Smarter Irrigation in Action at Josef Chromy Wines
At Josef Chromy Wines in Relbia, Tasmania, SWAN Systems has helped transform irrigation from a routine task into a precise, insight-driven process. This transformation came through a collaborative agtech demonstration project supported by AgLogic, Wine Australia, and the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group (TAPG).
When Viticulture & Site Manager Kellie Graham and Vineyard Manager Felipe Bustamante took on the 60-hectare Pinot Noir vineyard, they faced a clear challenge: no integrated irrigation infrastructure, no centralised data, and no way to see the complete picture of soil, weather, and crop water demand. They wanted to replace “rule-of-thumb” irrigation with decisions informed by accurate, consolidated information.
Bringing the data together
SWAN Systems became the central platform for:
- Weather and soil moisture data from AgLogic hardware.
- Irrigation system data from MAIT controllers.
- Satellite imagery (e.g., NDVI) for monitoring vine vigour and trends.
These datasets fed into SWAN’s scheduling engine via seamless API connections, producing irrigation plans tailored to the vineyard’s soils, crop type, and seasonal conditions. By consolidating all essential information in one place, SWAN gave the vineyard team a clear view of conditions and requirements – helping them decide not just how much to irrigate, but when to start and when to finish.
From challenges to control
What looked like a bad season at flowering turned out to be a success.
Tasmania’s summer weather can turn quickly. Early in flowering, the vineyard received 100 mm of rain in a single week – enough to make the team think it might be a bad season. But with SWAN’s data-driven irrigation schedules, they adjusted with precision, managing canopy growth, focusing resources on fruit development, and keeping soil moisture in the optimal range. What began as a potential setback turned out to be the start of a season that finished far better than expected.
Season review data showed that irrigation was kept within the ideal target range, avoiding excessive canopy growth while ensuring bunches had enough moisture to develop well. The combined insights confirmed a highly efficient use of water, with irrigation closely matching crop water demand and making the most of beneficial rainfall.
Regular weekly and fortnightly meetings between the vineyard team, SWAN Systems, and AgLogic allowed crop coefficients to be fine-tuned and irrigation strategies adapted to each phenological stage. By the end of the season, the match between crop water demand and irrigation applied was near perfect – maximising the return on every megalitre.
Crop water demand vs irrigation applied (ML/h, including reserves and rainfall)
Benefits beyond the water
Kellie Graham, Viticulture and Site Manager at Josef Chromy Wines, summed up the impact of the project:
“As a result of this project, we have refined our water and data management strategies, eliminating the need for guesswork.”
The project delivered results far beyond irrigation efficiency:
- Improved vine health and yield uniformity.
- Better wine quality potential through balanced canopies.
- Time savings (“time banking”) that freed managers for other operational priorities.
- Simplified record-keeping by consolidating weather, soil moisture, irrigation, and satellite data in one place.
As Felipe explained, “With all the technology and support from these companies, we have all the data anytime, and we can make better decisions – whether to keep irrigating or stop.”
Collaboration at its core
For SWAN Systems, the Josef Chromy project shows that agtech delivers its greatest value when technology and people work together. By integrating multiple data streams into one practical, accessible platform, we make it easier for growers to turn information into confident decisions.
And because agtech isn’t set-and-forget, we don’t stop at delivering the software. We partner with our customers, providing the ongoing support and expertise needed to ensure the system continues to deliver results season after season.
📄 Read the full case study:
Josef Chromy Wines – Agtech for Vineyard Irrigation Management
🎥 Watch the video:
Technology and collaboration – Underpinning irrigation scheduling management
This project was delivered by the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group (TAPG) and supported through funding from the Tasmanian Government Strategic Industry partnership Program (SIPP).
