Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/619725
90 WINES&VINES January 2016 to get into wet vineyards to spray fungicides on a regular basis greatly increased disease pres- sures. Drier weather in the north- ern half of Iowa resulted in average yields of high-quality grapes. The southern half of Iowa greatly exceeded typical seasonal rainfall amounts. The majority of northern Iowa had below-normal rainfall amounts that resulted in lower dis- ease pressures and average yields. Iowa now has eight mechanical harvesters that dramatically de- creased the amount of harvest labor needed. This trend will in- crease. More vineyards and winer- ies are installing cold storage to hold grapes during harvest. Heavy disease pressure affected southern Iowa, while northern Iowa had below-normal disease pres- sure. Drier conditions in northern Iowa—along with higher levels of soybean aphids—resulted in higher populations of multicolored Asian lady beetles. Spotted wing dro- sophila was common all over the state at harvest time. Excessively long wet periods continue to dra- matically increase disease pressure. Wine grape prices have moved from $900-$1,200 per ton to $1,200-$1,600 per ton during the past five years. Demand remains steady with yields trending lower. Retail market share of Iowa-made wines has been steady at around 5.8% during the past five years. It is always very difficult to find enough labor for pruning and har- vest. Use of mechanical methods will increase. Grapes are dumped into the destemmer at Summerset Winery in Iowa. How would you describe the average yields of the 2015 harvest based on the grapes you grew, purchased or received? GRAPE YIELD Record crop Above average Average Little to no crop CENTRAL R edwood efrigeration R 707-766-8950 redwoodrefrig.com Industrial/Commercial Services Winery Systems • Cold Storage • Process Cooling RWRefrigB&WAd.R2.10506.qxd 3/26/07 6:54 PM Page 1 444 Laguna Vista Road Santa Rosa, CA 95401 e-mail: vickitec@aol.com www.transitionequipment.com Tel: (707) 537-7787 Fax: (707) 537-7174 Cell: (707) 484-8776