On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, an adult male Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) was detected in a pest detection trap in Sonoma County, just outside the town of Sonoma. The trap, located in a fruit tree on a residential property near 8th Street East and Old Winery Road, caught the attention of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and local county agricultural departments. While the discovery of a single fly does not immediately trigger a quarantine, it does call for increased fruit fly trapping and monitoring, which in this case, extends into parts of Napa County.

In response to this finding, Sonoma County Ag, Napa County Ag, and CDFA are collaborating to place additional delimitation traps around the core area of the detection. Over the next week, 425-450 traps will be deployed within a 4.5-mile radius, covering parts of southwest Napa County, including areas around Redwood Road, Partrick Road, Mt. Veeder Road, and the western section of Carneros. CDFA staff began placing traps on August 9 and 10, primarily in residential and roadside host trees, with the goal of ensuring no further adult flies are found, thereby avoiding a quarantine. So far, CDFA has successfully treated the initial find site and adjacent properties in Sonoma County.

As of today, all delimitation traps have been successfully deployed around the find site, encompassing the core area (1 square mile), the first buffer zone (9 square miles), and the outer buffer zones (16-32 square miles). These traps have been checked and serviced multiple times. Initially, daily checks were conducted during the first week. With no additional findings, the frequency of servicing has been reduced to weekly, starting August 19. Currently, 222 traps are set in Sonoma County and 62 in Napa County. CDFA staff will continue their trapping activities throughout the delimitation process.

It’s important to note that last year saw an unprecedented number of exotic fruit fly detections and active quarantines in California. Fortunately, all seven fruit fly quarantines last season, including those in nearby counties like Sacramento, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara, successfully eradicated the pest populations, allowing the quarantines to be lifted. This serves as a reminder of the importance of ongoing pest exclusion and detection efforts to protect our agricultural communities.

Growers within the delimitation area in Napa have been notified, but it’s important to stress that there is currently no quarantine in place, so vineyard and winery operations can proceed as usual. We remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding our agricultural lands from invasive species and ensuring that Napa’s renowned wine industry remains unaffected by these potential threats. Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to monitor the situation closely.

​As the 2024 harvest season kicks off in Napa Valley, the anticipation is palpable. For our members and the broader community, we are pleased to share a comprehensive set of resources designed to support a successful and safe harvest. These tools, crafted by experts, offer insights, best practices, and vital safety information to ensure the season runs smoothly.

​1. Harvest Predictions Podcast In our latest episode of the Grown in Napa Valley podcast, we delve into the much-anticipated predictions for the 2024 vintage. This year’s discussion features local experts who reflect on the unique growing conditions, analyze the potential quality of the grapes, and estimate the timing and yield of the harvest. 

​​2. Harvest Best Practices Video For growers and workers alike, our Harvest Best Practices video is an invaluable resource. This video provides an overview of the most effective techniques to ensure quality and efficiency during harvest.

3. Harvest Procedures Paper Accompanying our video, the Harvest Best Practices Paper offers detailed guidelines in both English and Spanish. This comprehensive document includes step-by-step instructions and recommendations for managing the harvest, from pre-harvest preparations to post-harvest storage.

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4. Harvest Night Safety Paper Safety is always a top priority, particularly during the demanding harvest season when much of the work happens at night. Our Harvest Night Safety Paper, available in both English and Spanish, outlines crucial safety measures for night work. 

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​5. Napa Valley Vintners Press Release on the Start of the 2024 Harvest We’re thrilled to share the recent press release from the Napa Valley Vintners, announcing the official start of the 2024 harvest. View their Vintage Tracker website for more updates.

​At Napa Valley Grapegrowers, we are committed to supporting our community through every stage of the growing season. These resources are part of our ongoing effort to ensure that the 2024 harvest is not only fruitful but also safe and sustainable for everyone involved. As you embark on this year’s harvest, we encourage you to utilize these tools and stay connected with us for ongoing updates and support.
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Here’s to a successful harvest season!

California’s indoor heat worker protections were approved on July 23, 2024, by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). This new regulation goes into effect immediately to protect indoor workers from heat illness.
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On June 20, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 3396 “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment” and requested that the regulation take effect immediately after OAL approval.

Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment regulation applies to most indoor workplaces, such as restaurants, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. For indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness. Some of the requirements include providing water, rest, cool-down areas, and training.

Additional requirements, where feasible, apply where the temperature reaches 87 degrees such as cooling down the work area, implementing work-rest schedules, and providing personal heat-protective equipment. Where workers wear clothing that restricts heat removal or work in high radiant heat areas, the additional requirements apply at 82 degrees.
Cal/OSHA has developed educational materials and resources to help employers understand and comply with these requirements.

New educational materials and resources include:

• Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention webpage
• Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Combined Indoor and Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Model Plan for Employers
• Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Fact Sheet for Employers
• Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Fact Sheet for Workers
• Indoor Heat Illness Prevention webpage
• Comparison Chart of Indoor and Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Standards

​You may have heard by now of an invasive insect pest called the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). This damaging pest was found in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has established itself in 17 states since then. It is native to Asia, where it lives in balance with population controls such as parasitic wasps and other predators. Here in the United States, no such controls exist, and the population expands rapidly. The spotted lanternfly (SLF) has done serious damage to vineyards. The story of SLF is intertwined with a particular tree species, also endemic to Asia. The tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a favored host of SLF, and some researchers point to growing evidence of a dependent relationship between the insect and this prolifically spreading tree. Unfortunately, tree of heaven (TOH) was deliberately introduced to the United States in the 1700’s as an extremely hardy and fast-growing ornamental species.

There are many established stands of TOH here in Napa that will provide prime habitat for SLF in the event the pest is introduced here. Some of these TOH populations are directly adjacent to vineyards, increasing the risk of SLF infestation. It is not likely that a weak flyer like SLF would ever expand its range westward through the many geographic barriers it would face. Rather, this pest will likely make it debut into California as a hitchhiker on a plane, in a car, or as egg masses attached to objects in transfer from infested areas. For this reason, California Border Inspection Stations are on high alert to detect SLF egg masses. Because the SLF threat is so severe, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has established an action plan to facilitate rapid response.

The Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office (CAC) has been closely monitoring the SLF/TOH connection and threat potential. Along with plenty of public outreach and education materials, we have been placing SLF detection traps throughout the county since 2020. Very few other counties has actively trapped for this pest. The traps are located in areas of highest risk, including adjacent to vineyards, storage and shipping facilities, rail lines, the airport, and campgrounds. Along with a detection trapping program, we have done a thorough survey of the county, mapping the location of TOH individuals and sapling clusters. This work was made possible by initial grant funding from the State, and on-going funding from the Winegrape Pest and Disease Control District. Napa CAC also inspects all plant material entering the county, along with inspections of materials moved here from high-risk areas. These inspections also look for the egg masses of the Spongy Moth, formerly known as the Gypsy Moth. The Napa CAC will remain vigilant and proactive in facing the double threat of TOH and SLF.

If this information has made you want to take action yourself, we’d like to ask for your help in identifying more TOH specimens for a mapping project that allows us to prioritize locations for detection trapping and outreach. Please participate in our survey to help you identify TOH. 

Dear members,

With great gratitude for our local firefighting crews, last week’s smoke has cleared, and containment of regional fires progresses. It was a sobering reminder of the importance of our community’s ongoing focus on wildfire resiliency.

Just this last week, NVG representatives attended Napa County’s budget hearings. We’ve advocated over the last several years for greater allocation of resources for wildfire and were encouraged to hear that the now approved budget includes the greatest community investment in wildfire and disaster prevention to date. It was noted in these hearings that the vigor of the local wine industry is uniquely tied to the county’s revenues and available services via property and sales tax. This further goes to show that NVG’s support of the grower community has a direct and positive impact on the community as a whole.

On your behalf, we are building strong ties with Napa County’s new Fire Administrator, David Shew, who will be a guest on our podcast in July. We hope you tune in to hear more about his vision for Napa County to become a model of wildfire readiness. 

We continue to work in lockstep with Napa County Ag Commissioner Tracy Cleveland to ensure an easy-to-navigate Ag Pass Program. If you are not yet enrolled in the 2024 Program, now is the time to do so.

We appreciated hearing from many of you last week, seeking our guidance and support in understanding smoke impacts and fielding your concerns about scheduled controlled burns as we rapidly approach veraison. While controlled burns are an essential wildfire mitigation tactic here in Napa County, we are working to address the need for a crop protection overlay with CalFire and community stakeholders, taking into consideration timing and scale of controlled burns at times when grapes are most susceptible to smoke. Following outreach with Napa County Fire this week, we want members to be aware that controlled burns are now suspended for the season, as fire personnel and resources shift their attention to fire suppression.

Meanwhile, our understanding of the impacts of smoke exposure on winegrapes continues to improve. We completed our third year of baseline data collection with ETS Labs and encourage you all to follow our best practices guidelines for collecting baseline grape samples this growing season, both to inform your teams as well as the global testing methodology.
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Don’t forget to access all your member wildfire resources when in need or reach out to an NVG staff member anytime. Our team is here for you through this wildfire season!

​Jennifer Hampton, a social worker, life coach, and mental health professional, spoke to Connect & Cultivate attendees about Strategies for Preventing Burnout in the Workplace. Drawing from her extensive experience in stressful environments, she shared practical strategies to prevent and address burnout. Here are the key takeaways:
 
Definition and Impact of Burnout:

• Burnout is characterized by emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion due to prolonged stress.
• Unlike stress, which can sometimes be motivating, burnout leads to decreased productivity and serious health issues such as depression and heart disease.

 
Practical Tools and Techniques:

• Circle of Concern/Control: Focus efforts on things within your control to reduce stress.
• Pomodoro Technique: Enhances productivity by working in focused intervals with breaks.
• Aligning with Values: Living by your values reduces stress and enhances contentment.
• Setting your Boundaries: What you say “yes and no” to.

 
Stress-Relief Techniques:

• Self-Care: Take a self-care assessment and see how you maintain a healthy wellbeing
• Music: Can improve mood and reduce stress.
• Regular Breaks: Help manage stress levels throughout the day.
• Box Breathing: A technique to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety – even Chris Hemsworth does it!
• Tolerance: Healthy stress tolerance and stress management means paying attention to the pressure that is building and acknowledging your limitations before you reach your capacity.

 
Books to Read:

• Awareness by Anthony de Mello's
• Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

 
Creating a Supportive Work Environment:

• Open communication and collaboration among colleagues are key to fostering a supportive atmosphere.
• Leaders play a crucial role in recognizing burnout and promoting a culture of well-being.
• Here are some ways we can address the “the disappearance of the off-season:”

 
1. Flexible Scheduling

• Staggered Shifts: Implement staggered shifts to ensure that not everyone is working overtime at the same time. This helps distribute the workload more evenly.
• Compressed Workweeks: Allow employees to work longer hours on certain days in exchange for additional days off during the week.
• Seasonal Time Off: Offer compensatory time off during less busy seasons to make up for the intense periods.

 
2. Open Communication and Feedback

• Regular Check-Ins: Conduct regular check-ins with employees to understand their workload and stress levels.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Establish anonymous feedback mechanisms for employees to express concerns about work/life balance.

 
3. Time Management Tools

• Efficient Scheduling Software: Use scheduling software to optimize labor allocation and reduce unnecessary overtime.
• Task Management Systems: Implement task management systems to prioritize work effectively and ensure that critical tasks are completed without excessive overtime.

 
4. Cultural Changes

• Promote a Healthy Work Culture: Encourage a work culture that values work/life balance and recognizes the importance of downtime. Celebrate when a team member submits a vacation request, encourage regular doctor appointments, and support parents attending a school function.
• Health and Wellness Programs: Provide access to health and wellness programs, such as fitness classes, mental health support, and ergonomic assessments.
• Lead by Example: Ensure that management sets a good example by maintaining their own work/life balance and not encouraging a culture of overwork.

NVG's Advocacy on the Groundwater Sustainability Plan
The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a basin-wide plan that lays out a path for sustainable management of a groundwater basin over 20 years.

NVG has worked for several years as a voice for growers, aiming to ensure that the state-mandated GSP considers how water is used in vineyards and how these regulations will impact grape-growing operations.

NVG is also a committed community partner in meeting the county’s environmental goals related to ensuring the health of the subbasin. This advocacy includes representing members on the GSP Advisory Committee, providing regular public comment and presentations to the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), and regular correspondence with county staff to aid the County in understanding effective water mitigation strategies in Napa County vineyards. 
 
See below to view a recent article highlighting NVG's support of and feedback on the GSP's rollout, our comments on the GSP Workplans, and our most recent presentation to the TAG.

Sustainable Vineyard Practices: Irrigation
Last month, NVG hosted an irrigation-focused Sustainable Vineyard Practices Seminar, where we received an update on the GSP from Jamison Crosby, Napa County’s Natural Resources Conservation Manager.

As a result of NVG's continued advocacy on the GSP, Napa County has committed to developing incentive programs for growers who have already implemented effective water conservation strategies and are willing to share their data with the county. NVG will continue participating in these stakeholder discussions on behalf of members.

If you are interested in participating as a pilot site for well monitoring to help inform the model used to calculate the sustainable yield of the Napa Valley Subbasin, please reach out to Jamison Crosby at [email protected] if you would like to support this effort.

Please see below to watch a recording of this update and stay abreast of an important regulation for our industry.

Napa Valley Grapegrowers Water Conservation & GSP Resources
NVG has created a wealth of resources to support members throughout the planning and implementation of the GSP. Watch our Water Conservation Seminar with information about the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, view a video on Water Reclamation in the Napa Valley, and visit our GSP and Water & Irrigation webpages for additional resources.

These resources were partially funded by the USDA Extension Risk Management Education Grant. ​

The timing of rainfall affects when you begin to irrigate, as do vine water stress and needs. To support you in planning your responsible irrigation practices for the season, NVG provides you with the following resources:​

Water is a limited and valuable resource that must be managed well to secure the future of farming and to protect our natural ecosystems. Please click the button below to hear from Miguel García with the Napa County Resource Conservation District as he discusses various actions growers can take to manage their water more effectively.​