Grape expectations
Corn and soybeans have long been the staples of Iowa agriculture.
But grapes - and the wine into which they are rendered - are a rapidly growing component, according to Mike White, a viticulturalist with Iowa State University.
White spoke Thursday at the Farm News Ag Show, a two-day event that brought together agricultural experts and vendors at Iowa Central Community College's Career Education Building.
According to White, the Iowa wine industry has grown explosively over the past seven years.
"When I got into this in 2000, Iowa wasn't even on the radar," he said.
Indeed, White became an Iowa State viticulture specialist largely by "nature of demand," said Jim Patton, education director for Iowa State University's Webster County Extension Office. As interest in grape-growing increased, so too did requests from the university for information, Patton said.
At present, Iowa ranks 14th in the nation in the number of licensed wineries and 23rd in grape production, White said.
The growth in the wine industry hearkens back to pre-Prohibition days, during which Iowa was among the top grape-growing states in the nation, White said.
At present, there are 74 licensed wineries in Iowa, up from less than 20 in 1999, White said.
More than 400 vineyards grace all but a few of Iowa's 99 counties, he said.
On average, an acre of grapes yields three and a half tons of fruit, according to White.
A ton of grapes can sell for $500 or more for the grower and produce 150 gallons of wine, most of which sells for between $9 and $16 per bottle, he said.
In other words, there is a great deal of money to be made - a fact that is not lost on a growing cadre of agricultural entrepreneurs, according to White.
"This industry is bringing people back into Iowa," said White, highlighting tales of the next generation of farmers establishing vineyards on the family plot.
Wine production brings tax and tourist revenue into the state, which assesses a $1.75-per-gallon tax on wholesale wine sales, he said.
Establishment and expansion of "wine trails," which are publicized routes that direct aficionados to different wineries, have brought increasing awareness of Iowa's wine industry, White said.
"For every dollar spent at a winery, another dollar is spent locally on gas, hotel rooms and the like," White said.
Wineries are also outlets for other locally produced goods such as foods and crafts, White said.
"The wine business is half wine, half tourism," he said.
Though potentially lucrative, the wine business is no cake walk, White said.
"I don't want you walking out of here thinking this is easy stuff," he said.
Establishing a vineyard requires thousands of dollars in investment, White said.
Though new varieties of grapes are increasingly resilient, growing them is labor-intensive. Each acre of grapes requires at least 200 hours of labor per growing season, he said.
A low-end winery will cost at least $500,000; a top-of-the-line facility costs between $2 to $3 million dollars, White said.
Still, for those willing and able to establish themselves, the wine business has the possibility for a large payoff, he said.
"A winery is a pipeline from the cities to the country with discretionary money going through it," White said.