2024 Michigan grape spring kick-off meeting: Preparing for the growing season

Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar<nasroll2@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - April 08, 2024

Experts will share insights on vineyard health, weather, pest control, organic practices and more. Register now (in-person or virtual) to gain knowledge, network and taste wines!

Promotional graphic — Photo by Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension.

Winegrape growers and producers across Michigan are invited to join the hybrid (in-person or virtual) 2024 Statewide Michigan Grape Spring Kickoff on April 19, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center, 6686 S Center Hwy, Traverse City, MI 49684. Hosted by Parallel 45 Vines & Wines and Michigan State University Extension, this event serves as a crucial opportunity for vineyards and wineries to prepare, adjust and adopt new practices as they kick off the growing season.

Agenda

8:00 a.m. Registration Desk Opens

Moderator: Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension

9:00 – 9:55 a.m. A Holistic Approach to Vine Health, Production and Longevity in a Vineyard System, Fritz Westover, Westover Viticulture

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Weather summary and forecast, Jeffrey Andresen, MSU Department of Geography

10:35 – 11:05 a.m. Understanding and Enhancing Grapevine Cold Resilience, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension

11:05 – 11:15 a.m. Coffee Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. Grape Pricing Survey Results + trends in grape purchase contracts (Panel discussion), Tony Jacobson, P45

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:35 – 2:10 p.m. Protecting berries against insect pests, from bloom to harvest, Rufus Isaacs, MSU

2:15 – 3:10 p.m. Panel discussion on Converting to Organic, Derrick Vogel, Folklor Wine & Cider

3:15 – 3:55 p.m. Satellite and Machine Learning-based vineyard monitoring: Soil, Maturity, Disease, Matthew Homyak, Deep Planet

4:00 – 4:40 p.m. Tannin Management, Aude Watrelot, Iowa State

4:45 – 5:30 p.m. Educational wine tasting, P45

Registration

Registration is open for the 2024 Statewide Grape Spring Kickoff, a hybrid event. Virtual attendees will receive a Zoom link to the meeting upon registration.

Three Michigan restricted use pesticide applicator recertification credits for private and commercial fruit (1C) will be available for in-person attendees.

For questions or more information, please contact Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension viticulture educator, at nasroll2@msu.edu.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).