Make hard work easier with Munckhof Manufacturing
“I
n 2018 farmers reported that unfilled vacancies cost agriculture $2.9 billion in lost sales – an
increase from 1.5 billion in 2014”. – Canadian Agricultural Human
operator to perform a job he or she might have contracted out before. Big players take advantage of their economy of scale and use machinery
Resource Council.
to reduce their labour inputs, but
It is no surprise to hear growers,
to justify the large investment
particularly small or family outfits,
in purchasing new equipment.
lamenting on the lack of skilled and unskilled workers and getting left in the lurch during critical times of the year. Trends such as the push for
it is harder for the smaller grower
However, there are ways to make mechanization pay for smaller growers as well.
local and organic wines are sure to
Used equipment can yield a diamond
make the labour problem worse.
in the rough, but purchasers should
Owner-operators care about their vineyards intensely, and they want to be able to control every part of the production process. They just don’t always have the time or energy to perform every task. Mechanization
be wary to make sure that their newto-them machines do not contain outdated designs that might wear out prematurely, and they should ensure that replacement parts are available quickly in a pinch
allows an owner-operator to perform
Equipment sharing allows two or
more work and be more involved in
three smaller farms to use their
each process, making sure it is done
collective power to reduce the
to their own standards.
purchase price of new machinery.
In viticulture there is a narrow window to get a job completed. A hedging job that might take a team of three people one week to perform by hand might take a mechanical hedger one day, ensuring uniformity
Be sure to lay out the details of any agreement very clearly. Who will and can operate the machine, where it will be stored, and any eventual buyout options should be determined before partnering to avoid future
across the farm. In the same way
headaches or disagreements.
pre-pruning allows the grower to
Contracting out is another option for
wait until later in the spring to finish work, giving valuable time to assess winter damage and spring conditions.
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retention, or it might allow an owner-
small operators. Costs can be offset by running more acres and collecting fees for services. Be sure that time and manpower is available to make
Field work is physically demanding,
this work. The narrow windows for
using machines to perform awkward
getting operations done in viticulture
or tedious jobs can help with worker
can present logistical challenges.
