The COVID-19 pandemic will certainly have far-reaching impacts on the world, including the volume and pace of research and to the scientists whose careers depend on collaborating on, conducting and publishing research. As states and municipalities issued shelter-in-place orders this month, one by one, industry and academic conferences were canceled. Government agencies and universities closed […]
Projects Underway
Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award Presented to Jim Trezise
FEBRUARY 5, 2020, SACRAMENTO, CA — In a surprise presentation, the fourth-annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award for major contributions to the American grape and wine industry was given to Jim Trezise. Jim is former President of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation and current President of WineAmerica. The Smith Family gave the award […]
Farm Bill 2018 Passed
On December 20, 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (a.k.a. the Farm Bill) was signed into law and will remain in effect for the next five years. WineAmerica was one of the many specialty crop organizations fighting for a robust bill. As Jim Trezise, WineAmerica President and NGRA Board member, says, “The Farm Bill is a massive […]
November, But Still No Farm Bill
Congress adjourned for the November 6, 2018, mid-term elections without passing a Farm Bill. While it is widely anticipated that they will return after the elections for a lame duck session, it is uncertain whether they will be able to resolve their differences and reauthorize a Farm Bill. Of note are the 39 orphaned programs […]
Portrait of the Perfect Grapevine: Industry Survey of Desirable Traits
If you could grow the perfect grapevine, what would it be or do? What would its fruit be or look like? How would it perform throughout the season, given your climate, soil and labor availability? Essentially, these were the dreams grape and wine industry representatives were asked to entertain when surveyed about the most desirable […]
Call for Nominations: Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award
HONOR A COLLEAGUE AND A LEGEND The late Richard (Rich) Smith of Paraiso Vineyards and Smith Family Wines in the Santa Lucia Highlands of California was first and foremost a family man, and also a successful grape grower, winery owner and respected colleague. Before his passing in 2015, through his significant and selfless contributions of time, energy […]
Excellence in Extension: NVEELC 2018
The 2018 National Viticulture & Enology Extension Leadership Conference (NVEELC) took place May 20-22, hosted by Washington State University (WSU) Viticulture Extension in Prosser–the heart of Washington State wine country. The 50 extension and outreach specialists who attended represented both viticulture and enology, their experience ranged from 30+ years in their post to less than […]
2017 Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award Presented to Wine Industry Legend Pete Downs
SACRAMENTO, CA, January 24, 2018 — The second-annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award for major contributions to the American grape and wine industry, and to research, was given to Edgar B. “Pete” Downs, President of the Family Winemakers of California. The award was given in a surprise presentation by the Smith Family at the Board […]
NGWI-Supported Trunk Diseases Project Concludes
At the end of November, Dr. Kendra Baumgartner et al. submitted the final report of their NGWI-supported SCRI project, “New detection, research, and extension tools for managing wood-canker diseases of fruit and nut crops,” focusing on grape, almond and pistachio. As they explain in the report, wood-canker diseases are a serious problem in vineyards in the U.S. and […]
VitisGen2 Receives SCRI Grant
VitisGen2 has received Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant funding, and is set to begin work September 1. An NGWI-supported project, VitisGen was launched to work toward developing new grape cultivars with high fruit quality (FQ) and resistance to powdery mildew (PM). Congratulations—and good luck—to co-PIs Dr. Bruce Reisch, professor of grapevine breeding and genetics […]