Oklahoma

Oklahomans who are in search of information regarding wine grapes, fruit or nut crops can turn to the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service for answers.

Eric Stafne recently came aboard the faculty at OSU as the Extension and research specialist for fruit and nut crops.

Stafne's main responsibilities will include developing programs dealing with pecans, grapes, particularly wine grapes, and peaches. He also will provide service information requests for other fruit crops that are grown commercially in the state.

"I'm very excited to be here at OSU," Stafne said. "Right now I'm doing a lot of grower visits and trying to meet people and learn about the various state organizations. This job is very interesting because of its diversity."

The wine grape production industry continues to gain popularity in Oklahoma and Stafne is looking forward to working with producers.

"There's a lot of excitement in the grape industry. Acreages are increasing and right now there are at least 500 acres devoted to grape production in Oklahoma," he said.

He said he believes the industry is growing because Oklahoma has a good climate for grape growing and because of changes made by the legislature. Producers now can bottle and sell their own wine, as well as distribute it through liquor stores, which makes the business more profitable.

Stafne also will be working in grape research at the research facility near Perkins. He will be doing root stock, trellising and cultivar trials.

"We're still learning which varieties of grapes are best and we' re looking to expand our research," he said.

In addition to his research work with grapes, peaches and pecans, Stafne will be looking into expanding his research into other fruit crops such as blueberries and blackberries.

Along with his research appointment, Stafne also will be teaching two short courses starting next year. The Grape Management Course runs March through October and the Pecan Management Course will meet February through October. Both courses meet monthly and discuss insects and disease, management, cultural management and other aspects related to grape and pecan production.