l!■ k Vml Jk wJj fe£ • :v‘ j 3 Lancaster Farming • Crossing Vineyards , Winery A Family Endeavor Hand hoeing around the vines allows Tom Jr. to virtually eliminate herbicide. He plans to plant a mix of fescues and ryegrass as a cover crop that also im proves weed control. Photo by Michelle Kunjappu Winegrower Tastes Benefits Of Research, Hard Work DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff MANHEIM (Lancaster County) For wine grape producer Jan Waltz, 2002 looks like a good year. Since he first began growing grapes in 1997, Waltz has faced a steep learning curve, three dry summers, and a va riety of other challenges. But with favorable overall growing conditions, along with hard work and close at tention to details, he expects a fine wine from this year’s crop. Waltz is the fourth generation of his family on Mark Your Calendars For Convention Feb . 4-6 HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) Plans for the 2003 Mid-At lantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention Feb. 4-6, at the Hershey Lodge and Conven tion Center in Hershey are well under way. This year’s convention date is a week later than usual, so be sure to take that into con sideration when planning your winter vacation. The date change was this Manheim farm, which has been used mainly for field crops, livestock, and tobacco production. He started look ing into wine grapes about six years ago, when a friend tuned him in to the possibility of starting a vineyard. To help familiarize himself with the idea, Waltz traveled to famous wine-growing re gions of California, including the Napa and Sonoma valleys. He noticed these areas had some of the same characteris tics as his home such as good soils. (Turn to Page E 4) caused by a conflict in the Convention Center’s schedule for 2003, but the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conven tion will return to its normal time at the end of January in 2004. Dr. Michael Orzolek and the rest of the program com mittee are working hard to put together another out standing educational program for the 2003 conven Section E • Saturday, December 7, 2002 Jan Waltz shows his “Scott Henry”-style trellising system for these Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines. In this technique, vines are trained to grow horizontally on two levels, with the goal of improving grape production and quality. Photo by Dave Lefever tion. The vegetable, potato, and small fruit program will again include five concurrent sessions on all three days. On the opening day, there will be half-day sessions on season extension technology, beans, wholesale marketing, sweet corn, potatoes, alliums (onions, garlic and leeks), and greenhouse vegetables, plus a (Turn to Page E 5) MICHELLE KUNJAPPU Lancaster Farming Staff WASHINGTON CROSS ING (Bucks Co.) “Growing grapes is no different than growing crops,” said Tom Carroll Jr. “It’s agriculture. It is mar keting, sales, science, food processing, and chemistry.” A former horse farm and a dairy farm before the Carrolls owned the property now boasts long rows of slender green shoots, clinging to wire supports, that are making their sure way upward. A dream that had its begin nings when Tom Jr. was about 10 years old has be come reality at Crossing Vineyard, Washington Cross ing. “I remember being taken by the look of the vineyard and telling my parents, ‘someday we should do that on our property,”’ said Tom Jr. Years later, with money Monday, December 9 Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Show, Greater Colum bus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio, thru Dec. 12, (888) 683-3445. Annual Cornell Research Wine Tasting and Long Is- saved, books and articles read, and experts consulted, Tom Jr. has his vineyard, a five-acre area patterned with straight rows of vines. Self-Education Although graduating with a double major in English and filmmaking didn’t neces sarily prepare Tom Jr. for an agricultural vocation, his en thusiasm and willingness to educate himself and general passion for the venture has filled in the gaps. The aid of Penn State local agents and Penn State wine grape agent Mark Chien has been “invaluable,” according to Tom Jr.. In addition, his mother, Chris, estimates that she has called 50 grape growers to discuss topics such as which rootstocks would work best in their area. “It’s like a brother hood of farmers,” she said. (Turn to Page E 3) Calendar land Rare Wine Auction, Rafael Winery, Peconic, N.Y., 7 p.m.-9 p.m., (631) 727-7850. I=W«EI High Tunnel and Grape Pro- (Turn to Page El 1)
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