Pinot Grigio really makes a white wine and it is gained just a few varieties in California that, uh, is a reasonably frequent selection that really we make purple grapes that make a white wine. So my identify is Dirk Heuvel and I am the VP of winery operations right here at McManis household vineyards.
My household really type of set roots right here, really farming almonds. And a few individuals say almonds, we are saying in Ripon, and we are saying, say, almonds.
I really feel like, if it was like my dad or my grandpa making an attempt to undertake this expertise, completely. I feel there’d be an enormous tradition shock there for them. I nonetheless suppose they do not fairly perceive it, however they’re seeing the outcomes of it. So I feel that is crucial factor—that we’re in a position to present them that it’s working and the way it’s working for us.
I’ll say at present, I really feel that we’re rising higher high quality grapes than we have been 30 years in the past. Simply adapting quite a lot of this aerial imagery, trendy irrigation expertise, working drip system expertise, you recognize, having the ability to fertilize via drip techniques. And you’ll really have a look at the imaging in your telephone and you may really pinpoint exit and stroll to a selected vine. , that is perhaps a vine that died, that reveals up on the aerial imaging. You should use the expertise and, and stroll proper into a selected space. Simply having the ability to determine areas, you recognize, utilizing GPS. We are able to have discipline checkers undergo the sphere now and on their app, they’re in a position to really drop and pinpoint the place we’d have mite points the place we’d have, you recognize, leafhopper points, areas that must get handled. And that really permits us to undergo and simply cite particular deal with. As an alternative of treating a complete winery block, we’re in a position to simply deal with particular areas.
Jennifer: It was solely what like 5, seven years in the past, it was half of farm employees weren’t utilizing smartphones.
Dirk Heuvel: Yeah.
Jennifer: So, if persons are dropping pins that’s…
Dirk Heuvel: Yeah. , 30 years in the past, as a way to make a telephone name, you’d need to drive in a, in a city or go to your home to name your irrigator to do stuff. And now it is, that is nearly, it is like actual time farming. Now we will make selections on the fly. And one of many large benefits to utilizing variable charge purposes is that you just’re solely making use of the quantity of vitamins or amendments which can be wanted for a selected space. So earlier than we tailored this variable charge expertise, we might drive down a row and we’d put a constant quantity of amendments, whether or not or not it’s gypsum, lime, soil, sulfur, we might apply that quantity evenly all through the complete winery block. Now we notice going via and utilizing this variable charge expertise is that we’d minimize the, the amendments which can be wanted by 20 to 30% on a selected winery block, simply by making use of the proper quantities of vitamins the place they’re wanted and never overlying the place they are not wanted
