Press Release
Posted:
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Napa – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that the Napa Valley Grapegrowers are set to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Risk Management Agency (RMA) to educate growers and producers on farm risk management and climate-smart farm practices. “The federal funding for the Napa Valley Grapegrowers reaffirms that our district’s farmers are a national priority as we have been on the front lines of the climate crisis,” said Thompson. “By providing our growers and producers with the necessary resources to ensure their crops are environmentally resilient, these funds will go a long way toward protecting our region’s world-class agricultural products against pests, diseases, drought, and climate change.” The Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) is a community of wine industry leaders that represents 710 Napa County grapegrowers, vineyard owners, and associate businesses. Representing the majority of planted vineyard land in Napa County, the NVG provides educational seminars, events, and services that assist growers in addressing the issues they face, while preserving Napa Valley's unique grapegrowing heritage for the future. This round of funding from the USDA’s RMA allocates $2.2 million across 16 organizations, such as nonprofits and universities, to provide resources for them to develop training and risk management options. This comes as Rep. Thompson introduced legislation last week to reauthorize the Emergency Relief Program (formerly known as WHIP+), a vital program that provides desperately needed payments to agricultural producers to offset losses from wildfires, drought, and other qualifying natural disasters that occurred in 2022. |