Hans Walter-Peterson

Team Leader, Viticulture Extension Specialist

CCE Yates County
417 Liberty Street
Suite 1024
Penn Yan, NY 14527

phone 315-536-5134
cell 315-521-8789
fax 315-536-5117
email Hans

Areas of Interest
Vineyard nutrition, canopy management, soils, vineyard mechanization, grower & winery relations

My program focuses on providing information to growers on viticultural practices such as vineyard site selection and establishment, selection of grape varieties, rootstocks, and training systems, canopy and crop load management, soils, vineyard nutrition and water management, and improving vineyard management efficiency. I am also working with Cornell's extension enologists to help grape growers and winemakers better understand each others' issues in order to improve working relations between the two groups. 

FLGP Virtual Tailgate Meeting

June 9, 2020
4:30 - 6:00 PM

Join FLGP viticulturist Hans Walter-Peterson (and the occasional guest speaker) for any or all of this year's Tailgate Meetings, held every other Tuesday afternoon during the 2020 growing season, starting on June 9 and ending on August 18.

Extension Answers Questions from the Field

June 16, 2020
4:30 - 5:30 PM

Regional viticulture extension staff will answer grower questions about what's been happening in the field and all things viticulture.

Register at: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAuf--tpjgiGdQdY3QLFP1g2FHWDfxCbkkp

FLGP Virtual Tailgate Meeting

June 23, 2020
4:30 - 6:00 PM

Join FLGP viticulturist Hans Walter-Peterson (and the occasional guest speaker) for any or all of this year's Tailgate Meetings, held every other Tuesday afternoon during the 2020 growing season, starting on June 9 and ending on August 18.

State Guidance for Farms Regarding COVID-19

New York state has released official guidance specific to farms addressing COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus). You can find the document titled "Interim Guidance for Prevention and Response of COVID-19 at Farms" at this link: https://agriculture.ny.gov/interim-guidance-prevention-and-response-covid-19-farms. The document covers: cleaning and disinfection, face coverings, social distancing, high-risk locations, coordination with local health departments, employee health screening, quarantine/isolation, and farm-provided employee housing.

A companion document is a helpful checklist for farms to be sure they have covered every required item: https://agriculture.ny.gov/covid-19-operator-checklist-farms.

Also included is a tipsheet intended for farm workers (https://agriculture.ny.gov/covid-19-prevention-tips-farmworkers). This document is presently in English but should be available in more languages soon, and I recommend that you distribute it to all employees. Please carefully read the last section of the document titled "Empower Yourself," this section informs workers about how to file complaints. Make sure that your business is in full compliance with all federal and state COVID-19-related sick leave and paid family leave requirements and that you are communicating this information to employees, see this post (https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/2020/04/01/covid-19-employee-leave-and-farm-employers/) for more information.

Virtual Viticulture in 2020

Because of the current restrictions on public gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our grower meetings have transitioned to an online format. Take a look at the Calendar of Events (http://flgp.cce.cornell.edu/events.php) for information on dates, speakers and topics. The FLGP's Tailgate Meetings will have 0.75 pesticide credits available when they begin (see the Calendar of Events for our schedule). The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program's weekly Coffee Pot meetings, held every Wednesday, are eligible for 1 NY and 1 PA pesticide credit.