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CLIFF OHM a RT na VIG a TIO n Vineyard View The 'Three Es' of successful spraying That is due in large part to most grape varieties being very susceptible to one or more diseases. Most regions also have their share of insect, mite and weed pests that must be managed, often involving pesticide sprays. Vineyard spraying costs mon- a ey because most spray materi- als and application equipment are expensive, and equipment must be operated by people, whom are expensive to hire. Moreover, spraying's potential for off-site movement of spray material can impact the environment. Therefore, one would expect growers to pay considerable attention to spray equipment and spray application. In my experience, however, lmost every grapegrower will spray his vineyard multiple times during the year, no matter whether he farms or- ganically, Biodynamically or "conventionally." the amount of attention focused on these issues is never what it should be—in part because growers are very busy people and must constantly cut corners to get all their work done. It is good when someone comes along to remind us that paying close attention to the factors associated with spraying is not only good business but also an important part of sus- tainable winegrowing. At the moment this someone is Cor- nell University professor Dr. Andrew Landers, whose book, "Effective Vineyard Spraying: A Practical Guide for Grow- ers," was recently published. (See Wines & Vines issues May 2007 and June 2010 for Landers' articles about the subject.) The book covers all aspects of vineyard spraying and is laid out in a logical way. It begins with a brief introduction pre- senting basic spraying principles to keep in mind, followed by five chapters dis- Weed Badger® Get great savings now on early season in- row management tools. Till weeds, mow cover crops, hill-up, hill-down, sweep...all with one machine! Call and ask for a factory-direct quote! 800-437-3392 • www.weedbadger.com 30 Wines & Vines MARCH 201 1 Highlights • The "three Es" of vineyard spraying are spraying effectively, efficiently and with due attention to the environment. • A successful spray is accomplished with the "four Cs": applying the correct prod- uct to the correct target at the correct time with the correct machine. • Few tractors have accurate forward speed displays. "Effective Vineyard Spraying: A Practical Guide for Growers" provides simple ways to calculate tractor speed and nozzle output formulas. cussing sprayer technology and the ad- justments that can be made to improve spray deposition. The middle chapters describe the vari- Senecayuga_Jan11 11/19/10 10:13 AM Page 1 ON CAYUGA WINE TRAIL 79 ACRES; Hay barn 68x30 with full basement, workshop. Woods, gulley with creek. 3 Bedroom, 1.5 bath, with good set back from road, plus 1 bdrm. cottage on 70' west shore Cayuga Lake. Soils suitable for grapes. Was a working vineyard for many years. Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner Office: 315-568-9404 Cell: 315-246-3997 $599,000 Mel Russo website: www.senecayuga.com e-mail: senecayuga@aol.com 97 Fall Street, PO Box 386 Seneca Falls, NY 13148 ous types and brands of canopy and her- bicide sprayers, spray drift management and safety, and the remainder consists of chapters discussing effective vineyard spraying and spray operations manage- ment. It concludes with connecting ef- fective vineyard spraying and sustain- able winegrowing.