"Sonoma County farmers are used to regulation. What is different in 2026 is that California's latest round of laws is not only about tightening standards. Some of it is designed to protect working farms from problems they cannot control, especially abandoned vineyards and orchards that can turn into pest factories. That issue has been growing across wine country as market conditions leave some acreage idle or poorly maintained. In Sonoma County, where vineyards often sit close together, a neglected block is not just an eyesore."
"It can become a source of insects and disease pressure for everyone around it. Growers describe the pattern in blunt terms: one abandoned parcel can force multiple neighboring vineyards to spend more on pest control, monitoring, and sprays, even if they are doing everything right. A new law that took effect Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 732, is intended to change that dynamic. It gives county agricultural commissioners stronger enforcement tools when an abandoned orchard or vineyard becomes a public nuisance because of pests or disease."
Abandoned vineyards and orchards provide shelter, food, and breeding habitat for pests and diseases, creating concentrated insect and pathogen sources that threaten nearby plantings. Overgrown canopies, weeds, and leftover fruit foster mealybugs, leafhoppers, sharpshooters, powdery mildew and persistent trunk disease fungi that release spores into surrounding vineyards. Market conditions have left some acreage idle or poorly maintained, increasing regional pest pressure and raising costs for neighboring growers. Assembly Bill 732, effective Jan. 1, grants county agricultural commissioners stronger enforcement tools and clear escalating penalties to address documented pest hazards on neglected properties, aiming to protect working farms and reduce shared pest risks.
Read at The Mercury News
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