A group of California lawmakers has sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting $32.2 million in emergency funding to combat the glassy-winged sharpshooter, an insect that transmits Pierce's Disease in grapevines. Pierce's Disease kills vines and has no cure, making prevention and containment the only tools growers have.
California is the heart of the U.S. table grape industry, and the glassy-winged sharpshooter has been a known threat for years — but the push for emergency federal funding signals the spread may be intensifying. The request comes as California grape harvest is just getting underway for the season.
Whether USDA releases the funding and how quickly containment efforts can be scaled are the key things to watch. A sustained pest expansion in the San Joaquin Valley would have long-term implications for grape supply well beyond this season.