The Growing Grapes in Wyoming Symposium in Sheridan is the first event of a three-year effort to provide specialized education for cultivating grapes in Wyoming.
The event is Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20-21, at the University of Wyoming’s Sheridan Research and Extension Center, 1090 Dome Loop, near Sheridan College.
The symposium will focus on the management of grapes at the end of the growing season into harvest, according to Jeremiah Vardiman, University of Wyoming Extension educator.
“Through these educational events, the first goal is to capture and share knowledge gained from research conducted by the University of Wyoming research centers,” he said. “The second goal is to connect grape enthusiasts and growers with professional viticulturalists. The third goal is to increase grape yields in Wyoming and hopefully expand cultivation of grapes. And the last goal is to provide some knowledge and skills in post-harvest processing to support entrepreneurs.”
Food entrepreneurs who hope to sell their goods to restaurants, farmers markets and other institutions can now learn about the best food safety practices at the University of Wyoming Extensionâs upcoming training sessions, happening from March 2 to March 4.
âWe know that a lot of people are thinking of being an entrepreneur within food production, and we want them to do it as well as they can,â said Cole Ehmke, the workshop organizer and university specialist in agricultural entrepreneurship and personal finance. âMost people donât have a background in food science, and so they may not know some of the risks. Thatâs what these trainings are all about.â