GGO August 2015 Newsletter.Indd
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in the vineyard August 2015 In Th is Issue Board News and Views 2015 Harvest Reminders Th ank You to 2014 Grape King Kevin Buis Agricorp Update Classifi eds Board News and Views CHC Advocacy Campaign For SAWP workers entering the 2015 Cheque Day Th e Canadian Horticultural Coun- country through Toronto’s Pear- Please be advised that the 2015 cil’s Advocacy Campaign was son airport, these changes become Cheque Day will be held launched in July to bring awareness eff ective in 2016. Local Service Monday, November 16th, 2015 to each federal party about agri- Canada Centres will work with em- for all grapes harvested on or culture’s needs prior to the 2015 ployers to faciliate the issuance of before November 6th, 2015. election. For more info, visit www. SIN’s including setting up mobile hortcouncil.ca/tools/advocacy. sites, priority appointments, and GGO Symbol: Building our extended evening and weekend brand with local consumers Sustainability offi ce hours. Check out the new voluntary and confi dential Viticulture Sustain- Grape Growers of Ontario and ability self-assessment tool and Ontario Grape and Wine Reser- information resources at eGrape. ach Inc. welcome Eleanor ca. Certifi cation is now available Hawthorn for grape growers and/or wineries We welcome Eleanor Hawthorn as participating in the Viticulture Sus- Grower Support (GGO) and Pro- tainability or the Wine Council of ject Manager (OGWRI). Eleanor It has been a long-standing Ontario’s Sustainable Winemaking can be reached at 905-688-0990 ext objective of the GGO to increase program who wish to have an audi- 229 or ehawthorn@grapegrowerso- the recognition of wine made tor verify their sustainable practic- fontario.com. with 100% locally grown grapes. es. For more info log into egrape. ca under Communications. Watch for an update in the next newsletter on our exciting Seasonal Agricultural Workers marketing and business devel- Programs (SAWP) Changes to opment initiative and for the Social Insurance Numbers LCBO’s Period 7 “Local” cam- SAWP participants are required to paign! apply for their SIN in-person with- in 3 days of their work start date. Eleanor Hawthorn 2015 Celebrity Luncheon Wednesday, September 16th 11:30 a.m. Club Roma, 125 Vansickle Road, St. Catharines Online ticket purchases can be made at niagarawinefestival.com. Ticket order forms are available at Tim Hicks, Canadian Country grapegrowersofontario.com or by calling the offi ce at Music’s Rising New Star and 2015 Celebrity Luncheon Speaker (905) 688-0990. 2 August 2015 2014 Grape King Kevin Buis On behalf of all GGO Staff and growers, we thank Kevin Buis of Glenlake Vineyards for serving as an outstanding Grape King for the 2014-15 term. Over his tenure as Grape King, Kevin has been an ambassador for grape growers across Ontario, including his vibrant presence at events such as the Legislative Wine Tasting, International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C), and the Niagara Grape and Wine Festivals. Kevin has made an impression with his win at the 2014 St. Catharines Mayor’s Invitational Grape Stomp, his welcoming speech at i4C School of Cool and his Twitter account (@GrapeKingBuis). Kevin served his term as Grape King with enthusiasm, commitment and dedication. We wish Kevin, his wife Jacqueline Oscvirk, their children; Keelan, Aidan, Erica (Steve Dowling), Alicia (Dan Segal), and John Mattia (Alicia) continued success and thank them for their support. August 2015 3 Harvest Reminders 2015 Brix Testing Fees: McKibbon Associates will now IMPORTANT 2015 Harvest Following an annual review, the manage the grape rejection pro- Delivery Protocols: Grape Growers of Ontario Board cess on behalf of the growers and of Directors will not collect brix processors. 1. When grapes are harvested, testing fees from producers, growers are to indicate vineyard processors or dealers purchasing McKibbon and Associates can be and block location on weigh/ grapes from a producer for the reached at (905) 328-4199. trucking slip using either the 2015 harvest. eGrape ID’s or your own vineyard VQAO Grape Documentation and block IDs. Additional weigh Wine Grape Grading Program Requirements: slips can be obtained by calling Revisions - Please read carefully: VQAO rules require that docu- Nick Lemieux at the GGO board McKibbon Associates Inc. will mentation be provided from GGO offi ce at 905-688-0990. be administering the third party on all grapes used in VQA wines. inspection for all members of the Th e only acceptable “weigh slip” 2. Please send the weigh/trucking GGO who may require a third for VQA purposes will be a print- slip with the truck to the winery. party test for VA, TA, pH or brix. out from the electronic eGrape McKibbon Associates Inc. will system administered by GGO. 3. Upon delivery to the winery, again contract Brock University as Records must include the identity ensure grapes are weighed and the onsite lab to test VA, TA, pH of the grower, vineyard location, Brix samples are properly collect- and brix. grape variety, tonnes, brix (as ed using the protocol in the Wine independently tested) and date of Grape Testing Manual. Retain a Growers must inform their pro- harvest. weigh bill carbon copy for your cessors in a timely manner of their records. grower number to ensure brix Please note that handwritten slips sample tags are properly complet- or any documentation generated 4. Processors are to enter weigh ed. Processors must also provide outside of the GGO system will bills into eGrape within 72 hours a load number (unique identifi er) not be accepted. Grapes that are aft er delivery by logging into the to McKibbon Associates staff on not properly registered in eGrape eGrape system at www.egrape.ca. the sample tags when submitting will not be eligible for use in VQA brix samples. Any sample without wines. 5. Growers should review eGrape a fully complete brix sampling tag weigh bills to ensure accuracy of will not be picked up. Late Harvest Juice Regulations: entry. Your attention is drawn specifi - It is important to note that any cally to the provisions of Sections Go to: www.egrape.ca and enter dispute between a processor and 15(e) and 16(b) of the Regulations. the site by using your eGrape login grower with regard to grape rejec- Th ese sections, which remain un- and password. tions for VA, TA, pH or brix must changed from prior years, require be accompanied by two rejections strict compliance with the report- Please refer any questions to slips as a minimum for production ing and payment provisions for Nick Lemieux at 905-688-0990 insurance. All rejection disputes late harvest juice (which includes x228 or Gillian McWilliams at must be referred to Errol McKib- icewine juice) and, of course, all 905-688-0990 x224. bon at McKibbon Associates Inc. other sections of the Regulations. immediately upon notifi cation of a grape rejection dispute to trigger We look forward to your the inspection. Please be advised cooperation. 4 August 2015 Agricorp Update Helping You and Your Grape Production Claims! Last year eGrape was launched which gave growers the ability to view their weigh bill data on line. Part of the functionality also allows those growers who participate in the crop insurance program to provide permis- sion for their Agricorp adjuster to view their weigh bill records. Allowing the Agricorp Adjuster to view your weigh bills in advance of the fi nal GGO statement helps the adjuster reconcile the yields by variety by block by vineyard. Providing an early start on reconciling weigh bills helps the Agricorp adjuster to process your potential claim effi ciently. You can give your Agricorp adjuster permission by either calling GGO staff to activate their access or by going on-line into eGrape. Here are some simple instructions if you go on-line in eGrape: Under Profi le click on the Permissions link. 1. Th e fi rst table you will see on the Permissions screen is for the Agricorp Adjuster access. You will see your adjusters name and contact information (If either is incorrect, please contact Agricorp and provide the correction information). If you gave your adjuster access last year, they should still be able to view your weigh bills. If your adjuster has changed, you will need to provide a new permission as indicated in step 3 below. 2. Th e last column in the table has a drop down menu. Th is fi eld is defaulted to “Do Not Allow” for all grow- ers so that the adjuster cannot see your weigh bills unless you allow them to. 3. To give your Agricorp Adjuster access, switch the fi eld from “Do Not Allow” to “Allow.” Th rough a secure login, your adjuster will only be able to see the weigh bills for those growers who have pro- vided access. By providing them online access the adjusters can more easily and more quickly identify vine- yard and block ID errors on weigh bills and correct them for crop insurance purposes. Providing access only allows the adjuster to change vineyard and block IDs. Th ey do not have access to create or delete a weigh bill nor do they have the ability to change weights, variety or brix. If you fi nd variety, brix or weight errors on the weigh bill, please contact the winery and the GGO for the necessary correction. For more information, contact Agricorp at 1 888-247-4999 or visit www.agricorp.com TASTE COMMUNITY GROWN Prince Edward County’s premier food and wine festival celebrates our culinary community from farm to table. Sample the freshest locally prepared food from top local chefs and artisan food producers while tasting local wine and craft beer.