Welcome & Introduction

Tom Collins, President, American Society for Enology and Viticulture

Keynote Speaker Luncheon

Changing Climate, Extreme Weather and Water Scarcity: What It All Means for the Future of Farming 

Climate scientists expect periods of sustained drought and increasingly frequent heatwaves to challenge agricultural systems in profound ways. Dr. Steven Ostoja, Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Climate Hub and Fellow at the John Muir Institute of the Environment at the University of California, Davis, will provide insights into how a changing climate and extreme weather is affecting agriculture and winegrape production, which adaptation strategies growers need to know about, and ways growers can help combat a changing climate.

*Session receives 1.5 Hours of Certified Crop Adviser CEUs for Sustainability

Biography

Dr. Steven Ostoja is Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Climate Hub, based at the Agricultural Research Services’ Sustainable Agriculture Water Systems Research Unit and is Fellow at the John Muir Institute of the Environment at the University of California Davis in Davis.

As Director of the Hub, Dr. Ostoja is charged with leading the development and delivery of regional, science-based information that enables climate-smart agricultural and forestry decision-making for natural and working lands for the largest agricultural producing state in the nation. Dr. Ostoja earned his Ph.D. from Utah State University and both his M.S. and B.S. from California Polytechnic State University. Dr. Ostoja’s research interests include applied natural resources management, human-environment interactions, and climate adaptation science, and his work has been published in over 50 peer-reviewed, government and technical publications and has contributed to numerous popular media outlets. He is a third generation Californian and resides in Sacramento. 

The Tuesday Keynote Luncheon is priced separately and includes a plated lunch and wine.