Checking On the Wine Grape Crop

Checking On the Wine Grape Crop

Checking On the Wine Grape Crop. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The cold winter weather we had in November and again in February has vineyard owners wondering what kind of crop this year may hold. Ryan Pennington with the Washington Wine Commission says it’s yet to be seen.

PENNINGTON: You know it remains to be seen still how exactly how the crop is going to rebound from some of the winter damage that occurred right around Thanksgiving. Early estimates were, I think, fairly conservative that the damage was although somewhat sporadic it was fairly extensive.

He says that the delayed spring though may be a benefit for producers.

PENNINGTON: In that the vines while they’re still in a period of relative dormancy can tend to repair themselves from some of the damage that occurs. So we’re giving them a little bit more time to do that before they have to put their energy into producing fruit. The downside to that is of course the longer that they wait to begin the process of bud break and bloom the harder it becomes to get a real accurate estimate of what the crop might be.

There were some areas that did receive significantly more damage than others. But it is still a waiting game.

PENNINGTON: We think that due to some of the fortunate weather we’ve had since the winter events and due to the creative practices of our growers, we’ll actually end up with a crop that is fairly robust given the initial estimates of damage.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network. 

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