| NEWA is still FREE ! - click here or go to http://newa.nysaes.cornell.edu/ |
| To
receive this Crop Update by e-mail, please don't forget to put: Your
Name and E-Mail address in the request, and e-mail grape@netsync.net. |
%20copy.jpg) |
|||
| Crop Update - 5/24/2007 | |||
| Back to the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Home Page | |||
|
UPCOMING EVENTS REMINDER:
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Grape Cultural Practices | Hans Walter-Peterson |
Frost Damage?
Growers at the Coffee Pot meeting in Perrysburg yesterday morning reported fairly minimal frost damage after several recent cold nights, and limited to typically frost-prone areas in low spots of vineyards. Visiting several farms over the past week or so, I have only seen a couple of instances of apparent frost damage, again isolated in low spots and more so on suckers than on primary shoots along the top wire. Low temperatures for the next week or so are forecast for the 40s and 50s, so with any luck we'll get past our most vulnerable period without any more cold spells (yes, I know…I probably just jinxed everything).
If you find areas of significant frost damage, make sure to let your county's FSA office know, and if you think of it, let the LERGP team know about it too. FSA will contact us as part of their process to determine if there is enough damage to generate a flash report, which is needed as part of the process in determining if there has been an official 'crop disaster'.
Last Day
Today is my last day with the Lake Erie extension team, and I just
wanted to say 'Thank You' one more time to everyone who I have worked
and interacted with over the past 5½ years. This has been an absolutely
invaluable experience for me. As I mentioned before, I will be back
every now and then so I hope to see some of you at least once in a
while. In the meantime, I wish all of you the best of luck this season.
| Update from North East, PA | Bryan Hed |
| Here is a brief update on Concord vine development from the North East PA lab: |
| Weather: Our monthly total rainfall is 1.94”. We have accumulated 163 growing degree days since April 1. The lake temperature is currently around 50°F. |
| Phenology: Concord and Niagara shoots here by the lake are in the 3-6” range with about 3-4 leaves unfolded. |
|
Diseases: When weather conditions are marginal for Phomopsis and black rot infection, as they have been throughout this month, areas that suffer poor air drainage and higher average humidity (low areas, vineyards bordered by woods and/or waterways, etc) are more likely to have actually sustained an infection period during these rainfall periods (May 10, 16, and 19-20) than more open, well drained vineyards. These also tend to be vineyard areas that were more likely to have suffered from Phomopsis and black rot last year that now have elevated inoculum loads. A recent survey of a handful of several hand pruned Concord and Niagara vineyards that were hard hit with black rot last year revealed an average of about 60 black rot “hot spots” per acre (a “hot spot” is an old cluster with black rot mummies in the trellis). Even though weathering, mechanical harvesting, and dormant pruning typically removes the vast majority (95-99 %?) of the infected mummies from the trellis before the following season, it still leaves a sizeable number of potent inoculum sources in the trellis. Machine and minimally pruned vineyards (or vineyards that were not pruned at all) would be expected to harbor even more black rot “hot spots” on average, than hand pruned vineyards. Mummies dropped to the ground present far less risk than mummies in the trellis, particularly during the fruit susceptibility period. Keep this in mind when conducting your campaign against black rot this year. |
| Weather Facts | Tim Weigle and Edith Byrne |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The weather proverb from the Farmer's Almanac this week is: |
| Warm and nice, but the lake's still like ice . . . |
Sustainable Viticulture Workbook Project
We continue to hear from growers and are still asking for more volunteers to go through the workbook, answering the questions that pertain to them (and let us know what questions do not pertain to their operation)! Please let us know if you are interested by emailing Edith (emb35@cornell.edu or grape@netsync.net)! We would love to hear from you.
Update - We have met with growers from Chautauqua, Niagara, Cattaraugus Counties in New York and several growers from PA. for this project which is a cooperative effort of growers, processors, the Finger Lakes Regional Grape Program, Long Island Grape Program and the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program.
Going over the questions in the workbook typically takes about 90 minutes. Depending on your operation and the type of grapes you are growing doesn't make any difference either - we are interested in everyone's input, no matter how many acres you have. Once you have completed the first phase of going through the workbook and answering the questions scaled from 1 (best practice) to 4 (should look at this practice to see if it can be improved), a follow-up visit is scheduled with a member of the SWCD from your county (they have the money to help with cost sharing) to discuss how you might be able to move the practices that received a rating of 4 to a rating closer to 1 - this is the Action Plan meeting.
The workbook questions are painless, self-reflective and the comments made by growers' are very positive - including how going over the questions makes them think about their total operation, or how they might be able to do or think about something differently, etc.
We have appointments set up with more growers through the month for both the workbook portion and Action Plan meetings... If you are interested in working with us on this project please send Edith an email or give her a call at 716.672.6830 so she can schedule an appointment with you.
Editors Note: For those who are looking at ways to promote New York agriculture, agriculture in general, or would just like to see some of the innovations their fellow farmers have come up with to help stay profitable and competitive, this documentary seems to just the ticket.
New York Agriculture Documentary to Air Statewide on PBS during May & June
A new PBS documentary, "The Performers: Taking Center Stage in New York Agriculture" will air on all nine New York Public Television Stations with a potential audience of more than 18 million people.
| PBS Schedule by date & region: | |
|---|---|
| May | |
| WPBS (Watertown) | Tuesday, May 15 at 10 pm and Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm |
| WMHT (Capital District) | Thursday, May 17 at 9 pm |
| WCNY (Syracuse) | Monday, May 21 at 9 pm |
| WXXI (Rochester) | Saturday, May 26 at 6 pm |
| WSKG (Binghamton) | Thursday, May 31 at 8 pm |
| June | |
| WNED (Buffalo) | Wednesday, June 13 at 10 pm |
| WNET (New York City) | Sunday, June 17 at 2 pm |
| WLIW (Long Island) | Tuesday, June 26 at midnight |
| WCFE (Plattsburgh) | in June TBA |
This one-hour documentary examines agriculture today and the variety of products being produced on New York State farms, plus cutting edge technology that will keep agriculture competitive in a global economy. Hosted by Liz Ayers, WCNY's vice president of Television and Media Services, the documentary takes viewers on a journey across the state to capture New York's bounty and explore the impact of 21st century farmers.
"This is agriculture like you've never seen it before, with high-tech equipment that drives us to the future," said Ayers, "It's an entertaining way to discover what is going on backstage in today's agribusiness." Meet these farm families and discover how they embrace yesterday's traditions along with today's innovations.
This special features the following farms:
-
Intergrow Greenhouses in Albion (Orleans County) growing hydroponic tomatoes and peppers
-
Satur Farms, Cutchogue (Suffolk County) with its gourmet vegetables
-
Indian Ladder Farms, Voorheesville (Albany County) with its use of experimental tunnels to extend growing seasons
-
Evans Farmhouse Creamery, Norwich (Chenango County) an organic dairy
-
Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, Hammondsport (Steuben County), wine-making
-
Ivy Acres, Baiting Hollow (Suffolk County) specializing in supplying bedding plants throughout the Northeast
-
Patterson Farms, Auburn (Cayuga County) focusing on technological changes at a traditional dairy farm
-
Ridgeline Farms, Clymer (Chautauqua County), a dairy farm using methane gas to generate electricity
-
Plainville Farms, Plainville (Onondaga County), using organic feed in raising turkeys - the largest turkey farm in the state
-
Roxbury Farm, Kinderhook (Columbia County), focusing on agri-tourism
-
Reeves Farm, Baldwinsville (Onondaga County) selling local produce to major grocers
-
ESF Willow Plantation, Tully (Onondaga County) growing willow trees to be used as fuel
The New York State Agricultural Society suggested the idea for the documentary and contributed toward its production. The film received accolades from many of the more than 500 people in attendance at a premiere screening at the Society's 175th Annual Meeting in Syracuse in January 2007. "One of the Society's goals is to promote a better understanding of the state's agricultural industry and its importance in the lives of all New Yorkers," comments documentary committee chair Bob Bitz, "This documentary meets that goal and will help many recognize the contribution made by the state's agriculture to healthy food, a safe environment and sustainable resources."
DVDs of this educational program, "The Performers: Taking Center Stage in New York Agriculture" are available from WCNY. To order, contact Joyce Hamlin at 315-453-2424, Ext 270 or e-mail joyce_hamlin@wcny.org. The price for a DVD is $19.99, plus shipping and handling.
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BARRY SHAFFER: Chautauqua Works 2007 Summer Youth Work Experience Program
Chautauqua Works is beginning to gear up for their annual summer youth employment program. We would like to welcome youth between the ages of 16 to 20 years old to apply. This is a great opportunity to make new friends, earn money, expand your resume and explore career options. The summer program is a seven week long in which Chautauqua Works hires eligible participants and pays wages for up to 35 hours a week while employed at a local business. In order to be considered eligible to participate in the Summer Youth Work Experience Program the applicant must:
| May 17, 2007 | May 18, 2007 | May 21, 2007 | May 22, 2007 | May 23,2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk High School 75 West Sixth St. Dunkirk, NY 14048 |
Chautauqua Works 23 E. Third St. Jamestown, NY 14701 |
Cassadaga Valley Central School 5935 Rt. 60, Sinclairville, NY 14782 |
Chautauqua Lake Central School 100 North Erie St. Mayville, NY 14757 |
Silver Creek Central School 1 Dickinson Street Silver Creek, NY 14136 |
The program is designed to improve job readiness, work ethic, entry-level occupational skills, career awareness, team-building skills and financial literacy with the end goal of prepared to find maintain employment.
| We would like to encourage youth and businesses that are interested in participating in the program to contact: | |
| Scott McDonald, Summer Youth Coordinator Chautauqua Works (716) 487-5185 smcdonald@chautauquaworks.com |
|
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Extension Team Members:
| Andy Muza | Extension Agent, Erie County, PA Cooperative Extension | (814) 825-0900 |
| Barry Shaffer | Area Extension Farm Business Management Educator | (716) 679-3185 |
| Tim Weigle | Sr. Area Extension Educator, Grape IPM | (716) 672-6830 |
| For
any questions or comments on the format of this update please contact Tim Weigle at: timweigl@netsync.net |
 |
The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Website is maintained by the NYS Grape IPM Program |
| 412 E. Main Street, Fredonia, N.Y. 14063 | Telephone: 716-672-5296 | E-mail: Webmaster |