AHA Viticulture

AHA Viticulture currently provides the Australian wine industry with a financial and technical benchmarking program called VineSite. The website is located at www.vinesite.pvaustralia.com.au VineSite was developed in a joint project between AHA Viticulture and GWRDC in 2005/2006. It is currently free to participate in, so if you are a grower or a g... rower group, go to www.vinesite.pvaustralia.com.au to get started, or contact us. Why is our benchmark service different? We provide monthly management variance reports to our vineyard consultants and clients. This requires the preparation of detailed budgets and the collection of accurate vineyard costs. The aim of the reports is to provide the manager and owner with current management information that is of direct use in improving the performance of the vineyard. We need to have answers to questions such as: Fruit prices are down, should I cut my inputs or should I increase yields? Does it pay to install and manage a costly split canopy system like Smart Dyson? What is the impact on fruit quality, fruit price and vineyard profits of thinning fruit? What additional costs will I incur in order to achieve the winery's quality bonus; is it worth the effort or should I keep costs down and accept a lower price? What does it cost to establish and operate a vineyard on my property? What is an economic size for a vineyard? Where are my profits? Can I believe my neighbour's claims? The key to good management of operations is activity-based accounting. We collect costs against an activity-based chart of accounts, rather than the conventional accounting chart which is designed for statutory and tax reporting for operations management. Activity- based accounting is commonly used in mining and industry to isolate the performance of key sections of the operation and hence to better manage the costs of each activity. Thus, in our chart of accounts, the activity "Pest & Disease Control" will include not only agricultural chemicals, but also the labour hours used to procure, mix ...Read More