Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/437909
54 Wines&Vines January 2015 grapegrowing contract details and vineyard detail for estate vineyards and contract grower vineyards down to sub- block level. Financial data is collected with year-to-date comparisons, seasonal condi- tions and key growth stages. Other information collected in this module includes: • Cost per ton • Gallon yield per ton • Cost per gallon • Estimated tons • Trending graph of key metrics (such as pre-harvest Brix and pH readings) • Detailed weigh tag work orders with harvest data and tank assignments Wine Management Systems is one of the early adopters of cloud-based software sys- tems. Software as a service generally provides the same type of program, but you access it through the Internet and it does not require installation of the software on your device. There are tremendous benefits of this type of software delivery, including always having the most up-to-date software and lower initial cost of entry. Winemaker's Database Vineyard Operations Module The WMDB Vineyard Module has an input screen to enter information about grape sources, including vineyard attributes such as soils, rootstocks, clones and more. There is a place to enter historical information of interest to the winemaker, since sometimes it is impor- tant to know material applications, vineyard operations, irrigation, rainfall and phenologi- cal data. The module is integrated with the bulk wine tracking features of WMDB. Screens provide access to the history of each vineyard block included in a particular blend as well as a display of which tanks contain grapes from particular blocks. The four companies in the winery-centric section cover a rich feature set of functionality. Just because something is missing from one of the listings above doesn't necessarily mean the feature is not included with their software. Often it is found in another module or place in the program. That is the most difficult part of trying to make good sense of these very complex programs. If you are going to trust your business future and economic livelihood to this data, it probably would be a good idea to put more effort into this software choice than just about any other activity. vIneyard-centrIc productIon data The software companies in this section (including Agcode, Fair- port, Treasury Wine Estates- iCropTrak, Trimble Navigation and Premiere Viticultural Ser- vices) are vineyard-centric in their software design and ap- proach software from a farming background. Early on some soft- ware developers had grape- growing as one of their crops, and they wrote software for that sector. However most have ap- proached software for farmers from a variety of other crops and ultimately added coverage for grapes. Consequently, there is some variation in how grape farming practices are integrated into software functionality. AgCode Vineyard Module This company brings a comprehensive mobile vineyard data-collection system to the vineyard and/or the winery. The software provides for vineyard payroll with a contractor as well as chemical and equipment tracking. The module can capture business intelligence that can be tailored for any scale of vineyard operation. By entering the information into the database, the vineyard will likely increase productivity and efficiency by capturing crop conditions, estimates and maturity information in the field. This allows for scheduling work orders in a timely manner. Since AgCode has been around a while, its software has become one of the most com- plete vineyard solutions. It is capable of using the full spectrum of vineyard tools to integrate field inspection, grower man- agement and ranch activities into an operational budget. It also provides for planning and analysis. AgCode is a farmer's soft- ware. The icons and the content reflect what the farmer has been doing in the past, but now it's in digital form. It is based on mul- tiple crops but has all the detail you need to plant vines, keep track of all the inputs and out- puts, and then hopefully make a return on your investment. Fairport Fairport has coined the term PAM, which stands for Produc- tion, Analysis and Management. This system can increase produc- tivity and profitability by saving time and helping to improve farm management practices, provide timely data for review, reduce production, fertilizer and chemical costs, which can optimize a vine- yard's yield or increase quality of the grapes harvested. Fairport has a large number of users in Aus- tralia (more than 4,500). They have begun an international effort to expand their product services and now have an office in the United States. To be a profitable farmer in today's world, you need access to your historical data. Report- ability functions are an absolute necessity and require access to your historic data quickly. Fairport helps this access compared with the traditional filing systems. Fairport claims it is as simple as keeping a daily diary, with the same input time but taking little time getting the information back out. Budgeting and plan- ning are important functions to a well-operated farm, and the features offered are useful tools for creation. Following those decisions to keep you on track. Similarly a fertilizer and chemi- cals database is already in the program to in- fairport software is popular in australia and gaining traction in north america. vineyard and winemaking features are integrated in the system from Winemaker's Database.