Market share expansion a focus for Grape Growers' re-elected chair Thursday, April 10, 2014 by MATT MCINTOSH After being re-elected as chair of Grape Growers of Ontario’s board of directors, Bill George, owner of George II Farm and a multi-generational grape grower from Beamsville in the Niagara region, says he wants to spend his next term focusing on expanding Ontario’s share of the domestic wine market. “Right now Ontario wines have about a 37 per cent share of the domestic market, so there’s lots of room for growth,” says George. “That goes for both VQA wines and ICB wines, which are International Canadian Blends.” However, George says the primary focus is still on developing the market for VQA wines. According to Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of Grape Growers of Ontario, the board chair’s role is to communicate with government on behalf of Ontario’s grape and wine producers. While it is not an easy position to hold in such a highly regulated industry, she says, George has proven himself as a capable board member and leader over the last eight years. The board as a whole, says Zimmerman, has not changed since the last election in 2013, but there is a vacancy for one seat for southwestern Ontario that has not been filled because the organization is “waiting for recommendations for it.” “Board elections are done in one year intervals . . . we had some elections this year but we have other members that are only halfway through their term,” she says. Grape Growers of Ontario is the commodity group that represents close to 500 grape and wine producers located in Eastern Ontario, the Niagara region, and on Lake Erie’s north shore. BF Chatham-Kent groups debate who will foot the costs of new local food branding project Ottawa think tank predicts recovery for Canada's food manufacturing and service industries
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online
Canadian Ag Youth Council Welcomes new Members Saturday, September 14, 2024 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the latest members to join the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). This update introduces nine fresh members alongside thirteen returning youths, marking a significant step towards involving young voices in agricultural... Read this article online