Economics of Robotic Technology in Texas Wine Grape Production

Abstract

The motivation for this study centers on the labor- and cost-intensive nature of wine grape production and the potential opportunities for robotic technology to augment those production tasks that are manual labor-intensive. The objectives of this study are to: 1) develop cost of production budgets for two representative wine grape vineyards in Texas; 2) assess the economic viability of wine grape production under current operating conditions; 3) evaluate labor costs by production task; and 4) identify common production challenges and tasks that could be augmented with robotic technology development.