Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/434639
18 JANUARY 1, 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Grapes MANAGING PESTS in wine grapes O ne of the best kept secrets for managing pests in Washington wine grapes is hidden in an 80-page document about integrated pest management prac- tices that was developed for government regulators. The document, titled "Pest Management Strategic Plan for Washington State Wine Grape Production 2014 Revision," is an update to the pest management strategic plan published in 2004. Lead authors are Washington State University's Dr. Michelle Moyer and Sally O'Neal. "The report is a really long document designed to show regulators current IPM practices and to doc- ument areas that need additional research for the future," said Moyer. The plan, which identifi es the industry's IPM pri- orities, is also useful when Washington researchers and industry organizations apply for grants because it identifi es research gaps and documents existing practices. In addition to IPM, it examines control measures for new and emerging pests, looks at proto- cols to keep grapevine viruses and diseases out of the state, and discusses mechanization trends, sprayer technologies, and herbicide resistance management. Nuggets But Moyers says the golden nuggets for growers— especially new grape growers— are in the back of the report. That's where current industry practices are found, organized by the life cycle of vines and season calendar. Among the most valuable parts of the report are pesticide tables containing chemicals cur- rently registered in Washington for use on wine grapes. The tables contain WSU efficacy ratings (how well the chemical works on the specifi c pest rated from excellent to poor), resistance potential, impact on benefi cial insects, and other information. —M. Hansen Grape industry honors members T he Washington State Grape Society recognized the industry contribu- tions of three members during its annual meeting held in November in Grandview, Washington. Mike Means, who has served on countless grape industry committees for nearly three decades dealing with issues from clean plants to research to sustain- able viticulture practices, received the 2014 Walter Clore Award for his service to industry. A Midwest native, Means came to Washington State in 1982 to attend graduate school at Washington State University. He studied entomology under Dr. Wyatt Cone, but began work in 1987 in Washington's wine grape industry before fi nishing his degree. He is currently director of vineyard operations for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest wine producer in the state. Means is on his second stint as board member of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, serving the fi rst time from 2000-2009. He chairs the Foundation Block Advisory Group, which advises the Clean Plant Center Northwest, and is a grower representative to the Wine Advisory Committee, a group that reviews and makes recommendations on research and the allocation of research funding. Additionally, Means was appointed by the state agriculture director to serve on the Grapevine Advisory Committee, a group that advises how to distrib- ute funds generated by assessments on grape planting stock. Means is a past member of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, Clean Plant Committee of the Washington Wine Commission, and industry represen- tative to the Northwest Center for Small Fruit Research, headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon. The Jerry Pace family received the 2014 Lloyd H. Porter Grower of the Year Award. Pace grew up in agriculture, helping on his father's asparagus ranch in Sunnyside. During college he held a full time job at Seneca Foods as traffi c manager, scheduling trucks of fruit and vegetables and with a partner started his own company, Apple Valley Trucking. Pace bought his first farm, which was planted in asparagus in 1988 in Sunnyside. Within two years, he took out the asparagus and planted Concord grapes. He continued to add juice and wine grape vineyards to his farm and eventually bought his own harvester and began a custom harvesting business. Today, the farm comprises 140 acres of wine and juice grapes. Pace, who had a passion for being in the dirt, freely shared his farming techniques with others. He died two years ago at the age of 58. His sons, Justin and Jordan, and wife, Kari, have continued the farm and custom harvest business. Sunnyside New Holland received the Distinguished Exhibitor Award. The equipment company has been an exhibitor at the annual meeting since the inception of the outdoor trade show in the mid 1980s and a strong supporter of the association. Lester Schlepp, sales rep- resentative, received the award on behalf of Sunnyside New Holland. —M. Hansen Grape REPORT CARD W ashington State juice grape growers have a new tool to help them assess their sustainable farm- ing practices. It's called the Washington State Juice Grape Sustainability Report Card. Processors, retailers, and consumers are interested in sustainability, a term that has a lot of meanings. Consumers generally associate the term with environ- mental practices, while producers relate it to practices that will sustain their busi- ness for the long term. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has defi ned sustainability for the agricultural community to include the three E's of: —Economics: business must be prof- itable over the long term —Environment: business is a steward of land, air, and water —Social Equity: business enhances the quality of life for producers and their communities. The report card, a workbook pub- lished by Washington State University Extension, was developed and compiled by WSU extension edu- cators and researchers, and juice grape growers and processors. The project was funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. The workbook is set up like a report card and covers seven sections relevant to production, from vineyard and canopy management to nutrient, pest, and irrigation management to pesticide safety and continuing education. Sections have specifi c questions for the grower to answer relating to production practices and activi- ties. Each question has up to four potential responses in a one-to-four rating format, with one being highly sustainable and four being unsustainable. After completing the questions, the grower tallies his or her scores and determines an overall score. Growers can then use the workbook's score interpretation to see how their practices compare to industry averages. The report card is designed to help growers identify where their vineyard operation excels and where improve- ment is needed. An action plan and template can be used to develop a plan and set goals to improve viticultural practices. "This document should be viewed as a production system sustainability assessment tool focused on principles and practices, rather than a tool for mea- suring specifi c outcomes or assessing larger systemic questions of sustainabil- ity," said WSU's Dr. Michelle Moyer, who worked on the project. "We hope the report card will help Washington State growers reach the next level of excellence by identifying areas for improvement under the defi ni- tion of sustainable agricultural production," she said. The document is being distributed free to juice grape growers through their processor and is also available from WSU Extension Publications under the publication number EM085 at www.pubs.wsu.edu. —M. Hansen WA S H I N G T O N S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y E X T E N S I O N • E M 0 8 5 Justin, left, Kari, and Jordan Pace Lester Schlepp Mike Means DOWNLOAD Get a free copy of the Strategic Plan at: http://bit.ly/1yamgIY