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News from Cornell's Viticulture and Enology Program
December 31, 2014

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RESEARCH FOCUS

Grapevine Leafroll Disease Control: It Pays to Test Neighboring Vines (pdf)
The economics of grapevine leafroll control through vine replacement has a spatial component.  A new model by Shady Atallah and Miguel Gomez demonstrates that testing vines adjacent to those with leafroll symptoms and replacing them if they test positive increases expected net present value by 19%.

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EXTENSION FOCUS

How well did winter bud injury measurements predict the final grape crop?
Cornell Cooperative Extension grape programs estimated midwinter primary bud injury in March, and  surveyed vineyards  in July to estimate cluster counts and potential crop.  Despite significant bud injury, the 2014 crop was only modestly reduced.  Many growers left extra buds, which was a successful strategy in limiting losses from winter injury.

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FACULTY FOCUS

Five Questions for Chrislyn Particka
Chrislyn brings a strong background in horticulture (BS and MS, University of Arkansas, PhD from Michigan State) to her current job as extension support specialist managing the multi-state  Northern Grapes Project.

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STUDENT FOCUS

PhD student puts Cornell’s land grant mission into practice
Lindsay Springer started making wine for fun after earning an MS in Biomaterials Science and Pharmaceutical Science.   Under the direction of Gavin Sacks, she is researching factors that limit the extraction of tannins from grapes into wine – and participating in extension and outreach.

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NEW PUBLICATION

Cost of establishment and Production of Hybrid Grapes in the Finger Lakes Region of New York - 2013
This new bulletin by Cornell economist Miguel Gomez and student Yijia Tang, is the first to focus on hybrid grape varieties.  It follows the format of the series on Cost of Establishment and Production of Vinifera Grapes started by emeritus professor Gerald White in the early 1980s.

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BRIEFS

• USDA Renews Funding for Northern Grapes Project
  The Northern Grapes Project received an additional $2.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative to complete the final two years of the multistate effort, which began in 2011. 

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 IN THE NEWS

• Big Berries Fuel 2014 Concord Harvest
  American Fruit Grower reprinted extension associate Tim Martinson's article about the surprisingly large Concord harvest, originally published in our final Veraison to Harvest newsletter.

• Fact-Checking Some Viticulture Myths
  In his final column for American Fruit Grower, extension associate Hans Walter-Peterson debunks some common popular perceptions about viticulture.

• Meet Aromella, the Newest Finger Lakes Wine (and the grape it is made from)
  Syracuse Post-Standard columnist Don Cazentre reviews the wine from Aromella released by Goose Watch Winery, and explains the grape, a new variety released by Cornell breeder Bruce Reisch in 2013.

• Hans Walter-Peterson Interviewed on WXXI
  WEOS/WXXI public radio host Evan Dawson interviewed Hans Walter-Peterson about the grape harvest on October 10 for the mid-day talk show Connections.
• Cornell Shows Off New Teaching Winery
  "Equipment to teach real-world skills with small-scale equipment" is Wines & Vines writer Linda Jones McKee's description of Cornell's  teaching winery after attending an open house at the new facility in March, 2014.

• Wine Enthusiast magazine names New York 'Wine Region of the Year'
  Citing the region's growth, increasing wine quality, outstanding tourism, and Cornell's research support,  Wine Enthusiast magazine named New York the Wine Region of the year.

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WINTER CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

• BEV-NY, an annual conference featuring Business, Enology and Viticulture will take place February 26-28, 2015, at the RIT Conference Center in Rochester, NY. 

• 2015 Lake Erie Grape Growers Conference will be held March 16 at the SUNY-Fredonia Conference Center.  For more detailed information: http://lergp.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=164

• Eastern Winery Exposition is partnering with the Northern Grapes Project to present the 4th annual Northern Grapes Symposium, March 18, in Syracuse, NY.

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FEATURED VIDEO

• Find out how we measure midwinter grapevine bud hardiness in this video produced by the Finger Lakes Grape Program.

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