Wine Grape Grower Sued Over Smoke Taint
Posted by David Eddy|May 25, 2021
A Lake County, CA, winery is suing a grape-growing company, claiming that grapes harvested during the wildfires last fall ruined nearly two dozen oak tanks and barrels.
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The
North Bay Business Journalreported this week that Langtry Farms LLC sued Hugh Reimers and one of Reimers’ companies, Torick Farms LLC, in Lake County Superior Court on May 3. The vintner alleges that Torick delivered grapes that were supposed to be free of “smoke taint” and those grapes supposedly damaged a number of tanks.
At a court hearing on the suit on May 20, the judge noted he has seen evidence provided by Reimers’ side that a manager at Langtry Farms accepted the deliveries and did not raise any question about the quality of grapes. The winery filed receipts from grape deliveries and third-party laboratory test results showing high levels of taint-associated compounds in samples supposedly from tanks ass
Washington Growers Slam ‘Double Standard’ for Farm Workers
Posted by David Eddy|May 24, 2021
Washington state’s leading agricultural groups say Gov. Jay Inslee has a double standard for farmers and their vaccinated workers following his recent announcement that fully vaccinated employees do not have to wear a mask or socially distance at work.
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Contributing to the confusion, Gov. Inslee ignored a legal deadline which required him to inform the agricultural groups whether he would let stand a COVID-19 regulation that contradicts his new state reopening guidance for businesses. Just last month, agriculture groups succeeded in court in preventing the state from enforcing unreasonable COVID-19 regulations on farming.
Cold Snap Concerns Northeast Fruit Growers
Posted by David Eddy|April 21, 2021
Cornell University Viticulture Extension Specialist Hans Walter-Peterson had a message for Northeast wine grape growers who awoke to a snowfall Wednesday morning: Keep a close eye on temperatures, as vines can be vulnerable to a freeze following several days of warm weather.
Here’s the message Walter-Peterson, who is with the Finger Lakes Grape Program in Penn Yan, NY, issued Wednesday.
Hans Walter-Peterson
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“I’m guessing many of you who are in the Finger Lakes are looking outside this morning (Wednesday, April 21) and watching the snow falling. Probably more concerning, though, are the temperatures that are being forecast for tonight in many parts of the region. Several forecasts that I’ve been looking at today are calling for temperatures to fall below freezing tonight.
One Dead, Two Injured in California Vineyard Shooting
Posted by David Eddy|April 19, 2021
Two men are wanted in a shooting in a vineyard near Fresno, CA, that left one man dead and two seriously injured.
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The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office received a report of shots fired in a vineyard at about 7:30 a.m. Friday. Deputies responded to the field located near S. Butte and W. Chandler Ave., northwest of Huron. They found one man shot to death. Two other men who suffered multiple gunshot wounds were airlifted to the hospital. One is listed in critical condition, the other is in serious condition. The two suspects fled the area in a car.