Ontario growers gain local access to affordable, retrofit irrigation automation backed by more than 70 years of irrigation expertise. Verdi, the leading global provider of easy and affordable irrigation automation, today announced a new partnership with Vanden Bussche Irrigation, Ontario’s leading provider of irrigation solutions. Verdi currently supports more than 20,000 acres across North America, works with some of the world’s largest food producers, and helped farms save over 1 billion liters of water last year. Through this partnership, Ontario growers will now have local access to Verdi’s automation platform, delivered with design, installation, and ongoing support from the Vanden Bussche team. For growers managing labor constraints, rising water costs, and increasing pressure to protect yield and quality, the partnership brings together Verdi’s retrofit automation platform and Vanden Bussche’s long-standing irrigation expertise. Expanding Access

The wine industry is steeped in tradition, but let’s be real—it’s time to shake things up. Younger demographics aren’t buying into the same old wine marketing tricks or outdated experiences. Want to grab their attention (and their dollars)? Then it’s time to think bold, fun, and modern. You Don’t Have to Do It All—Start Small and Stay True to Your Brand Attracting younger wine lovers doesn’t mean you need to overhaul everything or abandon your roots. Instead, consider making a few strategic shifts that align with your brand. Maybe your website keeps the traditional tasting notes, but you have fun with social media. Maybe your weekends are reserved for 21+ reservation-only tastings, but your weekdays are more relaxed and family-friendly. The key is finding what works for you and your audience. Now, let’s dive into some ideas. 1. Flex Your Wine Club Options Your wine club isn’t working for everyone. Sure, your loyal members lov

Did you know that soil steaming increases yields, saves money and is organic? Soil steaming is catching on across the ag business landscape. From commercial greenhouses and nurseries to vineyards and orchards, there are a surprising number of research-supported benefits to switching from chemicals and herbicides to steam. Some fascinating facts… Who can get steamed? Soil steaming will benefit many ag-businesses. To name a few: vineyards, tree farms, greenhouses, nurseries, vegetable growers, cannabis growers, hemp growers, ornamental growers, orchards & more. Soil steaming is far less hazardous, frees up labor for more productive activities, gets you planting faster, and can help improve your overall yield. Plus new technologies enable precise zone control so you always steam at the right temperatures. Soil steaming benefits. Weeds & diseases can become resistant to chemicals over time, but steam will always remain effective. Supports Organic growing A commercial s

Concrete may not be the first material that comes to mind for vineyard managers who are setting up or reinforcing their trellis systems this year. Jensen Precast, the largest independently-owned precast company in the United States, is giving viticulturists serious reasons to think again. Jensen Precast, known since 1968 for its expertise in the manufacturing of concrete building materials such as sewer pipes, parking barriers, and bridge beams for infrastructure development, has introduced the Harvest Pillar, a new concept in trellising for vineyards, orchards, hop yards, and nut farms. The advantages of Harvest Pillar concrete posts over traditional wood or steel trellis systems are compelling. "Harvest Pillar concrete posts will help growers save on costly repairs and replacement of wood and steel posts," explains George Kehagias, Technical Sales Manager for Jensen Precast. "Concrete has long been used in Europe and Australia for trellising. We are now intr

Afternoon Brief, August 8th

NASA Helps Spot Wine Grape Disease from Skies Above California: In a case study, scientists detected the costly infection in cabernet sauvignon grapevines before they showed symptoms visible to the human eye...

While associated with fun and frivolity, sparkling wine is a complex wine of many moving parts that requires serious skill to make. We catch up with some of the leading lights in the fizz industry, from Champagne, Spain and England, to find out the secrets of their craft and the challenges surrounding creating a consistent sparkling wine style in an ever-changing climate. Synonymous with celebration, sparkling wines are easy to enjoy but challenging to create. Crafting quality fizz requires a skilled hand, well-trained nose, razor-sharp intuition and nerves of steel come harvest time, when deciding on the perfect moment to pick feels like a game of Russian roulette. Cellar masters are the wizards of the wine world, able to create a consistent style of wine each year from hundreds of elements amid increasingly erratic weather conditions. They have to be time travellers too, projecting themselves into the future when tasting aggressively acidic base wines, working out how they will harmo

Napa Changes Its Rules to Allow Microwineries

Family farms have just been given the chance to survive and prosper in Napa County. By Barbara Barrielle On, April 5, 2022 the Napa County Board of Supervisors adopted a […]

Save The Family Farms is a Napa Valley 501(3) non-profit created and run by a group of owner-occupied grape growers and so-called “micro-producers,” many of whom produce less than 1,000 cases each year...