Can you reduce labour, chemical and fuel costs?
Due to the forecast temperature for Tuesday 27 January of around 40°C and the associated fire risk, the decision has been made to cancel the Electrifying Your Vineyard demo day.
As well as prioritising the safety of those attending and presenting on the day, the decision to cancel also recognises that many attendees will want to stay close to their properties as a precaution in light of the conditions and avoid travelling in the heat.
We are currently exploring other ways to share the practical insights and learnings from the technologies that were going to be demonstrated, and we’ll share more on these soon.
Rising input costs are an ongoing challenge for growers, with labour, fuel and chemicals among the biggest expenses impacting profitability. A forthcoming Wine Australia demonstration day, hosted by Best’s Wines Great Western in collaboration with Agri Automation, will explore how electrification, automation and non-chemical disease control could help reduce these costs and improve vineyard efficiency.
To be held on Tuesday27 January 2026, the event will feature demonstrations of technologies such as the Burro Grande robot, UVEX (UVC map) and an electric mower — each designed to reduce reliance on manual labour and chemical inputs.
The session will also include an introduction to the Carbon Farming Outreach Program, delivered by Agriculture Victoria, which supports growers in adopting climate-smart practices.
The program is supported by Agriculture Victoria as part of the Industry Stream for Climate Change Innovation grants.