XTF Search Results (docsPerPage=100;f12-date=2002::01::01)

Contract use widespread in wine grape industry. Rachael E. Goodhue, Dale M. Heien, Hyunok Lee, Daniel A. Sumner

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 12:00:00 GMT

The use of agricultural contracts between farmers and processors or other buyers has increased substantially in recent years. Roughly half of all U.S. fruit and vegetable production is under contract. Contract usage varies widely across agricultural products. For example, 95% of poultry is raised under contract while only 13% of corn is. The wine grape industry utilizes contracts, yet little is known about the extent of contract use, or the use of specific terms and objectives. We used a survey to analyze contract use among wine grape producers, determine which users are utilizing contracts, and identify how they differ from nonusers. Ninety percent of the growers who responded to the survey have contracts, the majority of which were multiyear, averaging 3.7 years. Growers with more experience, larger vineyards, more expensive grapes and longer relationships with the buyer were more likely to enter into contracts.

California mealybugs can spread grapevine leafroll disease. Deborah A. Golino, Susan T. Sim, Raymond Gill, Adib Rowhani

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 12:00:00 GMT

UC Davis's Foundation Plant Materials Service (FPMS) maintains the disease-tested, professionally identified collection of grape scion and rootstock varieties, which is the core of the California Grapevine Registration and Certification Program. In 1992, newly developed serological testing techniques revealed the presence of grapevine leafrollassociated viruses (GLRaVs) in previously healthy vines in an older foundation propagating block, indicating active and recent virus spread. FPMS responded by increasing isolation distances and implementing a comprehensive virus screening program using the new methodology. The critical problem was the lack of information on leafroll virus epidemiology. When the distribution of infected plants in the old vineyard was mapped, new infections were frequently adjacent to known diseased grapevines. This study examined the ability of mealybugs, a putative leafroll vector, to transmit this group of viruses. We were able to confirm that four species...

Wine, Liquor, Beer, and Mortality. Arthur L. Klatsky, Gary D. Friedman, Mary Anne Armstrong, Harald Kipp

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 12:00:00 GMT

A substantially increased risk for heavy drinkers and a slightly reduced risk for lighter drinkers results in the J- shaped alcohol-mortality curve. Limited data suggest a more favorable mortality experience for drinkers of wine than for drinkers of liquor or beer. To examine these relations, the authors performed a cohort study of participants in a large Northern California prepaid health care program. Demographic and history data were collected from 128,934 adults undergoing health evaluations in 1978–1985, with subsequent death ascertained by an automated linkage system. Cox proportional hazards models with eight covariates were used to determine relative risk estimates according to total alcohol intake and days per week of drinking wine, wine types, beer, or liquor. The J-shaped alcohol-mortality relation was stable for 20 years. Independently, frequency of wine drinking was associated with lower mortality risk (p < 0.001) largely because of lower coronary disease risk. Simil...