January 2022 - 24

GRAPES
Supply-chain crisis spurs pivot to machines, biocontrols
By Mike Hsu
University of California
Driving through her vineyards on a
chilly morning in December, Hortencia
Alvarado is taking comfort - for now - that
the weeds she sees are all yellow. But there
remains a nagging worry that, like the
pesky plants, is merely lying dormant for
the season.
When March rolls around, and the
first signs of new green growth appear on
the vines, Alvarado and other vineyard
managers will again have to confront the
ongoing shockwaves of the global supplychain
crisis.
Growers of grapes - the third-highest
valued agricultural commodity in
California at $4.48 billion in 2020 - likely
won't be able to access the herbicides that
they usually apply.
" I definitely need to start thinking and
considering it because I don't want to be
in that situation where I don't have (the
herbicide) when I need it, " said Alvarado, a
vineyard manager in the San Joaquin Valley.
Imperfect alternatives
She first noticed the effects of the
shortages this past August, during the
application following the harvest of early
varietals. Alvarado's agricultural pest
control adviser had recommended a
different product, instead of their usual
standby, Rely - because none of the handful
of suppliers in California could find it.
Then Alvarado's foreman started
reporting that the substitute wasn't
controlling the weeds.
" We were using some other stuff that
wasn't as good, so basically we were wasting
money on stuff that wasn't doing what we
wanted it to do, " Alvarado explained.
They quickly pivoted to their mechanical
weeder to chop up the weeds, but that's
As winter transitions to spring, grape growers will have to grapple with the prospect of
herbicide shortages due to ongoing supply chain issues. Photo: Rita Jakel
been an imperfect solution. They only
have one machine and it would take three
or four machines to adequately weed the
nearly 3,000 acres that Alvarado manages.
The need for more machines or
labor is just one result of the herbicide
shortage, said George Zhuang, University
of California Cooperative Extension
viticulture farm advisor in Fresno County.
Zhuang has received " a lot " of calls from
growers about the chemical supply issues,
which are also affecting fertilizers. He's
been urging them to move away from
traditional herbicides to mechanical means
or biocontrol such as sheep or fowl - even
though they might be more expensive.
Zhuang estimates that while a weed
program comprises 5% to 10% of total
production costs in a normal year with the
usual herbicides, the use of nonchemical
alternatives could hike that percentage up
to 10% to 20%. In addition to their impact
on the bottom line, effective herbicides are
especially crucial to grape growers because
vines - unlike tree crops - cannot naturally
shade out weeds with expansive canopies.
" Right now, people can still scramble
around and find some limited chemicals
to make sure the crop is successful for the
harvest, but if the situation goes for another
year, I think there's going to be a panic in
farming communities, " Zhuang said.
Herbicide challenges expected
to linger
Unfortunately, the availability of certain
products is likely going to be " challenged "
into at least the middle of 2022, according
to Andy Biancardi, a Salinas-based sales
manager at Wilbur-Ellis, an international
marketer and distributor of agricultural
products and chemicals. Biancardi said that
the suppliers he talks to are advising people
to make preparations.
The supply of glyphosate, the key
component in products such as RoundUp
(used by many Midwestern farmers),
appears to be most affected, Biancardi
said. As a result, that shortage has put the
squeeze on alternatives such as glufosinate,
used in products like Rely - the herbicide
favored by many California grape growers.
" The cost of glufosinate has definitely
gone up because there just isn't enough, so
everyone is obviously marking it up, " said
Biancardi, who estimates that prices for
both glyphosate and glufosinate are up 25%
to 30% for growers.
" And that's if you can get it, " he added.
Alvarado said that while large
commercial operations are able to pay
the premium prices or shift to other weed
control measures, some smaller growers
have essentially given up the fight - simply
letting the weeds take over.
" They're just letting it go wild until the
dormant season, " she said. " They're hoping
that - by when they do start to spray
[around March] - they'll hopefully have
that Rely. "
Silver lining to supply crisis?
Large-scale growers and retailers are
buying up those scarcer products when
they can, in anticipation of future shortages
during critical times. Biancardi said that
while his company traditionally runs
inventories down at the end of the season,
they are instead stocking up on herbicides
that customers will demand.
" Careful planning and forecasting is
going to be more important than ever, that's
really the key, " he said. " At this point we
can't guarantee 'business as usual,' based on
what we're hearing. "
Shaking off old habits might actually
bring some benefits to business, according
to Alvarado, as a forced shift away from
chemicals could prove to be a selling point
for customers, from a sustainability and
marketing standpoint.
" Out of this shortage, there might be
some good, some wins, " she said, " but at
the same time, we're going to need some
answers - I think it's going to be a bumpy
road. "
Calling the confluence of drought, record
heat and a shortage of chemicals a " perfect
storm, " Zhuang said that consumers could
start feeling those jolts as well.
" Eventually, somebody is going to eat the
costs - either the farming community or
the consumer is going to eat the cost, I hate
to say it, " he said. FGN
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January 2022

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