Week of 6/20/22
This week took Mingla and I on a 4 hour road trip to Western New York to visit Chautauqua County 4-H and the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory (CLEREL).
Day 1
We stopped at a local spot in Jamestown, NY for lunch, then headed to the CCE offices. There, we had a meeting with the executive director and the lead educator. We discussed our concept for the curriculum and how it could be implemented within the county. I gained a lot of valuable information about how the individual counties operate within specific regions and the whole of New York. After the meeting, the staff showed us around and explained the intensive preparation for the upcoming county fair. I have never experienced a county fair in real life, only heard of the concept through films like Charlotte’s Web. It was cool to learn about the categories, see the ribbons, and imagine how a viticulture project could be included in the future.
Day 2
The next morning we traveled to CLEREL to meet with Terry Bates, the head of the research team. At their facility, we received a tour of their vineyards and equipment. I learned about integrated pest management and precision agriculture. Being in a physical space that fostered education about grapes and the industry was inspiring and got me thinking about how I could integrate this cutting edge knowledge into the project. We then drove a couple miles down the road, surrounded by vineyards, to the Grape Discovery Center. The Grape Discovery Center is a non-profit organization that offers products, tastings, and an educational exhibit on grapes. The Lake Erie region is the main site of Concord grape production, which is the type used for grape juice. At the center, we met with board member and Penn State professor Bob Green, who showed us around and taught us more about the history of grapes in the region. Their educational materials were amazing. Establishing local resources like CLEREL and the Grape Discovery Center that youth can access in the future is important. To spark their interest in the industry, it is helpful to provide exposure: to feel the vines and to taste the fruit. We departed Western New York, our minds enriched and stomach full of grapes.
