Growers have an opportunity through an event powered by two advocacy groups to learn more about precision viticulture technologies.
Precision viticulture is intended to maximize grape yield and quality while minimizing environmental impacts and risk and customizing management for local conditions.
The practice depends on technologies such as GPS, meteorologic and other environmental sensors, satellite and airborne remote sensing, and geographic information systems to assess and respond to variability.
Precision viticulture involves measuring local variation in factors that influence grape yield and quality (soil, topography, microclimate, vine health, etc.) and applying appropriate viticulture management practices (trellis design, pruning, fertilizer application, irrigation, timing of harvest, etc.).
The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) has partnered with the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) to present an intensive one-day event focused on various precision viticulture technology advancements that early adopters have implemented in their vineyards. The ASEV-NGRA Precision Viticulture Demo Day will take place on April 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Salinas Valley, California.
“We’re at the stage in precision viticulture research where vineyards are implementing and showing results,” said Tom Collins, ASEV president. “That’s why we’re excited to partner with NGRA to share research in action with the industry and showcase the technology in practice.”
NGRA President Donnell Brown adds, “We hope Demo Day provides growers with valuable information that can help them make improvements in their own practices. Both NGRA and ASEV value and celebrate research advances to the grape industry and we’re excited with the progress and solutions that are being implemented.”
Showcasing the intersection of science and practice, the event is designed to help growers understand and adopt advances in data-driven farming. Demo Day participants will tour three early-adopting precision viticulture operations in the Salinas Valley and see one of the largest row-crop growers in the U.S. Along the way, cutting-edge precision technology and service providers will conduct in-field demonstrations. Presentations and demonstrations will include:
Scheid Family Wines, Greenfield
Presentation: The Tech-Enabled Vineyard
Demonstration: HeavyConnect, Tule Technologies, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Solutions from Above, BioBest Sustainable Crop Management
Monterey Pacific, Greenfield
Presentation: Balancing Crop Size, Labor and Technology
Demonstration: WeedIt, GUSS (Global Unmanned Spray System), Veris organic carbon/EC sensor, plus proprietary GPS-guided winged ripper and compost injector
Valley Farm Management/Paraiso Vineyards, Soledad
Lunch Presentation: Precision Management: From Field to Workforce
Demonstration: John Deere, Augean Robotics, Naio Technologies, Case New Holland
Tanimura & Antle, Salinas
Veg/Row Crop Precision Ag Demonstrations: Stout Smart Cultivator, Stout Smart Sprayer
Registration includes lunch, post-event reception and bus transportation to all tour stops. For more information and to register, click here. Housing group rate is available through March 22.
ASEV and NGRA each work to support research for the U.S. grape and wine industry. ASEV is a professional society of enologists, viticulturists and scientists in the fields of wine and grape research and production, and NGRA is an industry coalition representing the research priorities of wine, juice, raisins and table grapes nationwide.
Funding for the ASEV-NGRA Precision Viticulture Demo Day is provided by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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