See the table and documents below for information, reports and presentations on research and extension projects that have been funded by the Wine & Grape Council.

 2009 Research Funded

 2003-2009 Research Funded

Business Models specific to Wine grapes and Wineries:

• Economics of Wine Production in Virginia 1998
• A Virtual Winery Model
• Bruce Zoecklein's Virginia Tech winemaking website (look under "Extension Publications" for excellent resources)

Other Resources:

The following list of resources is provided by the N.C. Wine & Grape Council to guide those looking for loans, grants or information regarding financial aspects of starting a vineyard and/or winery in North Carolina.

• N.C. Dept of Agriculture, Agribusiness Development  Ron Fish, ron.fish@ncmail.net or (919) 733-7887
• USDA Rural Development Division offers business and cooperative programs including Value-Added Producer Grants.  VAPG may be used for planning activities and for working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures. For assistance, contact Bruce Pleasant, Business Programs Specialist, at 919-873-2031 or email bruce.pleasant@nc.usda.gov.
• Small Business and Technology Development Center
  (800) 258-0862. A counseling service with regional offices.
• Small Business Center Network within the local community college system 
  offers counseling, training & resources
• Business ServiCenter, N.C. Department of Commerce
  (800) 228-8443 or (919) 807-4280 works with individuals to determine needs, permits, options, employee regulations and provides further resources.
• Self-Help Credit Union (offices throughout NC) Low interest or high-risk loans for small businesses. Environmental Lending Initiative: A non-profit development bank supporting sustainable agricultural activities. Fred Broadwell, (800) 476-7428. 
• Small Business Administration - Charlotte (800) 827-5722
• N.C. Rural Economic Development Center's microlending program
• Good Work  in Durham (919) 682-8473
• Farmers Tax Guide - IRS Annual Publication (800) 829-1040
• Golden LEAF Foundation is a possible source of grant funds available to non-profit and government organizations. 
• Tobacco Trust Fund Commission at (919) 733-2160
• Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA of Pittsboro offers a producer cost-share grant program.  Scott Marlow is the director of farm sustainability at (919) 542-1396. They offer free assistance in putting together a loan package or restructuring debt.
• North Carolina Agricultural Finance Authority - Frank Bordeaux - (919) 790-3949. Primarily a lender of last resort, they require that a company be turned down by at least two commercial lenders. They do have other programs that may be helpful, depending on the specifics of your situation.
• The N.C. Department of Commerce offers two grant programs: Tourism Matching Funds and Rural Tourism Development Grants for tourism projects. Contact Teresa Watts at (919) 733-7502.

Grant Programs

• USDA/CSREES Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program provides funding for integrated, multifunctional agricultural research, extension, and education activities. Funding is announced through a separate Request for Applications (RFA) for each program.
• On-Farm Research These projects are similar to the Producer Grant Program which focuses on projects that promote sustainable agriculture and produce information that many farmers can use. These On-farm Research proposals are for research conducted by extension, NRCS or NGO personnel who currently work with farmers and ranchers. In this On-farm Research program at least farmer/rancher cooperators must be involved in the project from planning through implementation and outreach. Project funding maximum: $15,000.
• Environmental Education Grants (EPA) The Grant Program sponsored by EPA's Office of Environmental Education supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. Since 1992, EPA has received between $2 and $3 million in grant funding per year and has awarded about 1,700 grants. The EPA is soliciting applications for projects to design, demonstrate or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques, including assessment of environmental conditions and specific environmental issues. Details on the program and how to make submissions are available.
• Soils and Soil Biology United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.
• Watershed Processes and Water Resources United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program. 
• Value-Added Products Research - Non-Food Characterization/Process/Product Research United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program
• Managed Ecosystems United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.
• Program for Ecosystem Research (PER) United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER)

Insurance Coverage

The Department of Insurance (NCDOI) has a Market Assistance Program (MAP) established in the mid-eighties when commercial coverage was difficult to find. Anyone having difficulty finding commercial coverage should contact the MAP and see if it knows of carriers that may be willing to write the coverage.

Keep in mind though, that MAP attempts to respond to the availability issue. It does not speak to affordability. There are two types of companies that provide insurance coverage:

• Licensed companies, whose policyholders are covered by the NC Guaranteed Association in the event a licensed company became insolvent
• Surplus Line Coverage (SLC) companies. If the SLC Company were to become insolvent, there would be no protection for its policyholders, under the Guaranty Association.

If you are having a problem finding coverage, please call the NCDOI’s Market Assistance Program at (919) 807- 6750 or (800) 546-5664 for assistance.

Jeff Bloodworth, Private Grape Breeder

Bloodworth breeds grapes through cross pollination and seedling propagation. The objective of the grape breeding program is to produce commercially acceptable cultivars that fall into four categories:

• Muscadine grapes, primarily for the fresh market
• Muscadine-like hybrid grapes improved by incorporating bunch grape characteristics
• Bunch-type seedless grapes
• Bunch-type wine grapes. Bloodworth maintains and breeds more than one thousand grape cultivars.

Contact: N.C. Grape Breeding Program
2311 Hermitage Rd.
Hillsborough, NC 27278
 grapjb@mindspring.com

Dan Carroll, Enologist, Food Science, NCSU

Dr. Carroll has research, extension and teaching responsibilities in the Food Science Department. Research interests include:

• Processing factors affecting the composition and quality of fruit and vegetable product
• New product and process development
• Enological research involving grapes adapted to N.C. growing conditions.
  
  

Contact: Department of Food Science 

Box 7624, NCSU

Raleigh, NC 27695-7624
(919) 513-2095.

Bill Cline, Researcher and Extension Specialist, Plant Pathology, NCSU

Mr. Cline is responsible for investigating diseases of small fruit crops at the Horticultural Crops Research Station, Castle Hayne, and conducts research on muscadine grapes in the department of Plant Pathology at NCSU. Current efforts include checking cultivars for disease resistance, and establishing new test fields at Castle Hayne for use in evaluating fungicides and cultural practices to enhance disease control.

Contact: Horticultural Crops Research Station

3800 Castle Hayne Road

Castle Hayne, NC 28429

(910) 675-2314

bill_cline@ncsu.edu

C. Mike Mainland, Professor, Horticulture, NCSU

Dr. Mainland works with cultural practices of muscadine grapes at the Horticultural Crops Research Station, Castle Hayne. New trellising and training procedures using recently released cultivars is the current area of cultural research. The goal is to improve the quality and marketability of muscadine grapes for the fresh market. W. Terry Bland, also at Castle Hayne, assumed responsibility for muscadine grape extension programs in February 1995.

Contact: Horticultural Crops Research Station

3800 Castle Hayne Road

Castle Hayne, NC 28429

(910) 675-2314

mike_mainland@ncsu.edu, terry_bland@ncsu.edu.

David Monks, Associate Professor, Horticulture, NCSU

Dr. Monks has extension and research responsibilities for weed management in vegetable and small fruit (blueberry, bramble, grape, and strawberry) crops. Research interests include weed/crop competition, weed ecology, weed management in no-till and conventional vegetables and herbicide efficacy, residue and carryover studies. Research interests also include developing alternative methods (i.e. living mulch) to herbicides for weed management.

Contact: Department of Horticultural Science

Box 7609, NCSU

Raleigh, NC 27695-7609

(919) 515-5370

david_monks@ncsu.edu

 

E. Barclay Poling, Professor and Small Fruit Extension Specialist, Horticulture, NCSU

Dr. Poling has extension and research responsibilities for small fruit crops, with emphasis on strawberry environmental physiology and cultural research and Muscadine grapes.

Contact: Department of Horticultural Science

Box 7609, NCSU

Raleigh, NC 27695-7609

 (919) 515-119

barclay_poling@ncsu.edu

Turner Sutton, Professor of Plant Pathology, NCSU

Dr. Sutton has extension and research responsibilities for plant pathology, and is currently surveying diseases on grapes in North Carolina.

Contact: Department of Plant Pathology

Room 200 1320 Varsity Drive, NCSU

Raleigh, NC 27695-7616

(919) 515-6823

turner_sutton@ncsu.edu

Tony Wolf, Associate Professor and Viticulturist, Virginia Tech

Dr. Wolf is responsible for the state-wide direction of grape research and extension efforts. Extension programs disseminate research-based recommendations defined by Virginia's growing conditions. His primary goals are to improve grape quality and increase vineyard productivity.

Contact: Virginia Cooperative Extension

595 Laurel Grove Rd.

Winchester, VA 22602

(540) 869-2560

vitis@vt.edu

N.C. State University Reference Information, (919) 515-2011 or visit NCSU Regional Experts List  for technical experts.

Other Academic Resource Contacts:

• Jim Ballington, PhD, Director - NCSU Small Fruit Center, Department of Horticultural Science, Box 7609, NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609, (919) 515-1214, Fax (919) 515-2505, jim_ballington@ncsu.edu
• Terry Bland, Muscadine Extension, Horticultural Crops Research Station, 3800 Castle Hayne Road, Castle Hayne, NC 28429, (910) 675-2314, Fax (910) 675-0242, terry_bland@ncsu.edu  
• Terry Garwood, NCSU Extension Agent -- Northwest District, Dobson, NC 27017, (336) 401-8025, terry_garwood@ncsu.edu
• Tom Monaco, PhD, Department Head, Horticultural Science, Box 7609, NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609, Work (919) 515-1187, Fax (919) 515-2505, tom_monaco@ncsu.edu
• David Ritchie, PhD, Professor of Plant Pathology, NCSU Box 7616, Raleigh, NC 27695-7616, david_ritchie@ncsu.edu
• Ken Sorensen, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Entomology, NCSU, kenneth_sorensen@ncsu.edu
• Bruce Zoecklein, PhD, VA Tech, Food Science., Blacksburg, VA 24061, Work (540) 231-5325, Fax (540) 231-9293, bzoeckle@vt.edu     

Electronic Newsletters

• N.C. State University publishes Grape Advisory that distributes industry announcements and timely muscadine and bunch grape production advice. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: almanac@ces.ncsu.edu and in the text write: subscribe grape-mg.
• Dr. Tony Wolf, Viticulturist at Virginia Tech, publishes a bimonthly technical electronic newsletter VCE-Grapenews a.k.a. Vineyard Notes. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: listserv@listserv.vt.edu. Do not include a subject statement. Put one line of text in the body of the message: subscribe vce-grapenews your name. Use your actual name for "your name." Dr. Wolf also posts several useful publications at the Virginia Tech website. This site includes useful vineyard economics and site selection papers.
• Dr. Bruce Zoecklein, Enologist at Virginia Tech, published Vintner's Corner and back issues are posted online.  Click on "Vintner's Corner" under "Industry Pubs."
• Current and back issues of Vineyard & Vintage View from Southern Missouri State University are available online.

Discussion Groups

• An e-mail discussion group northcarolinagrapes is administered by Dan Strickland, a North Carolina grape grower. To subscribe: send an e-mail message to: northcarolinagrapes-subscribe@egroups.com. You will receive instructions for posting your questions or comments to the entire group.
• An e-mail discussion group called virginiawine is administered by Chrysalis Vineyards, a Virginia winery. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: winegrowers-request@virginiawine.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject field. Then to send a message to the list, e-mail the message to winegrowers@virginiawine.com.

Note: When you subscribe to the above two newsletter groups, all traffic from the groups will be received at your e-mailbox. Some people are surprised at how much e-mail a group generated.