New, Easy-To-Harvest Raisin Grape Reduces Production Cost

Dec 08, 2016

By Dennis O'Brien

A new raisin grape developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in California is proving to be very popular among producers because it costs less to harvest.

With many grapes, crews must go out about two weeks before the harvest and cut the canes, which are the long branches on the vines that actually produce the grapes. Once the canes are cut, the grapes begin to wilt so they can be shaken into trays later. Cane cutting costs about $130 per acre, which is roughly 36 percent of total harvest costs, according to Craig Ledbetter, an ARS plant geneticist at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center.

The new "Sunpreme" raisin grape dries without cane cutting and could save millions of dollars in production costs. It grows well in the San Joaquin Valley, where roughly 200,000 acres of raisin grapes are produced each year. Sunpreme was bred and patented by now-retired ARS horticulturalist David Ramming. So far, five nurseries have licenses for the new green raisin grape, and some are already taking orders from grape producers, according to Ledbetter.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?