29 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | August 2024 equipment that I’m more familiar with,” says Doug Sr. Derek says that his role now largely revolves around the people on the farm. “I am managing people more and more. I have been taking over that side of responsibilities from my dad, while at the same time taking over the corporate responsibilities from Randy. That includes data tracking for field jobs, moving our transition plan forward, taking advantage of all the funding opportunities, and keeping up with the changing labour laws,” says Derek. “I also do a lot of equipment field work. I do most of the herbicide spraying, in addition to the fungicide spraying. We have three sprayers – one weed sprayer, and two canopy sprayers. I also take care of trellis maintenance and generally whatever needs to be done at a specific time.” Doug is a diesel mechanic by trade, and equipment maintenance makes up a large portion of his responsibilities. “Most of the time my role is looking after the equipment and making sure it’s maintained, hooked up, and ready to go in the field. Equipment maintenance and managing supplies like chemical and fertilizer are my biggest roles,” says Doug. He explains that the family works hard at preventative maintenance through the winter to minimize their downtime during busier seasons. Doug Sr. says that he’s found some challenges in transition. “I probably say more than I should, but those are the challenges of succession. When you start from scratch, you’ve been there as you’ve built and grown everything you have,” explains Doug Sr. “You have to make it a suitable environment for everyone. If you say and do the wrong things, you won’t have a successful succession. You have to be able to let things go, and that’s a challenge for all farmers. I heard a saying years ago that it’s easier to pass a farm from grandfather to grandson than from father to son for those reasons.” As the next generation carrying on with the vineyard, Doug and Derek continue to grow and develop the farm. This is in addition to tackling the changes in workload as both their dad and uncle reduce their roles. “We have almost 200 acres, which would be a larger medium-sized vineyard,” says Derek. “Every vine receives hand attention about five times by workers on the farm with pruning, tying, suckering, and thinning. We travel the vineyard with equipment 15 to 20 times a year.” Doug adds that the growing season typically starts in April, with harvest starting in September and continuing into December and January for icewine grapes. In the early season, a crew of 10 to 25 people will help with tying and fieldwork. As the vines start to grow, the vineyard needs to be sprayed every UP CLOSE Randy Funk sets up a mower and vineyard hedger for completing two jobs in a single pass. Derek Funk photo
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