At Harvest, Vineyards Reap Time

With farmhands in short supply, some Central Valley wine grape growers are turning to a hard-charging alternative work force: mechanical harvesters.

Raymond Jacobsen of J&L; Vineyards in Fresno is running his two big machines more than in years past. The equipment requires 10 workers, instead of the 75 or 80 typically needed for handpicking. And though the machines tend to need frequent minor repairs, they can work a double shift without running afoul of labor laws.

While many premium wineries in Napa and Sonoma disdain mechanical harvesting, wineries in the Lodi-Woodbridge and other non-coastal districts are becoming more open to it.

Dank weather months ago delayed this year’s harvest, leaving growers to scramble to get the crop in before fall rains begin in earnest. Jacobsen starts picking about 8 p.m. because the harvesters operate more smoothly in cool nighttime temperatures.

The grapes behave better, too (although machine harvesting can be rougher on the bunches and the vines). In the heat of day, sugar can accumulate and gum up the machine’s many conveyor belts. The juice also stays cooler at night and is less likely to ferment prematurely.

The machines can pluck enough cabernet sauvignon or French Colombard grapes to fill a truck in less than an hour, half the time a handpicking crew of 75 would require, Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen, who supplies to E&J; Gallo, among others, spent $25,000 to update one of his machines this year. Still, the farmer expects significant savings over usual labor costs.

Migrant workers are in such demand this year that few are taking time to express concerns about mechanical harvesting. But they should be worried.

“It’s the single-greatest threat to farm worker jobs,” said Jose Millan, the state labor commissioner.

With their churning John Deere engines and high-powered floodlights, Jacobsen’s harvesters often attract an audience.

“People can’t believe their eyes,” he said. “It looks like something that crawled off Mars.”

Squeeze on juice: First cigarettes, then alcohol, now . . . apple juice? As of Sept. 8, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring a warning label for freshly pressed apple juice.

It reads: “Warning: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.”

The requirement--which can be satisfied with either container labels or a placard at the point of sale--will be expanded Nov. 5 to all other freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.

The FDA decision was prompted by the death two years ago of a Colorado toddler and the illnesses of dozens of other individuals who drank unpasteurized apple juice tainted with E. coli O157:H7. Odwalla Inc., the Half Moon Bay producer of that juice, paid a fine of $1.5 million in July and has begun pasteurizing its apple juice.

Small juice makers, whose sales took a dive after the outbreak, resent what they view as a burdensome rule.

“The label won’t solve a thing except scare people away from apple juice,” said Mitch Gizdich, owner of Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville.

Jim Rosenberg, the Topanga-based president of the MicroJuicers Guild, noted that some producers have chosen to pasteurize or even shut down, diminishing an already tiny industry.

The FDA is poised to release a new rule that would require companies to install strict manufacturing procedures to prevent or reduce bacteria in fresh juices. Once that is in place, the warning labels would no longer be necessary, a spokeswoman said.

Beefing up sales: Mexico is buying more U.S. beef and is now second only to Japan as a market. The brisk trade is a rare bright spot for beleaguered U.S. producers, who have suffered from reduced Asian demand and depressed prices.

Bruce Berven, executive director of the California Beef Council in Pleasanton, said the state’s producers appear to be getting “more than a proportionate share” of the gain, thanks to shipments of lower-grade cuts. A sour note: The Mexican Cattle Producers Federation contends that U.S. suppliers are pricing their beef unfairly low.

Buying shelf space: Natural Foods Merchandiser reports that the practice of paying for shelf space is spreading to natural and organic food stores.

Whole Foods Market, the trade magazine said, now expects vendors to provide enough free product to fill cases at new stores. Wild Oats Market requires food makers to pony up $15,000 to participate in a “category management” program.

“Slotting fees” have long been common in mainstream food retailing and contribute to rising food prices. In the natural food world, they present a new obstacle for small companies trying to make a splash.

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Martha Groves can be reached by e-mail at martha.groves@latimes.com or by fax at (213) 473-2480.