VineBalance Grower Participation
As of early June 2008, 75 growers have completed the self-assessment workbook through our outreach, and an additional 22 have purchased the workbook on their own.
The 75 growers manage a total of 6,560 acres.
By region, the 75 growers include:
- 32 in the Finger Lakes Region (2,156 acres),
- 27 in the Lake Erie Region (3,854 acres),
- 10 from Long Island (499 acres), and
- 6 from the Hudson Valley (51 acres).
Twenty-three of the 75 participating growers have developed an action plan, and these action plans detail a total of 445 specific proposed practice modifications (about 13 per action plan). These practice modifications include:
- the safe storage and handling of fertilizers and pesticides (33% of the practices listed in their action plans),
- monitoring and improving soil health (17%), and
- increasing spray deposition and reducing drift (5%).
Forty-eight of the 445 proposed actions have been complete by the growers, and this number should steadily increase as growers reach and pass the one year post-action plan development mark.
Our goal for 2008 is to have 100 growers participating in VineBalance by the end of the year.