Nestled in the heart of the department of Lot-et-Garonne, the Gentié vine nursery covers nearly 37 hectares. Today, we’re taking you to explore this family farm which has been here for nearly a century. With 2 million plants grafted every year, it is one of the largest vine nurseries in the Aquitaine region. They purchased an Oz last April: two months after the purchase of the RTK Oz, Ronan JEHANNO, the nursery’s Deputy Technical Director, is giving us his first feedback on the experience.
A well-considered choice
As Mr Jehanno explained at the start, the purchase of the Oz at the beginning of the season followed two years’ reflection. At the beginning, the team was somewhat doubtful about the cost/benefit ratio of the Oz robot, but in 2019, they carried out an economic study on the cost price of weeding in the nursery. “It was a decisive stage in the decision to buy the Oz”, Mr Jehanno told us. To this study was added a demonstration which our teams were able to carry out on their land and which really won over the nurserymen.
Some free time for other jobs
After having used it for two months, the nurserymen realised that Oz had allowed them to free up some time for other jobs, which is even more valuable in the busy season when the rhythm of work is intensive. A concrete example: plotting rows. Thanks to Oz, plotting rows with string is no longer necessary, gaining time and precision. However, you need to take time to learn to use Oz in order to optimise its use and to get efficient, precise results.
