(LEXINGTON, Okla. – March 24, 2014) Oklahoma State University recently published the Oklahoma Vineyard Management Workbook (E-1035), which provides vineyard managers a means of evaluating the completeness of addressing all areas of vineyard management.

The workbook is a four-year collaborative effort by former OSU fruit and pecan specialist Dr. Eric Stafne and now associate extension professor of fruit crops at Mississippi State University and administrative director of the National Grape Community of Practice, and George and Jane Ingels, owners of Ingels Vineyard in Norman, Okla., and longtime members of the Oklahoma Grape Industry Council.

The publication is similar to ones published in California, New York and Missouri but is specific to Oklahoma. To accommodate all stages of vineyard development, the publication is divided into three sections: "Establishing the Vineyard," "The Young Vineyard" and "The Producing Vineyard.”

Although the publication is primarily a self-evaluation document and not a text, more than 100 areas of management are covered, including websites and supplemental information.

By evaluating their vineyard, managers will be awarded certification in OSU’s Vineyard Management Program.

Publication costs were covered by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry - Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; however, the workbook is being sold for $5 with all monies collected going toward the printing of a second edition.

To obtain a copy, contact University Mailing Services, by sending a request to Jana Snow, 120 Agriculture North, Stillwater, OK 74078; by emailing jana.snow@okstate.edu; or calling 405-744-9926.

“The Oklahoma Grape and Wine Industry has greatly benefited from projects like this one sponsored by Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry,” said Susan Boehrer, OGIC president.

The OGIC is comprised of more than 200 small businesses adding value to Oklahoma through rural economic development, specialty crop agriculture, agritourism and quality of life enhancement. OGIC strongly supports the use of this workbook to improve the quality of Oklahoma’s more than 300 acres of commercial grape vineyards.

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Contact:

Susan Boehrer
President, Oklahoma Grape Industry Council
405-426-7070 cell | grapes@OGIC.info