We know it: you know your vines the best. No program, no computer, can understand them better. It’s a truth, and we embrace it. But why do we then develop technology that collects and crunches numbers about vineyards?
Well, ask our customers, among whom many are true masters of winegrowing, why they use numbers in combination with their senses. The answer is simple, using data in the right way is like a 7th sense and an additional memory for the growers – and it helps you understand your vines even better.
Today, the environment is way different than it was years ago. There are weather stations installed all around, and satellites are measuring different parameters from Space. Winegrowing as an industry is transforming: there is more emphasis on quality, as well as much more control over the whole process of farming. You need to document what you do and get audited every once in a while.
And by documenting your activities, no matter how punctual you are, data about your work is being generated. You may use it to get audited, or in case if you receive certain farming subventions.
If you really want to grow better grapes year by year, you probably noticed that keeping information of how your seasons are happening, and what you do when is useful for you, too. The weather stations and satellites are generating data as well, all of the time. Weather stations tell you how much rainfall there was, while satellite data can tell you how the vegetation is progressing – or lacking.
If you have a number of workers, doing certain manual jobs, you probably need to track how well they are performing. And again, you are creating data – and use it, probably for payroll calculations.
All that data was not there years ago. But it is here today, and it actually is very overlapping. Just think: does it depend whether there was plenty of rainfall when you are deciding what to do? Does it depend, which pesticide you used prior to the rainfall? Does it depend in which growth stage your vines are when you are deciding what your next steps are?
Software tools can take all this data to one place. Even more, they can automate the collection of some of this data – and save you from hours of entering it in spreadsheets or paper. They can connect your data, and give you insights why things are happening the way they are – to help you see the big picture.
eVineyard monitors the weather, the forecasts, and soil moisture for you. It can generate your work records for you – and notify you when something doesn’t fit. It allows you to see what costs you how much, help you plan how long certain work is going to take, and generally give you insight into what is happening with your grape production – on any level you want.
And with such tools, you can get that extra fine touch. Save at least 10 working hours each month, of work you don’t like to do anyway (sitting in the office). Grow better grapes. And make smarter decisions about your field-work. In today’s competitive environment, this is a great tool to get your bottles to the prime shelves – equipped with the medals – season after season.
