Online Tools Calculate Costs, Assess Sustainability
USDA funds nonprofit, free grower services in Northwest
San Rafael, Calif. -- Two new web tools were recently launched to help grapegrowers calculate their real cost of production and assess just how sustainable their operations are. Both can be accessed for free, and anonymously. And although both were developed and supported by Pacific Northwest-based nonprofits, they can be put to use by growers anywhere.
The first is a sustainability self-assessment for farmers, allowing agricultural producers of all types to compare their operations with current best practices for sustainable agriculture. Developed by Food Alliance, Portland, Ore., in partnership with Oregon State University and Washington State University, and supported by the USDA Risk Management Agency, it also presents information and resource links to help growers implement strategies for managing production, environmental, human resource and other sustainability issues, including working conditions, integrated pest management, soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat conservation. Visit sat.foodalliance.org to find out how you rate.
According to Food Alliance communications coordinator Joe Schaaf, the entire process takes a maximum of 60 minutes, and scorecards are issued immediately for each area. The Food Alliance serves as a third-party sustainability certifier, and those who pass the self-assessment test are invited to apply for certification, a more rigorous process with a negotiable cost, Schaaf told Wines & Vines. Food Alliance also provides food handler certifications for distributors and processors, including wineries.
The Washington Wine Industry Foundation's (WWIF) new cost-of-production calculator for grapegrowers, nwgrapecalculators.org, was also funded by the USDA, and despite the "NW" in its name, it will be a useful tool wherever grapes are grown. Growers choose among four calculators: conventional or organic winegrapes or juice grapes, then specify how many years the vineyard has been established. Then, just plug in your equity, operating capital, estimated yield by year, vine spacing, row length, acreage and trellising details, and once the data is entered, the calculator reveals your per-acre costs.
"Growers can use their custom cost information to compare year-to-year figures, present to lenders and bankers for financing, evaluate the impact of different production methods and estimate their costs-until-yield," according to Vicky Scharlau, WWIF executive director.
The first is a sustainability self-assessment for farmers, allowing agricultural producers of all types to compare their operations with current best practices for sustainable agriculture. Developed by Food Alliance, Portland, Ore., in partnership with Oregon State University and Washington State University, and supported by the USDA Risk Management Agency, it also presents information and resource links to help growers implement strategies for managing production, environmental, human resource and other sustainability issues, including working conditions, integrated pest management, soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat conservation. Visit sat.foodalliance.org to find out how you rate.
According to Food Alliance communications coordinator Joe Schaaf, the entire process takes a maximum of 60 minutes, and scorecards are issued immediately for each area. The Food Alliance serves as a third-party sustainability certifier, and those who pass the self-assessment test are invited to apply for certification, a more rigorous process with a negotiable cost, Schaaf told Wines & Vines. Food Alliance also provides food handler certifications for distributors and processors, including wineries.
The Washington Wine Industry Foundation's (WWIF) new cost-of-production calculator for grapegrowers, nwgrapecalculators.org, was also funded by the USDA, and despite the "NW" in its name, it will be a useful tool wherever grapes are grown. Growers choose among four calculators: conventional or organic winegrapes or juice grapes, then specify how many years the vineyard has been established. Then, just plug in your equity, operating capital, estimated yield by year, vine spacing, row length, acreage and trellising details, and once the data is entered, the calculator reveals your per-acre costs.
"Growers can use their custom cost information to compare year-to-year figures, present to lenders and bankers for financing, evaluate the impact of different production methods and estimate their costs-until-yield," according to Vicky Scharlau, WWIF executive director.
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