information visit: GrowMentalWellness.org 
CAWG 2022 Membership Directory Now Available
The 2022 CAWG Membership Directory is NOW AVAILABLE in a full-color, digital format.
 
The directory will not be mailed, but can be downloaded and printed if you prefer to view it as a hard copy.

· QUICK LINKS ·

  • Advertiser Index and Tabs: Quickly locate a specific advertisement! Scroll over the ad to link to their website, email, or phone number.
  •  Grower Members: View all CAWG growers in alpha order.
  •  Associate Members: View all CAWG associate members in alpha order. We encourage members to use those companies who support the winegrape industry!
  •  All things CAWG: View CAWG history, Board of Directors, staff & more!
  •  Member Index: View grower members by Crush District and associate members by supply/service category.
CAWG Foundation News
CAWG Foundation Golf Tournament | Monday, June 27
The CAWG Foundation hosted their 3rd Annual Golf Tournament at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club this past Monday, June 27. It was a fun (and hot) day full of networking, games, wine tasting, awards, prizes and of course golf.

Thank you to our 126 golfers and support from local wineries and industry sponsors contributing to a successful day. Because of the hard work of the CAWG Foundation Chair, Davindar Mahil, the Foundation was able to raise over $40,000 to put towards its scholarship program.

A special thank you to our event sponsors (top sponsors listed below)!
Photos from the golf tournament can be viewed here.
CALENDAR
Harvest is right around the corner!