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
Take a virtual reality tour of Ontario’s egg and sheep farms Saturday, December 21, 2024 Canadians now have the opportunity to explore new virtual farm tours on www.FarmFood360.ca, thanks to Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO), is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to grow public trust and confidence in food and farming. The... Read this article online
Snow Begone: The RapidTrak Series Friday, December 20, 2024 BYLINE: Zahra Sadiq Winter is upon us, and with it comes thick layers of snow, making everything just a little more difficult. But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to the RapidTrak Snow Blowers by Ariens. This company’s story starts in 1933 when Henry Ariens took his sons... Read this article online
AEM partners with Euro counterpart to enhance global alignment on key ag manufacturer issues Friday, December 20, 2024 The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA) have signed a () to enhance advocacy efforts for the agricultural equipment industry. The agreement seeks to create a positive legislative and regulatory environment across... Read this article online
The 2024 Topigs Norsvin Canada Awards Banquet Thursday, December 19, 2024 Topigs Norsvin Canada Inc.—headquartered in Oak Bluff, Manitoba—is a global leader in swine genetics, and recently held its in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Stratford, Ontario, via two events for its producers. The banquets blended recognition for outstanding production achievements and... Read this article online
Premier equipment strengthens reach with new acquisition Wednesday, December 18, 2024 Premier Equipment, a John Deere dealership in southwestern Ontario, has reached an agreement to acquire Hutchinson Farm Supply, effective January 31, 2025. Hutchinson, which has been in business for 60 years, has served agriculture and rural property owners in York and Durham... Read this article online