The Washington state wine industry has spoken — and mechanization and precision viticulture is now a top priority for research supported by the state’s Wine Commission. Several research projects are now underway to help wine grape growers deal with increased labor costs and a shortage of skilled workers. This is a shift from a historical focus on pest management and cultural practices, driven solely by industry input. The Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program was established in the early 1980s to bring funding stability to viticulture and enology research conducted by Washington State University scientists. Originally, the program was […]