Funding may be on the way to provide additional support for federal research looking into the issue of smoke exposure in winegrapes. The Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations bill by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee includes $5 million in federal funding for smoke exposure research. The funding would go to the Mitigating the Adverse Consequences of Wildfire Smoke of Wine Grapes program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A letter signed by 29 lawmakers had been sent to the subcommittee leadership back in April, detailing the impact of smoke exposure on the winegrape industry and the need for financial support to better understand the issue. The funding will allow for better collaboration between industry members and university researchers in evaluating the damage that wildfire smoke can cause in winegrapes.
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