By Wini

December 30, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this

This will probably not encourage new growers. The application says: “It is mandatory for an applicant to provide a… clear route for the grapes to be put into the production chain (e.g. have an established winery or contract between grower and winery.” What winery would want to contract for grapes with an unproven grower for a product three years away? And what vineyard would want to make such an investment in time and money without a contract? On the other hand, let’s assume you’re an existing successful winery with your own vineyard. You’ve already got the tractor, equipment, chemicals, maybe posts and wire. So you buy some plants and get handed $3,000 an acre. What this program does do is create some busy work for OSU… reviewing applications, “approving” sites that are already in areas of established plantings, and field trip “vineyard assessments.” I see it as a handout to existing players and a waste of taxpayer money. I hope the results of the application process will be available to the public so we can see what percentage of the money is actually going to new vineyards.

By Barry

December 29, 2009 11:12 PM | Link to this

I would rather spend government money to help businesses grow (and then employ more people) then waste it on welfare (you might as well take that money and give it to the drug dealers and skip the middleman). Of course I would far rather the government not spend it at all and let me keep it myself, but since that won’t happen this is a tiny step in the right direction

By Ron

December 29, 2009 8:59 PM | Link to this

Two words: vineyard welfare. The majority of this money will likely end up in the pockets of existing wineries to subsidize the expansion of their plantings. New growers are not about to step up en masse until they can be reasonably assured of making a living. Unless and until penurious Ohio wineries start paying growers more for quality viticulture and quality grapes, this money will be wasted.