Fields of Mustard plants, which bloom through March, are doing hard work to protect world-famous vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties. Mustard contains high levels of biofumigants, which suppresses the growth of microscopic worms that can damage vines, according to Sonoma County's tourism website. It also provides nutrients to emerging grape plants and keeps hillside soil in place to help fight erosion. Source: KCRA
Wildfires have ravaged Texas panhandle ranches with more than 1.79 million acres burnt (as of March 7), already 7,000 cattle killed and the destruction of homes, barns, fences and other infrastructure. Source: Progressive Farmer
Winter storms have provided relief in ending the snowdrought across certain parts of the US West. The storms have brought much-needed precipitation to the region, replenishing snowpack and helping alleviate concerns about water resources. The Sierra Nevada snowpack levels are now 111 percent of the norm for this date. Source: KRON4
Sargento Cheese has issued a recall on certain products supplied by California-based Rizo-Lopez Foods due to potential Listeria contamination. The recall comes after the discovery of the bacteria during routine testing, and consumers are urged to check their cheese purchases for affected lots and dates. Source: Washington Post
The Port of Oakland in North America has reported a continued rise in container volume for the month of January, up 8.2 percent versus January 2023. Exports saw an increase of 9.3 percent over the same period. An estimated 15-20 percent of the imports and 50-55 percent of the exports were commodities for consumption. Source: Fresh Plaza
The California strawberry season is experiencing a boost in volume, according to Naturipe. As the season progresses, strawberry volumes are increasing, indicating a healthy supply of the popular fruit from California farms. Source: The Produce News
California and other states that rely on the Colorado River have reached a historic agreement to address water shortages. The details of the agreement include conservation efforts, water storage plans, and the commitment to sustainable water management to ensure future availability of this vital resource. Source: Cal Matters
According to AccuWeather experts, California is expected to remain free from drought conditions until 2025 due to two consecutive winters of intense storms. The positive impact of recent storms on water supply and storage suggest that the state should see relief from drought concerns in the coming years. Source: AccuWeather
Although the 2023 wine grape crop was larger than expected, wine sales last year were down 4.5% with only premium wines seeing an increase in sales. To help alleviate the excess of grapes on the market, Jeff Bitter of Allied Grape Growers would like to see 50,000 acres pulled out this year, especially “aged-out” vines, and many of the generic red wine grapes. Source: Growing Produce
The 2023 California Final Grape Report was just released and crushed grapes totaled 3,899,710 tons, up 6.2% from the 2022 crush of 3,670,861 tons. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,970,643 tons, up 3.0% from 2022. White wine varieties crushed totaled 1,714,268 tons, up 15.6% from 2022. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 48,910, down 54.0% from 2022, and tons crushed of table typevarieties totaled 165,889, down 1.1% from 2022. Source: USDA Ag Statistics – Final Grape Crush Report
Dairy Markets: The April Class III contract jumped to $16.08 per hundredweight, tacking on 17 cents. April “all cheese” futures lifted to $1.5970 per pound, increasing by $0.0120. Spot butter climbed to $2.8025 per pound, 3.5 cents higher, with four lots exchanged. Second quarter butter contracts rose to $2.8096 per pound, adding $0.0088.
For the full 2023 Grape Crush Report and Grape Acreage Report visit the NASS website at: nass.usda.gov/ca UPCOMING EVENTS: Ag Lenders Society of California Annual Meeting Tuesday, March 19th
12PM – 2:00 PM Presentation by Blaine Nelson Farmer Mac Senior Agricultural Economist TICKETS