Crop Development Sampling
It is critical to properly monitor and assess fruit maturity characteristics to make the appropriate management, harvesting, and winemaking decisions to produce the best quality grapes and wine possible. The first step to assess ripeness and quality is to take a proper sample that best represents the actual ripeness stage of the cultivar in that block of the vineyard.
Crop Management
The goal of most grape growers is to produce high quality grapes for wine. For making the best wine, the highest quality grapes are often the most mature and uniform. In today’s quality driven marketplace, the best fruit will command the highest prices and the greatest demand.
Pick Me! Pick Me!
Mastering Marketing - May 2019You have a quality product. You’ve identified your target customers and crafted your promotional materials for that audience. But, consumers have so many buying outlets and product options, how can you convince them to them to choose yours? It’s a crowded marketplace out there.
Nitrogen Fertilization in the Vineyard
The annual goal in the established vineyard is to have the vines fill their allotted trellis space, top out vegetative growth just above the top wire at veraison, and produce a crop that is in balance with the vegetative vigor. Regretfully high water availability and high nitrogen (N) content of Mid-Atlantic soils typically leads to excess vigor and extended vegetative growth.
Brand Voice—Make It Speak Loudly
You’ve worked hard to have a timely and attractive website. You have a distinctive logo and promotional materials. Your social media marketing plan for the season is in place. Your products or services are top quality and will be available in sufficient supplies. You’re all ready for a great sales season. But do customers know your brand?
Early Season Insect Management: Flea Beetles
Identification and BiologyGrape Flea beetles, Altica spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), are small (4-5 mm), oval shaped, metallic blue-purple beetles that jump when disturbed.Grape flea beetles overwinter as adults and become active on warm April days when grape buds begin to swell. Adult beetles are most numerous following mild winters.
Early Season Insect Management: Climbing Cutworms
This general term applies to the larvae (caterpillars) of a large number of butterfly/moth species (Lepidoptera) in the noctuid family that feed on buds, young shoots and leaves. Cutworm damage most commonly occurs in vineyards with weeds under the trellis or mulch, and in sandy or light colored soils.
Ho, Ho, Ho—Handling Crabby Customers this Holiday Season
Mastering Marketing - November 2018Unreasonable customers are always a pain, but they're especially prevalent and stressful during the holiday shopping rush. To help you cope with difficult shoppers this holiday season, consider these seven tips from customer-service experts.
Making the Most of Your Time — Be Effective
Mastering Marketing - May 2018In the opening session of a recent Annie’s Project Class I coordinated, we addressed the topic “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Farm Women.” It was a take-off modeled on Steven Covey’s (1992) book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” In his book, Covey highlights the seven habits of great managers.
Market Season-Ready, Set, Sell
Mastering Marketing - April 2018Despite the colder temps and slow start to the growing season, farmers markets, roadside stands and on-farm markets, need to get ready for sunnier days and the first flush of customers looking for fresh local produce, fruits, and other locally produced foods.
Balanced Pruning 2: Timing
Timely Viticulture Update: February 26, 2018Pruning a vine causes it to deacclimate similarly to a warm spell, so do not prune (especially very sensitive varieties) when you know you will experience very serious cold shortly afterwards.
Maryland’s Expanding Value-added and Craft Movement
Mastering Marketing - February 2018I attended this year’s “Maryland’s Best Expo” organized by the Maryland Department of Agriculture to highlight Maryland products to a wide variety of buyers. This year’s offerings featured value-added products from at least three - quarters of the attending exhibitors.
Matching Products to Customer Appetites in 2018
Mastering Marketing - January 2018Every December I enjoy reading food trend predictions for the coming year from a variety of sources such as the Specialty Foods Association, the American Restaurant Association, Packer magazine, and a host of foodie blogs.
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