It's not the frost protection, it's the way its done that's the problem.

Alert readers will recall a short blog on the tragedy of the commons as it relates to a limited resource being abused and ultimately destroyed by individuals acting selfishly in an unmanaged environment. Another example has reared its ugly head in Northern California's Sonoma County wine region. 
Here growers have traditionally provided frost protection via overhead sprinklers (which would obviously get my support on the basis of noise). However, they have been abstracting the water from a nearby river in such huge quantities that it has dried up the river on more than one occasion and the associated wildlife (including endangered species) are suffering..
So the problem appears to be that the growers need the water and the river doesn't have enough to allow all the users to draw it down. So how does it get solved?
It doesn't.
Not when you have a bunch of people ignorant enough to only see their own individual needs and ignore their contribution to the problem.
The same thing is happening here. Those that believe that the noise of frost fans either in isolation or proximity to residences is not their problem will continue to focus only on their own selfish needs and the industry as a whole will not self regulate.
This will ultimately be their loss as others will be forced to regulate them and decent growers will come under the yoke of more oppressive rules.
Selfishness, greed and ignorance. It doesn't matter if your using a frost fan, sprinkler or helicopters. It's not the protection method that's the problem, it's the way it's used.

Frost fans paint NZ in a bad light internationaly

The say a change is as good as a break. Well I had a break, but it looks like there's been no change.

I have noted with some dismay a conversation appearing here on a web site that is pointing out the flaws in the 'clean green NZ' image.

Highlighted in there is a significant amount of poking the borax at the concept that New Zealand can have the cheek to call itself 100% pure and still have NZ Winegrowers Chairman Stuart Smith espousing that frost fan noise was part of living in the country.

Actually if truth be told, there was a quote in there that I had missed and I think it probably speaks volumes for the attitude of the most apathetic initiators of this problem. "The industry can never please everyone and it won't try. We believe we are good citizens".

Sadly, this has attracted a bit of negative publicity. But then it would, wouldn't it? And if you're wondering, I believe that the New Zealand Winegrowers response has already been given "The industry can never please everyone and it won't try".

The post ends with the question;

"You sure you want to live in NZ?"