EB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002
Potassium Critical Component In Maintaining Healthy Vines
(Continued from Page E 6)
Also, growers need to exam
ine the pH of the vineyard and
monitor that over time. “And
over time, you can change
things,” said Martinson, by
proper nutrient and soil pH
management.
Hans Walter-Peterson of
Cornell looked at nitrogen
and other nutrient use of the
vine plant. About a third of
the nitrogen available to the
plant is used for fruit and two
thirds goes to the shoots and
leaves. For potassium, two
thirds goes to the fruit and a
third to the leaves.
Potassium deficiency can
Top Ten List
(Continued from Page E 2)
rieties. We have been advised
not to plant less than an acre
of a single variety.
• Number Three;
Ordering Plants
To get the best selection,
place your vine orders at least
a year in advance.
Be sure you have a market
for the grapes you choose to
plant.
French Hybrid and Native
American grape varieties are
Direct Marketing Conference Jan. 27-29
SARATOGA SPRINGS,
N.Y. Dan Pawlowski,
president of the New York
State Farmers’ Direct Mar
keting Association, an
nounces that the 2003 New
York State Farmers’ Direct
Marketing Conference is
Jan. 27-29 at the Saratoga
Sheraton, Saratoga Springs,
N.Y. This conference, enti
tled “Planting the Seeds for
Change,” will feature three
days of educational sessions
for direct marketers, fol
lowed by a post conference
bus tour to farm markets
through the Saratoga region
and into western Massachu
setts.
The theme of the confer
ence was chosen as a re
sponse to this year’s series of
ANNUALVEGETABLE
GROWERS MEETING
Thursday, January 2,2003 -12:30 to 3 p.m.
at BAREVILLE FIREHALL, Bareville, PA
Jeff Stoltzfus - will review vegetable test plot
results from 2002 and discuss
the latest varieties.
TimElkner- will make pesticide credits
available
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show up in a dry year, with
heavy cropload, in areas
where the site has been leveled
or topsoil removed, poor weed
management, and after heavy
application of dolomitic lime
stone.
Nitrogen reserves are crit
ical for vine survival over win
ter, which provides 15 to 30
percent of the total N de
mand. And different types of
nitrogen in chemical or solid
based form and chemical
makeup dictate N availability.
Water can be one of the
most limiting factors in vine
physiology, noted Walter-Pe
terson. Foliar application of N
more cold tolerant, yield more
tonnage and are easier to
grow, but they command a far
lower price per ton, and the
demand is much less predict
able.
• Number Two:
Labor Needed
In The Vineyard
Caring for an acre of grapes
requires 200 man hours per
season. This can be a critical
factor in deciding how many
acres to plant.
weather related disasters
record warmth in April, cold
and late season frosts, hail
storms, and record-breaking
rainfalls.
“I know that if I hadn’t
started going to the New
York State Fanners’ Direct
Marketing Conference and
learning how I could direct
market my apples and diver
sify my business, this year’s
weather would have put me
out of business. Instead I
learned that by adding extra
enterprises to my farm oper
ation, like farm birthday
parties, a gift shop and agri
entertainment activities, my
farm could survive a disas-
trous year,” said Isabel Pre
scott of Riverview Orchards
in Rexford, N.Y.
during drought is only a short
term solution.
Correcting soil pH to pro
vide optimum levels can take
time. Walter-Peterson recom
mends no more than two tons
of lime per year per acre. Look
for the best ENV, or effective
neutralizing value, on the lime
bag label.
Martinson provided an
overview of his work in the
Finger Lakes Region. The
area has about 10,000 acres of
grapes and 70 wineries pro
ducing 50,000 tons of grapes
per year. There are 42 variet
ies of grapes grown in the re
gion.
Seasonal workers for plant
ing, pruning and harvesting
can be difficult to find.
• The Number One
Thing A Prospective
Grower Should Know:
Bring Plenty of Money.
Whatever budget you’ve es
tablished for the development
of your vineyard, triple it!
A final word. Viticulture is
as much an art as a science.
And no matter how much the
experts differ, they all seem to
agree on one thing. There is
no subsitute for a grower’s un
derstanding of his site, his mi
croclimate, and his soil.
Joe Peck, agricultural hu
morist and author of “A
Cow in the Pool and Udder
Humorous Farm Stories,”
will open the conference on
Jan. 27. Peck’s keynote ad
dress will be followed by five
consecutive sessions that will
aid direct marketers to begin
their business, expand their
business, and improve their
business.
For more information on
the 2003 NYS Farmers’ Di
rect Marketing Conference
and for trade show informa
tion, call Diane Eggert at
(315) 475-1101 or e-mail
diane99@dreamscape.com.
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Martinson, who provided a
slideshow history of the re
gion, said developing the Ge
neva hybrids was the “the best
thing the state ever did.”
The program helps a five
county area. The area supplies
grapes to wineries to the tune
of 11 percent of total produc
tion. There are 60,000-80,000
tastings per year and the area
has seen a 10-20 percent
growth in tastings. Half of the
wineries are less than 10 years
old but supply a large and
growing tourist industry.
The Enology Research and
Extension Center in Geneva
provides a brewing technology
lab with 150 research wines,
the New York Wine Analyti
cal Laboratory, and a new po
sition created for an extension
enologist.
Dr. Terry Bates, Cornell
University Fredonia Vineyard
Lab, spoke about soil charac
teristics and nutrient avail
ability. Bates also provided an
update on the Lake Erie
Grape Growing Region, which
includes 30,000 acres that are
involved in Concord grape
production. Concord, Niaga
ra, and some hybrids are pri
marily grown.
About 25 percent of the
product is converted to wine
(the largest state, not includ
ing California) and 75 percent
of the field growth is Concord
grape variety. Seventy-five
percent of all field-grown
grapes are processed.
A lot of production, Bates
noted, is in the concentrate
market, in competition with
California.
The region near Lake Erie
can provide great grape-grow
ing conditions but severe
snowfalls. “We live and die by
the lake,” said Bates. “But it
enables us to grow grapes.”
The Fredonia Lab Research
Complex encompasses 30
acres three miles from the
lake. Many of the growers are
making major efforts to use
mechanical harvesters and
also for pruning and thinning.
One grower paid for the ma
chine twice in the first year in
labor savings, noted Bates.
The PAW business meeting
included an overview of the
strategic plan under way. In
cluded was information pro
vided on crop insurance and
plant disease management.
New board members elected
include David Hoffman, presi
dent; Ed Jansen, CPA, trea
surer; and Nelson Steward,
Rick Masser, David Othmer,
Sherry Sowers, Richard Blair,
Karl Zimmerman, and Kari
Skrip, directors.