Grape Education Program
Grape Education Program. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.
The Latino Ag Education Program has celebrated it 10th anniversary with a graduation event in Prosser. Vicky Scharlau, executive director for the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers gives us some background.
SCHARLAU: The Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, as a membership organization, we got together and reach out to both the Grandview campus of Yakima Valley College and the Wenatchee Valley College to put together a program that was actually based on the program that Wenatchee Valley had developed over 25 years ago for the tree fruit industry.
She talks about the curriculum of the program.
SCHARLAU: The whole focus is on viticulture but it talks about and includes the relevant science and technology, some applicable English terms, math uses in the vineyard. It goes through life situations, supervisory skills, basic computer skills, all the things; all the tools that somebody who works in the vineyard or is a manager or supervisor would need to know as they grow as a person but also grow their responsibility with their employer.
For the first time in program history the program saw significant female participation and in fact graduated their first all-female class.
SCHARLAU: They've now graduated and are available to take the level two class next year.
That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.
