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In the News - August 2008
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| (Photos by Kat Robinson) BETTER TIMES - Joseph Post inspects his grape crop. The crop is a great improvement from last year. |
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| JUICY CLUMP - A cluster of grapes waits for picking in an Altus, Ark. field. |
ALTUS, Ark. - It's nearly harvest time in Arkansas' grape country and this year, there will be a substantial amount of grapes and muscadines to bring in from the field.
In 2007, Joseph Post with Post Winery in Altus, said around 90 percent of the grape crop and 40 percent of the muscadine crop were lost.
Growers saw "three consecutive freezes culminating on Easter Sunday. It resulted in a really light harvest," Post said. "It didn't affect the muscadines as severely."
Dr. M. Elena Garcia, extension horticulturist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, says an early spring made the effects of last year's freeze worse.
"This freeze came after record warm temperatures in March (according to NOAA, it was the warmest March on record). The plants were very advanced in their growth and were not able to survive the below freezing temperatures."
Post says his family is thankful the freeze didn't do more damage. "Luckily the vines came back," he says. "Now, we did have damage that we didn't anticipate or discover until we started pruning this year."
This year, there's an entirely different situation in the vineyards. It appears the crop is a bit late.
"We usually start harvesting the last week of July or the first week of August," said Post. "This year, I think we may be about a week behind."
Post added, "We harvest through the month of September, and we're generally finished by the second week of October. It's about a two and a half month harvest."
Garcia said that once again, the weather is to blame.
"This year, we had a late spring. Temperatures didn't begin to warm up until April. Plants respond to heat unit accumulations. When the heat units aren't present, then growth in the spring is delayed. On the other hand, last year the plants received all the heat units necessary to begin growth in the spring by mid March in the Fayetteville area, earlier in warmer areas."
Later growth is one thing. How about the overabundance of rain in the River Valley this year?
"It depends on where the plants are planted," says Garcia. "We tell growers that site selection is one of the most important aspects of a successful orchard. Most plants don't like to have ‘wet feet' because they need free oxygen to carry on respiration. In addition, there are root diseases associated with ‘wet feet,' such as Phytophthora (root or crown rot) that seem to be more prevalent this year due to the wet soil conditions in the spring and early summer."
Will that affect the taste of the grapes this year?
"If we continue with this heat, most fruit will have lower sugars because the carbohydrates are used in plant respiration," says Garcia. "However, I haven't heard any comments yet on poor fruit quality."
Quality is something the Post Familie looks for, long before the harvesting crew makes it to each row in the vineyard.
"There's testing done in the field before each type of grape is harvested - a taste test to make sure the grapes are good and ready to go," says Post.
Post says irrigation wasn't much of a problem in May and June, thanks to the plentiful rains. "We've had just unbelievable amounts of rain.
"When you are eating grapes, you are consuming a lot of water. There are certain times during fruit development when water is imperative. Right now, most growers are irrigating to get final fruit size and maintain fruit quality."
In other areas of the country, record high grape prices are being reported. Nat DiBuduo, the president of Allied Grape Growers in Fresno, Calif., says many farmers there are seeing the highest prices offered in a seven-year period.
Garcia says that might affect the price of Arkansas wines, but probably not by much.
"Production costs are rising everywhere, mostly because of oil prices. In addition to driving the machinery through the orchard, the synthetic nitrogen and many pesticides use a lot of energy to be produced. I would expect wines to go up in price. However, local wines have less to travel, reducing the transportation costs."
So never fear, your favorite Arkansas vintages should make it to market without a lot of trouble this year. That's a huge relief for the Post Familie and other Altus-area winemakers.
To learn more about horticulture, contact your local extension agent or go to www.uaex.edu. The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
August 15, 2008By Kat Robinson
For the Cooperative Extension Service
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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