Page 42 - Grapevine July-August 2015

Around The Vineyard

modules built into) individual heads,” Roberts said. other benefits, the low-carbon footprint the sprayers
“So, if you happen to lose one, it is not going to provide. “You’re definitely lowering your carbon
cause you a major spray-application issue. With a footprint,” Merkle said, “and you’ve got less drift.
lot of the other units, if you lose one electrostatic You’re not just throwing a bunch of spray up in
module, you’ve lost the whole rig. “That was the the air and hoping it goes where you want. You’re
downside, and it drove me away from the technol- focusing that spray. The charged particles are going
ogy all those years, even though it seemed like the right to the canopy. We don’t have much drift at
right thing to do,” he said. all.”

With three years of positive experiences with the On Target sprayers typically cost more than con-
On Target sprayer under his belt, Roberts said he ventional air-blast sprayers, but growers said the
now is documenting exactly how much the sprayer sprayers pay for themselves in a manner of a few
saves in labor, fuel and other costs to help deter- years.

mine if it is cost effective for the company to pur- “Over time, it
chase more. “It appears at this point that it makes pays for itself,
sense (to buy more units),” he said, “but we now for sure,”
are just making sure the documentation supports Merkle said.
that decision. “I do know that the On Target unit is “It’s a time
reliable,” Roberts said. “I think it is a great tool, and saver, a fuel
we’ve definitely integrated it into our system, and saver, and a
we have no plans to pull it out of our system.” labor saver.”
“When I con-
Up in Selah, Washington, Tom Merkle of Zirkle sidered the
Fruit Company, said he’s been using electrostatic advantages we
sprayers on wine grapes for about as long as the receive from
technology has been available, enjoying, among it, they far out-
weigh the addi-
tional costs,”
Hofer said. “It
is saving us
money with
tractor time
and expense,
because it takes
half the tractor
time to cover
the vineyard. “We’re now thinking that it will pay
for itself in four years,” Hofer said.

Lingenfelder said he determined that with the sav-
ings the On Target Spray Systems provide in labor,
fuel and other costs, he can justify the extra expense
“if not in that first season, part way through the sec-
ond season.”
Bryan Wallingford of Mesa Vineyard Management
in Templeton, Calif., said he believes that “in a per-
fect situation, the technology pays for itself in as lit-
tle as two years. “The technology is great and we’re
promoting it throughout our company,” he said.

Page 40 The Grapevine • July - August 2015 877-892-5332