New York Wine & Grape Foundation, partners to conduct vineyard study starting next year

PENN YAN, N.Y. — The Penn Yan–based New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is partnering with Agency 29 to lead a statewide vineyard-survey initiative.

Ag Access and Deep Planet will also partner with NYWGF and Agency 29 on this collaborative effort.

The proposed survey will address an industry need for a wide range of accurate information about new acreage, bearing acreage, non-bearing acreage, varieties, tonnage, average price, and data by growing region.

NYWGF works to promote the image of New York grapes and wines to “responsibly benefit” farmers, producers, and consumers through innovative marketing, research, communication, and advocacy. Agency 29 describes itself as a brand-building firm with offices in Rochester and Geneva.

Ag Access conducts agricultural market research through a research-logistics process and its Ag Access insights community, per the announcement. Ag Access is headquartered in Steelville, Missouri, per its LinkedIn page.

Deep Planet — headquartered in London, England — is a global Agri Tech startup using machine learning and satellite imagery to help the wine industry adapt to climate change. The company has a U.S. office in Alameda, California, per its website.

“This historic collaborative effort is designed to accurately document New York State’s grape acreage,” Sam Filler, executive director of NYWGF, said in a Tuesday news release. “Each of our partners brings unmatched expertise in different areas, and we are confident that will result in an invaluable report for our community. It is critical to the industry’s continued strategic growth that stakeholders have this data to inform planting, investment, research, and marketing decisions. We are proud to champion this process for all New York growers.”

This survey will gather data in 2024 and 2025 with the goal of ensuring an “accurate and consistent” record of acreage and grape varietals grown throughout New York state. The intention is for the survey to continue into the future beyond these two years.

“We’re thrilled to work with NYWGF and grape growers from across the state to develop this critical information,” Maureen Ballatori, founder and CEO of Agency 29, said in the release. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Deep Planet, who will use satellite data to provide a statewide scan to identify all vineyards, and Ag Access to conduct the agricultural market research through a proven research logistics process.”