Grapes and Tomatoes and Hops, Oh My! LERGP to Host Open House on August 12th

PORTLAND, NEW YORK (August 4, 2017) -- As you drive west on Route 20 just after leaving the Brocton/Portland area you may miss the subdued brown sign that identifies the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory (CLEREL) on the right. And for those who notice the sign and the building, the most common thought is “I wonder what they do there?” To help in answering this question, and to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is hosting an Open House on Saturday, August 12, 2017 from 10 AM to 1 PM at CLEREL, 6592 West Main Road (Route 20), Portland, NY 14769.

Open House participants will have the opportunity to meet extension and research staff from the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program, NYS IPM Program and Cornell Vegetable Program and learn about the various research projects being conducted at the lab through displays in and around the main building. A tour of the research being conducted at the lab will be available via a hay wagon ride amongst the vineyards, vegetable plots, and hop yards found at CLEREL with stops at selected stations where participants will hear about the research or extension project from a project team member. In between stations, tour participants will be treated to a guided tour of the property and the history of grape growing in the Lake Erie region by one of the highly trained LERGP staff.

After filling up with knowledge, open house participants are invited to a hotdog and hamburger lunch courtesy of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program.

Senator Catherine Young, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, Chris Watkins, Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Jan Nyrop, Interim Director of the NYS Ag Experiment Station, Geneva and Jennifer Grant, Director of the NYS IPM Program will be on hand at 10 AM to help kick off the Open House.

The Open House is a free event. Static displays in and around the laboratory will be in place from 10 AM to 1 PM. Hay ride tours are scheduled to depart the laboratory on the half hour.

The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is a cooperative effort between Cornell and Penn State Universities; the participating Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus Counties in New York and Erie County in Pennsylvania; and participating industry partners National Grape Cooperative (Welch’s), Constellation Brands and Walkers Fruit Basket. The LERGP extension team provides research-based educational programming for commercial grape growers throughout the year at venues across the Lake Erie grape belt. For more information on LERGP, call 716-792-2800 or visit our website at http://lergp.cce.cornell.edu/

The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated August 4, 2017