Just like the grapes, Lodi wineries are being crushed by several variables, including the current political climate
(FOX40.com) LODI- Wineries are the economic engine of Lodi. And just like the grapes, the California wine industry has been crushed by cheap overseas imports and fewer consumers.
'[Wineries] are choosing to remove some of their vineyards now, pulling them out and looking at alternative crops to put in, and in some cases, they don't have the resources to do that,' Stuart Spencer, Executive Director of the Lodi Wine Grape Commission, said.
Mohr-Fry Ranches is one of the many grape growers in Lodi that have had to remove some of their vines.
Officials identify fatal Sacramento hit-and-run victim
The family-owned business has grown grapes for over 170 years. Jerry Fry is the President and tells FOX40 they've lost tens of thousands of dollars as a result of these recent challenges.
'The grower, in general, is a price taker and so we're dependent on consumption and everything else,' Fry said.
This is also affecting the greater community.
'When the agricultural economy struggles, the whole economy struggles here– the irrigation companies, the fertilizer companies, the farm workers,' Spencer said.
Unlike champagne, California wineries have also been falling flat due to a common concern at the top of everyone's minds: tariffs and trade wars.
'Wine is often a pawn in these larger trade wars,' Spencer said.
Canada is California's top wine importer, and the devastation from Canada's boycott of American wine and 25% import tax is just the beginning.
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised never to bow down to Trump, and Stuart says California wineries have now reached another big fork in the road.
'[Lodi wineries] need to make decisions based on what they know right now,' Carney said. 'And you know, there are a number of properties up for sale, and there are people exiting the wine business.'
So will these tariffs protect domestic producers?
Both Spencer and Fry say it's too early to tell.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Israel retrieves the body of a Thai hostage as 95 people are reported killed in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as Israel's military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Nattapong Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel's government said he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023. Thailand's foreign ministry said the bodies of two other citizens were yet to be retrieved. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, the first places overrun in the attack. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the war, according to the foreign ministry. Israel's defense minister said Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The army said he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday. Israel's military later said it killed the head of the Mujahideen Brigades, As'ad Aby Sharaiya, in Gaza City on Saturday. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families rallied again Saturday evening in Israel, calling for a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home. Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel's military had surrounded the area where he's held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel's responsibility. Israel's military didn't immediately comment. 'The decision to expand the (military) ground maneuver is at the cost of Matan's life and the lives of all the hostages,' Zangauker's mother, Einav, told the rally in Tel Aviv. Israel continues its military offensive A strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel's military said the strike targeted the Mujahideen Brigades leader. 'This is the real destruction,' a man said as he carried the body of a small boy from the scene. Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, a strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. 'Stand up, my love,' one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies. Israel said it was responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Reports say some of the dead tried to get food aid Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza's population of over 2 million relies on aid after widespread destruction of agriculture as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine. Israel's army has warned that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours. It said several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat.' The army said troops called out, then fired warning shots as the suspects advanced. An army official who couldn't be named in line with military procedures said the shots were fired about a kilometer (half-mile) from the distribution site. Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed , according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel's military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching. The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and aid groups. A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules, said it didn't feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid under the U.N.-led system. The U.N. and aid groups deny there's significant diversion of aid to militants and say the new system — which they have rejected — allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and won't be effective. The U.N says it has been unable to distribute much aid under its system because of Israeli military restrictions on movements and insecurity. Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha . 'I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,' said Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. 'I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.' Death tolls since the war began Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Hamas-run Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians. ___ Mohammad Jahjouh reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Bassem Mroue and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed to this report. ___ Follow the AP's war coverage at ___ A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the previous bodies were recovered on Thursday, not Friday. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CNBC
28 minutes ago
- CNBC
Trump says Elon Musk will face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates
President Donald Trump told NBC News on Saturday that Elon Musk would see "serious consequences" if he backs Democratic candidates who challenge Republicans supporting the "big, beautiful bill." "If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in a phone interview. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," he continued, without giving specifics on what that would look like. Trump also said that he thinks his relationship with Musk is done after their public feud erupted this week. "I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration and saved his life in my first administration," Trump said. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump added. When asked whether he thinks his relationship with Musk is over, he said, "I would assume so." Trump also accused Musk of being "disrespectful to the office of the president." Trump's remarks are among his most extensive public comments yet on his feud with Musk, and the latest sign that the president is not interested in mending his relationship with the onetime ally. Musk has been a vocal critic of the Trump-backed spending bill that moved through the House last month. Earlier this week, Musk called the spending bill a "disgusting abomination" that will lead to exploding federal budget deficits. "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people," he wrote in a separate X post. Musk's criticism of the spending package — which is now being considered in the Senate — is in part what spurred the clash between the two men. Trump told NBC News that he is still "very confident" that the bill will be passed by July 4, and that he doesn't think Musk could derail the bill. "If you look at the Republicans, we've never been more unified," Trump told NBC News. "The bill is fantastic."
The Hill
38 minutes ago
- The Hill
Blumenthal casts doubt on Abrego Garcia prosecution: ‘Charges are not evidence'
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) cast doubt on the prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia upon his return to the U.S. following his mistaken deportation to El Salvador, claiming that 'charges are not evidence.' 'These charges have to be regarded with a very hefty dose of skepticism, in light of the timing, and all of the attendant circumstances,' Blumenthal said during a Friday night appearance on CNN's 'The Source.' 'The administration has no right to bring charges simply as an offramp, or a face-saver. And now it's going to have to, in effect, put up and shut up, put its evidence where its mouth is.' 'And I've heard again and again and again, as a prosecutor, as a United States attorney, federal prosecutor, as well as state attorney general, charges are not evidence,' he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins. 'And so far, we've seen no evidence.' Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national, who entered the U.S. illegally, was brought back by the Trump administration to the U.S. on Friday. He was hit with a two-count indictment, one for conspiracy and another for unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported earlier this year to El Salvador, is accused by prosecutors of making over 100 trips from Texas to other states in prior years, transporting migrants for payments. The probe originates from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in late 2022 for speeding. The van was full of passengers without any luggage, prompting questions from the officer on-site, according to the video of the stop. Abrego Garcia said to authorities that he was transporting construction workers to Missouri, but in reality was transporting undocumented migrants, the indictment alleges. 'For the last 2 months, the media and Democrats have burnt to the ground any last shred of credibility they had left as they glorified Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a known MS13 gang member, human trafficker, and serial domestic abuser,' the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem said in a statement to The Hill on Saturday. 'Now, the United States of America confronts Kilmar Abrego Garcia with overwhelming evidence— he is being indicted by a grand jury for human smuggling, including children, and conspiracy. Justice awaits this Salvadoran man,' Noem added. Blumenthal on Friday said the administration could have returned Abrego Garcia sooner after the Supreme Court ordered the White House to 'faciliate' his return in April. 'The highest court in the land ordered the U.S. government, two months ago, to return him. And it had the power to do so. It failed,' the senator said. 'It didn't actually indict him, until a couple of weeks ago. It only unsealed the indictment, last Friday. But it's based on a supposed stop that happened three years ago. So, they have been building a case.' 'They could have brought him back,' Blumenthal added. 'The failure to do so is not what American justice should look like.' Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference on Friday that after serving his sentence, if convicted in the case, Abrego Garcia, would be brought back to El Salvador. One of Tennessee's top federal prosecutor, Ben Schrader, who was recently the chief of the criminal division, resigned, ABC News reported Friday, over concerns that the criminal case was conducted for political reasons. Multiple courts have ordered the administration, including the Supreme Court, to return Abrego Garcia. Blumenthal raised concerns over Schrader's resignation and argued that there should be an 'investigation here, about exactly why this administration defied the United States Supreme Court, why it delayed this indictment, why it is failing to be forthcoming to the Congress and the people of the United States.'
