By Doug Fabbioli
I like to say that making great wines is a team sport, but I recognize that some of the people that make the difference are not really on the team. At Fabbioli Cellars, we have a team of five to seven people that work the vines. Some help in the kitchen on the weekends, some help with bottling or at other vineyards. But I have learned that there are a lot of other support positions that make a difference as well.
When you have a farm, you have a lot of equipment, and unfortunately equipment will occasionally break down. We are constantly repairing and doing maintenance here on the farm, but sometimes you need an expert. Let me introduce you to the people in the parts department. Oftentimes, I find myself diagnosing the problem with the help of the parts person either over the phone or at the counter looking at a parts explosion diagram on a computer screen. If the problem is out in the vineyard we look for help from a horticulturist or extension agent. If we can identify a disease or deficiency in the vineyard in a timely basis, we can address the problem and keep the grapes on track for the season without losing the crop.
This season, the person bringing help to our vineyards is Tyler Richards, owner/operator of Skyhound, a drone spraying service. I met Tyler about 2 years ago when he was using his drones for construction surveys and tracking services for hunters. We talked a bit about our vineyard needs and he started to do some research. Last season he started off experimenting with a new drone and a few other growers and myself to help with our fungicide needs. I have a vineyard that we were able to split and test the effectiveness of his new technology. We sprayed 1/2 of the vineyard throughout the season with the drone and the other 1/2 with a conventional tractor and sprayer. The results were similar. Now this was an easy test because it was a low disease pressure year. But we were satisfied with the results.
This season Tyler is working more of my vines with higher disease pressure and I am intermixing drone spraying with my conventional sprayer. We have one section with some disease showing and this is providing a good test for the drone to control the disease. Droplet size, volume of water and speed of the machine are some of the adjustments that can be made to find the most effective coverage for the plant. His patience and professionalism make it so we can move quickly toward success.
As a farmer, the last thing I want to do is lose my crop. But we need to put the time and effort into improving our practices in order to stay in business. This kind of collaborating effort, learning for ourselves and others, hopefully improving practices, and innovation through hands-on efforts is exciting and rewarding but it’s also a bit scary and frustrating as well.
Drone technology may not be the answer to all of our problems, but it has a place here and it will continue to evolve as we address the challenges of farming and technology.
As we continue to adapt labor practices, soil treatments and plant varieties, the technologies will be need to be updated regularly. We have been farming since, as a species, we decided to stay in one place. We have learned a lot over the last 10,000+ years or so and I look forward to learning more.
Well…I guess that is something to contemplate as you sit on the porch this summer with a well grown glass of local wine!
About the Author: Farmer, winemaker, entrepreneur, educator, and leader, Doug Fabbioli has been accelerating the growth and quality of Virginia’s wine industry since 1997. With his wife Colleen, Doug is the owner/operator of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. He is the founder and director of The New Ag School, which focuses on teaching the next generation of farmers and agriculture-related leaders. No wonder they call Doug Fabbioli the Godfather of DC’s Wine Country.