(Wines&Vines) - While growers in the Pacific Northwest prepare to apply the first fungicide sprays of the season now that bud break has occurred, Michael Crabtree, senior conservation technician with the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District, is busy overseeing a $75,000 grant designed to encourage growers to spray more efficiently. Natural Resources Conservation Service-Oregon awarded the funding last fall through the federal Conservation Innovation Grant program (CIG). Growers who apply for the funds are eligible for a $5,000 incentive payment to purchase a high-efficiency air-blast sprayer or to retrofit an existing sprayer. The existing sprayers are typically rear-mounted units that discharge a chemical spray across the rows of grapevines. They’re simple, cheap and (with the right calibration) functional.