Sonoma Winegrowers Reach for On-farm Efficiency

Wine grape growers in California’s iconic Sonoma County are using partnerships to adopt new technologies to achieve maximum efficiency in their operations.

A growers’ group has launched several initiatives in the past year, including a five-year pact with Wilbur-Ellis to use SoilOptix gamma ray readers to plan soil amendments and cover crops for seven farms with unique soil and climate characteristics.

Growers are also working with a platform called Agrology, which has a carbon sensor that can be put in the canopy to measure real-time water-holding capacity and soil temperature.

“Wilbur-Ellis will really prescribe what cover crop to plant, when to fertilize and when to irrigate,” with strategies specific to each vineyard, Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) President Karissa Kruse said. “They are able to map throughout the county. Hopefully we can create a case study model.”

The group also heavily courted John Deere, and the company sent its leadership team to Sonoma County last summer. As a result, six farms in the county are piloting Deere’s Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System to save on crop protection materials.

Smart Apply is an add-on kit for air-blast sprayers that are towed behind a John Deere tractor, and the company says it can reduce the potential for chemical drift and help decrease the amount of product being applied.

“They have an increased focus on high-value specialty crops,” Kruse told Farm Press. “They have been side by side and shoulder to shoulder with us as they learn how to work with wine grape growers. They have been amazing.”

Farm of the Future

The partnerships are part of an SCW-led initiative called Farm of the Future, the goals for which include:

• Ongoing development of sustainable farming practices
• Recognizing soil variability and optimizing efficient use of irrigation, amendments and nutrients
• A targeted approach to addressing soil and vine nutrition and health
• Development of site-specific crop goals
• Increasing soil water-holding capacity and nutrient cycling and improving overall vineyard longevity

The project was inspired by SCW’s partnership with Ford Pro, which outfitted three vineyards with F-150 Lightning electric pickups and accessories in 2022 to promote use of the vehicles in agriculture. Two of the three operations are still using the vehicles, Kruse said.

SCW has long been all in on sustainability in agriculture, persuading most vineyards in the county to become certified by third-party organizations as having environmentally sound practices.

“We have to go on the offensive and think about how we farm,” Kruse said, adding that innovative technology can prolong the life of vineyards.

“We need to figure out how to do more with less and how to reduce our use of resources,” she said.

She said the organization hopes to put out about a half-dozen case studies that examine return-on-investment for new technology.

“We’re trying to get as much learning and case studies to help farmers get the very best out of their money,” Kruse said.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

It is encouraging to see collaborations of this nature all focused on similar overarching goals. In this instance, the anticipated outcomes are to reduce costs, improve efficiency and create more sustainability. Very bold and ambitious goals indeed. It brings together a somewhat disparate group of companies. SCW should be proud and excited about hopefully creating a better future for their members. There is little doubt in my mind that the effort will pay big dividends. Speaking of big dividends – be sure to promote AgPack® to your farm/ranch customers. It is a program that offers exclusive rebates and discounts that could save farmers/ranchers in excess of $30,000. Also, be on the lookout for some news about some exciting new AgPack® partners coming soon!