Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/95545
GRAPE GRO WING A closer look at the systems Kestrel weather stations: Among typical instruments are Kestrel weather stations from Nielsen-Kellerman. The Kestrel 3000 measures wind speed, temperature, wind chill, relative humidity, heat stress and dew point. Some of these new sensors can be combined with sophisticated software to perform new tasks. The Kestrel 3500 does many of the things that the 3000 does, but it also measures pressure trend, which can help vineyard managers predict when bad weather is heading their way. Solar radiation is extremely important to many vineyard managers. The Kestrel 4400 can help track that as well as wind speed, temperature, dew point, humidity and barometric pressure. It's also available with Bluetooth to make data logging and data transfer fast and easy. Davis Instruments: Davis Instruments weather stations help implement integrated pest management. The company has been in the instrumentation business for more than 40 years, and its line of wireless weather stations is very popular. A basic choice is the $595 VantagePro2 wireless weather station. Adding a wireless leaf and soil moisture station to the VP2— plus new Integrated Pest Management for Grapes software—gives growers real-time access to the weather conditions and a model that predicts the probability of specific pests and disease trouble. Ranch Systems: Ranch Systems specializes in weather monitoring for agriculture. In one system the vineyard manager and winemaker gets: • Accurate climate data (weather station) • A sophisticated, action-oriented frost- alerting system, which can call regular phone lines, leave voice mails, etc. • A complete wireless irrigation control system • A proven solution for multi-level soil moisture monitoring and profiling • Water resource management (water levels in tank, flow-through water meters including regulatory reporting) • Visual/security monitoring with cameras One of its newest offerings for 2013 season is plant material temperature monitoring using hypothermic needles that can be inserted into fruits or plant material. The Ranch System is an all-in-one package: one software tailored for viticulture. P.F. Your Source for All Vineyard Trellising Supplies Gripple Fastening System Available at JSC! LARGEST MANUFACTURER of Superior Grape Stakes Nationwide! Unified Symposium at Booth #906! Visit us at the Grape Stakes | Wire | Grow Tubes | Fencing | T-Posts | Bird Netting Vine Protection | Anchors | Tying Materials | All Trellising | And More! 800.423.8016 | www.JimsSupply.com WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 45