Strategic Plan Developed for Grape Growers in the North Central States
1/17/08
Contact: Robin Usborne
517-432-1555, ext. 169
or
Rufus Isaacs
EAST LANSING, Michigan -- Grape growers in the north central region of the United States now have a strategic plan to refer to when dealing with pest, weed and disease management problems.
The Pest Management Strategic Plan for the North Central Region Grape Industry gives “a snapshot of what the challenges are in the grape industry -- what works, what doesn’t, and what research, education and regulatory issues should be addressed,” says Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University (MSU) small fruit entomologist.
The plan, posted online at http://grapes.msu.edu/grapeplan.htm, came together after a two-day meeting in March 2007 held at the MSU Southwest Michigan Research and Education Center (SWMREC) and the Berrien County MSU Extension office in Benton Harbor. In attendance were wine, table and juice grape growers; university researchers and Extension specialists; and government personnel from nine states: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Arkansas.
Isaacs, along with MSU plant pathologist Annemiek Schilder and Purdue University grape and small fruit specialist Bruce Bordelon, planned the meeting and put together the draft of the results with funding from the North Central Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program and the National Grape Cooperative.
“The first day was a review of all the currently available insect, weed, disease and nematode control options and some of the new tools being developed for this industry,” Isaacs says. “The grape growers gave feedback on what products and strategies they used and didn’t use, and rated their effectiveness. The second day, all the participants came up with research, education and regulatory priorities for future pest management needs.”
These priorities ranged from developing sustainable vineyard management programs to organic pest control and wildlife regulation that is more responsive to grower needs.
“It was interesting to hear what some of the priorities were from the various states,” Isaacs says. “Some of the growers were from families that have grown grapes for many years and manage hundreds of acres, but for growers from many of the states with young wine industries, addressing herbicide drift from nearby soybean fields was a high priority. Another was researching pesticides used on wine grapes near harvest time to determine whether there is any effect on juice or wine quality. Another suggestion was that pesticide companies should package their products in smaller quantities because there are numerous vineyards of 10 acres or less that don’t need to buy large quantities. There was also a lot of interest in non-chemical methods of pest control and sustainable practices in grape growing.”
In addition to its value as a resource for growers, the plan will also guide scientists and Extension specialists toward future research and educational programs to meet industry needs and help justify funding requests for these programs.
“Grape pest management strategic plans have been done for other grape growing regions, such as California and Washington, but this is the only one that focuses on this part of the United States,” Isaacs says. He hopes it will serve as a model for grape industries in the eastern states.
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