This week: 25th. April 2008

Weather Report Week Ending 25/4/08
Maximum Temperature for the week 26.4C (79F) on Thurs. 6 reading above our monthly average of 21.8C.
Minimum Temperature for the week 2.7C (37F) on Wed. 2 readings above our monthly average of 8.7C.
Rainfall for the Week 0.0mm (0 points) 0 days of rainfall recorded.
Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

Yet another beautiful autumn week for us. We have had some very cool nights , this should encourage the vines to start losing their leaves. As I write this the rain is tumbling down outside, so even though we recorded no rain in this week, I will have some good news for next week’s blog.
This week in the vineyard:
Well it is raining outside as I write this, so I am in for a very busy week. In the week that we have just had I finished spraying the last of the summer weeds in the row that we are not going to cultivate this year. We have mostly been targeting wire weed and any remaining caltrop plants. I am now ready to start seeding our cover crop; I was waiting for some rain – now I have no more excuses. I need to get it in the ground as fast as I can, before the soil cools down too much – we want as much growth as possible before winter. The photo this week shows some more of our autumn vine leaves.

This week: 18th. April 2008

Weather Report Week Ending 18/4/08
Maximum Temperature for the week 22.6C (73F) on Fri. 1 reading above our monthly average of 21.8C.
Minimum Temperature for the week 4.5C (40F) on Mon. 3 readings above our monthly average of 8.7C.
Rainfall for the Week 3.8mm (11 points) 1 day of rainfall recorded.
Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

A fabulous autumn week for us yet again this week. Very stable air mass has meant very little change all week. We started with some rain on Saturday but since then there has been very little change from one day to the next.

This week in the vineyard:
I have begun to prepare to plant one of our blocks of Shiraz to a permanent sward. Some of our premium Shiraz blocks we have planted with a fescue, we use this to reduce the available moisture early in spring. This enables us to reduce cropping levels a little in most seasons, to give us better quality fruit at the other end of the season. These blocks are not cultivated at all, so there is also a financial benefit for us. Still no rain in the forecast for us, so I am still waiting to start seeding. I have spent quite a bit of this week organizing my trip overseas, now only 5 weeks until I leave home for 4 months.

This week: 11th. April 2008

Weather Report Week Ending 11/4/08
Maximum Temperature for the week 28.9C (82F) on Wed. 6 readings above our monthly average of 21.8C.
Minimum Temperature for the week 4.3C (40F) on Sat. 6 readings above our monthly average of 8.7C.
Rainfall for the Week 0.8mm (2 points) 2 days of rainfall recorded.
Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

A little warmer again for us here in the beautiful Barossa Valley. While a little more rain would be really nice, it’s hard to complain about autumn here.

This week in the vineyard:
I have finished cultivating a bed for the cover crop to be planted into. I will not start planting our crop until there is some rain forecast for us. While we probably have enough moisture in our soil profile to get a crop germinating, I would like to see some more rain coming before we start planting. We have also, now started some very early pruning. Some of our older Shiraz have lost enough leaves to be able to commence pruning.
The photo today shows a Sangiovase leaf changing to its autumn colours.

This week: 4th. April 2008

Weather Report Week Ending 04/4/08
Maximum Temperature for the week 26.9C (80F) on Tue. 1 reading above our monthly average of 21.8C.
Minimum Temperature for the week 3.3C (38F) on Sun. 2 readings above our monthly average of 8.7C.
Rainfall for the Week 14.4mm (41 points) 4 days of rainfall recorded.
Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

Another cooler week for us. At last we have recorded some reasonable rainfall. Thursday we recorded 11.6mm which is already half of the average for April. This goes some way towards making up for the very dry start to the year, so far. We now need it to keep raining all winter, preferably well above average.



This week in the vineyard:
A lot has happened this week, now that we have had some rain. All of the poultry manure has been spread and we have now started disking it in. As part of this pass we are also spraying a knock down herbicide under the vines to start cleaning up the weeds. I will be trying something a little different this coming season. We will only be cultivating every second row, in the past we cultivated every row each year. I have started cultivating every alternate row, the one with the manure spread in it. Once we get some more rain the cover crop will go in that row (using a power harrows seeder). The other row will not be touched, with a cultivator until next year. The photo shows a row that has been cultivated and is now ready to be planted with a cover crop - as soon as we get some more rain.

2008 Nuffield Scholarships now open

Just a quick message to let you all know that the next round of Nuffield scholarships are now open for Australian farmers. I won one of these scholarships last year (mine has been supported by Nufarm). Nuffield scholarships are open to young people involved in primary production here in Australia. These allow the winners to spend A$25,000 on travel to study anything agriculture related anywhere in the world. I am in the process of planning my travel at the moment - I have less than 7 weeks until I leave for my 16 weeks of study. During my travel I am planning on visiting New Zealand, Ireland, France, the USA, China, the Philippines, Spain and South Africa. I will be studying 'Regional branding and marketing to improve returns for producers'. As well as the travel you also get to mix with some of the most enthusiastic and 'switched on' young farmers from all over the world. You also get to step outside of your industry and study the broader picture of world agriculture. If you would like any more information go to http://www.nuffield.com.au/schols.html, for more information and an application form or drop me an email at the address at the top of the page.