Science Can Save Us; USDA R&D Priorities; Predicting Freeze Risk

January 2026

Snowy vines on the Texas High Plains.*

SCIENCE CAN SAVE US.

The last week of January typically means the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, as it did this year. Walking through the massive Exhibit Hall, it’s easy to see the results of research and development in the mammoth equipment and sophisticated services on display. But that’s probably not the lens most folks are looking through.

What’s in This Issue?

Scroll down to find these stories and more

The USDA announced new priorities for the research it funds
The NVEELC Conference in April will help V&E extension agents “meet stakeholders where they are”
A new tool helps grape growers assess freeze risk and prep for cold snaps

We tend to take for granted the tools and knowledge that improve our vineyards, grapes, juice and wine. If you’re reading this from your desk or dashboard, look out at your vineyard. Notice the row spacing and orientation, cover crops and soil amendments, improved varieties, trellising, irrigation, harvesters, sprayers, sorters and more. These things didn’t fall from the sky! Most were invented by government researchers and university scientists, whose work to develop, test and trial their ideas was most likely funded, at least in part, by federal dollars. But over the last year, the research enterprise has been shaken by funding freezes and firings at the federal level. A number of recent articles—two highlighted here—underscore the power of research that public money delivers for our greater good.

In December, in an opinion piece about the U.S. military, The New York Times Editorial Board points out that American innovation was once viewed as part of the country’s innate strength. “Cold War strategists knew that deterring the Soviet Union required preserving America’s scientific and technological edge, which in turn called for national investments in research and development and partnerships with American universities.” The Board cites the example of “the first modern computer, ENIAC, (which) was developed for the Army at the University of Pennsylvania.” It’s important to acknowledge the part science played in America’s competitiveness and prominence on the world stage. And considering how deeply embedded modeling, AI, decision support systems and other types of computing are in farming today, it’s useful to note agriculture’s reliance on computer science.

Also in December, a group of scientists writing in Science Societies’ CSA News endeavored to imagine a world without agricultural research, specifically. “Scientific research is critical for developing new solutions to protect crops from escalating threats posed by pests, diseases and climate extremes. Without continuous scientific intervention and the development of new solutions, the challenges faced by farming communities will only intensify,” they write. This is a war of a different kind, playing out among the vine rows as we speak!

“Higher temperatures, increased CO₂levels and fluctuating weather patterns accelerate the rate at which exotic pests enter and establish in (new) regions, (and) increase the rate of evolution of existing pest populations,” they add. “The unpredictable nature of the interactions among weather, cropping systems, and pests means that reliance solely on existing management strategies, such as the overwhelming use of pesticides, risks complete failure. Thus, without new, proactive scientific strategies, including the development of resilient cropping systems, breeding for resistance and advanced international monitoring, crops face substantially increased risks of yield loss, potentially rising from losses already accounting for more than 40% worldwide.”

Of course, research is expensive. But the cost of not doing research—whether financially or competitively—is too great to fathom. For an industry in distress, that’s a vital point to remember.

The incredible display of R&D at Unified is a kind of triumph over our collective grape and wine industry issues. It’s something to celebrate…and protect. Guarding against threats imminent and untold is just a matter of science. The future of grape research is in our hands. Join us and change the world.

Donnell Brown
President

*ABOUT THE IMAGE

Over the weekend of Jan. 24-25, 2026, much of the U.S. was walloped by a historic winter storm. Texas shouldered the first blast, receiving snow, ice and frigid temperatures, as shown here in a High Plains vineyard. This image is used courtesy of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

NVEELC Conference: Meeting Stakeholders Where They Are

The National Viticulture and Enology Extension Leadership Community (NVEELC) Conference is back after a four-year hiatus! Planned by the NVEELC Organizing Committee, supported by NGRA and hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, NVEELC 2026 will be held in San Antonio, TX, April 20-22, 2026. With the theme, “Meeting Stakeholders Where They Are,” here’s how the program will help V&E extension and outreach specialists sit tall in the saddle:

Circle the wagons and ride (the bus) from San Antonio to Fredericksburg on a full-day industry tour where we’ll visit three to four pioneering vineyards and wineries that are winning new consumers with creative winemaking, packaging and programs that break the traditional mold.
Learn to two-step your way to maintaining relevance and delivering impact for industry stakeholders in these challenging times. This special professional development session will include discussions around new communication tools to consider incorporating into your own extension or outreach program.
Whoa there, pardner! Get ready to share in a unique environment of networking with colleagues from across the country, sharing best practices and opportunities for collaboration with a side of southern hospitality. Whether you’re a greenhorn or an ol’ cowpoke, we can all work together to meet our stakeholders where they are.

Complete details and event registration are coming soon. In the meantime, hang your hat on these dates!

USDA Announces New Priorities for Research

On Dec. 30, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a memorandum establishing new priorities for any research and development USDA funds . Effective immediately, research activities must address one or more of these five priorities:

Increasing Profitability of Farmers and Ranchers: This includes research on reducing inputs or increasing mechanization and automation.
Expanding Markets and Creating New Uses of U.S. Agricultural Products: Examples include science that resolves longstanding sanitary and phytosanitary trade barriers or creates novel biobased products and bioenergy.
Protecting the Integrity of American Agriculture from Invasive Species: New and effective methods for preventing, detecting, controlling, and eradicating invasive pests and diseases that threaten American agriculture are a top priority Spotted Lanternfly is cited as an example.
Promoting Soil Health to Regenerate Long-Term Productivity of Land: This includes R&D to improve soil health, increase water-use efficiency and reduce inputs.
Improving Human Health through Precision Nutrition and Food Quality: Rigorous research on precision nutrition is needed as well as R&D on increasing the nutritional content and quality of foods.

Implementation and compliance will be guided by Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Scott Hutchins.

USDA Standardizes Grant and Cooperative Agreement Requirements

On Dec. 31, 2025, Ag Secretary Rollins signed a directive notifying all USDA agencies and staff offices to immediately adopt and implement the first-ever set of General Terms and Conditions for all future awards. The order applies to USDA’s expansive grant and cooperative agreement portfolio, spanning 21 agencies and staff offices, and applying to awards to farmers, ranchers, foresters, families, rural communities, small businesses, universities and various other entities. Currently, there are 50,979 active awards across the USDA enterprise.

Until now, every agency and staff office implementing these programs utilized their own terms and conditions when entering into arrangements with recipients and cooperators, resulting in more than 2,200 pages of terms and conditions across more than 100 different documents. This patchwork approach to award management at USDA created undue paperwork burdens and barriers for recipients and made it difficult to swiftly implement new policies and priorities across all programs. The new set of terms and conditions requires 50 pages or fewer.

New U.S. Dietary Guidelines Are Released

On Jan. 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and USDA jointly issued the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. They advise that: “Americans limit alcoholic beverages and consume less alcohol for better overall health. People who should completely avoid alcohol include pregnant women, people who are recovering from alcohol use disorder or are unable to control the amount they drink, and people taking medications or with medical conditions that can interact with alcohol. For those with a family history of alcoholism, be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviors.” A broad coalition of the nation’s agriculture, beverage and hospitality industries responded to the news, saying “the Dietary Guidelines’ longstanding, overarching advice is that if alcohol is consumed, it should be done in moderation. These updated guidelines, underpinned by the preponderance of scientific evidence, reaffirm this important guidance.”

UPDATED! Our Inventory of Funded Grape Research

Check out our inventory of grape research funded via grant programs. This living document provides a comprehensive snapshot into the ways scientists in America are working to advance the grape and wine industry through science. Our spreadsheet reflects all the grape research that’s been funded at regional, state and federal levels, totaling 135 projects at the end of 2025 with updates coming as grant awards start flowing in 2026. This inventory is a work in progress, so if you have a tip about funding sources and/or grant awards that aren’t reflected in the spreadsheet, let us know!

Where Could Cornell’s $30M Ag Research Investment Go?

As part of Cornell University’s $60 million settlement with the Trump administration last fall, the university agreed to invest $30 million in agricultural research over the next three years. It isn’t yet clear what research it will apply to.

As the Cornell Daily Sun reports, the settlement was reached last November after months of negotiations with the Trump administration to restore $250 million in federal research grants and contracts it had frozen. Half of the settlement ($30 million) goes to the federal government over the next three years to drop its civil rights complaints and investigations against the university and reinstate the halted funding. The other half is to be directed to agricultural “research programs that will directly benefit U.S. farmers through lower costs of production and enhanced efficiency, including but not limited to programs that incorporate AI and robotics, such as digital agriculture and future farming technologies.” Cornell established a program within the Office of the Vice Provost for Research to administer the disbursement of this funding.

California Legislation Introduced to Strengthen ‘American’ Wine Designation

Earlier this month, two California Assemblymembers introduced legislation requiring that wine labeled as “American” be made from 100% American-grown winegrapes. Current federal standards allow up to 25% of wine labeled “American” to be sourced from imported bulk wine produced outside the U.S. The bill, AB 1585, is co-sponsored by the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), an NGRA member-organization, and Family Winemakers of California. It “builds on California’s longstanding approach to truth in labeling by ensuring that country-of-origin claims accurately reflect where winegrapes are actually grown,” they explain in their press release , and it aligns the “American” designation with existing requirements that wines labeled as “California” be made from 100% California-grown grapes. The bill applies only to wine bottled on or after July 1, 2027.

ASEV Renames Award to Honor Anita Oberholster

The American Society for Enology & Viticulture has renamed its ASEV Extension Distinction Award as The Anita Oberholster Award for Extension Excellence in honor of Dr. Anita Oberholster. She served as professor of cooperative extension in enology at UC Davis for 14 years until her passing on Jan. 11, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. “Renaming this award in Anita’s honor reflects the immense contributions she made to extension work and the profound impact she had on our industry,” said James Osborne, Oregon State University professor and ASEV board president. In 2021, Anita received the very award now renamed in her honor.

Ted Rieger Retires

Wine industry reporter Ted Rieger has retired after 41 years of covering grape and wine industry news and writing nearly 1,000 wine-industry-related articles. If you have ever attended industry or academic conferences, or read trade magazines such as Wine Business Monthly, Vineyard & Winery Management and Wines & Vines, or association publications like the California Association of Winegrape Growers’ “The Crush,” you have undoubtedly encountered Ted or his work. David Block, former Chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis says, “Ted played a significant role in assuring that the wine industry had ready access to information it needed to meet technical challenges and improve operations.” Indeed, the entire industry benefited from his writing.

Serve as Extension Enologist at UC Davis

The Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis is seeking applications for a Professor of Cooperative Extension to join the faculty at the Assistant rank in the field of Enology. The successful candidate will conduct original applied research in detecting, preventing or remediating winemaking problems; improving the sustainability of production practices; understanding and controlling the composition and sensory properties of musts and wines in relation to viticultural variables or winery practices; and more. They also will develop an extension education and outreach program that ensures research outcomes reach stakeholders. The position is based on the UC Davis campus. Application reviews started today, and the next review date is Feb. 15. Learn more and apply.

Work at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University seek outstanding applicants for a non-tenure track Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist position in horticultural sciences with an emphasis on grapes, tree fruits and small fruit. This is a 12-month faculty appointment (75% Extension and 25% Research appointment). The position will be based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Fruit Lab located in Fredericksburg, TX. The hiring team began reviewing applications earlier this month, but the position will remain open until filled. Learn more and apply.

Join the Great Lakes Cover Crop Project

The Great Lakes Cover Crop Project is a community science effort joining farmers across the Upper Midwest helping to build a regional database of cover crop performance, identifying what cover crops and management practices work best where. Partnering farmers collect cover crop photos and height measurements from their fields in the spring, and in return receive a personalized report with cover crop biomass and nutrient estimates, along with $50 per field for up to three fields. Any farmer growing overwintering cover crops this season in MI, OH, IN, IL, WI or MN is eligible. Sign up here!

RESEARCH FOCUS

Introducing a Grower-Friendly Tool for Assessing Grapevine Cold Damage Risk

By Dr. Amaya Atucha, University of Wisconsin-Madison

As we descend deeper into the winter season, many growers are thinking about the risk of cold injury to grapevines. With increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, including warm spells followed by abrupt cold snaps, it often feels like we are always on alert for potential damage. During the dormant season, freeze injury to buds remains the number-one concern, as even the hardiest cultivars can be vulnerable when temperatures fall below their level of cold hardiness.

While injury to permanent vine structures is difficult to predict, and is based on several site-specific factors such as soil moisture, vine age, rootstock type and management decisions (crop load and disease pressure in the previous season, hilling up, etc.), prediction of cold damage to dormant grapevine buds has been well studied. Grapevine bud acclimation and deacclimation patterns vary across cultivars; these patterns are a function of differences in genetics. However, temperature patterns during the dormant period can greatly impact the potential cold damage experienced by grapevine buds. Since weather patterns can vary highly from one dormant season to the next, and temperatures are becoming increasingly dynamic during critical periods of grapevine deacclimation, it is difficult to know if grapevine bud damage has occurred or not. Sampling buds for assessment of cold damage is the best way to know if bud injury has occurred on a given site before the resumption (or lack thereof) of growth in the spring. However, predicting cold damage to buds can help growers understand their relative risk of bud injury and can serve as a guide for bud sampling to assess cold damage.

To address this need, a team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Amaya Atucha and Al Kovaleski) partnered with colleagues at Cornell University (Jason Londo and Dan Olmstead) to develop a practical, grower-facing prediction tool: the Grape Cold Hardiness Risk Assessment. Built on many years of research, this tool is freely available on the NEWA (Network for Environment and Weather Applications) platform and allows growers to monitor predicted cold hardiness of grapevines throughout the dormant season.

Understanding Cold Hardiness in Grapevine Buds

Cold hardiness is a vine’s ability to tolerate freezing temperatures, and it changes continually throughout the dormant season. Buds gain hardiness in the fall as temperatures cool and day length shortens, reaching their peak tolerance in midwinter, then gradually losing hardiness during late-winter warm spells. Because this process is dynamic, buds can be damaged at several points in the season whenever temperatures fall below what the buds can tolerate at that time.

A vine’s hardiness level is strongly linked to the temperatures it has experienced. Researchers use techniques such as differential thermal analysis to determine the LT50, the temperature at which half of the buds would be expected to die. LT50 serves as a practical threshold for injury risk and changes throughout the winter as buds acclimate and deacclimate.

Because cold hardiness is driven by temperature, weather data can be used to model and predict LT50 for many grape cultivars, including both hybrids and vinifera. These predictions help growers judge whether a cold event might cause injury, evaluate potential bud damage after a freeze, and make informed pruning and management decisions. Access to real-time hardiness estimates provides a clearer picture of winter injury risk and supports better vineyard decision-making.

How the Grape Cold Hardiness Risk Assessment Tool Works

The tool uses real-time or gridded weather data to estimate bud cold hardiness and identify periods when cold injury is likely for a broad range of states and more than 50 grape cultivars.

Step 1: Choose your location.
Step 2: Set model parameters (date and grape variety).
Step 3: View the results: The results panel generates a graph of predicted cold hardiness alongside weather conditions.
Step 4: Review the cold damage risk forecast: The tool provides a color-coded freeze risk prediction for the date you selected, displayed as Low, Medium or High based on how predicted temperatures compare to the LT50.

These features allow growers to anticipate upcoming cold events, evaluate recent ones, and make informed management decisions during the dormant season. They also can be used when considering potential vineyard sites. By running the model for a proposed location and cultivar, such as assessing whether Cabernet Sauvignon would regularly fall below its hardiness threshold, growers can make more informed decisions about cultivar selection and site suitability before planting.

Development of the Grape Cold Hardiness Risk Assessment tool was supported by a USDA-NIFA AFRI Critical Agriculture Research and Extension grant.

Dr. Amaya Atucha is Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This article is excerpted from her excellent original, which includes graphs and deeper insights about cold hardiness, posted on the Penn State Extension website on Dec. 12, 2025. Read it here.

ASEV and ASEV-ES Invite Abstracts

The American Society for Enology and Viticulture and ASEV Eastern Section (ASEV-ES) are soliciting abstracts for presentation at their joint conference, June 15-18, 2026, in Boise, ID. Submissions may report original research or feature research updates across all areas of viticulture and enology. Projects that extend beyond grape and wine production, but have clear relevance or application to the field are also encouraged. Accepted abstracts will be featured as oral or poster presentations at the conference and posted on the ASEV website. Learn more and submit your abstract(s) by Feb. 10, 2026.

Funding Opportunities

AFRI: Strengthening Agricultural Systems

USDA-NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Strengthening Agricultural Systems program (A9201) aims to help transform U.S. food and agricultural systems to increase agricultural production while enhancing farmer prosperity. This year’s notice of funding opportunity calls out priorities for new uses and expanding markets for agriculture and solutions to plant pests and diseases. Letters of intent are due Feb. 26, 2026.

FFAR Fellows

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) is accepting applications for the 2026-2029 cohort of FFAR Fellows. The program is designed to provide career guidance to PhD students who represent the next generation of food and agriculture scientists. It prepares a career-ready STEM workforce by breaking down disciplinary silos and focusing on professional development and soft-skills. Two types of fellowship are offered:

Stipend + Professional Development: Applications due Feb. 22, 2026
Professional Development: Applications due April 15, 2026

Applying for a grant? Request a letter of support!

NGRA is pleased to provide letters of support for research projects that directly address our industry research priorities. Request a letter via our online request form at least two weeks prior to the grant deadline (or any internal deadline you may have). Late requests are not accepted. Requests are reviewed and approved by NGRA Research Committee leadership, so processing times may vary.

IN THE NEWS

Wineries Branch Out into Trees

Jan. 19, 2026 | Wine-Searcher

Some wineries are planting trees in vineyards, “in among the vines, where they give shade; just what nobody has wanted for as long as anyone can remember,” writes Wine-Searcher. Whether it’s called agroecology or agroforestry, those implementing trees in vineyard design seek to counteract climate change and improve soil health. “It's not just a different way of farming. We're rethinking yields, crops, volumes, everything. Keeping nature out was the old way: monoculture versus polyculture. This is about integrating and balancing with nature,” David Pearson of Joseph Phelps is quoted.

Using Lasers for Bird Pest Management

Jan. 15, 2026 | Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team

Bird pressure goes beyond crop loss, raising concerns about human disease risks like salmonella, E. coli, and transmission of avian influenza. Tune in as Cal Poly’s George Gallagher, Department Head of Animal Science, shares results from a controlled study to assess using a handheld laser (similar in size to a flashlight) aimed at birds’ feet as a tool that can be deployed by a single worker to clear large numbers of birds. It showed that different birds react differently, highlighting the need for species-specific deterrent tools.

California’s Almond Waste Could Help Clean Up Its Winery Wastewater

Jan. 14, 2026 | C&EN

California is abundant in two things—almonds and wine. New research from UC Davis shows that almond shells (typically destined for landfills) ground into powder naturally adsorb phenolic compounds, making them an abundant and sustainable option with which to treat winery wastewater. “Our goal is not necessarily to remove all the phenolics—because I don't think you can—but to decrease them to a level so that you could use a secondary filtration method,” says PI Alyson Mitchell, reducing the amount of time the wastewater spends in evaporation ponds.

Widely Used Pesticide Linked to More Than Doubled Parkinson’s Risk

Jan. 14, 2026 | UCLA Health

A new study from UCLA has found that long-term residential exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos (trade name Lorsban) is associated with a more than 2.5-fold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. The research combines human population data with animal lab experiments showing how the pesticide damages dopamine-producing brain cells, providing biological evidence for the link to the disease.

Texas A&M Trio Leads New Frontier in Horticultural Science

Jan. 14, 2026 | AgriLife Today

Three recently hired researchers at Texas A&M are working together to advance crop resilience, sustainability and the human nutrition of Texas crops. Ahmed Darwish is a chemist specializing in fruit secondary metabolites and Lorenzo Rossi is a plant physiologist studying root health and performance. Plant breeder Andrej Svyantek is mapping genetics in wine grapes seeking new sources of resistance to pest, disease and environmental pressures and developing new cultivars for the Lone Star State and beyond.

Can AI Generate New Ideas?

Jan. 14, 2026 | The New York Times

AI “is already becoming a powerful tool when placed in the hands of smart and experienced scientists,” The New York Times reports. But could it someday do scientific research on its own? One biomedical professor says AI already could suggest a hypothesis or experiment he and his colleagues hadn’t previously considered. “That is not a discovery. It is a proposal. But it lets you narrow down where you should focus,” he says. “It allows you to do five experiments rather than 50. That has a profound, accelerating effect.”

More Consistent Year-Round Availability of Table Grapes Builds Global Demand

Jan. 14, 2026 | California Ag Network

The acreage for California table grapes is declining, but that doesn’t mean production is down proportionally. David Magaña of RaboResearch at Rabobank explains that “the new varieties growers have adopted in recent years have higher yields, better quality, are easier to harvest and have more input efficiency.” He adds that these “new genetics need to check at least two boxes: better eating experience for consumers and better economics for growers.” The majority of grapes exported today, he says, are proprietary varieties.

How Hot Was Your Town Last Year? Look Up Where You Live.

Jan. 13, 2026 | The New York Times

New data released by Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that the global average temperature in 2025 was the third warmest since the preindustrial era, and the past 11 years have been the hottest on record. Use this tool from The New York Times to see 2025’s average temperature for your town or vineyard.

Missouri State Secures New Grapevine Cultivar Patent

Jan. 7, 2026 | Missouri State

Missouri State’s Wenping Qiu was granted a patent for Norton Blanc, a hybrid of Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties, the original cross for which was made in May 2005. Twenty years later, the patent (issued in October 2025) says Norton Blanc “produces a white berry that is used to produce a unique and excellent white wine. Norton Blanc is distinguished by its production volume and consistency under the climate and soil conditions in the Midwest region of the United States, (as well as) disease resistance, cold hardiness and unique berry chemistry.”

From Environmental Data to Market Advantage; Planetary Facts for New Zealand Wine

Jan. 7, 2026 | Bragato Research Institute

The Bragato Research Institute partnered with the Planetary Accounting Network (PAN) and 16 other New Zealand food and fiber organizations to pilot a new environmental assessment and labelling system called Planetary Facts. Like nutrition labels, they show the environmental footprint for any product in the context of recommended daily limits. They show that an average 750ml bottle of New Zealand wine uses just 1.8% of a person’s daily environmental allowance, driven by packaging and distribution.

Can We Save Wine from Wildfires?

Jan. 5, 2026 | The New Yorker

A student in Elizabeth Tomasino’s lab at Oregon State has invented a process to extract thiols (a class of smoke compounds) out of wine. “As a proof of concept, it totally works,” Elizabeth said. But an actual, practicable solution will require more research—and more money. Elizabeth, Tom Collins (WSU) and their smoke-research colleagues will seek a second SCRI grant to continue their efforts. “We will be able to take care of this problem,” she’s quoted. “With all the research that’s going on, in three to five years a smoke event will happen and we’ll know exactly what to do.”

A Study Is Retracted, Renewing Concerns About the Weedkiller Roundup

Jan. 2, 2026 | The New York Times

A landmark study published in 2000 found that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, wasn’t a human health risk despite evidence of a cancer link. Last month, the scientific journal that published the paper retracted it, citing ethical concerns that its conclusions were based on studies by Monsanto and indications that the company had compensated the authors. The EPA still considers the herbicide safe, but it faces a 2026 deadline to re-examine it after legal action brought by advocacy groups.

The What, Where and How of Grapevine Roots

Jan. 1, 2026 | Wine Business Monthly

Although grapevine root systems can extend 20 feet or more below the soil surface, on average, 63% of roots are in the top 24 inches of soil, and 80% in the upper 40 inches of soil, viticulturist Stan Grant reports. That means the condition of the soil has a lot to do with the health of grapevine roots. “As much as practical, we ought to maximize the volume of vineyard soil amenable to roots,” so roots can spread. The selection of rootstocks well-adapted to vineyard soil conditions is also important.

Alternative Land Use Options for Vineyard Owners

January 2026 | Oregon Wine Research Institute

As vineyard owners reconsider land use amid changing economic conditions, questions are emerging about alternatives to new vineyard development. Here, Oregon State’s Patty Skinkis examines options that can support long-term land stewardship while maintaining flexibility for future production. They include state and federal ecological land use programs as well as on-farm habitat conservation, pollinator plantings, grazing integration and on-farm water storage.

Limits of Grapevine Stress: Distinguishing The Tolerable From the Intolerable

Dec. 30, 2025 | Lodi Growers Blog

Are your grapevines experiencing short-term stresses they can tolerate (with your help)? Or are they under attack from something more severe that will cause longer-term damage and/or death? “Between these extremes are stress levels and related effects that may or not be tolerable for a grape grower and his or her vineyard operation,” or the vines themselves, writes viticulturist Stan Grant. Here, he helps identify signs that vines are approaching the limits of tolerable stress.

You Call It a Trial. IRS Might Call It Research and Development.

Dec. 29, 2025 | Farm Progress

Here’s an interesting research-related tip for your new year: Those on-farm trials you regularly run to determine how a grape variety, product or piece of farm machinery might work for you and your operation could fall into Section 41 of the IRS tax code. And that could mean tax credits. As this article suggests, “You call it a trial. IRS might call it research and development.”

Mothballing a Vineyard – What Growers Need to Know with Dr. Christopher Chen

Dec. 23, 2025 | Vineyard Underground Podcast

With economic pressures, market shifts and operational challenges affecting grape growers, idling a vineyard may be the best practical option. Tune in as UCCE’s Christopher Chen discusses the important agronomic, legal and financial considerations of mothballing a vineyard and the intentional planning required to preserve vine health, soil integrity and long-term viability down the line.

Testing Vinifera vs. Hybrids: Which Survives Climate Stress Better?

Dec. 4, 2025 | Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team

In this Vineyard Team podcast, Karine Pedneault of the Université du Québec en Outaouais talks about her team’s trials to test the resilience of hybrids vs. vinifera varieties when faced with extreme drought and heat stress. “The hybrids had a lower response to huge stressful conditions when compared to vinifera,” she says. “When you go back to how ecology considers resilience, it includes three aspects: to resist, to tolerate and to recover. The hybrids just were not struggling that much.”

Find these stories and more, published every weekday, on our Facebook and X (Twitter) feeds. You can also find us on LinkedIn. Use #graperesearch to join and grow the conversation!