Podcasts - An Educational Tool for Lake Erie Grape Growers

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (February 22, 2017) -- It is hard to be within sight of Lake Erie without seeing at least one of the 30,000 acres of grapes that make up the Lake Erie grape belt in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie and Niagara Counties in New York and Erie County in Pennsylvania. Have you ever wondered what is going on in those vineyards? One of the aims of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (LERGP) extension team is to provide the most up to date, research-based information to assist the grape growers in the Lake Erie region. Current LERGP programming is aimed at helping growers to be environmentally and economically sustainable in their grape production practices. Members of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program research and extension team have added weekly podcasts to their information transfer tools. It is often difficult for growers to get out of the vineyard and to a meeting, so now they can access it from the comfort of their own homes. These podcasts can be of interest to those who are not mainstream growers as well. Whether you are currently looking to start a vineyard, have vines in your backyard or are just interested in the Lake Erie grape industry, if this week’s podcast doesn’t interest you, next weeks could. Tim Weigle, Senior Extension Associate with the NYS IPM Program, enlisted the help of the LERGP team and the team’s media specialist, Damian Dodd, to create weekly podcasts aimed at giving timely information to regional grape growers to aid them in their vineyard management. These podcasts, also called vlogs (video blogs), are brief, approximately 3-7 minutes in length, but packed full of useful information. The podcasts will range from general information on subjects like “What is LERGP” to more specific topics like how to determine when to purchase fertilizer for the upcoming season. There are 6 podcasts posted to date, these include:

Podcast #1 “What is LERGP?” with Dr. Terry Bates and Luke Haggerty

Podcast #2 “Fertilizer Prices” with Dr. Terry Bates and Kevin Martin

Podcast #3 “Dr. Cain Hickey Reflects” with Drs. Terry Bates and Cain Hickey

Podcast #4 “Dr. Terry Bates Reflects SCRI Year 1” wit Drs. Terry Bates and Cain Hickey

Podcast #5 “A full description of LERGP” with Tim Weigle and Luke Haggerty

Podcast #6 “What is NEWA?” with Tim Weigle and Luke Haggerty

To access these useful videos, you can visit the new Lake Erie Regional Grape Program website at http://lergp.com and click on the Podcast link on the right of the screen. If you would like to be alerted when a new podcast is posted, you can subscribe to the channel by clicking “Subscribe” and an email will be sent when updates are made. Suggestions for future podcasts are welcome and can be made by commenting in the comments box on the YouTube channel or by leaving a comment on the LERGP website “Contact Us” page. If you would like more information on some of the programs being conducted by LERGP, please visit the Efficient Vineyard website https://www.efficientvineyard.com/ to see what is happening with their USDA/NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) project.

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 February 22, 2017