6 PODCASTS for HARVEST-TIME

Long gone are the days when the daily newspaper was the main source of information for a community.  While the newspaper is still an excellent source of information and is fun to read, there now exists other outlets for staying connected and learning about the world....

LWC Welcomes Dr. Stephanie Bolton

Press Release from Calhoun & Company: The Lodi Winegrape Commission, which represents over 750 winegrowers in the Lodi AVA, has recently announced the appointment of Dr. Stephanie Bolton to Grower Communications & Sustainable Winegrowing Director. Bolton...

WEATHER OUTLOOK and TOOLS

Long Range Outlook… Growers are probably wondering if this upcoming rainy season will be a benefit to the water picture for 2017. Present long range outlooks are calling for a weak La Nina to develop over the waters of the Equatorial Eastern Pacific this fall...

MAKING VINEYARD MANAGEMENT DECISIONS

At the most basic level, business management involves setting goals, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.  Vineyard management, of course, is more complicated than this, especially given large amounts of borrowed capital, increasing regulations,...

FRUIT SET FACTORS

MONDAY, MAY 20, 2016.  BY STAN GRANT, VITICULTURIST. Fruit set is the process in which flowers become fruit and potential fruit size is determined.  It occurs after pollen is released from male flower parts (anthers), lands on receptive female flower parts (stigmas),...

ON THE NATURE OF VINEYARDS AND VINEYARD MANAGEMENT

MARCH 8, 2016.  BY STAN GRANT, VITICULTURIST. The wine grape industry, like all of agriculture, is under intensifying pressure from outside. Increasingly, regulators, retailers, consumers, environmentalists, and others are weighing in on how we conduct our businesses....

EVALUATING VINEYARD SOILS IN TRENCHES

We wine grape growers invest great efforts in managing canopies, crops, and other vineyard attributes above ground.  In comparison, our efforts below ground are often nominal.  And yet, the vineyard below ground is essential to the success and long-term viability of...

Micronutrient Management In Vineyards

Micronutrients are mineral elements required in small quantities by plants for normal growth and development. They include iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, and chloride. The micronutrients tend be overshadowed by the macronutrients, especially...

Negotiation Tips for Winegrape Growers

Grape growers are expected to be competent at a wide-ranging of tasks.  For example, they have to be good at equipment maintenance, pruning, labor relations and finances, to list but a few of the skills that are necessary to succeed as a grower. Of all the skills that...