Please help: USDA New England Grape Survey

I am forwarding this request to participate in a grape survey with USDA from Gary Keogh in the Concord, NH office. This survey is critically important to maintain an accurate count of the scope of the grape industry in New England. Results are used to apply for research and outreach funds, develop crop insurance opportunities, and advocate for the grape and wine industry. Participation is encouraged regardless of the scale/size of your operation.

Thanks,

Terry

From: Keough, Gary – NASS [mailto:Gary.Keough@nass.usda.gov]
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2016 11:22 PM
Subject: New England Grape Survey, press release

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, New England Field Office is about to conduct the 2015 New England Grape Production and Value Survey. Last year the survey results indicated the value of New England grown grapes sold in 2014 to be $4.2 million. We were able to publish some State estimates but limited response for some States didn’t allow us to do so. The results were published in the 2014 New England End of Season Fruit and Vegetable Yield and Price Report, http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_England_includes/Publications/Special_Reports/eos2015v2.pdf

I’m asking for your help to encourage grape producers to respond. We will be mailing questionnaires in late January and phoning those that do not respond around mid-February. Below is a press release we will be sending out to press release email subscribers. If you are not already receiving our press releases or survey results you can do so at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_England/Subscribe_to_New_England_Reports/index.php.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Gary R. Keough, State Statistician

U.S. Department of Agriculture | National Agricultural Statistics Service

Field Operations | New England Field Office

53 Pleasant St. Room 3450

Concord, NH 03301

T: 603-227-3129 | F: 603-225-1434 | M: 603-568-6535

Gary_Keough | www.nass.usda.gov

NEWS RELEASE

United States Department of Agriculture

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE

New England Field OFFICE

53 Pleasant St. Rm 3450, Concord, NH 03301

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Keough
January 18, 2016 (603) 227-3129

USDA TO MEASURE NEW ENGLAND GRAPE PRODUCTION AND VALUE

Concord, New Hampshire – According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the number of New England grape growers and the acres planted to grapes continued to show substantial growth over the last few years. To learn more about the trends of New England grape production, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is now conducting the 2015 New England Grape Production and Processing Survey.

“The New England Grape Industry has been asking for more data on the types of grapes grown and the value of production,” said Gary Keough, State Statistician of the NASS New England Field Office. “This is an opportunity for New England grape growers and processors to provide more detailed data to that shows the economic importance of their industry.”

NASS will mail the survey in late-January to all grape growers and processors in New England. The survey will look at the acreage, production, value of production, and utilization of the 2015 grape crop.

“The results of the survey will help show the importance of grape production in New England,” Keough noted. “In addition, the information can help producers make informed decisions about the future of their own farming operations.”

Recipients are requested to respond by mail by February 29, 2016. NASS will publish the results in April 2016. For more information about the New England Grape Production and Value Survey, call (603) 227-3129.

###

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Gary R. Keough, State Statistician

U.S. Department of Agriculture | National Agricultural Statistics Service

Field Operations | New England Field Office

53 Pleasant St. Room 3450

Concord, NH 03301

T: 603-227-3129 | F: 603-225-1434 | M: 603-568-6535

Gary_Keough | www.nass.usda.gov

Registration and program for 2016 UVM Apple Program & VT Tree Fruit Growers Association 120th Annual Meeting

January 14, 2016

by Terence Bradshaw

If you are on our physical UVM Apple Grower mailing list, expect to soon receive registration information for the 120th Annual UVM Apple Program and VT Tree Fruit Growers Association Annual Meeting to be held at the American Legion in Middlebury, VT on February 18, 2016. This is typically the only hard copy mailing we send out each year, so if you don’t receive one, you are not on our list, but you’re not likely missing much information.

There are a few changes with the program as mailed, and with registration in general this year. The attached program includes an additional presentation by Dominique Golliot from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets on changes in the Federal Worker Protection Standard and how they will impact your farm.

The main change in registration this year is that it will be handled by VTFGA instead of UVM as in previous years. Please that the registration form and payment should be mailed to VTFGA Treasurer Ginny Brees at the address at the bottom of the form. Another change is in the fee structure for VTFGA membership. Collection of ‘base operating dues’ from orchards to cover VTFGA expenses including membership in US Apple Association has lagged behind projections. Therefore, US Apple membership contributions have been broken out into a separate line, and VTFGA encourages participating orchards to cover their share of state dues. VTFGA membership dues have been simplified to an acreage-based assessment. If you have questions about VTFGA membership, please contact Executive Director Steve Justis at: steve.justis.

Thanks and I hope to see you in Middlebury on February 18.

VTFGA120th2016Brochure.pdf
VTFGA 2016 Member Registration Form.pdf

2015-2016 Cider Apple Production Survey

We are collecting acreage and production information on apple cultivars grown specifically for hard cider production in Vermont and surrounding areas in order to best assess capacity for meeting cidery needs and to guide further research. All information is anonymous when entered through the web template at:

http://go.uvm.edu/cidersurvey

Your participation will greatly assist in our research efforts, and should only take a few minutes. Information collected includes cultivars, acreage, planting system, management, crop yield, and price received.

We are interested in both large and small plantings.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Terence Bradshaw, Ph.D.

Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist

University of Vermont Plant and Soil Science

MAIL ADDRESS:

210 Jeffords Hall

63 Carrigan Drive

Burlington, VT 05405

Information for commercial orchard and vineyard managers in Vermont and beyond:

http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit

http://blog.uvm.edu/fruit/

Director

UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center

Catamount Educational Farm

65 Green Mountain Drive

South Burlington, VT

(No Mail Service)

http://www.uvm.edu/~hortfarm

(802)656-0972 (office)

(802)922-2591 (cell)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

2015-2016 Cider Apple Production Survey

We are collecting acreage and production information on apple cultivars grown specifically for hard cider production in Vermont and surrounding areas in order to best assess capacity for meeting cidery needs and to guide further research. All information is anonymous when entered through the web template at:

http://go.uvm.edu/cidersurvey

Your participation will greatly assist in our research efforts, and should only take a few minutes. Information collected includes cultivars, acreage, planting system, management, crop yield, and price received.

We are interested in both large and small plantings.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Terence Bradshaw, Ph.D.

Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist

University of Vermont Plant and Soil Science

MAIL ADDRESS:

210 Jeffords Hall

63 Carrigan Drive

Burlington, VT 05405

Information for commercial orchard and vineyard managers in Vermont and beyond:

http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit

http://blog.uvm.edu/fruit/

Director

UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center

Catamount Educational Farm

65 Green Mountain Drive

South Burlington, VT

(No Mail Service)

http://www.uvm.edu/~hortfarm

(802)656-0972 (office)

(802)922-2591 (cell)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Warm temperatures and pruning

by Terence Bradshaw

I’ve had some growers inquire and there has been general chatter lately about the risk of pruning apples and grapes now, given the warm weather we’ve been having. My advice will apply equally to apple and grape growers, with lessening degrees of caution: hold off as long as you can.

The danger is two-fold. Plants may begin growth if warm weather continues, since most some (i.e., grapes, but not necessarily apples) may have seen the required chill hours needed to break dormancy. Continued, extended warm weather could cause buds to swell or break which would be very susceptible to winter cold. Even if buds stay closed, cold hardiness acclimation is a two-step process initiated by shortening day length (beginning back around August) and gradually decreasing temperatures. It is that last part that likely has perennial plants like apples and grapes in a less than fully acclimated state right now. Past research on pruning apples, grapes, and peaches in fall, and meteorologically, we’re still in late fall, are less hardy to deep cold in mid-winter. I know many growers are going to be ready to get out in the field after the holiday, but if at all possible, wait as long as possible, or at least after a (hopefully gentle) cold snap. Gradually decreasing temperatures will allow plants to harden off better to withstand any cold that may come. Fresh pruning wounds not only are more cold-tender, but also may stimulate bud break if conditions are right.

Thankfully the 10-14 day forecast is calling for just what we need: daytime temperatures (after the Christmas eve warmup) dropping from the 40’s through the 20s and 30s and nighttime temperatures in the teens and twenties. It’s best to leave your trees and vines be until at least the first week in January. I wouldn’t touch a grapevine right now. On apples, the usual advise is worth following: start on your largest semi-dwarf trees and trees with lighter crop load and good nutrition/management in the past season, then move on to smaller, younger, ad more crop-stressed trees.

Enjoy the holidays. We’ll get through this.

Terry

January 12 NGP Webinar Announcement and Registration – Terroir and Typicity in Cold Hardy Grapes

The Northern Grapes Project Webinar Series

“Terroir and Typicity in Cold Hardy Grapes”

Anna Katharine Mansfield

Cornell University

Tuesday, January 12th, 2016

12:00 Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central)

The marketing power of varietal typicity and wine terroir is undeniable, but can be hard for producers (and consumers!) to fully grasp. There’s no simple way to measure typicity, and it’s hard to tease cultivar effects from those of terroir with only a few decades of vintage data from a limited geographical area. Despite that, cold-climate winemakers can be proactive in defining their own terroir and typicity if they understand both the parameters that influence wine character and the way consumers interact with these parameters. This webinar, led by Anna Katharine Mansfield of Cornell University, will mix enology, consumer research and marketing in an effort to further the discussion of Cold-Climate wines and regions.

If you have received this email from someone other than Chrislyn Particka, you need to register via the link below:

https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0qPnfNOA5YB2hO5

Registering for one Northern Grapes Webinar will place you on the mailing list, and you will receive announcements and connection instruction for all further Northern Grapes Webinars.

Registration will close at 8 am (Eastern) on Friday, January 8th.

Registration is NOT required if you received this email directly from Chrislyn Particka, as it means that you are a member of the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list.

All members of the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list will receive an email the Friday before the webinar containing the web address (URL) for both webinar sessions as well as connection instructions.

There is no charge for this webinar. If you cannot attend one of the live sessions, recordings of all webinars are posted on our website (http://northerngrapesproject.org/?page_id=257) within one week of the webinar date.

Feel free to email Chrislyn Particka (cap297) with any questions, if you want to check your registration status, or if you’d like to be removed from the Northern Grapes Webinar mailing list. (Please note that I will be out of the office on vacation from December 24 – January 4. I will be checking email periodically during this time, and will do my best to respond to urgent matters promptly.)

Please note: WebEx will no longer be supporting the following operating systems:
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows XP
• Mac OS X 10.6
This means that WebEx users will be unable to join or start WebEx meetings, or use any other WebEx application from computers that use these operating systems. Please upgrade computers to a supported operating system so you can continue to use WebEx without interruption.

Further Northern Grapes Project information is available on-line at

 

The Northern Grapes Project is funded by the USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Project #2011-51181-30850.

Chrislyn A. Particka, PhD

Extension Support Specialist

Cornell University

School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section

630 W. North Street

Geneva, NY 14456

cap297

315-787-2449 (desk)

315-787-2216 (fax)

www.northerngrapesproject.org

Feb 18, 2016: UVM Apple Pgm & VFTGA Ann Mtg

by Terence Bradshaw

Please save the date for Thursday, February 18 for the 120th Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association and UVM Apple Program annual meeting. The meeting will be held at the American Legion in Middlebury, VT. registration details will come early in the New Year.

This meeting will include: basics for running an IPM program in your orchard; orchard tree nutrition 101; new insect pests on the horizon and how to manage them; tile drainage in your orchard, and more.

I hope to see everyone there, and best wishes during this holiday season.

-Terry

December Northern Grapes Project News You Can Use – Trellis Systems, Pruning, and Training

News You Can Use

 

Trellis Systems, Pruning, and Training

December 2015

Frontenac grapevines trained (from left to right) high-wire cordon, mid-wire cordon with VSP, Geneva double curtain, and Smart Dyson in the Iowa Northern Grapes training system trial.

Photo: Paul Domto

A major component of any vineyard management system is training and pruning vines in a manner that is appropriate for the cultivar, location, and production goals, among other factors. And, a well-constructed trellis system is critical to support the vines, regardless of the training system that’s chosen. While much of the research being conducted by the Northern Grapes Project Viticulture Team focuses on vineyard management practices and how they affect yield and fruit quality, this issue of News You Can Use includes links to three past webinars and one newsletter article that focus on the basics of trellising, pruning, and training.

– Nuts and Bolts of Canopy Management by Mike White and Tim Martinson. Northern Grapes Project Webinar, February 14, 2012. http://youtu.be/eBGfmsSVJsM

– Trellis Design and Construction and Pruning Fundamentals Prior to Your First Cut by Steve Lerch and Mike White. Northern Grapes Project Webinar, November 20, 2014. http://youtu.be/k88CbR1FDXI

– Comparing and Contrasting Vertical Shoot Positioning and Top Wire Cordon Training Systems by Tim Martinson, John Thull, and Bob Utter. Northern Grapes Project Webinar, February 10, 2015. https://youtu.be/FVLrAOCzQ5E

– Training Systems for Grapevines by Paul Domoto. Northern Grapes News, Vol. 3 Issue 3, p. 8-11.

http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014SeptNGPnewsletter.pdf

The Northern Grapes Project is funded by the USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Project #2011-51181-30850

Chrislyn A. Particka, PhD

Extension Support Specialist

Cornell University

School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section

630 W. North Street

Geneva, NY 14456

cap297

315-787-2449 (desk)

315-787-2216 (fax)

www.northerngrapesproject.org

2016 Northern Grape Symposium and Michigan Grape and Wine Conference.

February Michigan Grape and Wine Conference and Northern Grapes Symposium Registration Open!

The 2016 Michigan Grape and Wine Conference and Northern Grapes Symposium will be held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo February 24-26.

Complete conference details are posted at www.michiganwines.com/conference.

2016 Northern Grapes Symposium Kicks Off the Conference February 24

Super Hardy Grape Cultivars: An Option for Michigan and the Upper Midwest
Like a conference within a conference, the Northern Grapes Symposium features a series of sessions to share results of USDA-funded research conducted over the past four years through the Northern Grapes Project. These research projects were conducted by more than 30 researchers in 12 states, targeted to improve knowledge in viticulture, enology and marketing of super cold hardy varieties bred specifically for northern climates at plant breeding programs in the Midwest and New York. Examples of the varieties that are gaining increased support from the industry in the Midwest and other colder regions of the U.S. include Marquette, Frontenac, Petite Pearl, La Crescent and many others. The goal of the Northern Grapes Project is to help producers overcome production and marketing challenges of making and selling wine from these varieties and increase the profitability and sustainability of emerging cold climate grape and wine industries. Visit www.northerngrapesproject.org for more information about the Northern Grapes Project.

New England Public Meeting on Final FSMA Rules – Monday, December 14 – Brattleboro, VT

I’m forwarding this notice from Kristina Sweet at VT Agency of Agriculture of next week’s meeting in Brattleboro to discuss implementation of the recently finalized rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act. This should be of interest to everyone on this list.
–TB

Dear New England Food Systems Colleagues,

I’m writing to share the final agenda for the New England Public Meeting on Final Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rules, hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets on Monday, December 14 at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, VT.

We have partnered with FDA to bring Mike Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods & Veterinary Medicine, along with FDA subject matter experts to provide overviews of 3 final FSMA rules—Produce Safety, Preventive Controls for Human Food & Preventive Controls for Animal Food—and to answer your questions about what the rules cover and who must comply. This is the only FSMA roll-out meeting that FDA plans to attend in the Northeast.

Please see the agenda (attached and below) for the full schedule and presenter information.

Feel free to direct any questions to me at kristina.sweet or (802) 522-7811 and share the attached agenda and flyer with your networks. We hope to see you there!

Best,

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture Produce Safety Team

Kristina Sweet, Abbey Willard & Shelley Mehlenbacher

AGR.FSMA

http://go.usa.gov/3SV3F

—

New England Public Meeting on Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rules

Hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

http://go.usa.gov/3SV3F

Monday, December 14, 2015

9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Latchis Theatre

, 50 Main Street

, Brattleboro, VT

9:30–10:00 AM: Reception (Refreshments provided.)

10:00–10:40 AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks

· Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture

· Walter Whitcomb, Maine Commissioner of Agriculture & Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NEASDA) President

· Mike Taylor, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods & Veterinary Medicine

10:40 AM–12:00 PM

· FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food

· Final Rule Overview with Question & Answer Session

· Presenter: Jenny Scott, Senior Advisor, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition

12:00–1:30 PM: Break (Lunch will not be provided.)

1:30–2:50 PM

· FSMA Produce Safety Rule

· Final Rule Overview with Question & Answer Session

· Presenter: Samir Assar, Director, Office of Produce Safety, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition

2:50–3:00 PM: Break

3:00–4:20 PM

· FSMA Preventive Controls for Animal Food

· Final Rule Overview with Question & Answer Session

· Presenter: Dan McChesney, Director, Office of Surveillance & Compliance, Center for Veterinary Medicine

4:20–4:30 PM: Closing Remarks

Kristina M. Sweet

Produce Safety Coordinator

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

116 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05620

kristina.sweet | (802) 522-7811

www.vermontagriculture.com

December 14 FSMA Meeting Agenda.pdf

New England Meeting Flyer.pdf