Five years ago, the Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) made a bold declaration to the wine world that its more than 1,800 winegrowers were committed to becoming the nation’s first 100% certified sustainable wine region in 2019. Today, Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, addressed the local winegrowing community to announce that Sonoma County now has a record-breaking 99%  …

The 2019 Lake County winegrape harvest is underway and growers in the high-elevation winegrowing region are once again pleased with this year’s growing conditions and optimistic about the grape quality. Many of the region’s growers and vineyard managers are anticipating an earlier-than-normal harvest, which was unexpected given the region’s wet spring and relatively cool early season temperatures. However, by midseason, …

California Farmland Trust (CFT) is excited to announce a fun-filled evening of painting, sipping, and protecting farmland at their Sunset Vine Paint and Wine event Friday, Sept. 20 at Bokisch Vineyards from 4-7pm in Lodi. Watch the sunset over the grapevines at the beyond-beautiful Bokisch Vineyards. Sip a glass of award-winning Spanish varietal wine and munch on tasty tapas (that’s Spanish for …

Ramona Ranch Vineyard and Winery has received renewal of CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE status by meeting the requirements set by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) and audited at three years. Ramona Ranch was the first and is still the only winery in San Diego County to be designated Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE) as a result of meeting a comprehensive …

Marcy L. Martin was named today as the new president of the Citrus Research Board (CRB). The appointment was announced by CRB Chairman Dan Dreyer, who said that Martin was selected after a nearly year-long national search for the very best candidate to lead the organization. Martin joins the CRB with more than 25 years of experience with California commodity organizations. She …

California Department of Food & Agriculture — A total of seven California horses have tested positive in recent weeks for West Nile Virus, with six of the cases in the Central Valley and one in Riverside County. Two of the horses were euthanized due to the severity of their symptoms. Horse owners are reminded to have their animals vaccinated to make …

American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, was recently awarded a Conservation Innovation Grant by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The grant will be used to expand AFT’s San Joaquin Valley Land and Water Strategy, with a focus on increasing water infiltration and groundwater recharge in the San Joaquin Valley counties of Madera and Stanislaus. This project will provide a unique and innovative …

Weather Temperature highs ranged from the high 60s to high 90s in the mountains, low 70s to mid 100s along the coast, high 70s to mid 100s in the valley, and mid 80s to mid 110s in the desert. Temperature lows ranged from low 40s to mid 70s in the mountains, low 50s to mid 60s along the coast, mid 50s to high …

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead a trade mission to Canada Sept. 3-6, accompanied by representatives from 41 U.S. agribusinesses and associations looking to expand sales to the United States’ top agricultural export market. “With the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) poised for passage, this is a great time for U.S. …

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2019 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that producers of nearly 17,000 dairy operations have signed up for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program since signup opened June 17. Producers interested in 2019 coverage must sign up before Sept. 20, 2019. DMC offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price …