A citizen science project engaged wine industry professionals in challenging the long-held belief that low yields are required for production of high-quality wine. Strategies emerged for the planning and implementation of projects involving industry members as citizen scientists. Keys to success included factors related to industry inclusion, planning, coordination, and communication. Direct industry involvement in the research project strengthened industry–university relationships and led to the adoption of new production practices that had been difficult to bring about prior to facilitation of industry members\u27 firsthand experimentation

Skinkis, Patricia A.

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

Journal of Extension Volume 57 Number 4 Article 20 8-1-2019 Participatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards Patricia A. Skinkis Oregon State University Recommended Citation Skinkis, P. A. (2019). Participatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards. Journal of Extension, 57(4). Retrieved from https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol57/iss4/20 This Ideas at Work is brought to you for free and open access by TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. August 2019Volume 57Number 4Article # 4IAW1Ideas at WorkParticipatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoptionof Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production StandardsAbstractA citizen science project engaged wine industry professionals in challenging the long-held belief that low yieldsare required for production of high-quality wine. Strategies emerged for the planning and implementation ofprojects involving industry members as citizen scientists. Keys to success included factors related to industryinclusion, planning, coordination, and communication. Direct industry involvement in the research projectstrengthened industry–university relationships and led to the adoption of new production practices that hadbeen difficult to bring about prior to facilitation of industry members' firsthand experimentation.Keywords: integrated research and extension, citizen science, viticulture, enology, wine businessIntroductionIt is wine industry tradition to strive for low vineyard yields and vine stress to improve wine quality, and thisfarming philosophy is boasted in the marketing of premium wine (Matthews, 2015). Accordingly, manyOregon wine grape producers use low yield targets to ensure quality (Uzes & Skinkis, 2016), yet studiesindicate that cropping levels could be higher and quality maintained (Reeve, Skinkis, Vance, Lee, & Tarara,2016; Reeve, Skinkis, Vance, McLaughlin et al., 2018). Understanding the yield–quality relationship ischallenging as it involves interactions among vineyard characteristics, management practices, productiongoals, and marketing elements. Such complex issues are not suited to traditional studies that address asingle hypothesis (Hinkey, Ellenberg, & Kessler, 2005). Rather, large-scale collaborations can address theseissues with practical and actionable outcomes. Agricultural producers desire engagement with universityresearch teams (Franz, Piercy, Donaldson, Westbrook, & Richard, 2010), but faculty view engaged researchas risky because of its nontraditional nature (Hinkey et al., 2005). However, engaged research projects cangenerate robust data from limited research funds (Salmon et al., 2008). Furthermore, as land-grantPatricia A. SkinkisViticulture ExtensionSpecialist andProfessorDepartment ofHorticultureOregon Wine ResearchInstituteOregon StateUniversityCorvallis, OregonPatricia.Skinkis@oregonstate.eduuniversities strategize to meet community needs, faculty are encouraged to engage industry throughinnovative projects that lead to research-based adoption (Blewett, Keim, Leser, & Jones, 2008).Project OverviewTo challenge the "low yield equals high quality" paradigm in Oregon's wine grape industry, I led a researchteam that developed the Statewide Crop Load Project, a long-term regional project in which we involvedindustry members and researchers to address two questions: (a) What yield levels ensure quality wine? and(b) How does vineyard and season affect those limits? We engaged industry members in fruit-thinning trialsat their vineyards and wineries. Collaborators collected production data and submitted fruit and wine toOregon State University for analysis. From 2012 to 2018, 25 companies in western Oregon participated in thestudy. Fourteen collaborators participated for 3 years or more, and five were involved from the project'sstart. Including industry members on the research team allowed for information transfer and generated alarge data set. Our research team analyzed vineyard and winery data to develop yield guidelines based onvine productivity measures, fruit composition, and wine sensory results.Project Design and ImplementationAccording to stakeholders, the Statewide Crop Load Project has been one of the most important researchprojects for the wine industry because it fostered relationships between industry and university andempowered producers to observe research results firsthand. Here I outline project development tips for thoseinterested in engaging industry citizen scientists in research.The Planning ProcessListen. The planning process began with a 15-member advisory group (80% industry and 20% academics),2 years prior to project initiation. The group developed the project design and protocols.Design. Statistical design addressed the practical limitations of the vineyard and collaborator time. Cluster-thinning treatments were applied to whole vine rows for ease of application. We used a randomized blockdesign but recognized that a completely randomized design would be confusing for collaborators. Wecompromised with treatments ordered at random for the first block and repeated in that order for theremaining blocks. Most growers replicated the trial in more than three blocks. We required thatcollaborators collect data from only three field replications due to time and labor constraints. Vineyard staffcollected data from a subset of vines per plot and returned to these vines for all data and all years.Direct. Protocols existed for every step in the process, including experimental block selection, design,implementation, data collection, fruit sampling, and wine production. Each data set had its own protocol,with terminology and sampling strategy clearly defined. Data collection sheets and electronic data entryfiles were provided.Implementation of the ProjectTrain. Collaborators were trained on the basics of scientific research, the need for experimental design,replication, and precise data collection.Ideas at WorkParticipatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards JOE 57(4)©2019 Extension Journal Inc. 1Communicate. I sent out monthly emails to collaborators with project updates, reminders, and helpful tipsfor data collection. A faculty research assistant communicated directly with collaborators as needed. It wasimportant to know each company's communication wishes, as each had its own policies. Collaboratorcontacts changed frequently, and annual updates were required to maintain communications.Assist. Industry collaborators are busy running their businesses, so we facilitated their project work byproviding data collection forms, digital scales, prelabeled sample bags, printed protocols, and online accessto protocols, and we arranged for sample pickup.Report. We gathered at an annual collaborator meeting to discuss research results, obtain feedback, anddevelop next steps. I provided each collaborator with a binder of data from all sites (anonymized) andprovided each company its individual code. I presented composite results and explained how to understandthe research results (e.g., analysis of variance tables, difference between means, error bars, etc.). We alsoprovided other reports and seminars throughout the year.Collaborator Successes as Citizen ScientistsThe majority of companies (79%) were successful in following protocols and meeting deadlines. I outlinebelow the requirements for participation and traits of successful participants.Willingness to cooperate. I held a recruitment period each spring. Because participation was voluntary, ourability to evaluate crop levels under a wider diversity of vineyard conditions was limited.Sufficient acreage. Companies needed enough acreage so that the project would not use a significantportion of their total production. Experimental blocks of 1–3 ac were required for producing wines at aminimum of 1.5 tn for each crop level.Winery affiliation. Estate vineyards with associated wineries had the highest success rate. Vineyards notaffiliated with a winery and/or those with very large production facilities struggled to produce researchwines.Sufficient staff. Data collection required significant time and resources, and I communicated thatcircumstance to all applicants. Companies that dropped out of the study did not anticipate theserequirements.ConclusionsOur team was able to generate multiyear, multisite data to develop yield management guidelines for theOregon wine industry by engaging citizen scientists. Success required a strategic approach to planning,understanding of producer needs (Nicholas & Hinckley, 2011), coordination, and communication to the extentthat is often challenging for citizen science research (Blair, Fortson, Anderson, & Strauss, 2018). Directindustry involvement increased awareness of scientifically tested yield metrics and led to increased yieldsbefore the publication of quantitative scientific research. Through coordination and communication, our teamproved that motivated industry members are successful citizen scientist partners for researchers seeking toaddress complex production issues. Industry engagement was a vital step in achieving industry adoption ofIdeas at WorkParticipatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards JOE 57(4)©2019 Extension Journal Inc. 2practices that challenge tradition.AcknowledgmentsThe Oregon Wine Board, Oregon Wine Research Institute, and American Vineyard Foundation providedfunding. Faculty research assistants Amelia White (2016–2018), Michael Kennedy (2013–2015), and KelliWhisenhunt (2012) provided technical support. The project included the following collaborators: AdelsheimVineyard, Airlie Winery, Archery Summit Winery, Atlas Vineyard Management, A to Z Wineworks/Rex Hill,Bethel Heights Vineyard, Chehalem Wines, Cristom Vineyards, Dion Vineyard, Domaine Droughin-Oregon,Domaine Serene, Duck Pond Cellars, Forest Hills Farms, Jackson Family Wines, Johan Vineyards, Ken WrightCellars, Lemelson Vineyards, Results Partners, Van Duzer Vineyards, Willakenzie Estate Winery, WinemakersInvestment Properties/Precept Wines, and Winter's Hill Winery.ReferencesBlair, R. B., Fortson, L., Anderson, A., & Strauss, A. (2018). Recommendations for the creation of a center forcitizen science. Journal of Extension, 56(4), Article 4FEA4. Available at:https://joe.org/joe/2018august/a4.phpBlewett, T. J., Keim, A., Leser, J., & Jones, L. (2008). Defining a transformational education model for theengaged university. Journal of Extension, 46(3), Article 3COM1. Available at:http://www.joe.org/joe/2008june/comm1.phpFranz, N. K., Piercy, F., Donaldson, J., Westbrook, J., & Richard, R. (2010). Farmer, agent, and specialistperspectives on preferences for learning among today's farmers. Journal of Extension, 48(3), Article 3RIB1.Available at: https://www.joe.org/joe/2010june/rb1.phpHinkey, L. M., Ellenberg, K. T., & Kessler, B. (2005). Strategies for engaging scientists in collaborativeprocesses. Journal of Extension, 43(1), Article 1FEA3. Available at:http://www.joe.org/joe/2005february/a3.phpMatthews, M. A. (2015). Terroir and other myths of winegrowing. Davis, California: University of CaliforniaPress.Nicholas, K. A., & Hinckley, E. S. (2011). Conducting research on private farms and ranches: Approaches,issues, and tips. Journal of Extension, 49(6), Article 6TOT1. Available at:https://joe.org/joe/2011december/tt11.phpReeve, A. L., Skinkis, P. A., Vance, A. J., Lee, J., & Tarara, J. M. (2016). Vineyard floor managementinfluences 'Pinot noir' vine growth and productivity more than cluster thinning. HortScience, 51(10), 1233–1244.Reeve, A. L., Skinkis, P. A., Vance, A. J., McLaughlin, K. R., Tomasino, E., Lee, J., & Tarara, J. (2018).Vineyard floor management and cluster thinning inconsistently affect 'Pinot noir' crop load, berrycomposition, and wine quality. HortScience, 53(3), 318–328.Salmon, T. P., Faber, B., Bender G., Shaw, D., Kowalski, V. J., & Berentsen, A. (2008). Volunteerresearchers: Moving beyond cooperators. Journal of Extension, 46(2), Article 2FEA7. Available at:Ideas at WorkParticipatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards JOE 57(4)©2019 Extension Journal Inc. 3https://joe.org/joe/2008april/a7.phpUzes, D. M., & Skinkis, P. A. (2016). Factors influencing yield management of Pinot Noir vineyards in Oregon.Journal of Extension, 54(3), Article 3RIB5. Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2016june/rb5.phpCopyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become theproperty of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use ineducational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematiclarge-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal EditorialOffice, joe-ed@joe.org.If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical SupportIdeas at WorkParticipatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards JOE 57(4)©2019 Extension Journal Inc. 4

Participatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards

https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1399&context=joe

Participatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Clemson University: TigerPrints