Wildfire Updates & Resources
Sonoma County Winegrowers is here to support you during this challenging harvest. For you reference, we have compiled helpful resources and updates related to the wildfires and smoke exposure. We hope you’ll find these resources useful. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or for more information.
SCGGF Wildfire Recovery Support
Due to the severity of the recent fires the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation has reopened the Farmworker Resiliency Fund effective immediately. Financial support in the form of gift cards is available to eligible full time, year-around agricultural employees in Sonoma County who are employed by a farmer, rancher or agricultural employer. Eligible employees must have experienced an economic loss due to the 2020 wildfires or associated evacuations. Priority will be given to farmworkers in our grape growing community. Applications must be submitted by the employer, individual applications will not be accepted.
Please visit https://www.scggf.org/farmworker-resiliency-fund/ for more information or contact Kate Piontek at kate@scggf.org.
Resources, Links and Documents
Please browse below for the most updated
resources & information regarding wildfires and smoke exposure.
FREE KN95 MASKS FOR VINEYARD EMPLOYEES
The Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation has purchased 10,000 KN95 masks and is currently offering these masks FREE for our vineyard employees. We will offer ONE mask per employee on a first-come-first-served basis.
CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF INDIVIDUAL & PUBLIC ASSISTANCE FOR GLASS FIRE
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Individual and Public Assistance disaster relief for Napa and Sonoma Counties impacted by the Glass Fire.
SONOMA COUNTY RE-ENTRY AND RECOVERY RESOURCES
Here you’ll find information on returning home or your steps to recovery from the Walbridge and Meyers fires.
SONOMA COUNTY WALBRIDGE/MEYERS FIRE RECOVERY RESOURCES
Click here to view resources available to you if you experienced loss due to the recent fires.
SONOMA COUNTY DAMAGE & SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
Rapid Evaluation Safety Assessment, also known as RESA, is an important step in assessing the damage and safety concerns of structures after a natural disaster.
SONOMA COUNTY DEBRIS REMOVAL
Sonoma County is preparing to support the community in debris removal.
NRCS- CATASTROPHIC FIRE RECOVERY
The conservation goals and funding priorities of the Catastrophic Fire Recovery ranking pool is to provide immediate resource protection in areas burned by catastrophic fires in the past three years on non-industrial private forestland (NIPF), grazing lands and croplands.
FEMA IHP: INDIVIDUALS & HOUSING PROGRAMS
Housing Assistance under FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP) can provide financial help and direct services after a disaster. The program assists with housing needs not covered by insurance or provided by any other source.
USDA CA FSA OFFERS WILDFIRE RECOVERY ASSISTANCE
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist agricultural producers in their recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters.
CAL OES: STATEWIDE RECOVERY RESOURCES
Cal OES has put together a list of statewide wildfire recovery resources.
UCCE VINEYARD RESOURCES ON SMOKE EXPOSURE
Learn more about smoke exposure, how to reduce risk, and what to do after smoke exposure.
AMERICAN AGCREDIT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
With the guidance of Shannon Antonini, American AgCredit Crop Insurance Agent specializing in wine grape insurance, American AgCredit has assembled frequently asked questions for grape growers.
AMERICAN AGCREDIT SMOKE TAINT LABORATORIES
American AgCredit has compiled a list of accredited smoke taint laboratories for you to reference.
AMERICAN AGCREDIT SMOKE EXPOSURE INFORMATION
American AgCredits RMS team have outlined the conditions required to determine smoke damage from smoke exposure.
GRAPE SAMPLING PROTOCOL FOR GROWERS
Created by the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Fore
MICRO-FERMENTATION PROTOCOL
Created by the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force
WILDFIRE IMPACT ON CA WINEGRAPES & WINE - UC DAVIS
IMPACT OF SMOKE EXPOSURE ON WINE - OREGON STATE
ETS - CURRENT STATUS OF TESTING SOLUTIONS FOR SMOKE IMPACT
TREATING SMOKE-AFFECTED JUICE OR WINE WITH ACTIVATED CARBON
Created by the Australian Wine Research Institute.
SMOKE EXPOSURE - PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR GRAPE GROWERS & WINEMAKERS
Created by the Australian Wine Research Institute.
SMALL-LOT FERMENTATION METHOD
Created by the Australian Wine Research Institute.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT GRAPE SMOKE EXPOSURE WEBINAR WITH ANITA OBERHOLSTER
Anita Oberholster discusses how smoke exposure can impact grape and wine quality, ways to manage risk, and the steps growers can take to understand how smoke has affected their crop.
CROP INSURANCE WEBINAR WITH SHANNON ANTONINI- SEPT 3
Shannon Antonini, Vice President of Crop Insurance at American AgCredit, discusses crop insurance and answers questions surrounding the topic.
CROP INSURANCE WEBINAR WITH SHANNON ANTONINI- SEPT 17
Shannon Antonini, Vice President of Crop Insurance at American AgCredit, discusses crop insurance and answers questions surrounding the topic.
SHOULD YOU DROP UNSOLD FRUIT OR LEAVE IT ON THE VINE?
Rhonda Smith has updated her article from 2019 on whether or not you should drop unsold fruit or leave it on the vine this harvest season.
HOW TO CONDUCT A MICRO-FERMENTATION VIDEO WITH ANITA OBERHOLSTER
Dr. Anita Oberholster, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist in Enology, put together a step-by-step video discussing how to do a small-scale fermentation for the evaluation of smoke exposure in grapes. In this video she processes 10lbs of grapes (~3.3L of juice) through the Small-Scale Fermentation Protocol.
SMOKE EXPOSURE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Task Force has now released seven pages of Frequently Asked Questions regarding smoke-exposed fruit. The document reviews questions from the vineyard, testing, risk assessment, contracts, and crop insurance. This FAQ is hosted in google docs and will be updated as new questions arise.