Field Notes

News and Updates from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation

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Winery Membership Update: New Dues and Benefits Structure

Today we are excited to be launching our new membership model. While we certainly wanted to build a membership ‘toolkit’ that would be more responsive to needs in light of COVID-19, we knew the need to build our collective industry intelligence, diversify business models, and scale up to meet the demands of the online marketplace was coming – even before the pandemic.  Our membership programs and services are dedicated to telling the amazing story of New York’s wineries and growers, and to improving our

Three-Part Series Offered on Tasting Room & Hospitality Challenges

New York Wine & Grape Foundation offers a Three-Part Series on Tasting Room & Hospitality Challenges Dates: September 10th, 24th and October 8thTime: 10:00AM EST to 11:30AM ESTParticipation is Free and Open to All New York Wineries. Click here to register online.  OverviewJoin the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and the Wine Industry Sales Education (WISE) Academy for a special Community Forum Series designed to help New York wineries optimize the guest experience as they grapple with different, and ever-changing COVID-related

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USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs for Organic Certification

WASHINGTON, August 10, 2020 – USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that organic producers and handlers can apply for federal funds to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certification through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Applications for eligible certification expenses paid between Oct. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2020, are due Oct. 31, 2020. “For producers producing food with organic certification, this program helps cover a portion of those certification

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New USDA Survey to Measure Areas for Improvement

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2020 – WASHINGTON, August 7, 2020 –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new annual survey of farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners. The survey will help USDA understand what it is doing well and where improvements are needed, specifically at the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA). A selection of 28,000 producers will receive the survey over the next few weeks,

How a Wine Competition Works

Each year, I judge in about a dozen different wine competitions throughout the United States, but mostly in California.  I also get many questions from consumers about wine competitions: What are they?  How are they run?  Who are the judges?  What do the results mean? This article will answer those questions, and probably raise more.  In most cases, I’ll be referring to the competitions in which I serve as a judge, but may also note

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Farm Service Agency in New York to Host Meetings on Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Contact Information:Lynnette Wright315-477-6309Lynnette.wright@usda.gov SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in New York is hosting two meetings about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The first meeting will be Wednesday, August 5th at 7pm, and the second will be Thursday, August 6th at 10 am. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is available to farmers and ranchers whose commodity prices have been directly impacted by