CLIFF OHMART Vineyard View
The Usefulness of Metrics In Vineyard Management
colloquial term, how it will affect their bot- tom line. This makes good economic sense. The economic impact of implement- ing some practices, such as planting a
W
hen considering implement- ing a new vineyard practice, most
vineyard managers
are concerned with how it will affect their production costs—or, to use a more
The manufacturing industry realized long ago that figuring production costs per-unit is most effective.
cover crop, is easy to measure. The cost of the seed is easy to obtain, the amount of fuel consumed in the planting of the cover crop is easy to calculate, as are the labor costs.
Assessing the impact of planting a cover crop on vineyard production (yield) and/ or wine quality is another matter. For one thing, the effect cover crop has on yield and winegrape quality is hard to measure;
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