in the vineyard May 2014 In This Issue egrape Update Update from Your Board Chair Industry Updates LCBO Wine Sales Report Classifieds

Transcription

1 in the vineyard In This Issue egrape Update Update from Your Board Chair Industry Updates LCBO Wine Sales Report Classifieds

2 egrape The Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO) is pleased to provide an update on the rollout of the new egrape system for the 2014 harvest. Based on the Vitis database developed by the GGO and an electronic weigh bill system launched in 2007, egrape is designed as a cloud-based system that allows both growers and processors to quickly and efficiently enter and access data. The development of egrape has amalgamated several industry systems to make the user experience more intuitive and easier to navigate. Users will have a single point of access to the system and be able to manage their account information, enter data and generate reports with a single password. From a grape and wine industry stand-point, egrape improves traceability by combining information currently housed in multiple stand-alone systems, says Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of Grape Growers of Ontario. But more importantly, it provides a useful vineyard management tool for our members. egrape offers a wide range of functionality for growers and processors, reducing data entry and increasing the amount of timely information available. This allows for an end-to-end record-keeping system to document the provenance of grapes, vine planting information, vineyard characteristics and structures at the block level as well as detailed records of farm management practices such as pesticide and fertilizer use, canopy management, irrigation and wind machine use. It contains harvest information from weigh bills such as quantities sold, processor and grape quality metrics. Some of the features of egrape include: a single password login, reduced weigh bill entry times, greater weigh bill traceability, flexible management of address and contact info, easier spray record management, more informative vineyard map overlays, electronic 3rd party Brix testing results, and automated weigh bill correction process. Jean Pierre Colas and Doug Whitty, 13th Street Winery The system also combines spray record keeping and other vineyard management modules, weather information, and provides a message board and calendar to improve communication with members. egrape training has begun in the Niagara region for wineries and icewine processors which will continue through to the end of May. Grower and winery training in Lake Erie North Shore is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18. Prince Edward County will follow mid-june, and Niagara grower training will be scheduled throughout June and July. Wineries and icewine processors that have participated in the training have commented on the new egrape system as intuitive and well designed and flexible to meet winery and grower needs during harvest. 2

3 Update from Your Board Chair The Grape Growers of Ontario take an active role in representing our members and their interests. Here is an update on a number of issues that the GGO has been working through on your behalf Pricing GGO Welcomes Ryan Bosgoed, District 5 Representative Your Board of Directors and Advisory team will be participating in pricing discussions over the next few weeks. Please note we will keep members apprised of all outcomes. Excise Tax Proposal As many of you are aware I wrote to you on January 23, 2014 to inform you on the Excise Tax Relief proposal from the processors of blended wine. If you require any clarity regarding this Excise Tax Relief program please call the Board Office at and ask for Debbie or Mary Jane. Ontario Vineyard Improvement Program (OVIP) Update Intake 4 of The Ontario Vineyard Improvement Program (OVIP) has been fully subscribed and was closed on April 30, Applications will no longer be accepted. Upon approval of a grower s application by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), an Offer to Proceed will be sent which must be signed and returned before any payments can be made. The Grape Growers of Ontario welcomes Ryan Bosgoed to the Growers Committee and Board of Directors as the representative for District 5 (Southwestern Ontario). Ryan is a grape and vegetable grower in St. Williams, and currently has Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc planted, in addition to onions, tomatoes, kale, butternut squash and corn. Ryan is a graduate of the Niagara College Wine and Viticulture Program and spent three years working at Jackson-Triggs before purchasing the family farm. Ryan and his wife run the farm and are planning an onsite winery within the next few years. They also welcomed a son in November Growers who have been approved for funding in Year 4 will have from April 1, 2014 until March 31, 2015 to complete their improvements. Growers wishing to make claims for payment can do so as soon as the improvements are paid for and completed. Payments can be made multiple times throughout the year if needed. If there are any questions, please call the GGO Board Office and ask for Nick Lemieux at x228. Ryan and his father, John, on the family farm 3

4 Industry Updates Ontario Soil Crop Food Safety Webinars Looking to keep up to date on the latest food safety practices and help strengthen your Growing Forward 2 application? OSCIA is now offering Food Safety Webinars. Learn about food safety self-assessment and action plans. Join us for any or all of the food safety workshops, covering a variety of important food safety topics. All workshops are online as webinars, taken from the comfort of your home or business - all you need is an Internet and phone connection. Upcoming webinar topics include Worker Practices, Cleaning and Sanitizing, Pest Control, Building Maintenance and Visitors, Recall and Traceability, Soil Amendments and Pre- and Post Harvest Water. For more details or to register, go to KCMS Bud Survival Survey 2014 KCMS will be conducting a follow up assessment of the Niagara bud survival survey conducted in February of 2014 to include in-season evaluation of actual bud break, vine development dates and trunk observations. This sampling gives the best possible understanding of the short and long-term impact of winter injury. Ontario Ministry of Labour Occupational Health and Safety Act Requirements The Ontario Ministry of Labour requires that all workplaces in Ontario covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act with paid employees must provide Health and Safety Awareness Training by July 1, Training requirements including links to free training materials are provided on the Ministry of Labour website at: Water Adaptation Management and Quality Initiative (WAMQI) The GGO, together with Ontario Tender Fruit Producers and Ontario Apple Growers, has received funding to continue with last summer s irrigation efficiency project through the Water Adaptation Management and Quality Initiative (WAMQI) program administered by Farm and Food Care Ontario. The project is being conducted by Kathryn Carter and Rebecca Shortt (OMAF/MRA) with the assistance of summer student, Litza Coello. Patrick Handyside (AAFC) has received additional funding from Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada s Developing Plant-Available Water Capacity and Soil Air Capacity to examine increasing water-use efficiency in orchards and vineyards. While the WAMQI project is a one-year project (2014), the AAFC s project has been funded for three years to Working together on these projects allows pooling of resources and data. The purpose of the projects is to assess irrigation water use and develop whole-farm water management strategies. Water monitoring equipment is being installed in several vineyards to measure soil moisture, water table depth and water flow over the season. Results will be reported at grower information meetings later in the season. The project has been expanded to include growers from Niagara, Prince Edward County, South Western Ontario and Norfolk. Thank you to the grape grower co-operators: Martin Schuele, Matt Giffen, Forrer Farms, Dave Lambert, Dave Wiley, Burning Kiln, Bernie Gorski, Steve Mitchell, Kathleen Greenaway and Tim Kuepfer. 4

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6 LCBO Wine Sales Report The LCBO annual calendar is divided into 13 x 4 week promotional periods. Wine sales made at the LCBO and Vintages stores are reported each period. Period 1 ending April 26th is the first report for the fiscal year. In the 12 months ending April 26, 2014, VQA table wine sales by volume (litres) at the LCBO are down (-0.1%) over the previous 12-month period and non-vqa/icb table wine sales increased (+6.3%). Imported table wine sales at the LCBO are up (0.3%). Vintages Stores are showing more favourable results with Ontario table wine sales up +17.7% to 649,788 litres and imported table wine sales are up +4.1% to 14.4 million litres. The chart to the left shows combined wine sales at the LCBO and Vintages stores for the 12 months ending April 26, Market Share of Ontario VQA wine sold at the LCBO and Vintages is higher in terms of value (dollars) at 7.16% than volume (litres) at 5.97%. Imported table wine continues to dominate the market. LCBO Sales by Price Category (12 months ending April 26, 2014): Price Category VQA Table Wine Litres of Sales % Change over prior year Price Category Ontario Table Wine Litres of Sales % Change over prior year <$8 89, % <$8 17,394, % $8 - $12 2,318, % $8 - $12 12,188, % $12 - $15 3,888, % $12 - $15 3,926, % >$15 449, % >$15 453, % Total 6,746, % Total 33,961, % 6

7 Classifieds FOR SALE 2014 icewine and late harvest juice. Riesling, Cabernet France, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vidal, Gewurztraminer, Chambourcin, and Limberger. Please contact Joseph at FOR SALE Winemaking equipment - demijohns, carboy jugs, press with motor; 50 grow tubes with steel stakes; steel posts; 25-8 steel posts; 2000 roll of used wire. Please contact Bob at WANTED Small used destemmer and must pump or crusher unit. Please contact Frank at fmerja123@gmail.com 7

8 P.O. Box 100 Vineland Station, ON L0R 2E0 Tel: (905) Fax: (905) grapegrowersofontario.com GGO Services Grape Pricing Chemical Registration Crop Insurance Requirements Business Risk Management and Disaster Risk Programing Agricultural Policy Framework Bridge Funding P.O. Box 100 Offshore Farm Labour Program Vineland Station, ON Farm Labour Legislation Grape Standards L0R 2E0 Grape Inspection Tel: (905) Grape Research Fax: (905) Grape Industry Promotion Government Lobbying grapegrowersofontario.com Land Use Issues Nutrient Management Market Research Liaise with Industry and Other Farm Organizations Weather INnovations Connect With Us Grape Growers of 8 Grape Growers of Ontario