August 17, 2018
CapitalPress.com
15
Judkins family dedicated to cultivating clean grapevines
versity of California-Davis.
“Our certified vines are only
a generation or two away from
foundation-sourced cuttings in-
dexed as disease free and true
to type,” Kevin said.
WSU scientists and Wash-
ington State Department of
By DIANNA TROYER
For the Capital Press
Inland Desert Nursery, the
Pacific Northwest’s largest
grapevine nursery, took root
five decades ago with a teenag-
er’s knack for growing vines in
southern Washington.
For his high school FFA
project in Prosser, Tom C.
Judkins Jr. learned to cultivate
vines of Concord grapes, prized
for juice and jelly.
“I learned the techniques in
the early ’60s, then started the
nursery in 1968,” said Judkins,
72, who retired a few years ago.
“The growth of the business
all along was due to providing
what clients wanted. If some-
one asked for something, we
did our best to provide it.”
As the business near Benton
City evolved, Judkins blended
time-tested growing techniques
with the latest technology. In
the mid-1970s, the nursery be-
came distinguished for supply-
ing disease-free vines through
a certification program with
Washington State University’s
Clean Plant Center. Judkins
worked with the late Walter
Clore, a researcher hailed as the
“Father of Washington Wine,”
who oversaw the program.
Judkins’ business philoso-
phy focused on excellence.
“Patient investment in qual-
ity and the long-term view pay
Agriculture inspectors visit the
nursery regularly to conduct
tests and ensure the vines are
as reliable as when they left the
foundation.
Trends in the wine industry
shift.
“For about five years in
Washington, there was a big
push for the reds, especially
Cabernet Sauvignon and Sir-
ah,” Kevin said. “Now, we’re
seeing a shift toward Pinot
noir. Whatever growers need,
we usually have it or try to
get it.”
Inland Desert Nursery
From left, Jerry, Kevin and Tom Judkins, with his grandson, have
been raising disease-free grapevines for decades.
off for years and years — not
just for a season,” he said.
He attributes the nursery’s
vast growth in the past decade
to his sons, Kevin and Jerry,
who uphold those ideals.
“They’ve really taken it to
the next level,” Judkins said.
Kevin, general manager, su-
pervises 70 full-time employ-
ees who grow more than 500
grapevine varieties and clones,
mostly for the wine industry.
From a 150-acre field nurs-
ery and eight greenhouses, they
harvest 3 million field-grown
and green-potted vines an-
nually to supply commercial
vineyards throughout North
America. The nursery provides
about 75 percent of certified
new vines planted annually in
Washington.
Inland Desert Nursery’s
most recent distinction is be-
coming a licensee of propri-
etary French clonal grapevines.
“There are only five licens-
ees in the United States,” Kevin
said of the program affiliated
with France’s most respected
grapevine research institutions.
In the winter of 2017 and
earlier this year, 19 French
selections were planted at the
nursery. Vines will be available
next year.
“Clients have been request-
ing the clones, so we wanted
to keep up with changes in
the industry and accommodate
their needs,” Kevin said. “We
also do proprietary grafting to
accommodate different grow-
ers’ needs specific to their vine-
yards.”
Besides the Clean Plant
Center at WSU, the nursery is
also affiliated with the Founda-
tion Plant Services at the Uni-
Nursery
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