Honoring Mom

When I was a kid, wishing for Friday or summer break or the Christmas holidays, my mom would warn me not to “wish my life away.” As I get older, I see the value in appreciating what’s so before rushing on to what’s next. So, rather than greet the end of this challenging year with glee, I thought I’d look back at all we were able to accomplish in 2025…and maybe dare to dream for a brighter 2026.

First, it has to be said: 2025 was tough. The grape and wine industry struggled–thus, so did state and regional trade associations, co-operatives and commissions, and their programs for research and other things. Thousands of federal scientists lost their jobs, and government research funding faltered. Many call it “the year of lost research.”

But NGRA managed to keep our research mission not just alive, but vibrant. We pivoted to deliver most notably on our Extension & Outreach priority, continuing to advance our industry through science education, university extension and industry outreach. To name a few highlights, in 2025 we…

  • Launched the Extension Directory on our website, enabling connections to and between the more than 200 extension professionals in the U.S.
  • Reinvigorated the National Viticulture & Enology Extension Leadership Community, stimulating networking, idea-sharing and professional development for more than 50 extension and outreach professionals every three months with virtual meetings starting last April.
  • Revived our inventory of funded grape research to bring transparency to the landscape of what projects are getting funded, including topic areas, primary investigators, and funding sources and amounts, nationwide.
  • Organized and convened the NGRA-UC Davis Grapevine Improvement Workshop on Nov. 5, illuminating the state of the science in grapevine breeding and biotechnology with experts from around the world and adjacent specialty crops.

Of course, we continued to support new research as best we could. We provided 16 letters of support for grant applications in 2025—a surprisingly high number, given that federal programs were offline most of the year. Many of those letters were in support of regional projects with broad relevance, tracking with our research priorities and underscoring our national scope. And we have two high-priority projects in the pipeline for FY25 Specialty Crop Research Initiative funding. Keep your fingers crossed that, when the SCRI awards are finally announced, these grape research projects are among them.

In 2026, we plan to rev up our research engine. And we also seek to grow the organization. We’re looking at new ideas for and sources of funding to build capacity and enable our highest aspirations in the years to come. We’re looking to build a bigger tent and invite more and different kinds of people, organizations and institutions to join us. Maybe that’s YOU?

As 2025 comes to a close, your support is something my mom would’ve wanted me to acknowledge. Whether you faithfully read (or shared) our newsletter every month, donated to grape research this year, attended a workshop or event we produced, or made an annual membership contribution that sustained the organization and our mission in these tough times, you made a difference. Rather than rush to turn the page, let me just say thanks. Truly. Your belief in NGRA has meant a lot.

Now, let’s hope 2026 is merry and bright!

Donnell Brown
President