Post 13. Trellis and Contractors

Hi All,

This post will be about some aspects of viticulture over here in California that I found interesting enough to comment on. I'll start with trellis. All new blocks that have been installed by the company in the last couple of years, and going forward, have the same trellis design (see below).

Trellis post in young vineyard, North Canyon

Cabernet in Napa, note same end post style and spread out fruit zone

The trellis is made up of four foliage wires permanently fixed to the horizontal bars attached to the posts and one permanent foliage wire positioned about 200 mm above the cordon wire (see photos). These wires stay fixed, contractors will move through the blocks and tuck shoots into them, whereas we generally move our wires to achieve the same result. During the training of the young vines they are sometimes trained along a 10mm re bar which will stay there for the life of the vineyard, but they have also top tied to a foliage wire. Year one the shoot is tipped at the cordon wire. Year two, two laterals are chosen and trained along the cordon wire. trained along, not wound around, as we do in Australia. Pruning after year two growth consists of using a max tapener gun and taping the canes to the cordon wire, not winding and zip tieing. This allows the following seasons growth to grow sideways away from the cordon wire. This sideways growth establishes spurs that are at 45 degrees or greater from the cordon which spreads the fruit out and eliminates (nearly) all bunch on bunch touching. This principle is behind the pruning decisions made in Cluny C2 in Coonawarra, but it is extremely difficult to convert a conventional, vertical spur position to an angled spur position configuration on an old cordon. Also, by tucking the growing canes, the cordons don't fall off the wire. I like it for several reasons:

1. The fruit is spread out not only vertically but laterally as well, giving each bunch its own space
2. Airflow seems to be improved as the canopy is not pressed together 
3. This method would suit larger bunch varieties such as Shiraz and Merlot, and white varieties prone to botrytis.
4. Reduced passes from dropping and raising wires

A drawback is the higher cost of creating the trellis. horizontal "bars" would need to be created and installed but tucking the shoots would cost the same as a wire lift pass, and i'm told most of the shoots grow between the wire anyway. Another unknown for me is how it handles machinery passes, especially a barrel pruner. I'll have to ask.

When vines are planted button drippers in blind tube is used to combat the iron bacteria problem, rather than inline dripper tube which is the norm in Australian vineyards. The vineyards in the central valley with iron bacteria issues do not use in line drippers as once they are blocked the tube is close to useless. Instead they use blind tube and insert button drippers between the vines as part of the installation. When the vine is planted a small length of spaghetti tube is used to get the water to the rootling. after a couple of years the spaghetti is removed and the dripper drips between the vines where the roots are.

Rootling watered via tube attaches to dripper

Not sure about this. If dosing systems work then dripper shouldn't get blocked. Is the cost of inline drip tube greater than installing blind tube then installing the drippers? The drippers, and labour to replace them continuously, are seen as disposable and a "cost of doing business". To me this isn't a solution.

Another interesting aspect of the viticulture industry over here is the conditions the contractors work under, not only in vineyards but on all farms in California. Under Californian labour laws each group of workers must be allowed shade, cool water, clean male and female toilets, water to wash their hands (hygeinic conditions) and ice available (not sure if this is law but ice is supplied to all workers). A list of conditions under which the crews work must be displayed at all times for the workers to refer to. If any of the above conditions is not met severe penalties are imposed. A contractor supervisor was telling me about a company that was fined for having a small amount of paper on the floor of one of their toilets. Photos are below of the solutions contracting companies have employed to provide for their workers. The company in the first photo below has bought old school busses and use them to take the crews out to the fields. The buses stay with the group to provide the shade. Note, the toilets each bus tows behind them.

Old school buses with toilets

Humpy used at North Canyon. Water tub on right holds water, tub on left holds ice

Workers rights and labour laws displayed

Information on wages posted on board on toilet

The supervisor of the crew at North Canyon spends about half his time checking the quality of work, and half running around after the crew, shifting toilets, getting them drinks, making sure there is ice available. These rights were won by an American born Mexican farm worker called Cesar Chavez. There is a national day named after him. Inspections are regular and thorough, so I'm told. The crews work 6 days per week, 6 - 4. What I find interesting is the obligation of the comfort of the crews is on the employer, not the employee as in Australia. The crew at North Canyon have two toilet "blocks" with them at all times, one at each end of the row they are working. The contrast between what the company does for their contract labour force in America and those in Australia is huge. Could there be productivity gains for Australian contractor crews if our obligations were similar? I'll hold my judgement until I see some more crews in action.

Bye

Scott