N.Y. grape growers vote W

摘要

By a narrow margin, New York grape growers rejected a proposal to create a statewide assessment to fund research that would support the wine and juice grape industries. The proposed Research Order aimed to raise about $300,000 annually from the state's $53 million a year grape harvest, to be awarded to research projects by a board of growers and processors. The New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the New York State Wine Grape Growers and the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Inc. backed the effort."While we are understandably disappointed in the results, we are by no means done with our quest to work with the grape and wine industry to create a self-funded and self-directed pool of funds available to support the industry's research needs," foundation executivedirector Sam Filler said in a statement on the results. He told Good Fruit Grower that they plan to revisit this issue of industry funding after harvest by discussing more options with growers, such as regional or grape specific approaches, or even a voluntary program.