Transcribed public statement
Good afternoon, I am Barbara Pierce—President of the Arizona Wine Growers Association, and owner of Bodega Pierce in Willcox.
Despite nearly 15 years of experience and involvement in the ag community, I am a new face to most of you in the room. That’s because we typically stay out of the big policy fights down here. Our members are small wineries, most are family owned. And we’ve spent most of our time and effort trying to grow what was a tiny industry 10 years ago into a thriving part of the state’s economy. But that’s now all at risk.
Roughly 80% of Arizona’s wine grapes are grown in Willcox. So, if this AMA remains in place, it will destroy the local wine industry as we know it. Period.
I recognize that we have these two competing bills, and I understand that our homework was to come with direct feedback on specific provisions of both proposals. And we can do that. But I only have 120 seconds today, and I would not be doing justice as the representative of the entire local wine industry if I did not focus my time on the fact that we are good stewards of water—and we should be acknowledged for that, not punished.
For perspective, we are talking about an average of 1.5-2 acre feet. (Roughly a gallon, per vine, per hour.) That’s it. Every wine grower in Arizona uses drip irrigation and, whenever feasible, we water at night to reduce evaporation loss. We even monitor soil moisture so we know when we can go without water.
Asking us to reduce our usage by any percent is a nearly impossible request—frankly, depending on the size of the vineyard, there are some years that winegrowers draw less than the average annual rainfall.
Under SB 1520, farm units of 160 acres or less are exempt from required reductions. Every winegrower falls under this category, with room for industry growth. If a separate provision is required to specifically address not only acreage but also low water use, we would happily welcome that.
We are grateful for the open line of communication we have had with the Governor’s Office, and we appreciate their willingness to spearhead these difficult but necessary conversations. We look forward to further discussion about how we can ensure that the lowest water users are recognized—not punished.
The purpose of today’s meeting is not for the AWGA to get up and say how special we are—but I genuinely believe we are unique in that we not only create ag-related jobs in Willcox, we literally attract tourists to the area. People from all over come to Willcox specifically for the wine tasting, and then they spend the night at hotels, eat at the restaurants, shop at the local boutiques and fill up their cars with gas.
And that type of economic realization goes far beyond Willcox. While 80% of the grapes are grown there, those grapes are then crushed and bottled and served at tasting rooms down in Sonoita or up in the Verde Valley. Every single winemaker in Arizona is impacted by this decision.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Arizona’s 127 winemakers and their families.
