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| Crop Update - 7/12/2007 | |||
| Back to the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Home Page | |||
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UPCOMING EVENTS REMINDER:
Cornell to host Fruit Field Day on July 25 Cornell University will host the 2007 Fruit Field Day and Equipment Show at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, on Wednesday, July 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is one of several events that commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Experiment Station, which opened its doors on March 1, 1882. For additional information, contact Nancy Long at 315-787-2288
or NPL1@cornell.edu. |
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American Society for Enology and Viticulture Eastern Section Annual Conference and Symposium (http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/) Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania July 15-17, 2007 click here for the agenda, short information and bus tour information - pdf format |
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| Grape Integrated Pest Management | Tim Weigle |
Statewide Viticulture and Enology Newsletter
Tim Martinson, Statewide Viticulture Extension Educator, CCE has put together a newsletter sharing what is happening within the Cornell grape programs across the state. If you would like to see what is going on, and as a member of the grape industry you should be interested, please follow this link.
I would like to hear from you thw4@cornell.edu or 716.672.6830 about how useful you find this type of information as well as any suggestions, comments, complaints or compliments about the types of information you are receiving from the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program.
What Do You Think?
Speaking of hearing from you, at the Coffee Pot meeting yesterday we heard some positive comments about the new pictorial format of the Crop Update. It seems that not having to follow links back and forth between web sites and the Crop Update was appreciated. One of the concerns we had with going with this format was a user’s ability to quickly download the e-mail message and view it due to connection speed. Again, please let me know what you think so we can work to improve our information delivery system.
DO YOU KNOW A GOOD VITICULTURALIST?
The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Extension Team is looking for a new Viticulture Extension Educator (the position that became vacant with Hans Walter-Peterson's move to the Finger Lakes Grape Program). With an application deadline of July 27, 2007 we would like to ask you assistance in getting this announcement out to anyone you might know that would be interested in the position.
Minimum education required for this position is a Masters Degree with a concentration in Viticulture or closely related field; and there is a requirement of two years relevant experience in Cooperative Extension, Agribusiness, Grape Production, Adult Education or closely related field.
We thank you in advance for your assistance with this extremely important search. (THW)
Viticulture Extension Educator – Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
The 30,000-acre Lake Erie Grape Region of New York and Pennsylvania runs along Lake Erie, from the shores of Lake Ontario to the north to the Pennsylvania/Ohio border. It has a long history of Labrusca (Concord and Niagara) production for use in juice, jams and jellies and sweet wines. The region is also home to an emerging wine grape industry with 16 established wineries participating in the Lake Erie Wine Trail.
The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (LERGP) is a two-state cooperative extension program of both Cornell and Penn State Universities and is also supported by five county Cooperative Extension Associations. The Regional Extension Educator (Viticulture Specialist) is part of a four member team currently housed at the Lake Erie Center for Grape Research and Extension in Fredonia, NY. In 2008 the program will move to a new $4.5 million research and extension facility in Portland, NY. As part of the extension team, the Viticulture Specialist will provide commercial grape growers, processors and wineries with the research-based knowledge and resources necessary to improve production, management and marketing practices that will enhance profitability and sustain growth of the juice and wine industries of the Lake Erie Region in New York and Pennsylvania.
The successful applicant will provide leadership in planning, conducting, and evaluating a comprehensive education program, to include both independent and cooperative applied research and demonstration projects in diverse technical areas including the nutrition, water management, and mechanization. The established Labrusca industry requires programming aimed at improving production while managing costs and the emerging wine and wine grape industry provides the opportunity to work with varietal and clonal selections appropriate for a premium Lake Erie wine industry as well as soils, site selection, training systems, harvest and handling.
For more details, see (http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/EA_Vint_June07.htm)
HOW TO APPLY: Send letter of intent, resume, and transcripts to Area Fruit Extension Educator-Viticulture, Box 26, Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Contact Connie Kan at ck236@cornell.edu for any questions.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 27, 2007 or until a suitable candidate is hired.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Cornell University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age, or sexual orientation.
| In the Vineyard | Andy Muza |
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This week Concord and Niagara growers should be sampling each vineyard block to determine crop estimates for each site. Although it is unlikely that many blocks will be thinned this season, estimating crop potential is critical to making sound management decisions. How do you know what to do if you don't know what you have? There are blocks out there that are over cropped and may have trouble making sugar even with ideal weather the remainder of the season. Dr. Terry Bates provided an excellent article on crop estimation and thinning, "Concord, Crop Adjustment: Theory, Research and Practice" in the Lake Erie Vineyard Notes newsletter (Vineyard Notes #6, June 2003). If you are interested in a copy of this newsletter then contact either Tim Weigle or I. Wine grape growers should also be cluster thinning now in blocks which are over cropped if this has not already been completed. Wine quality depends on grape quality, grape quality depends on vine capacity and vine health. Over cropping (over stressing) vines can reduce both the health of the vine and the potential for quality fruit. In young vineyards (2 years and less) fruit should be removed to establish healthy vines. If vines are over vigorous then 1 or 2 clusters/vine can be retained in the second year. |
 Three chambourcin clusters |
 Young wine grape vineyard |
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| Insects and Diseases observed in vineyards this week include: | |
| Grape berry moth - in one severe risk site for GBM the feeding injury on Concord berries is becoming more evident on the border row next to the woods. Otherwise injury levels are still low in vineyards examined. Due to the warm, sunny weather expectations are that populations will build and the potential for late season problems is possible. |  Grape berry moth injury (red colored Concord berry) |
| Japanese Beetle - fewer beetles were seen at Concord sites this week but leaf feeding in young plantings and on wine variety blocks remain a concern. Scout blocks with increasing populations of JB for the next few weeks to determine if an insecticide application is needed. |  Japanese beetle on Concord leaf |
| Black rot - again this week symptoms were observed on Concord berries only in one block which has received no effective fungicides for this disease. No black rot was seen on leaves or clusters at other Concord sites examined. |  Black rot on Concord berry |
| Powdery mildew - the level of powdery mildew on leaves and clusters at each Concord site examined remained low again this week. Continue to keep a close watch on wine variety blocks susceptible to powdery mildew. |
Refer to the 2007 New York and Pennsylvania Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes for varietal susceptibilities to diseases (page 15) and to determine the most effective fungicides and rates for diseases.
| Update from North East, PA | Bryan Hed |
| Here is a brief update from the lakeshore in North East PA. |
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Weather: |
| Phenology: Concord berries at our location by the lake are 13.8 mm in diameter and about 1.45 grams in weight. |
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Diseases: We are about 3-4 weeks post bloom for Concord and Niagara and berries of these varieties should be fairly resistant to powdery mildew by now. However, berries (and leaves) of wine varieties will still require protection from this disease. Fruit of all varieties are still susceptible to black rot, but we should start to see the gradual development of resistance to this disease in Concord. Black rot fruit infections from the wetting period on June 19 should now be full blown and are capable of supplying inoculum during rain periods to initiate more fruit infection. With the predominance of dry weather lately, I suspect that most juice grape vineyards that received a timely pre and post bloom spray have developed little or no black rot fruit infection by this time and their risk of further infection from the July 11 wetting period should be very low. However, I do know of some vineyards where effective materials have not been applied, resulting in a significant level of black rot fruit rot. Scouting areas of your vineyard that you know to be most prone to disease development is the best way to determine your level of risk. |
| Weather Facts | Tim Weigle and Edith Byrne |
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| 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.
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Extension Team Members:
| Andy Muza | Extension Agent, Erie County, PA Cooperative Extension | (814) 825-0900 |
| Tim Weigle | Sr. Area Extension Educator, Grape IPM | (716) 672-6830 |
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any questions or comments on the format of this update please contact Tim Weigle at: timweigl@netsync.net |
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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 |