236: Safely Keeping Birds at Bay | Presqu'ile Vineyards' Sustainable Story | Marketing Tip Monday

What does it mean to farm sustainably?

Sustainable farming is a collection of practices spanning from water and energy conservation, to soil health and biodiversity, and social equity.

Welcome to Marketing Tip Monday with SIP Certified. We know customers are looking for wines labeled as sustainable. While our longer-form episodes help you learn about the latest science and research for the wine industry, these twice-monthly micro podcasts will help you share your dedication to sustainable winegrowing so you can show your customers that you share their values.

There are so many examples of sustainability in action to point to right outside of your window:

Native landscaping: minimal irrigation and maintenance needs. Cover crops: promote soil health and provide refuge for beneficial insects. Alternative energy sources: reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Owl boxes & raptor perches: birds of prey feast on vertebrate pests.

One topic that sustainable farmers get asked about often is pest management. In this Sustainable Story Marketing Tip, learn how Presqu’ile Vineyards utilizes technology to manage bird pests in a more environmentally and economically sustainable way.

Safely Keeping Birds at Bay

Birds like finches and starlings are common vineyard pests. They damage fruit and canopies, and will even create nests in the vines.

To protect their crops, vineyards typically use bird netting. While effective, netting comes with un-sustainable downsides: they break down in the sun, installation and removal necessitates a lot of labor, and they create waste over time, as nets must be replaced every few years.

Presqu’ile Vineyard knew there was a more sustainable way to handle their unwelcomed feathered visitors. In 2023, they installed five bird lasers.

Spooked by the beams of light, the birds stay away. But if the light beams repeat a consistent pattern, the birds will ignore the lasers and reenter the vineyard.

To maintain the perceived threat, the laser beams are programmed for a variety of motions.

As for the effectiveness of the lasers, Andrew Heilbrun, Vineyard Manager, says that “monitoring bird pressure visually is pretty easy. We saw very little damage this past season after installing the lasers.”

On top of serving their main purpose as an effective method for bird abatement, Andrew notes that their new laser systems offer several other benefits:

Removes tripping hazard for employees. Doesn’t affect non-target animals. Reduces waste. More financially sustainable.

The bird lasers at Presqu’ile Vineyard have proven to be a Safe Pest Management strategy with benefits that touch all 3 P's of sustainability: People, Planet, and Prosperity.

Tell Your Sustainable Story

We are here to help you tell your customers how your brand protects natural and human resources with the Sustainable Story program.

This simple yet powerful free tool helps you tell your own personal sustainable message. And it just got better with a new online course.  Go to the show notes, click the link titled Tell Your Sustainable Story to sign up, and start writing yours today!      

Until next time, this is Sustainable Winegrowing with the Vineyard Team.

Resources: *** Tell Your Sustainable Story Online Course *** Apply for SIP Certified Wine Marketing Tips eNewsletter Sustainable Story | Print Sustainable Story | Electronic What's your Sustainable Story? Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet   Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member