By Kaury Balcom, Wine Science Center

RICHLAND, Wash. – A free talk about using sensors and digital mapping to track vineyard health will be offered 4:15-5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Washington State University Wine Science Center, 359 University Dr., Richland.

To register, visit http://doodle.com/poll/9qdczfgeqe2brcpz or call 509-372-7224. For more information, contact Kaury Balcom, 509-372-7223 or kaury.balcom@wsu.edu, or Michelle Moyer, 509-786-9234 or michelle.moyer@wsu.edu.

Terry Bates, director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab, will discuss using sensors in the vineyard to gather measurements of soil, crop and canopy conditions. These can be used to identify weaknesses and enhance the ability to predict crop size, yield and quality across an entire vineyard.

Bates is a national leader in juice grape research and extension. His efforts focus on understanding how the environment affects vine productivity and how to adapt practices in the vineyard to improve farm efficiency and profitability.

The free event is part of the Ravenholt Lecture Series, which brings grape industry professionals to WSU to share their research and professional perspective. The series is made possible through an endowment from the Albert R. Ravenholt Foundation.

News media contacts:
Michelle Moyer, WSU viticulture extension, 509-786-9234, michelle.moyer@wsu.edu
Kaury Balcom, WSU viticulture and enology, 509-572-5540, kaury.balcom@wsu.edu