Safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving
July smoky wine prediction coming true
Last July, when the summer's most ferocious wildfires near wine country were still smoldering, Wine Spectator magazine suggested the 2008 vintage could be tainted by the smoke.
An article in today's Santa Rosa Press-Democrat seems to confirm that the magazine's early prediction is coming to fruition, at least in Mendocino County.
“Winemakers are saying that they think stuff is smelling funny to them, and they want to know what’s going on,” the Press-Democrat article quoted Glenn McGourty, viticulture advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in Mendocino County.
The article said McGourty held a workshop to teach winemakers options for preventing, for example, an unpleasant smoky quality from masking the subtle oak, buttery, vanilla flavor of their best chardonnay.
Michelle Bowen, director of laboratory operations at Vinquiry, said grapes are coming in with an aroma that is "kind of smoked salmony and fishy.”
"The good news is that there seems to be the technology to fix things if something is wrong,” McGourty is quoted in the story. Reporter Kevin McCallum wrote that McGourty was referring to filtration companies that specialize in removing the malodorous compounds.
“Winemakers are wizards at taking problems and turning them into drinkable products," McGourty concluded.
A cluster of merlot winegrapes.
Bee's new garden writer uses UCCE sources
Not only did the Fresno Bee lose veteran ag reporter Dennis Pollock to its recent buyout cuts, the paper's garden reporter, Mzong Xiong, decided to take the buyout and continue her maternity leave indefinitely.
But it hasn't taken long for her replacement to find UC Cooperative Extension. Margaret Slaby, who together with columnist Mary Lu Aguirre are now covering the garden beat, wrote a charming piece about heriloom corn this week that included quotes from two Tulare County UCCE advisors.
The story centers on Gary Jones of Tollhouse, who is growing corn with kernals ranging from red, purple and pink to blue, black and teal, the article said. Small farm advisor Manuel Jimenez noted in the article the reasons why such varieties are less popular with commerical growers.
Modern field corn (for animal feed, corn meal and flour) and sweet corn are more disease-resistant, store better, and the ears tend to be more uniform in size than heirloom corn, Slaby paraphrased Jimenez.
Slaby also gave Carol Frate's self-evident assessment about the term "heirloom corn." Varieties are considerd "heirloom," according to Frate, when they've been around a long time. There are thousands of varieties of corn in all colors. Some varieties -- but not all -- are heirloom.
Frate and Jimenez were also credited in the story for providing information on planting and growing corn.
Incidentally, in a conversation I had today with the Fresno Bee business editor, Mike Nemeth, I learned that agriculture will be covered, for the most part, by Bob Rodriguez. A few years ago, Bob was dedicated to the ag beat, but then was reassigned to cover mainly energy and workplace issues. Nemeth said his business staff consists of four reporters, down from seven when he took on his post three years ago.
Bakersfield Californian chimes in about citrus psyllid
The Bakersfield Californian today ran a story raising concerns about the recent introduction into California of the Asian citrus psyllid, a pest which can transmit the devastating citrus greening disease. In Kern County, citrus was the agricultural commodity with the third highest value in 2007, more than $450 million, according to the county's crop report. Citrus ranked fifth in 2006.
"This could cause catastrophic losses,” the paper quoted Craig Kallsen, UC Cooperative Extension citrus farm advisor for Kern County. “The insect isn’t in Kern County yet, but it travels easily and it’s probably just a matter of time.”
The article says that commercial growers are asking homeowners with citrus trees to educate themselves about the insect and keep an eye out for signs of both the pest and the disease it often carries.
Flyers and identification cards about Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening disease in English, Spanish and Chinese are available for free download from the Citrus Clonal Protection Program at UC Riverside.
Asian citrus psyllid
Merced newspaper tells gov to name scientist to air board
Almost a year after a bill passed that required the governor to add a medical doctor and a scientist to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's governing board, only the MD has been appointed. Until passage of the law, the governing board was made up of purely valley politicians.
The Merced Sun-Star ran an editorial last week enjoining Gov. Schwarzenegger to name a scientist. One of the two who have submitted their names for consideration is David Grantz, the director of the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center academic staff. Grantz is an air quality effects specialist and plant physiologist. He is an expert on global warming and the direct effects of atmospheric contaminants, such as ozone and particulate matter, on crops and native vegetation.
Grantz maintains a Web site with information about his research, activities for kids and teachers, and links to sites with current air pollution levels.
The other scientist who put his name in the hat is Henry Jay Forman, professor in the School of Natural Science at UC Merced.
The Sun-Star's editorial says, "there's no reason at all for waiting any longer to fill the air board seat reserved for a scientist. There are two good choices from the Valley. The governor should pick one."
David Grantz
Bee well
UC apiculturist Eric Mussen graciously spoke to Madera Tribune reporter Ramona Frances recently when she sought information about the medicinal properties of honey.
Mussen is known for his expertise on honey bee colony management, pollination, mite control and insecticide damage. Having already logged 30-plus years of honey bee research, Mussen is well-versed on findings that the pollinators produce more than a delicious, amber sweetener.
"Honey is extremely good for burns and wound healing as a whole," Mussen is quoted. "But you are not going to get many medical professionals to say this. If something goes wrong, they would rather avoid a suit."
Mussen also spoke about propolis, a resin bees extract from plants to fill cracks in their hives to stop drafts. In the lab, it has proven anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
"Most people who have ulcers have a bacterium problem," he told Frances. "We didn't know that for a long time; we know that now. We have seen it (honey and propolis) knock out organisms in a petri dish, but what happens in your stomach - we don't know."
Eric Mussen