Community Matters

I did a radio interview with the Pacific Northwest Ag Network recently, where I talked about NGRA’s community-building ethic. I told host Glenn Vaagen that a vital part of our research mission is to “build a sense of community around people who believe in science as a means of advancing the industry.” Among the joys of my job, I said, are gathering NGRA members and stakeholders at meetings and events, introducing scientists who may have similar research interests but have never met and, yes, sharing research news via this monthly newsletter. These are the ways we put our arms around industry stakeholders, and academic and government representatives, building bridges and bonds among them so we can solve grape and wine industry problems together.

I sometimes worry that these kinds of statements sound like marketing fluff—too nice, too Pollyanna to be true. But it’s honestly the better part of my job. We all know that collective action is more powerful than going it alone. We’ve all experienced brainstorming exercises that yield much richer and more robust ideas than you could’ve thought of on your own. We’ve undoubtedly had the joy and relief of finally connecting with someone who can help open a door that previously stood closed. There’s no better way to achieve our research needs than by raising a tent and inviting others to join us inside.

That’s why I’m a fixture at so many industry and academic conferences, and why I make the time for things like the production tour the NGRA-supported VitisGen3 project arranged for its scientific collaborators this month in California’s San Joaquin Valley. (See photo above.) The majority of our members have been with us since the beginning, before we were NGRA, or NGWI (the National Grape and Wine Initiative) or the Winegrower’s Critical Research Investment Initiative. They tell me it’s because of our strong sense of community. People matter.

NGRA is the only national-level organization that represents the research needs of all sectors of the grape and wine industry—wine, juice, table grapes and raisins—nationwide. Behind that statement, there are thousands of people who make a difference on whether and how we meet our collective challenges. If you’re a member of NGRA (or would like to be), thank you—your contributions make the work possible. If you’ve ever made a donation to NGRA (or want to make one now), you help move the needle on how fast and far we can go. If you’re an academic or government scientist or administrator, we know that research isn’t possible without you.

You are our community. And there’s always more room under the tent.

Donnell Brown
President