Business Management
The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is designed to serve the needs of regional growers and wineries. Long term trends in bulk juice production has held steady in the region for decades. Most profit growth requires improvements in production and management efficiency. Specialty wine production have seen steady growth for the past decade. Bulk wine production is a market that continues to shift and evolve with consumer preferences. With those realities in mind we strive to give growers the tools to improve their generational sustainability and fiscal health. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CATEGORIES
Grant Funding Opportunity Reference Guide
Andrew Holden, LERGP Business Management Educator
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Please take a look at the new reference guides I have created to help with Grant and Programs for funding. I will be updating these monthly so check back often.
How to use the Grape & Wine Classifieds
Andrew Holden, LERGP Business Management Educator
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
The New York Grape & Wine Classifieds is a website administered by the Cornell Cooperative Extension for grape growers, winery owners, and other industry professionals to post and view ads for industry specific items and jobs. The site is run like a classified ad page in a newspaper, but at no cost to run an ad. Items often posted include Bulk Juice/Wine, Equipment, Grapes, Help Wanted, Services, Vines, and Vineyards. Both ads selling and ads looking for items are allowed. The New York Grape & Wine Classifieds website can be found Here.
Tax Credit & Incentive Guide
Andrew Holden, LERGP Business Management Educator
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Please take a look at the Tax Credit & Incentive Guide. I will be updating this monthly so come back often to review.
Ag Group Herbicide Strategy Comments
Letter to EPA regarding:
RE: Draft Herbicide Strategy Framework to Reduce Exposure of Federally Listed Endangered
and Threatened Species and Designated Critical Habitats from the Use of Conventional
Agricultural Herbicides (EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0365)
NYSDOT Truck Inspection Power Point Presentation Slides
NYS Trooper, Matt Luft, presented on Commercial Vehicle Awareness at CLEREL, including a mock truck inspection to raise awareness to what they look for when doing an inspection. The power point presentation slides that he used are attached for your reference.
Chautauqua County Agricultural Improvement Program
Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Chautauqua County Legislature announce the Chautauqua County Agricultural Improvement Program.
We are looking to assist with your business improvements.
Chautauqua County Agricultural Improvement Program funding is provided by the Chautauqua County Legislature with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Do you have an upcoming project planned on your farm?
Want to improve your agricultural business?
Need help funding the improvements?
Are you ready to make farm changes and improvements?
Do you have a business plan?
Do you want help developing a business plan?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions,
let us help you!
GPS Technology in Local Vineyards
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Kevin Martin, from the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (Penn State University), is currently creating baseline economic data to provide regional grape growers with commercialization strategies for spatial vineyard management.
Nitrogen Worksheet
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Partnership Agreement
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
A partnership is quickly becoming an underrated business organization. The LLC is not without its advantages, but take a look at this partnership agreement for some ideas. It provides a good place to start for growers with multiple generations and less than 200 acres.
Farm Cost Survey
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Help me help you. Growers are always concerned about input costs. A baseline for the total cost of production is an important tool in developing benchmarks for individual practices. Knowing how your management deviates from average, for better or worse, may help facilitate a conversation about organizational goals. Complete the farm cost survey and we'll have results to you as soon as possible. Once we have enough growers to eliminate privacy concerns, results will be posted to the website live.
Farm Cost Survey: Results
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Promoting Sustainability in Bulk Juice and Wine Operations videos
Edith Byrne, Association Program Educator I
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Videos created through projects funded by North East Center for Risk Management Education, New York Farm Viability Institute, NYS IPM Program and LERGP.
Social Security Calculator
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
For most retirees Social Security Income represents the largest share of their retirement income. Forecasting the size of your benefit will play a key role in your ability to successfully manage the benefit. Hopefully, it will help facilitate a decision-making process that maximizes the expected value of the benefit.
Fuel Prices and Inflation
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Fuel represents a significant cost for everyone, farmers included. We have a number of generations that experienced an economy where the cost of energy could not be a consideration. It was just plain cheap. Bulk juice and wine producers spend significantly more on fuel now. The perception is that fuel costs drive up the costs of other goods, cause inflation and decrease competitiveness. I would argue that everyone has to deal with fuel prices, it decreases the supply of available money, and only impacts the costs of goods directly related to energy.
The Top 11 Pitfalls in Farming
The Top 11 Pitfalls in Farming - By Ginny Carlberg, Farm Business Management Educator, Chautauqua County Coop. Ext.
The following list is written by Bill Whittle, a long-time Cooperative Extension Agent for Virginia Tech. Except for the first, these are in no particular order but you should notice rather quickly that each pitfall is entwined with the other.
USDA Rural Development for Businesses and Cooperatives
Edith Byrne, Association Program Educator I
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Business Programs
Through its Business Programs, USDA Rural Development provides for business credit needs in under-served rural areas, often in partnership with private-sector lenders.
Please visit their website for more up to date information: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/LP_BusinessPrograms.html
Wage Theft Prevention Act
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
New York State recently passed the Wage Theft Prevention Act. This law is similar to new requirements in Massachusetts, and Illinois. In the past record keeping requirements were similar to Pennsylvania. Employers have to document standard payroll data such as hourly rate, hours worked, and ensure piece rate employees were making at least minimum wage.
Succession Planning: Nearly Free Business Organizations
Corporations, LLC, S-Corps and other business organizations have their place. In the excitement of limiting liability and developing into a sophisticated operation many growers look to these organizations. For some growers these organizations are absolutely essential and a bargain value. For small growers the tools offered are not always appropriate and the costs are disproportionate. Sole proprietorships and partnerships offer no liability protection, no flexibility in tax structure and other similar limitations. However, these organizations lower costs for insurance, filing fees, accounting services, and legal fees.
Crop Insurance
Kevin Martin, Extension Educator, Business Management
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Participation in crop insurance is an essential element of risk management for bulk production. Growers with significant leverage, or debt, are often required to purchase crop insurance. In addition to debt, practices, site and market can all impact importance of crop insurance to an individual grower.
Upcoming Events
NO COFFEE POT MEETING
July 9, 2025 : LERGP Coffee Pot Meeting
LERGP Coffee Pot Meeting
July 16, 2025
Portland, NY
Come join us for timely and pertinent vineyard discussion, coffee, donuts and camaraderie.
LERGP Coffee Pot Meeting
July 23, 2025
Burt, NY
Come join us for timely and pertinent vineyard discussion, coffee, donuts and camaraderie.
Announcements
Lake Erie Regional Grape Program - Cornell Cooperative ExtensionYour Trusted Source for Research-Based Knowledge
