New York Wine & Grape Foundation
Special Update
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Dear Friends,
Happy Friday! We conclude five weeks in New York under the Governor’s “Stay Home” Executive Order. I hear Back to the Future’s Doc Brown in my head screaming, “the encounter could create a time paradox, the result of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe!” I live on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and my encounter with COVID-19 has shrunk my world to the four blocks that I walk every morning with Maura, the four blocks to Trader Joes, and the Central Park loop for running. My life six weeks ago involved a bi-weekly five hour drive to the Finger Lakes and subway rides to
Harlem to grab a desk at WeWork
. This dramatic change felt more like a mind bender three weeks ago. Now, it seems more normal although I feel like I am getting less done even though I am working just as hard and traveling less. Despite daily life being warped and little upside down, I am optimistic that we will emerge from this crisis stronger and with a greater appreciation for our friends, family, and communities. We will restore the fabric of the space-time continuum!
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Last bit of personal sharing, Maura and I take longer walks every Sunday through Central Park. We discovered the most amazing garden called
“The Conservatory Garden,”
which can be found towards the Northeast corner of the park. The garden showcases three distinct styles of European Gardens: English, French and Italian. I enjoy the Italianate Center Garden the best because of the rows of crabapple trees that flank the center lawn and fountain (see pictured below), which provide a nice refuge from the sun and space for contemplation. I recommend making the garden a must see for your future post-COVID-19 visit to New York City.
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I copied below some important updates from the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), WineAmerica, and the NY Farm Bureau (NYFB). NYSDAM distributed guidance on the Governor’s executive order regarding face coverings. WineAmerica is asking all wineries to participate in their follow-up survey on the COVID-19 impact to the wine industry. NYFB continues to serve as an excellent advocate for agriculture and their
nightly COVID-19 newsletter
hits the sweet spot of relevant info and proactive advocacy. Now is the time for Associations and the State to prove they are worth their salt, and I commend these three organizations for rising to the occasion.
I leave you with a quote from Thoreau to contemplate this weekend as I commend everyone in our wine industry community for also rising to the occasion by continuing to work hard and by adapting to this crisis with ingenuity.
Thoreau, a renowned American Renaissance thinker, wrote in his journal: “Nothing must be postponed. Take time by the forelock. Now or never! You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” We shouldn’t put anything off but seize the moment, living with all our being in the present. If we do that, he says, each moment will become eternity.
Sincerely,
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Sam Filler, Executive Director
New York Wine & Grape Foundation
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NYSDAM Food Industry Update
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- Article 20-C Food Processing Licenses: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department is offering a 45 day extension of 20-C licenses that expire between April 16 and May 31, 2020. At the end of the 45 day period, a completed 20-C food processing license and the full applicable fee must be received by the Department. Learn more about this extension.
- Face coverings: We understand that some of you may still need to obtain face coverings/masks for your employees. Feel free to reach out to me directly for a list of companies we understand may be helpful in this regard.
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WineAmerica Covid-19 Impact: Winery Survey II
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Dear American Winery Colleague,
We are asking for a few minutes of your time on an important project: a survey on the economic impact on our industry of the Covid-19 crisis.
WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries, is working in collaboration with Wine Institute and other beverage coalition partners to encourage Congress and the Administration to minimize the impact of the crisis on our industry. Having clear, current data is crucial to our efforts, and to their support for our industry. A few weeks ago, over 1,000 American wineries from 49 states completed our survey. We hope to have more this time.
We are trying to get data for the period March 15-April 15. No individual responses will be shared beyond WineAmerica staff, and only aggregate data will become public.
Thank you in advance...and stay safe!
The WineAmerica Team,
Jim Trezise,
Tara
Good, and Michael Kaiser
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NYFB COVID-19 Town Hall Event Recording
NYFB held a Zoom meeting for members Wednesday night that allowed them to ask questions of leading farm officials and agricultural partners about the COVID-19 response, guidance and assistance. Valuable information was shared to help farms make the best decisions for their families, employees and operations.
Click here
to listen to the recording.
Potential COVID-19 Risk Factors for Farmers
The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) would like to make farmers aware of the unique factors that may put them at increased risk of serious illness should they contract COVID-19. Even though most farmers in New York live outside the major ‘hot-spot’ areas, there is still reason to be vigilant about social distancing, hand washing, and using fabric face coverings in public. COVID-19 positive patients have been reported in
every single
New York State county.
While some people experience little to no symptoms though they have COVID-19, people who are older, have asthma, are men, or have underlying health conditions are at increased risk of severe illness. NYCAMH research published in 2015 showed that Upstate New York farmers (men) had an increased rate of asthma and uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over their rural male neighbors. No surprise, the latest Census of Agriculture also shows our farmers are growing older, and the majority of those in farming are still men, who are at higher risk.
While farmers are so often willing to take care of everyone else first, please don’t ignore the important symptoms of COVID-19. If you begin to experience fever, dry cough, headaches, or shortness of breath contact your primary healthcare provider. You can also contact the NYS Department of Health COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065. COVID-19 testing is free in New York State.
Need advice on how to cope with the flood of changes that COVID-19 has brought to your family, business and workers? Contact NYCAMH at 1-800-343-7527 or visit our
COVID-19 website
where we can help with stress management through its
Farm Partners Program
.
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