California State Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross Set to Join Wine Industry Leaders at Vineyard Economics Seminar

NAPA, CA, April 16, 2014 (Press-News.org) The Wine Industry Symposium Group has announced the program for the 19th Annual Vineyard Economics Seminar set for Wednesday, May 14 at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel in Napa, California. The seminar will feature a dynamic line-up of wine and agriculture leaders including Karen Ross, Secretary of the California State Department of Food and Agriculture. Speakers will present information, share ideas and discuss some of the hottest vineyard and wine business topics including the drought, water issues, the bulk wine business and land use. Event registration is now open at http://www.WineSymposium.com.

"For many of California's growers, this drought comes down to planting or not planting a crop; for winegrape growers, though, it is a more nuanced threat that begins with freeze risks over the winter, then the vulnerabilities that come with early bud-break, and so on, adding complexity to each decision our farmers make throughout this crop year and beyond," said California State Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary, Karen Ross, who is set to speak about the Politics of Water, "Fortunately, this is an industry that understands efficiency and conservation not merely as responses to drought, but as key long-term business practices - that's the message I try to convey in Sacramento as we work through this drought with our partners and stakeholders."

"In addition to the hot topics such as water and land use rights, we are looking forward to announcing the results of our annual Vineyard Economics Survey," said Wine Industry Analyst David Freed, Chairman of The Silverado Group, who will present the 2014 Vineyard Economics Survey results, "The collective response from the industry always provides tremendous insight into the issues and challenges that are the current reality for California's vintners, wineries, grape growers and members of the agricultural finance community."

"Our Vineyard Economics Seminar is designed to be educational, informative and of immediate value. After meeting other wine business leaders and learning from so many experts, attendees will gain ideas and information of practical use, essential for grapegrowers, as well as the financial and legal sectors of the wine trade," added Kathy Archer, Wine Industry Symposium Group President.

In addition to the 2014 Vineyard Economics Survey results, the conference curriculum will include topics such as:

• The Politics of Water
• Water Issues: Rights, Curtailment, Dry Farming
• The Grape and Global Bulk Wine Market
• Lending Information for Grapegrowers
• Tax Reform Impact on Farmers
• Saving Water and Money With New Vineyard Technology
• The Economics of Mechanical Harvested Grapes with Optical Sorting

The 2014 Vineyard Economics Seminar event sponsors include: American Ag Credit; Benchmark Consulting; Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. (BPM) Accountants and Consultants; CMPR Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross LLP Attorneys; CoBank; Farm Credit West; Gaw Van Male; Moss Adams, LLP Certified Public Accountants / Business Consultants; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Walsh Vineyards Management; American Vineyard Magazine; Vineyard & Winery Management; Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines (now including Practical Winery & Vineyard). The complete program, as well as registration, is available online at http://www.WineSymposium.com.

About the Wine Industry Symposium Group
The founders of the Wine Industry Symposium Group met in early 1992 with the hope that by forming a new industry conference, they would create an open exchange of thoughts and ideas concerning financial aspects of the California wine industry. The Wine Industry Financial Symposium was born. A couple of years later, in 1994, the group started a similar program, the Central Coast Insights Program, to fit the needs of that region. A year later, the Vineyard Economics Seminar was created for grape growers. Because of consistent globalization and consolidation in the wine business, the Wine Industry Symposium Group continues to operate with the mission of providing a critical platform for important communication and dialogue between the multiple facets of the wine business and the lending community. For more information visit http://www.winesymposium.com or call (707) 255-9222. Like the Wine Symposium Group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WineSymposiumGroup and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wine_symposium.