In the last couple of months, a number of articles cropped up related to climate change and what it means for us as farmers and eaters. It’s as if, as more extreme and erratic weather swirls around us, the conversation is intensifying about how we might have to change, too. In July, climate observer David […]
Projects Underway
EPA Considers Delisting Mancozeb for Use in Grape
By Dr. Katie Gold, Cornell Grape Pathology The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to cancel the use of mancozeb, a multi-site fungicide commonly used to control Phomopsis, downy mildew and black rot, in grape due to potential post-application worker exposure hazards. The public comment period on this proposed interim registration review decision (PID) […]
Influencers and Artists
This has been the Summer of Grape Research, with the annual academic conferences of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and ASEV-Eastern Section happening just a few weeks apart in late June and early July, respectively. These gatherings are terrific yearly opportunities to meet new colleagues and connect with old friends, learn what […]
Goodbye, Bob Gallo
Bob Gallo passed away on June 22, 2024, at the age of 89. A scion of the Gallo family business, the largest winery on the planet, he was an avid proponent of advancing the grape and wine industry through science. I’m proud to say that NGRA is a small part of his legacy. Bob was […]
Citizen Scientists ‘Scrape for the Grape’ in Virginia
Citizen Science to the Rescue! Scrape for the Grape Eliminates Millions of Spotted Lanternflies in Virginia On Saturday, April 6, 2024, nearly 400 Loudoun County, VA, residents rose up in defense of their beloved vineyards and wineries to “Scrape for the Grape.” This innovative and fun citizen science initiative unleashed volunteers armed with credit-card-sized Scrape […]
Snag Some Gently Used Automation Equipment
Are you an extension agent, germplasm curator or viticulturist looking to automate vineyard trial plots? Or a forward-thinking farmer seeking to dip a toe in or upgrade your mechanization game? Scheid Family Wines is offering three V-Mech units designed for mechanized pre-pruning and/or shoot thinning, each located at their vineyard in Greenfield, CA. Get the […]
Nick Dokoozlian Honored with Rich Smith Award
SACRAMENTO, CA, January 25, 2024 – The eighth annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was presented yesterday to Dr. Nick Dokoozlian, Vice President of Winegrowing Research at E. & J. Gallo Winery and Research Chair of the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA). The prestigious award […]
Remembering Deb Golino
Deborah Golino, the Director of UC Davis’ Foundation Plant Services (FPS) until her retirement in 2021, passed away on December 23, 2023. She was 70. Deborah was a long-time NGRA Board member. Later, she would become one of our first three Science Advisory Council members, appointed in 2020. She was ever an ally, advisor and […]
The Clock Is Ticking: The Need for Precision Grape Breeding
By Margaret Leigh Worthington On June 7, 2023, Margaret Leigh Worthington, Associate Professor of Horticulture and Director of the Fruit Breeding Program at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, testified at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics and Research on the Farm Bill’s Horticulture Title, […]
USDA-ARS Celebrates 100 Years of Grape Breeding
On September 11, 2023, at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center (SJVASC) in Parlier, CA, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) celebrated the 100th anniversary of the USDA-ARS Grape Breeding Program. Its century of cooperative grape breeding research has impacted the way the world grows, cultivates and consumes grapes—and changed the very grapes themselves. This […]