Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62409
GRAPE GRO WING Center, presented information support- ing temperature increase trends, with graphs of historical weather data for average monthly temperature maxi- mums and minimums from 1909-2008 at Davis. There were not major changes in average maximum temperatures during this time period, but there was a steady increase in average minimum temperatures for both summer and winter months. In his presentation, Dave Puglia of the Western Growers Association said, "As much as we are interested in help- ing farmers adapt to climate change, we have to beware of loading up on the costs to do so." However, Puglia said, "Many more people and farmers need to be engaged in this discussion." Peer groups—ag trade associations and farm bureaus—may provide more acceptable sources for education and information than government officials and the aca- demic community. Board member Daniel Dooley, UC Divi- sion of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also suggested, "We may want to differen- tiate between weather events and climate change in how we talk about the need to move forward." He said, "We should tell people that many of the programs and practices we are talking about are in their own best interest—even if climate change does not occur—because they will enhance productivity and sustainability." "The past 100 years have been deficit spending with ground water, and ground water overdraft is a big problem." —Kamyar Guivetchi, California Integrated Water Management Adaptation vs. regulation Dr. Louise Jackson, a climate change researcher and cooperative extension specialist at UC Davis, cited a survey of Yolo County farmers who were asked to list and prioritize concerns about their farming operations. Added regulations and higher energy costs were the highest concerns, followed by uncertain market and price con- ditions for farm products. Jackson said, "Farmers don't seem to be as concerned about extreme weather events—perhaps because they have to deal with them regularly." State ag board member Ben Drake, BUILDING ON FOUR DECADES OF INNOVATIVE PACKAGING AND LABEL SOLUTIONS. • Superior value and customer service • Uniquely equipped premium digital presses • Novel applications for variable data • Advanced inline embossing and foil stamping • Innovative material selection, including a variety of metals and flexible plastics • Premium quality digital offset printing, enabling complex prints • Low tooling costs • Competitive short run pricing a winegrape and avocado grower with Drake Enterprises in Temecula, said, "Ev- ery farmer today feels they're over-regu- lated. One new program that scares me is cap and trade (for GHG emissions.)" Drake noted that costs are already increasing for energy, water and farm in- puts. California's higher regulatory costs make it harder for him to compete with growers outside of the state. Jackson commented, "Regulations must be there to help keep ag in business. If it's not sustainable to preserve ag land and operations, then perhaps we need to rethink the regulation." She suggested that current state policy may be placing too much emphasis on GHG emission reduc- tion and not enough focus on long-term adaptation to climate change. Sumner also discussed economics and climate change. California's agricultural output has doubled since 1960, but the overall number of acres used for pro- duction has remained about the same. Sumner observed, "Part of the DNA of agriculture is that there are lots of differ- ent things to worry about, and farmers are used to adapting to a lot of things." Sumner advised investing in ag research and development focused on adaptation and flexibility. Improved forecasting tools and information with longer time hori- zons for recurring climate events like El Niño and La Niña would enable farmers to adjust crop production and diversify products and operations for changing conditions and markets. Research needed All parties agreed on the need for more research, grower education and extension programs as well as increased climate monitoring tools and information access. Priority research areas are drought preparedness, crop cultivar breeding to adapt to temperature and water stress, integrated pest management, renewable resources and inputs, and diversification strategies to adapt to climate change. Cultivar and seed breeding are ongoing programs for both public and private sector research. As an example, part of Dr. Andy Walker's grape breeding and research at UC Davis involves identifying and breeding rootstocks for drought and salinity tolerance. QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1913 102 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012 QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #122g