Mira Winery, which produces a limited amount of hand crafted, all natural wines, each a singular expression of unique grapes, announced today that Ed Thralls is joining the team as President. The hiring follows the opening of Mira winery and hospitality house last fall on the 16-acre estate just south of Yountville in the heart of the Napa Valley.“Ed has …

Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance — We are thrilled to announce the 2020 Paso Robles Wine Industry Persons of the Year awardees, founders and owners of Peachy Canyon Winery, the Beckett Family! This award, bestowed by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA), annually recognizes an individual(s) who exemplify the spirit of Paso Robles Wine Country with outstanding leadership, vision, …

UC Cooperative Extension specialist Jeff Dahlberg, also the director of the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) in Parlier, invoked his 35 years of sorghum expertise to increasing interest in growing the crop in California and to better understanding plants’ ability to tolerate drought. Dahlberg retires Jan. 8. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger in the early …

Growers considering producing avocados in San Diego County with high-density plantings now have help to determine the economic feasibility. A new study on the costs and returns of establishing and producing avocados in San Diego County has been released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Cooperative Extension, UC Agricultural Issues Center and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource …

The California Beef Council (CBC) will invest over $1 million in 2021 in efforts to promote beef, provide consumer information, engage with foodservice and retail stakeholders, educate health and nutrition influencers, and provide educational and informational resources to beef producers. This 2021 work plan and budget were approved by the producer-led CBC board of directors during its annual meeting, held …

UC San Diego – New research from the University of California San Diego shows that since modern crop varieties were introduced in the developing world starting in 1961, they have substantially reduced infant mortality, especially for male babies and among poor households. The study assessed mortality rates of more 600,000 children across 37 developing countries, revealing global diffusion of agricultural technology reduced …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating more than $70 million to support 383 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, threat mitigation, to safeguard the nursery production system and to respond to plant pest emergencies.  Universities, states, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, and Tribal organizations will …

Sonoma County Farm Bureau — Tito Sasaki, a Sonoma Valley grape grower, scientist, and businessman, 35-year member and past president of Sonoma County Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County, is the recipient of the 2020 California Farm Bureau Federation Distinguished Service Award. The California Farm Bureau has presented the Distinguished Service Award annually since 1953 to dedicated Farm …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced interest rates for January 2021, which are effective January 4-January 31. These rates are used for a variety of farm credit options available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). The CCC’s borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125%, same as December. The interest rate for crop year commodity loans less than one year …