Job

Viticulture Outreach Technician (Grant Funded through June 30, 2019)
Surry Community College
630 South Main Street
Dobson, NC 27017

Closing Date: December 31, 2018

Outreach position to educate NC grape growers on high-quality grape production. The position will also participate in industry promotion and research/special projects.

This position is grant funded until June 30, 2019.

The Viticulture Outreach Technician will be responsible for communicating with growers and industry groups, arranging commercial vineyard site visits, assessing viticultural issues and providing best management recommendations, and organizing themed educational workshops. The technician will serve on the Bunch and Muscadine Grape Teams.

Responsibilities include:

  • Communicate with growers via email and telephone.
  • Visit commercial vineyards, discuss issues and possible remediation strategies, and prepare a site visit report.
  • Create and disseminate a monthly viticulture newsletter.
  • Attend NC Winegrowers, NC Muscadine Growers, NC Wine and Grape Council, and Bunch and Muscadine Grape Team meetings.
  • Host four educational workshops per year at locations throughout the state.
  • Possess a thorough understanding of muscadine and bunch grape production systems including:
  • Vineyard design
  • Scion and rootstock selection
  • Soil fertility and nutrient monitoring
  • Irrigation systems
  • Trellising systems
  • Pruning
  • Vine training
  • Disease/insect management and records
  • Equipment and machinery operation
  • Cover crops and vineyard floor maintenance
  • Vertebrate pest controls
  • Canopy management: shoot positioning, leaf thinning, cluster thinning, hedging
  • Crop yield estimates
  • Harvest assessments and contracts

For more information, please contact Brenda Byrd: