Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/112023
COVER STORY Mechanizing Vineyard Development Planting machines slow to catch on in West, but new option for ripping could quicken vine development Andrew Adams The latest mechanized planting machines from Clemens Technologies are GPS-guided and can plant up to 15,000 vines per day as well as install stakes and drip lines. T o Cameron Hosmer, owner of Hosmer Winery in New York���s Finger Lakes region, the revelation came when he saw a new vineyard planted in about six hours. ���That was it; I said I���ll never plant by hand again,��� he told Wines & Vines. Hosmer figured the job would have taken three to four days if done by hand, and the rows could have been crooked, with vines placed at varying spacing or depths. But while watching a laser-guided Wagner vine-planting machine, Hosmer liked what he saw so much he bought into the business being run by Ken Whitty. That was in the late 1990s, and Hosmer and Whitty���s business, Benchmark Custom Vineyard Planting, has continued to grow in the years since. During the 2012 planting season, Hosmer said his company planted a little more than 200 acres in several states including Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as New York���s Finger Lakes region. He also purchased a slightly used $75,000 Wagner machine from Germany to meet the demand for planting services. While Hosmer enjoys success with his planting machines, which also have been embraced by the winegrowers of Europe, they have yet to catch on with western growers, who still plant with crews of laborers. ���I can���t figure it out,��� he said. ���If you saw this thing work, you would say: ���Why in the world would you plant by hand?������ Highlights ��� lanting machines are an expensive but fast option in vineyard P development. ��� ew technology can get a field ripped and ready much quicker. N ��� he tight labor market will likely lead to more widespread vineT yard mechanization. 24 W in es & V i ne s M AR C H 20 13