Kent State University at Ashtabula’s viticulture and enology degree programs were recently awarded a $180,000 grant from the Ohio Grape Industries Committee for a pair of research projects to be conducted over the next two years.
Kent State Ashtabula is partnering with the Ashtabula Agricultural Research Station (AARS), a division of the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, to conduct the projects at Markko Vineyard in Conneaut, Ohio.
“We have been offering the wine degrees for over 10 years and have become increasingly involved in the Ohio industry,” said Lori Lee, senior special assistant and viticulture and enology program liaison. “This grant is an opportunity to further strengthen our involvement with the industry by working with the AARS and producing innovative applied research that will help Ohio’s wineries remain competitive.”
Lee, Kent State Ashtabula wine degrees lead faculty Ed Trebets and AARS research specialist and station manager Andrew Kirk are the principal investigators.