Viticulture Program

Viticulture Program Field Day
July 19, 2021
Homestead Prairie Vineyards near Crete, Nebraska

Join us for the first University of Nebraska Viticulture Program (UNVP) sponsored field day in over two years at Homestead Prairie Vineyards near Crete, Nebraska.

WHERE: Homestead Prairie Vineyards owned by the Prokop family located near Crete, Nebraska. Directions: if coming from the north, go south of Crete on Highway 103, turn west (right) on K Road (two miles south of the Smithfield Plant). The vineyard is on the north side of the road 3 miles west of Highway 103. If coming from the south on Highway 103, Road K is 4 miles north of Wilber.

WHEN: Monday, July 19, 2021, with registration and chatting with other attendees at 9:00 a.m. Program begins at 9:30 a.m. There will be an opportunity over the lunch break to interact with our hosts and other attendees to share experiences and insights that go into making this Nebraska grape and wine industry so great.

COST: Registration will be $20.00 for the first attendee from a family or enterprise and $10.00 for each additional participant. Lunch and hand-outs are included in the registration fee. Cost for participants that have not pre-registered is $25. Attendees can pay at the vineyard, but we request that you pre-register so that we can plan for lunches.

Register by email to pread@unl.edu or sgamet@unl.edu or by calling 402-416-9763.

Featured topics include:

• Transitioning trellis systems to High Wire systems. Why? Less labor and easier to employ mechanical harvesting. We’ll see how the Prokop family have approached these changes.
• UNVP Crop Reduction Study. Instituted during the pandemic on two other commercial vineyards, we have used the Frontenac Gris vines in this vineyard, with treatments that included no reduction (Control), 25% reduction and 50% reduction. This research is addressing the question of whether “conventional wisdom” that smaller crops translate into better wine quality applies to our hybrid grape cultivars grown in Nebraska.
• Crop Estimation. Wineries want to know how much crop their suppliers are able to provide and grape growers want to know if projections of yield are accurate. Such estimations help wineries prepare for the harvest season, how many tanks are needed, how many staff are going to be needed, and many other logistical questions can be helped by having an accurate estimation of potential crop yield.
• Mid-summer vineyard management practices. Tucking for VSP, combing for High Wire Cordon, hedging and fruit zone leaf removal are some of the vegetation management issues that will be discussed.
• Timing of leaf removal (if necessary) and cluster thinning timing will be discussed, including the rationale for either practice and whether it is desirable for all cultivars.
• Tissue testing. When is it best done? How should the samples be taken?
• And much more! Bring any questions that you may have including specimens of insect damage, diseased leaf samples, or other issues that you would like addressed.