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Posts Tagged: Napa County

Local collaboration is one secret behind excellent Napa Valley wine

Napa Valley has a worldwide reputation for producing superior wines.
One reason the Napa County wine industry is so successful is its commitment to working together, wrote Paul Franson in an op-ed piece that ran in the Napa Valley Register today. Franson credits frequent industry meetings in the area, where a wealth of information on grape growth and wine production are offered.

A recent meeting he cited was a field day last month in which John Roncoroni, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Napa County, took two groups through the Huichica Creek Demonstration Vineyard in Carneros to teach attendees how to identify weeds that commonly occur in vineyards.

Other local organizations that bring together local grape and wine producers are the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group and the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.

"It’s no wonder that Napa Valley growers get the highest prices for their grapes in the state. They learn how to grow the grapes better," Franson wrote.

Posted on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 8:49 AM
Tags: John Roncoroni (5), Napa County (4), wine (28)

Hopland REC builds conference room

Bill Frost, Barbara Allen-Diaz, Bob Timm and 4-H member Cody break ground for the Rod Shippey Education Facility and Field Laboratory.
Construction has begun on a conference room honoring the late UC Cooperative Extension livestock advisor Rod Shippey at Hopland Research and Extension Center, reported Justine Frederiksen of the Ukiah Daily Journal.

The article quotes Bob Timm, the center's director, as saying, "We want to talk to people about whether our vision meets what the needs in the community are -- we want a building that fits into Mendocino County." Timm hopes the building will help the center expand its community outreach programs by being a site for workshops, conferences and classes.

The $1.6 million project is funded by UC capital construction funds and private donations to the project.

Timm is encouraging gifts from the community so that that the facility including the added “Green Works” elements can be completed within the coming months.  Descriptions of the building plans and added features are found on the Hopland REC website at http://ucanr.org/sites/hopland.

U.S. EPA, Napa County announce millions for water quality, flood damage, northern California salmon

An EPA press release announced nearly $3.3 million in federal, state and local funding aimed at restoring water quality and riparian and aquatic habitats in the Napa River watershed. As part of two major restoration efforts covering 15 miles of the Napa River, more than 40 landowners have committed to converting nearly 135 acres of farmland to wildlife habitat.

The primary grant recipient is Napa County, in partnership with the Napa County Resource Conservation District, the California Land Stewardship Institute, UC Cooperative Extension and the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team of the Rutherford Dust Society landowner group.

Posted on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 10:31 AM

Local food blazing a trail on Napa County map

Responding to Napa County's higher-than-average interest in healthy foods, sustainable principles and wellness lifestyle, the board of supervisors last year created a Local Food Advisory Council. Now the council is looking for citizen input to pursue new initiatives, according to a blog on the Napa County Register website.

Monica Cooper, director of the Napa County University of California Cooperative Extension, is an ex-officio member of the council. Cooper is the county’s viticulture farm advisor and a big champion of expanding local food production, according to a previous article in the newspaper.

“It’s important to have more crop diversity,” Cooper was quoted in the story, and she sees that in small plots, not wide swaths of the county.

Napa's Local Food Advisory Council has identified three priority areas and is seeking volunteers to serve on subcommittees for:

  1. Education and Outreach: Help design communications networks to encourage public involvement and information sharing, such as advocacy programs, printed materials, events, website, social media, etc.
  2. Local Food Production and Distribution: Help develop mutually beneficial food supply systems linking local farmers to community kitchens, markets and residents;
  3. Food Policy: Help influence and communicate county rules, regulations and fees for growing, selling and/or donating food products by both home and commercial producers.
Napa County residents are invited to volunteer for one of the subcommittees or find other ways to get involved by attending the advisory council’s next meeting, July 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the UC Cooperative Extension meeting room, 1710 Soscol Ave., Napa.

Napa's soil, climate, natural resources and culture position the community to make a positive impact promoting locally grown food and healthful consumption.
Napa's soil, climate, natural resources and culture position the community to make a positive impact promoting locally grown food and healthful consumption.

Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Tags: local food (4), Monica Cooper (15), Napa County (4)

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