Coffee Shop Blog
Sugar Accumulation Disorder (SAD)
There’s nothing like tending a nice crop of grapes all season, only to watch a portion of them shrivel and having to drop them before harvest. Berry shrivel has been a malady of some vineyards throughout the West Coast for many years. Several shrivel disorders may...
Erratic Budbreak and Variable Shoot Emergence
Erratic budbreak and variable shoot emergence was more common this year than most. At one point in some vineyards, early emerging shoots had elongating clusters and 7 or 8 unfolded leaves while late emerging shoots appeared as tiny green leaf tips between bud scales....
Balancing a Healthy, Functional Root System During Drought
Grapevine nutrition may not be on the forefront of growers concerns as bud break approaches in the vineyard. However, the drought conditions that have persisted over the past two years in areas of Texas and California will likely effect root growth dynamics, total...
The Economic Impact of Food and Beverage Processing in California
California’s role as the nation’s leading producer of agricultural products is well known. In 2012 California’s farms and ranches accounted for $42.6 billion in output. California produced 15% of the nation’s total value of crop production and 7.1% of the value of...
Ciatti Global Market Update – May 2015
Harvest is coming to an end in the Southern Hemisphere and most volume estimates remain unchanged. The total crop size for all of the Southern Hemisphere should fall short of the 2014 result. Argentina and New Zealand are experiencing the biggest declines in volume,...
Verticilium Wilt – Excerpt from Grape Pest Management
Verticillium wilt causes significant losses in many annual and perennial crops in California, but it is a minor disease of grapes. Caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae, it was first detected in grapes in 1973. Disease incidence as high as 15% in certain young...
In the Vineyard with Paul Verdegaal – May 2015
As of the rainfall total at the end of April, it looks like we are entering a fourth year of drought. This is more severe than the 2007-09 drought and the dry spell from 2002-03. The current rainfall season will end below long term average. However, there has been...
Port Slowdown Impacts California Agriculture
California agriculture exported about 26% of its production in 2013 worth $21 billion. The top six destinations for California agricultural exports are Canada, European Union, China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Mexico, and Korea. Most export destinations rely almost...
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