If this year is defined by a singular emotion, it’s anxiety. That’s nothing new in farming, however I’m talking about anxiety over the abysmal grape market rather than any natural phenomenon. Many of us were so busy scrambling for buyers, we may have forgotten to notice just how great the weather has been. Why wouldn’t we get handed a great year when most of us can’t sell any grapes? Let’s look at some numbers My gut feeling was that 2025 was similar to 2023 with a few big differences. 2023 saw some record high rainfall in the winter and early spring throughout California. Even the Paso Robles area got around 21” of rain from July 1st 2022 to July 1st 2023, up from a whopping 6.5” the year prior. That amounted to lots of nice canopy development early in the year and some good yield potential, provided you didn’t get shatter during the chilly springtime. This year however, the Central Coast was back to a measly <7” of rain w

With the conclusion of harvest, it’s easy to shift focus from irrigation. The crops are in, and the season’s busiest time is nearly wrapped. However, the irrigation practices in the immediate post-harvest weeks are crucial for next year’s growth, yield, and quality. Market conditions often tighten budgets, labor availability decreases, and water allocations may already be stretched thin from the season. At the same time, crops are still active beneath the soil line, requiring care to build root strength and store nutrients for the year ahead. Balancing limited resources with the ongoing needs of the crop can feel like a gamble, especially when every decision impacts next year’s performance. How HotSpot AG Helps in Practice Reliable irrigation automation makes all the difference. HotSpot AG’s systems were designed with the understanding that every farm has unique characteristics, such as older pumps, intricate irrigation layouts, and specific site challe

“Lumo has been the linchpin in the re-engineering of our approach to water management.”  Michael and Kara Busselen, the Owners of Woodhawk Vineyards, farm 21 acres of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon for Silver Oak, situated 1,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the Alexander Valley and Russian River at the northern end of Sonoma County. They're also starting to make some of their own high-end Cabernet. Michael and Kara in the vineyard. Over the past couple years, they’ve evolved their irrigation strategy in collaboration with Fruition Sciences and Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, supported by data from a sap flow monitor they have installed in one of their blocks.  The big shift in practice has been getting away from running relatively frequent, short-duration sets and moving toward running longer-duration irrigations less often. “Far fewer but far more strategic,” with the aim of improving the root architecture

Knowledge Is Power.  Small business owners spend their days concentrating on their particular specialty, but there’s one thing they have in common: they all have to contend with a host of similar workforce issues. Below, we've provided the top three business resources you should use to tackle common challenges like business planning, securing funding, and navigating day-to-day operations with greater confidence and clarity. Whether you're just getting started or looking to take your business to the next level, these tools can help you build a strong foundation and make informed decisions every step of the way. _________________________________________________________________ The Small Business Administration (SBA) The SBA offers a plethora of advice about planning, launching, managing, and growing a small business. They offer a useful guide to writing your business plan. The SBA’s Create Your Business Plan section of its website is an excellent place to s

HotSpot AG founder James Nichols lived the daily challenges of farming when he returned home to Hanford after his UC Davis graduation. His family tasked him with implementing a water budget for irrigating their 4,600 acres of almonds and pistachios. After researching and testing automated irrigation systems that didn’t meet his needs, Nichols designed his own and then spent five years perfecting it in the family orchards.  At that point, the family encouraged him to focus on sharing his invention with others, convinced it would help many people. And so, in 2018, HotSpot AG was born.  The HotSpot AG solution streamlines a grower’s workflow by making it easier to manage, track and schedule sensor data and automate irrigation pumps and valves from anywhere. HotSpot can also monitor groundwater levels and automate fertigation and chemigation. Another timely solution for North Coast growers as the frost season approaches is HotSpot’s ability to automate wind mach

Growers Enjoy Near Perfect Growing Season SANTA ROSA, Calif. (October 31, 2024) – The 2024 winegrape harvest has just completed in Sonoma County and both growers and vineyard employees are raving about what may be one the best vintages in the past 50 years. According to Karissa Kruse, president and CEO of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, “the best word to describe the 2024 Sonoma County harvest is smooth!” Added Kruse, “The tonnage varied by grape variety and AVA, but the quality was outstanding across the region. As the vineyards turn dormant, most farmers are hosting celebratory lunches and parties for their vineyard employees and crews and relaxing a bit before pruning season and another cycle begins.” The start in early to mid-August for most grape growers was considered a return to normal, after a late start in 2023. The season was blessed with beautiful weather and little to no pressure to pick until the fruit was showing its best flavors and acid

We are wrapping up a particularly hot July. The last time I had to write about heat stress was 2022, so this year seems to be making up for 2023’s persistent coolness. We all remember 2022. We had a couple hot days in late June that did quite a bit of damage in some vineyards. Then in late August, the sun parked itself right on top of California for three weeks, frying everyone’s hope of a decent harvest. This year, the heat has come earlier and hasn’t quit. One measure Mark Greenspan and I like to look at is amount of time temperatures exceed 100°F and 105°F thresholds. Anything over 100 usually slows down vine growth and metabolism. Anything over 105 causes serious damage. Here’s a comparison of 2022 and 2024 so far in the Russian River Valley. And here’s Calistoga… At least in Calistoga, 2024 is just a shifted version of 2022. Now, these are ambient air temperatures. Fruit exposed to full sun can be as much as 15°C (27°F) over

Pulling the lower-the-price lever to gain market share in a highly competitive category such as adult beverages is tempting. But it is not a good idea for all of the following reasons: Erodes profit margins Provides short-term gains at the expense of long-term strategy Reduces ability to invest in innovation Lowers perceived value deterioration Dilutes brand image Puts you in an unsustainable price war Hinders your ability to raise prices later Puts too much pressure on the need to increase the volume So, what should you do instead? We’re so glad you asked! Keep reading. 1) Protect and strengthen your brand equity Brand equity is a brand's value and strength built over time. Preserving brand equity should be your top priority. Every spending decision must be weighed against the potential threat to brand equity.  Another way of thinking about brand equity is “pricing power on the shelf.”  Here are twelve practical ways to strengthen your brand equity: En

Yesterday marked the official end of the growing season and what a season it was, amiright?? 2023 has proven to be polarizing. For some growers and winemakers, this was a remarkable year for quality, and others are just thankful to have crop insurance. Let’s take a look at why this is. I wrote about how 2023 was shaping up back in July when I looked at how Growing Degree Days (GDD) were stacking up compared to other years. GDDs are typically calculated by taking the average of the daily minimum and maximum temperature and subtracting a base number, in this case 10°C (50°F). Back in July, most places sampled were around 300 GDDs behind previous years. After rerunning the temperature data this week, it looks like the season never caught up. Here's a look at Growing Degree Days in Alexander Valley  The difference in some locations was extreme. At this vineyard in Eastern Paso Robles, this year was between 300 and 800 GDDs behind!  Early season woes Back in July

This year has been a little weird. We got a lot of rain and up until recently it’s been markedly cold. How different is it though? One thing I like to keep in mind is that the last few years have been hot and early. Perhaps this is just a normal year and we’ve forgotten what normal looks like. Although there’s been some argument about its importance, the Winkler Growing Degree Day formula allows us to compare different seasons using the same metric. Growing Degree Days (GDD) are calculated by subtracting the grapevines’ threshold temperature (50°F) from the daily mean temperature. The chart below compares growing degree days from 2014 to July 25, 2023 (today) in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County (Data from Western Weather Group). That’s pretty different. The average GDDs at this point in the season for the last nine years is about 1650. Currently we are at 1368. What about in other parts of the state? Here’s a comparison of the last few years in P