We all need someone we can go to for wise and insightful counsel, and straight talk on how to achieve our goals. Han Solo had Yoda. Rocky Balboa had Mickey. NGRA has our Science Advisory Council. The Council was formed in 2019 as a way to formalize our relationship with some of our longest-standing technical […]
Projects Underway
Appropriations Request for Grape Genetics Research
Spring 2020 Background The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) is charged with advancing world-class grape genetics research in the U.S., through its units in Parlier, CA (grape breeding), Geneva, NY (grape genomics and gene expression). Geneva and Winters, CA, also are home to a collection of critical grape germplasm, that collectively serve […]
Appropriations Request for Disease Detection with Dogs
Spring 2020 Background Dr. Tim Gottwald, Research Leader/Plant Epidemiologist, at the USDA-ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Ft. Pierce, FL, has been studying the use of canine “technology” for disease detection in citrus since 2017. The exceedingly high levels of success Dr. Gottwald and his USDA team have shown with dogs in the early detection […]
Grape Research Goes on Hold
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 […]
NGRA Research Committee Refresh: Got Nominations?
The NGRA Research Committee is critical to the mission of our organization. Its members participate actively in the process by which we identify and prioritize industry needs for research and actively work to assemble teams of scientists to develop projects and acquire funding to get that research done. And this committee is about to see […]
Just Keep Growing
Even though, as a leap year, 2020 gave February an extra day, this month passed in the blink of an eye. But fast does not mean uneventful. February saw the official kickoff of the growing season with budbreak in many vineyards around the country, even as their growers gathered in industry conferences to learn, network […]
New Officers and Board Directors Elected for 2020
NATIONAL GRAPE RESEARCH ALLIANCE ELECTS NEW OFFICERS New Board Directors Elected at Annual Meeting SACRAMENTO, CA, February 24, 2020 – The National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) held its Annual Meeting of Members and First-of-Year Board Meeting on February 3, 2020, where new officers and Board directors were elected. The following Board directors were elected as […]
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 […]
And We’re Off!
With the sleepy holidays behind us, 2020 has started with a bang! Conference season is in full swing. Starting this month, there were at least two grape and wine industry events somewhere in America every week. February is even more intense, beginning with NGRA’s first-of-year Board meeting and the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento next […]
Moments of Pride and Progress
It’s our last newsletter of the year and normally that would mean a round-up of the year’s best. But since I covered NGRA’s research accomplishments of 2019 last month, here, I thought I’d share three moments of pride or progress that help make NGRA a better organization or me a better steward of it, that […]