Terry Bates, director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory (CLEREL) and a senior research associate in horticulture, has been granted the first American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) Extension Distinction Award. Bates is being recognized for his leadership in the applied research and extension effort in vineyard mechanization on ‘Concord’ grapes in the Lake Erie region. The award will be presented at the ASEV National Conference in Austin in June.
Because of his research trials, growers now have a new, tested tool – mechanical crop estimation and thinning – to adjust cropping levels to seasonal conditions. Bates also leads the extension effort at CLEREL, which includes a Farm Business management specialist, IPM coordinator, and viticulturist. Ongoing research efforts involve educating the industry on economic impacts, demonstration in commercial vineyards, and dissemination of results to growers. His collaborations have had a nationwide impact as well as a direct economic impact on the Lake Erie region grape producers.