FARMING in the shadow of Mt Buffalo has its own problems.

The mountain, in Victoria's North East, has its own microclimate, testing the mettle of viticulturalist Michael Dalbosco.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Michael Dalbosco
  • What: growing wine grapes at 350m in the Buckland Valley
  • Where: Porepunkah
  • Report: KIM WOODS

Michael grows 20ha of chardonnay, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and merlot grapes at an altitude of 350m in the Buckland Valley.

Mt Buffalo looms to the east, influencing the farm's 1050mm yearly rainfall.

To achieve those premium cool climate wines, Michael uses predictive climatic tools to give him an edge.

He farms in conjunction with his father Sid, brother Paul, uncle John and nephew Damian Dalbosco.

The family run 250 Hereford breeders, growing out steers to bullock weights of 600kg at two to three years of age.

With the demise of the local tobacco industry, the family expanded their hay contracting and earth moving businesses.

Their farm, near Porepunkah, is one of six regional sites for weather stations feeding an innovative web-based environmental monitoring network.

The network gives 500 North East farmers access to real time data on weather and soil moisture conditions.

Six weather stations at Myrtleford, Beechworth, Whorouly, Coral Bak, King Valley and Porepunkah log data every 15 minutes to a central website.

They measure air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, dew point, rainfall, solar radiation, evapotranspiration and Delta-T (evaporation indicator).

At Michael Dalbosco's vineyard, a leaf wetness sensor is mounted on the crop canopy for fungal disease prediction.

It measures the rain droplets on surrounding leaf surfaces.

The Tobacco and Associated Farmers Co-operative Limited at Myrtleford commissioned the network from Measurement Engineering Australia.

Localised weather data was needed to complement existing Bureau of Meteorology information to improve on-farm decisions for irrigation scheduling, disease monitoring and spraying.

TAFCO chairman Allan McGuffie said growers no longer needed to rely on readings from the nearest Bureau of Meteorology weather station at Wangaratta.

Allan said a broad range of crops growing in the region meant localised environmental data was needed by farmers.

"We have little historic weather data for the region and this network will give us the chance to build a database of information for future growers," Allan said.

Environmental monitoring specialists, Measurement Engineering Australia, have developed similar networks along the Murray Valley.

Director Andrew Skinner said the internet program did not need any special software.

"Our system presents the data in a style that's easy to understand, interpret and apply," Andrew said.

"Computers and the internet are mainstream tools for farmers, so it makes sense for the system to be web-based."

For Michael Dalbosco, it's all about accumulating records for assessing the season.

"Most farmers use computers these days for accessing forecasting sites - it's becoming more the norm," Michael said.

"We use quite a few predictive services for the vineyard, including five-day forecast internet sites.

"A leaf wetness indicator mounted in the crop canopy tells us how wet the canopy is and for how long.

"This helps us in deciding what chemical treatment to use in the growing season.

"We are careful to monitor for downy and powdery mildew and botrytis.

"I prefer to actively minimise chemical applications to achieve the best possible result."

The Dalboscos used historical weather data collected by the Ovens Valley research station when planting the vineyard.

"We have our own microclimate here with air flow coming up the valley and Mt Buffalo creating extra rainfall."

"If I'm planning to spray, I look at the Delta-T readings to see if spray conditions are optimal."

The brown loam over red clay and shale soils of the Dalbosco's farm have proved ideal for wine grapes.

The family have their own label, Dalbosco Wines, which are supplied to regional restaurants.

They also supply fruit to grower-owned organisation, the North East Valleys Wine Group.

Boasting more than 50 individual vineyards, the group has access to 526ha of cool-climate wine grapes in 30 varieties.

Grapes are drawn from the King and Alpine valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan and Strathbogie ranges.

Established in 2007, the joint venture company aims to find markets for member's grapes.

"The group targets small to medium companies buying parcels of fruit," Michael said.

"The fruit is tailored to customer specifications to develop good long-term relationships with buyers."

This year, the Dalboscos hand and machine picked 170 tonnes of fruit.

"It was tough weather wise as there was a rapid finish to the season with extended periods of rain," Michael said.

"We picked our sparkling base at night and processed it quickly to maintain quality."

The picturesque Buckland Valley now has a handful of former tobacco growers with vineyards of up to 40ha in size.

"This valley produces a vibrant fruit character in our wines," Michael said.

"There is potential for signature wines to be made but the local industry, with the exception of Michelini and Boynton wines, is still in its infancy."