Vineyard Views & Events

The perfect rainy-day activity! A group of University researchers and extension agents is collecting data on precision canopy and water management of specialty crops through sensor-based decision-making.

Please help them by answering a 23-question survey. It should take approximately 18 minutes to complete.

http://ucanr.org/PrecisionCanopy&Water

In January, Dr. Gubler and I visited a vineyard that seemed to have very clear symptoms of a trunk disease (Eutypa or Botryosphaeria). Yet when we looked closer, we determined the symptoms were not caused by a pathogen...link to the newsletter below to see photographs and read our full report. 

Please participate in the UC Davis, Napa Valley Winegrape Survey. Your response is a critical part of this research project. Napa County's current response rate is only 14% - we can do better!

Napa Valley Winegrape growers should have received this survey, by mail, at their home or business address.

If you have not received the survey, but are a Napa Valley grower interested in participating, contact Matthew Hoffman: mbhoffman@ucdavis.edu

Your answers are confidential and anonymous. The information collected in the survey will be used by UC Davis and California viticulture organizations to improve their service to winegrape growers and inform the future of California's viticulture and wine industry.

Questions? Contact Mark Lubell: mnlubell@ucdavis.edu or (530) 852-5880

Register now for Farmworker Field Days, a joint program between the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and UC Cooperative Extension, supported by the NVG Farmworker Education Fund. http:ucanr.org/FarmworkerFieldDays

Field days are FREE for all Napa County vineyard workers (limit 2 per company). Content will be delivered in Spanish.

Our first field day will be a trip to the Foundation Plant Services facility at UC Davis, on March 16, 8 am - 2 pm. Transportation will be provided, and bus will depart promptly at 8 am, from the offices of UC Cooperative Extension (1710 Soscol Ave). We will tour the facility, and learn about their mission as well as laboratory, greenhouse, and field practices to promote clean and certified plant material for nursery distribution.

The topic for our 2nd field day will be "Beneficial Birds: Using Avian Predators as an IPM Tool". It will be held Friday, June 8 at Spring Mountain Vineyard. Farmworkers may attend a 1-2:30 pm session or a 3-4:30 pm session.

The topic for our 3rd field day will be "Soils 101: Soil characteristics for quality wine grapes". It will be held Friday, July 13 at Inglenook vineyard. Farmworkers may attend an 8-10 am session or a 2-4 pm session.

Grapevine Leafroll Disease Seminar hosted by Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Vineyard Technical Group, and UC Cooperative Extension:

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
8 am - 12 pm
Yountville Community Hall
6516 Yount Street

Register: www.napagrowers.org or (707) 944-8311

Special $15 admission for NVG and Vit Tech members

UC IPM will be offering Pesticide Saftey Training (Train-the-Trainer Program) in NAPA on January 31, 2012.

8 am - 5 pm
Meeting room at the offices of UC Cooperative Extension
1710 Soscol Ave, Napa 94559

Cost is $100
Register: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/events
For additional information, contact Lisa Blecker at (530) 752-3912 or lblecker@ucdavis.edu

Access the newsletter for additional details and information on training classes to be held in Ventura, Modesto, and Bakersfield in Jan/Feb 2012.

REGISTER NOW!
UC Soil Fertility Short Course
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 
8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center
UC Davis
For directions, visit http://visit.ucdavis.edu

"Rootstock to Bottle, Conserving Water throughout the Wine making Process"

NEED HOURS? Get 3.0 hours of DPR Continuing Education credit for our program.

REGISTER NOW!
December 1, 2011
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Heritage Room at the Yountville Community Hall

From Rootstock to Bottle: Conserving water throughout the wine making process
December 1, 2011, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, Yountville Community Hall

RSVP for the event online or call (707) 259-5969

A free public workshop, designed for vineyard and winery staff and sponsored by the County of Napa, in collaboration with other groups. Topics that will be covered include groundwater hydrology, water conservation in the vineyard and the winery, the vineyard Conditional Waiver & TMDL, and the changing climate.

3.5 CE Units will be applied for through DPR

Questions? Please contact Deborah Elliott at (707) 259-5969 or deborah.elliott@countyofnapa.org.

This is a great training opportunity (in Spanish) for farm supervisors: 
March 13-16, 2012 in Modesto, California

Topics that will be covered include employee discipline, dealing with difficult subordinate behaviors, interpersonal negotiation skills, and the importance of praise in everyday communications. Those who attend will participate in numerouse role-plays, and receive individualized attention and evaluation. A copy of the participant's scorecard will be sent to each farm enterprise. Registration is limited to two individuals per farm operation. Contact UC Farm Advisor Gregorio Bilikopf at gebilikopf@ucdavis.edu or 209-525-6800.

Seminar cost: $128; includes materials and lunches over the four days.
Early registration discount: Those who register early, by January 31, 2012, can do so for $97. 
Payment: by check or credit card. Make checks out to UC Regents; mail to Workplace Mediation, c/o G. Bilikopf, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Suite A, Modesto, CA 95358
Map to the location: We will meet in Rooms H & I of the Stanislaus Building.

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The North Coast CAPCA chapter and the Organic Fertilizer Association of California are holding an Organic Production Seminar on Thursday, November 17, at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. DPR has approved 6.0 CE hours (0.5 laws and 5.5 other); CCA has approved 7.0 CE hours.

Stay on top of pest activity with the Vineyard Pest Identification and Monitoring Cards: a quick reference to identifying and monitoring vineyard diseases and pests.

Covers 27 common insects and mites, 8 diseases, 6 beneficial insects, and a variety of other disorders, weeds, and invertebrate pests. Each pest is identified by a description and excellent close-up color photographs—244 photos in all. On the reverse of each card is a description of the various life stages and monitoring tips.

Also includes descriptions of natural enemies and suggestions for least toxic management options as well as handy inch and metric measurement scales. A sturdy rivet keeps the set together so individual cards don’t stray.

Workshop Flyer
Thursday, May 26, 2011
9:00 am - 11:00 am
UC Davis Oakville Experimental Vineyard
1380 Oakville Grade Road
Oakville

Speaker:  Dr. Roger Baldwin, UC IPM, Statewide Vertebrate Control Advisor

Dr. Baldwin will provide an overview of pocket gophers and discuss the use of baiting and trapping.  He will also provide demonstrations on baiting and trapping techniques.

Attendance is limited to 50 participants (3 maximum per company).
Pre-registration is required.
1.5 CE hours have been approved for this workshop.

Register at http://ucanr.org/gophercontrolworkshop

UCCE and Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group are hosting an Oak Workshop for vineyard professionals and other oak stewards.

Friday, March 25, 9:00 am-12:30 pm.
UC Cooperative Extension Meeting Room

Topics include historical Napa oak ecology; Oak woodland economics and management; Oaks, Vineyards and Wildlife, and Landscape considerations for mature, woody trees.

Register online: http://ucanr.org/AllAboutOaks
Register by phone: 253-4221

Drs. Steenwerth, O'Geen, and Jackson of USDA/ARS and UC Davis are looking for grower-cooperators in a study of C sequestration and GHG emissions in vineyards. 

This study will occur in the Napa and Lodi winegrowing regions between January 2011 and June 2012. 

Full details can be found in the newsletter file.

Rachel Greenhut is the Project Coordinator.
Please do not hesitate to contact her if you are intersted in participating:
rfgreenhut@ucdavis.edu
530.574.3135

I hope you will consider participating in this study. It is critical that we collect these data to inform policy decisions.

Populations of the brown marmorated stink bug, an exotic insect that is native to Asia, have been identified in the eastern states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia.

Pictures and additional information can be found on the UC IPM website: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/MISC/stinkbug_alert.pdf

We don't need another exotic insect in Napa, so let's educate ourselves and remain vigilant.

Demeter, USA and UCCE are hosting a Biodynamic shortcourse for Grapegrowers and Winemakers. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/132064

Rutherford Grange, Napa
Dec 2, 2010
8:30-5:30
$75

Interested in establishing a hedgerow?

A FREE, recent UC publication details establishment of hedgerows on farms in California: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8390.pdf

EPA has announced that spirotetramat (Movento) is now registered for use on grapes. This new registration will be available in the marketplace for the next growing season.

Deadline to apply for EQIP funding is Nov 12, 2010. Projects include compliance practices for Napa TMDL requirements, cover crops, irrigation management, and organic certification. Funding also available for reduced risk ("soft") insecticides for pest management and mating disruption. For details, contact Phill Blake, (707) 252-4189, phillip.blake@ca.usda.gov

It's that time of year: shriveled berries on ripening clusters. See the attached article by Krasnow et al. in California Agriculture. The authors describe the distinctive symptoms of 4 common types of berry shrivel disorder in grape in California.

You can subscribe online to the Vineyard Views newsletter (if you haven't already) and also to Announcements & Special Events. These features will give you the latest information from our Viticulture and Weed Science programs.

With thanks and appreciation we say goodbye to Mike Anderson.. and welcome our new Viticulture Farm Advisor/County Director, Monica Cooper..

Leafroll Spread and Plant Material information and survey form; Planting Material Workshop flyer and registration form; Napa County UCCE Viticulture Farm Advisor position, more..

Viticulture Program Representative, View from Below the Vine, Weed Field Meeting

New Weed Advisor in Napa Light Brown Apple Moth Herbicide Resistant Weeds ... More

Vine Mealybug - Little Good News Berry Shrivel Napa Valley Viticultural Fair ...More

Vine Mealybug Update UC Budget Woes Continue Olive Fly Hits Hard PP Research Symposium New Publications