Ackley Buys Two NW Wineries and Ag Drone Operators Cautioned

**Ackley Brands, a Seattle-based, family-owned company that owns and operates premium beverage brands in the Pacific Northwest, has announced its acquisition of Columbia Winery and Hogue Cellars from Gallo.

This move adds substantial value to the Ackley portfolio of Northwest brands.

Columbia Winery and Hogue Cellars have a combined total case production of over 130,000 cases.

Founded in 1962, Columbia Winery is in Sunnyside. Hogue Cellars, based in Prosser, was founded in 1982.

**The National Agricultural Aviation Association is asking all drone operators to be mindful of low-altitude manned agricultural aircraft this growing season.

Drones treat 127 million acres in the U.S. each year to help farmers increase productivity and protect their crops, as well as pastures, rangeland, and forestry.

Drones are not allowed above 400 feet without a waiver from the FAA, and manned aircraft fly as low as ten feet off the ground when making applications.

**Milk production in the 24 major states during March totaled 18.8 billion pounds, down 0.9% from March of last year.

February revised production was up 2.9% from a year earlier.

The February revision represented an increase of about 0.5%, from preliminary estimates.

Adjusting February production for the additional leap year day causes its revised production to be down 0.7%.