The Crush - December 2021 - 2

FEATURE STORY
seeing upward movement in grape prices, and grape buyers
are already showing interest in contract extensions for 2022 and
beyond. There is uncertainty whether higher grape prices will
keep up with higher farming costs. Growers have already seen
rising prices for supplies for farming inputs: fuel, fertilizer, trellis
materials, chemicals and equipment. Supply chain and delivery
issues will continue to affect prices and availability. Growers are
advised to plan ahead and place supply orders well in advance.
Labor availability issues and rising labor costs will continue. The
California minimum wage increases Jan. 1, 2022 to $14 per hour
for employers with 25 or fewer employees, and to $15 per hour
for employers with 26 or more employees. California overtime
pay for ag workers will increase Jan. 1. For employers with 26
or more employees, overtime (1.5 times the regular pay rate)
is required after working 8 hours per day or after 40 hours per
workweek. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, overtime
is required after working 9.5 hours per day or after 55 hours per
workweek.
PEST MANAGEMENT
The spotted lanternfly (SLF)
(Lycorma delicatula), a serious
invasive pest that damages vines
and grapes through feeding,
continues to expand its range
from an initial infestation in
Pennsylvania in 2014. Infestations are known in 11 eastern and
Midwest states, including Ohio and Indiana, where it was found
in 2021. SLF finds have been reported in Oregon, Washington
and Utah. Although California has no known infestations, since
2019 more than 60 SLF specimens (mostly dead) have been found
in California on air cargo flights inspected at airports in Stockton,
Sacramento and Ontario, and at border inspection stations. CDFA
reported finding an SLF egg mass on a trailer at a border station
this year, in addition to 19 dead adults on aircraft inspections.
CDFA established a state exterior quarantine in July to
proactively educate the ag community and public about the SLF,
and to prevent its entry into California. No effective method
exists to detect this pest through trapping or a pheromone lure.
CDFA is conducting annual summer risk-based visual surveys.
In 2021, inspections of 570 California high-risk sites found no
SLF. Educational resources and state program info are available
CDFA's spotted lanternfly webpage.
BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSION
Inadequate broadband service has long been an issue in
California and access is uneven throughout the state. State
legislation (SB 156) signed in July provides $6 billion for
infrastructure expansion and is expected to increase access
to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet services for rural
Californians and unserved and underserved communities.
Underserved areas are without reliable download speeds of
2 DECEMBER 2021
at least 25 megabits per second (mbps) and upload speeds of
at least 3 mbps. Reducing the " digital divide " provides new
opportunities for rural vineyard and ag operations to use
technology to better access data and information for daily onfarm
operations, planning and business-to-business operations.
State partners implementing expansion include the California
Department of Technology (CDT), the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) and CalTrans. The joint powers
Golden State Connect Authority formed by the Rural County
Representatives of California is working for rural counties to
pursue planning efforts, technical assistance and funding for
broadband infrastructure. The CDT Middle-Mile Advisory
Committee meets monthly to monitor development of the
open-access middle-mile network and to prioritize connectivity
projects. The first 18 projects selected for funding were
announced Nov. 17 and include parts of western Fresno County;
the Central Coast from Southern Santa Clara Valley to Hollister;
and parts of Amador, Calaveras, Kern, Lake and San Luis Obispo
counties. SB 156 funding is planned for allocation over three
years with projects to be completed by December 2026. Federal
infrastructure legislation also allocated $65 billion nationwide for
broadband.
UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FUNDING INCREASED
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
(UCANR) division received a historic increase in additional
ongoing funding of $32 million from the state budget signed in
July. UCANR Vice President Glenda Humiston said in a press
release, " This budget increase is transformational and will allow
us to rebuild UC Cooperative Extension's boots-on-the-ground
to help Californians cope with wildfire, drought and climate
adaptation. " Recruitment is underway for two viticulture farm
advisor positions vacant since recent retirements that include:
integrated vineyard systems area advisor for Lake, Mendocino
and Sonoma counties; and viticulture advisor for San Joaquin
and Stanislaus counties, and southern Sacramento County.
UCANR also posted new positions for fire advisors for several
coastal and Sierra Foothill counties.
At the November CDFA board meeting, Humiston said
UCANR seeks to build transdisciplinary cooperation to more
collectively address climate problems and programs for
agriculture, fire management, water management, and health
and equity. " We need to look at our goals and resources in a more
holistic fashion, and we need more and better collaborations
between our government, university and industry sectors, "
she said. Humiston cited the need for new technology for ag
mechanization because of the labor shortage and emphasized the
importance of stakeholder input.
Lawrence Barringer
http://www.goldenstateconnect.org https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/board/spottedlanternfly.html https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB156
The Crush - December 2021

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