(10-24-2020, 07:28 PM)Jags Wrote: When you say 1200-2100/ton, how many acres of vineyard does it take to produce that kind of weight? I’m sure you’ve probably answered that over the years.  I just find what you do intriguing/fascinating.   Seems boom or bust.  I knew a farmer back in the day. Helped him bale a few times and my brother dated his daughter.  I was fascinated then by it all and the huge/expensive equipment.  I think people that do what you do are a different breed.  But in a good way.

No worries, happy to discuss it. 

We aren't really a wine growing region, other than port, so most of the vineyards are planted to 40-90 year old Thompson Seedless vines. They can do bulk wine, juice concentrate, raisins, and champagne filler. Typically you either grow to make raisins, or you "go green" for a set price and the processor decides between the other options. 

Thompson's I think the state average is 2 tons of raisins per acre. Maybe a really really good Thompson field can get 3 but most decent ones sit around 2.5. but they'll basically produce like that forever.

But we also have new varieties on rootstock, and trellis designs that will net you upwards of 8 tons per acre with full mechanization so not only are you getting 4x the crop, your operating costs would be lower as well.

So there's a pretty large variance depending on how modern the field is and maybe how porous the soil is. 

Also, growing hay is like blindly throwing darts to me. Those guys are crazy.

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