Northeast Ohio Winter Grape School is March 16

MADISON, Ohio – Wine grape growers can learn how about to manage a winged pest that can have a damaging impact on crops during a daylong workshop March 16 sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

The Northeast Ohio Winter Grape School will also provide information on how growers across the region can manage winter damaged vines and how to write a business succession and estate plan, said David Marrison, an Ohio State University Extension educator. 

The program will be hosted by OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, which are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college.

The program will feature:

• How the Farm Service Agency is Helping Grape Growers — presented by Darlene Costilow, county executive director, Farm Service Agency, on how the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and the Tree Assistance Program provided financial assistance to replant or rehabilitate vines damaged during the past two winters.
• Managing Winter Damaged Vines — presented by Imed Dami, a CFAES associate professor and state viticulturist.
• Spotted Wing Drosophila — presented by Elizabeth Long, an OSU/OARDC entomologist, Dave Scurlock, an OSU Extension viticulture outreach specialist, and Les Ober, an OSU Extension program assistant, on the winged pest that can damage crops.
• New York Clean Vine Program and Vine Varietal Trends — presented by Eric Amberg, operations manager for New York-based Grafted Grapevine Nursery.
• What is Ozogation — presented by Ernie Wilmink, president of AgriOzein, a Texas-based water treatment company. The presentation will focus on how to engineer, design, build and install ozone-related equipment on sprayers in vineyards and orchards to contribute to “greener” growing of grapes.
• Getting Your Farm and Personal Affairs in Order — presented by Marrison.

The program is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Grand River Cellars, 5750 Madison Road in Madison, Ohio. The event will also offer Ohio Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification credits.

Registration is $20 and includes program materials, lunch and refreshments. The deadline to register is March 8. A registration form can be found at go.osu.edu/ne-events. Checks should be made payable to OSU Extension and mailed to OSU Extension, 39 Wall St., Jefferson, Ohio 44047.

For more information about the event, including registration, contact Marrison at marrison.2@osu.edu or 440-576-9008, ext. 106.