Jack of all trades

Like any bloke with a farming legacy stretching back five generations, Julian 'Jack' Cotton really knows his onions. In fact, he knows his wool-growing and his seed and vegetable cropping, too. After all, they've have been the mainstay of farming operations at Kelvedon, on the East Coast, for as long as he's been working the 5300ha property.

These past few years, the bloke who's spent so much time and energy growing better pastures and finer quality wool has somehow taken the opportunity to add another on-farm business to Kelvedon's list of assets. Not only did he learn the vigneron's stock in trade quickly and effectively, he found almost instant success in the form of a gold medal-winning Pinot Noir from the 2003 vintage.

More surprising is the way he's managed to achieve this viticultural feat. He says his wine growing just happens to fit in neatly with all of the other activities that take place on the farm.

"It works quite well really," Cotton explains, looking across his 6ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay south of Swansea.

"We don't have anyone dedicated to it. The work is integrated to fit in with normal operations."

That often means other members of the Cotton family are roped into carrying out tasks, like irrigating the vines and helping with harvest. But that's what you do if you're serious about diversified farming operations.

"When you're not busy with sheep, you're busy with grapes," Cotton says with vintage 2005 approaching.

Timing is usually tight, but the vineyard has been working well up until now.

"Christmas can be a bit busy," he admits.

"When you're trying to do wire-lifting on the vineyard's trellising, you're often busy with the sheep as well. If you find you're a week out at that time in the growing season, you can have some real trouble catching up."

Part of the family's secret to viticultural success has been the way in which Kelvedon's wine growing has evolved. It started back in 1998 with the planting of a 1ha trial block of Pinot Noir. Cotton says that was essentially a response to the crash of reserve floor pricing in the wool industry.

"Like a lot of people, we diversified into cropping, mostly veggie seeds, poppies and peas. Grapes are really just an extension of cropping," he explains.

Cotton says the biggest mistake that many newcomers to the wine industry make is under-capitalising their venture. Some even fail to understand that their set-up costs are invariably spread out over a three to four year period. That's how long it takes before money begins to flow back into the business, either through the sale of fruit, or the sale of finished wines.

"It's not that farming operations are incompatible with a vineyard," he says.

"It's just that having a vineyard is difficult enough on its own. A lot of people simply don't understand how demanding and unpredictable all this can be. The financial burden certainly doesn't ease the moment you've planted your grapes.

"Site preparation, consultant advice, planting, trellising, irrigation, disease and pest management, pruning, and harvesting all have to be properly funded – assuming you already have your own site and proper infrastructure like roads, dams, outbuildings and equipment."

The construction of a 250ML dam on the property has certainly helped smooth out some of the peaks and troughs in managing water on the property, Cotton says. Many East Coast landowners will tell you bluntly that there's no situation normal in these parts. There's either too little or too much water to manage.

Like any farmer who's well versed in his property's history and practices, Cotton is abreast of the cost and value of the adaptations that have taken place at Kelvedon Estate during its long farming history. Members of the Cotton family have always been expert at keeping accurate and reliable records of weather observations, for example. The property's available rainfall data stretches way back to 1880.

"Our vines today use roughly 2.5-3.0ML of water per hectare," Cotton notes. 

"That's really pretty efficient. Seeds and vegetables like peas would use considerably more on this site, so this business really represents the changing face of Tasmanian agriculture."

Once his trial project began bearing fruit, Cotton wasted little time in contemplating expansion. His ideas became a reality when Kelvedon secured a 10-year contract for a new 5ha vineyard to supply sparkling wine grapes to mainland giant, Hardys.

There is no financial support from Hardys. The guaranteed sale of fruit simply absolves Cotton of the risk of otherwise processing 50 tonnes of grapes into wine he would then have to sell himself.

So where to now?

For the moment, Cotton is undecided.

There have been thoughts of a cellar door. Maybe even a few more vines. But nothing's settled just yet. Only one thing seems certain. Whatever happens next at Kelvedon, Jack Cotton will be doing his best to see it fits neatly into existing programs on the property. After all, he has five generations of farming history to reflect upon.

First published Autumn 2005: Tasmanian Farmer