09/09/05 Vineyard owner says neighbor ruined crop

Dick Dickstein is asking farmers, especially those in southwestern Idaho to be aware of small grape vineyards like his. The wine and table grape vineyards have sprouted up everywhere from Glenns Ferry to Parma and up into Fruitland and Gem County. Dickstein's Parma Ridge Vineyard won't have any grapes worth harvesting because of farm chemical drifting over from his neighbor's wheat field. DICKSTEIN "He's been very good up till this year waiting for the wind to blow the other way and using a non volatile 2-4-D. This year he couldn't get what he wanted so he used what they had, sprayed when the wind was blowing right at the vineyard." He says 80 percent of the grapes were destroyed. Dickstein estimates the loss at 250 thousand dollars on his 9 and a half acres where he's growing six different wine grape varieties. DICKSTEIN "They're recover is somewhere between two to five years. Its depends on how hard they were hit." Idaho Table Grape Association president Elias is urging grape growers and their neighbors to start talking now about ways that problems like this one can be prevented. Idaho will get two of 111 Rural Development loans and grants that help support rural communities. 108 thousand dollars will finance a feasibility study in Clearwater County as well as to prepare a Regional Economic Development Action Plan in Valley County. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott