This is the equation that drives the owners of Kokako Vineyard in Ohiti valley in Hawke’s Bay.  The man changed with the responsibility to make this a reality is Vineyard Manager Bruce Nimon.  Bruce followed up horticultural education at Massey University with viticulture and winemaking at EIT in Hawke’s Bay.  In 1999 he established Lucknow Vineyard from scratch.  He sold his 15ha property in 2007 and now runs the 90ha Kokako operation which is a mixed varietals vineyard growing for Delegats and Villa Maria.
The vineyard owners have a goal to improve the value of their asset in land and vines which includes meshing long term viability with social responsibility and maintaining profitability.  Core to these principals is a sustainable approach and thorough exploration of alternatives lead to BioAg.  The BioAg programme ticked all the right boxes for Bruce.  “BioAg did not require any additional specialized technology, equipment, manpower or time.  BioAg is totally user friendly and time efficient.  When we are busy during the season we simply don’t have time to perform added tasks.”

“I decided to trial BioAg on some problematic blocks.  We have some real soil variability within blocks so I singled out those in dire need of rescue”, says Bruce.  Now twelve months down the track he is expanding under BioAg management.  “We have evened out growth.  For example, one Chardonnay block planted in 2000 had big variation in vigour which created real problems with harvest maturity and brix levels.  This vintage, we had a far more even canopy and shoot growth so the fruit was far easier to harvest and consequently better quality.  We had no pests or disease issues and fewer deficiencies evident.  We didn’t need to use any additional Calcium or Boron.  YAN (yeast available nitrogen), pH and brix targets were all met.” The fruit is destined for Reserve and Super Premium labels and the winemakers have complimented Bruce on clean fruit with well-balanced acids and good varietals presentation.

Prior to being planted in grapes much of the vineyard had been heavily cropped over a number of years.  This has created quite a problem with weeds.  “I don’t like herbicide strips but feel we don’t have an option here,” says Bruce “so we have tried to counteract the negative in the sustainability stakes by putting BioAg Soil & Seed® in with herbicide.” Instead of using glysophate at 41/ha Bruce uses 2.61/ha and adds 11/ha of Soil & Seed.  “We now only need 4 passes a season in our weediest areas rather than five.  We are getting better weed suppression and our spray strips are not ‘sour’ and covered in mosses.  We seem to be encouraging biology and the worm activity is very obvious.  In fact worm counts are up and we have nice active healthy feeder root development.” Overall this strategy results in cost reduction and improved soil health.

“I particularly like the ease of adding BioAg whether its soil applied or one of the foliars.  They’re dead easy to mix and there are no issues with spraying.  And I like the logic of shifting from the growth phase Roots & Shoots® to the fruit energy of Flower & Fruit® foliars.” comments’ Bruce.  “Some of the alternative systems I looked at were enormously complex – heaps of different things to try to combine and mix a mess of powders and granules and liquids – just a headache for staff and a hassle to apply.”

Bruce says his leaves held on longer this autumn and he is encouraged by the healthy plump canes with great colour which auger well for next season.  Bruce is busy preparing new ground for expanded plantings and planting out boundaries in nectar producing natives as well as sowing buckwheat and phacelia in some of the rows throughout the vineyard.  He is also looking forward to getting a new side throw mower. “I think that the new mower will further enhance the under vine environment.”

Bruce Nimon is also convinced that international markets will increasingly demand ‘zero residuals’.  “To me biological production makes sense.  I think we will have no choice in the future so I’m happy to embrace sustainable practices now.  There’s no downside”.