Year End Issue 2012

2012 Year End Review Young Farmer Profile: Selling Cider at the Seashore The Toughest Vines Out There Corks That Will Make Your Wine

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2012 A Great Grape Report Despite a soggy start to the season, Mother Nature eventually came through making August and September perfect for grape growers. In the Okanagan, picking started in the south in early September.

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GROWER PROFILES • WINERY FEATURES • EQUIPMENT REVIEWS

• YOUR PHOTOS • EVENTS 2012 The Ups & Downs We had a good crop and things went well overall throughout the growing season.

GRAY INVASION Releasing two dozen Eastern grey squirrels in Stanley Park around 1914 was a nutty idea.

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Fraser Valley Blueberry Field - Page 22.

Features 15 Young Farmer Profile Kristen Jordan 18-28 2012 Year in Review 20 Apples, Cherries & Soft Fruit 22 Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries & Cranberries 25 Grape Report 26 Wineries: Trends and Highlights 29

Wine Making After it’s in the Bottle

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Hardy Wine Grape Varieties

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Apple Powdery Mildew Control

46

The Travails of Kirpal Boparai Grey Squirrel Invasion Wild Things - Page 43.

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Year End 2012

Regulars 6

Publisher's View – Lisa Olson

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Calendar

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News & Events

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Editor’s View – Devon Brooks

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Wanderings – Sandra Oldfield

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Legal Libations – Denese Espeut-Post

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The Wild Things – Margaret Holm

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The Word On Wine – BCWI

The Grape Report - Page 25.

Year End 2012

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 PUBLISHER’S VIEW | LISA OLSON

Orchard & Vine is now online

Vol. 53, No 6 Year End 2012

W

hen your customers ask you for a special product order or service, do you try to accommodate them? I bet if you can, that answer is ‘Yes.’ When you’re open to new possibilities for your business, ideas can come in from a variety of sources.

Established in 1959

This year we were again asked to continue publishing our year-end crop review, researchers like it, and as we’re told, there isn’t a lot of information out there compiled in one spot. At the moment these numbers are preliminary or partial –final harvest numbers come out in the spring, which brings me to my next reader request: “When are you going to go on line with the magazine?” So, here’s the answer to that request.

Graphic Design

What will you find in the online magazine? For starters, we’ll stay on top of new funding opportunities and programs to assist you, an update on harvest stats as they come in, grower info, a place to comment and voice your opin-

Lisa Olson Editor Devon Brooks

Stephanie Symons Contributors BCWI, Michael Botner, Devon Brooks, Kim Elsasser, Denese Espeut-Post, Margaret Holm, Bill McPhee, Darcy Nybo, Photo by Kim Elsasser

We are very excited to ring in the New Year, pop the cork and, with lots of excitement, launch our magazine online!

If you set the magazine down for a moment, you can go online right now to www.orchardandvine.net (if you forget the .net, .com or .ca it doesn’t matter as any of those will take you there). I’m very interested in your feedback, so please let me know what you like or what you’d like to see.

Publisher

Sandra Oldfield, Ronda Payne, John Vielvoye Sales & Marketing Holly Thompson Circulation

ion on new articles and archived stories from past issues as well as special event listings, equipment reviews and a searchable directory for your favourite suppliers! Please keep watching as we grow and add more features.

info@orchardandvine.net Orchard & Vine Magazine 1576 West Kelowna Road West Kelowna, B.C., V1Z 3H5

Enough about us, it’s the end of the year and my wish for you is good health for you and your families, a better crop next year and continued growth for your businesses.

E-mail: info@orchardandvine.net www.orchardandvine.net Phone: 250-769-2123

Enjoy the magazine and have some fun, laughter and local food over the holiday season.■

Fax: 1-866-433-3349 Orchard & Vine Magazine is published six times a year and distributed by addressed direct mail to growers, suppliers and wineries in the Okanagan, Kootenays, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, Washington State and throughout Canada. Orchard & Vine is also available through independent B.C. bookstores and online.

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 YEAR END | CALENDAR

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3rd Annual BC Tree Fruit Horticultural Symposium March 6 – 7 Trinity Baptist Church, Kelowna, B.C. More info call: 250-490-5717

BCAFM Conference ‘Growing Times’ March 1 – 3 Kamloops, B.C. www.bcfarmersmarket.org

Canadian Horticulture Council AGM March 12-15 Westin Hotel, Ottawa, ON www.hortcouncil.ca

Year End 2012

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 YEAR END | NEWS & EVENTS

The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker Jennifer Schell has authored the subtitled An Okanagan Cookbook under the main title of The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker. The new book hit the bookshelves in November.

The book isn’t, says Schell, just a collection of delicious recipes to make your mouth water; instead they are a combination of contributions from the chefs, food producers and winemakers in the Okanagan region mixed in with a generous dollop of food related stories. Bernard Casavant supplied his ‘Spot Prawn Risotto with Organic Greens’ while Liam McNulty from the Nk’Mip Patio Restaurant gave out the secrets to ‘Citrus Sockeye Salmon.’

In addition, Schell describes the book as being “a story of the history and biography of the people who put food on your plate.”

For more information, or to buy a copy of the cookbook, go to www.anokanagancookbook.com.

Province stumbles over Wine Gifts The provincial government says it is going to review an “outdated” liquor policy that prevents nonprofits from giving donated wine as prizes.

Many nonprofits have been auctioning wine for years at fund raisers, but when the Belfry Theatre in Victoria applied for a special-occasion license to run the charity event B.C.’s Liquor Control and Licensing Branch suddenly sent a letter telling them it wasn’t allowed.

The theatre expected the change in policy will cost it $30,000 in lost donations, but the government’s move has many organizations across the province wondering how this may affect their own fund raisers.

Under the regulations any such wine must be purchased at full price from BC Liquor stores and donations from wineries are not allowed; although this rule does not appear to have been consistently applied in recent times.

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Energy and Mines Minister Rich Coleman, under whose authority the Liquor Distribution Branch falls, has promised his Ministry will try to rectify the matter quickly. He says, “From time to time, we find outdated liquor policies that may have been relevant at a particular time in history, but don’t work today. Our goal is to get rid of these outdated liquor laws that unnecessarily restrict British Columbians and to regulate alcohol responsibly in the process.”

The Minister did clarify one point, which is that the prohibition only applies to fund raisers where the wine is the sole prize or reward. For fund raisers that award liquor in conjunction with other items like food in a basket, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Hopefully, Minister Coleman’s interpretation is the same one that ministry employees and inspectors are working under.

 YEAR END | NEWS & EVENTS

Tabletree Juice Wins Award in Europe

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Tabletree Juice profiled in Orchard & Vine's Innovation issue 2012 has won the World’s Best Pure Juice Product Award.

Tabletree Juice, made by Susan and Gary Snow at their farm in Creston from cherries, was shown by the Snows at the World Juice Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The conference attracted 350 industry insiders from 60 countries including the big juice manufacturers like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Tropicana and the biggest juice manufacturer in Australia, Nudie Juice. In addition large retailers such as Walmart also attend looking for new products.

While Tabletree may not have the output for the world’s largest retailers, they definitely got on the radar screen when they won the ‘World’s Best Pure Juice Product’ award.

The Snows were featured in an earlier issue of O&V this year when they told us the cherry market was going down and they didn’t see any kind of price revival

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in sight. They began to search for a way to get added value on their cherries. After much research and considerable investment, they found a way to produce cherry juice without the age old problem of it oxidizing, which mars the look and taste of the pure juice.

After the show in Barcelona Gary Snow reports that a number of different people expressed interest. One of them was a researcher from France who is investigating cherry juice for its anti-inflammatory qualities, and who also wanted to

know if Tabletree Juice retained those qualities.

The Snows are frustrated that while they are getting lots of response from Europe about their product, they are having a difficult time getting retailers in British Columbia to look at stocking their cherry juice.

One Dutch company, which Gary didn’t name, was interested in buying them and their process out, but Gary says so far, they have declined the offer.

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 YEAR END | NEWS & EVENTS

New High-Tech Cranberry Receiving Station Opens The new $26-million Ocean Spray receiving station opened in September in Richmond. The new plant has an annual capacity of 45 million kilograms. Sorting, cleaning and binning are all done with the latest equipment, improving berry quality and wait times for delivering growers.

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as 35 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed over 80 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976.

Dignitaries at the opening of the new Ocean Spray cranberry processing facility in Richmond include (L to R) Ocean Spray Board VP Peter Dhillon, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Ocean Spray CEO Randy Papadellis, BC MLA Linda Reid and Ocean Spray VP of Agricultural Supply Mike Stamatakos.

The pristine interior of Ocean Spray’s new $26 million cranberry receiving station in Richmond, which can process up to 100 million pounds of cranberries per year.

Sun rises on Profits at SunRype Last year was not an easy one for SunRype, the fruit juice and fruit snack manufacturer based in Kelowna, but things appear to be looking a little brighter at the end of the third quarter of 2012.

A year ago the publicly traded company (SRF on the Toronto Stock Exchange) lost $3 million on sales of $39 million, which amounted to a loss of 28¢ per share. The third quarter of 2012 has turned that around to a profit of a half million dollars or 5¢ per share based on net sales of $116.4 million. That’s almost $6 million

12 Year End 2012

more than last year when net sales came in at $110.8 million.

SunRype says it isn’t quite time to break out the bubbly apple juice in celebration yet. In their third quarter report the company says fruit juice sales (technically known as shelf-stable juice category) have been declining and no one is certain the decline has stopped or if that trend will continue. They are also unsure why people are not buying as much fruit juice as they used to.

A shrinking market means increased

competition for the money that is out there and SunRype said, “Management anticipates that these factors may result in net losses in the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013.”

 YEAR END | NEWS & EVENTS

31 Years to Pick the Salish The somewhat dry and unappetizing SPA-493 was renamed this year as the Salish apple. The rechristening was the end of a 31 year development process started at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC) in Summerland back in 1981. That was the year scientists bred Splendour and Gala trees, which resulted in more than 25,000 seeds and 800 different varieties to look at.

Apple breeder Cheryl Hampson explains that every seed is unique, the same way that every baby born carries a unique set of genetic information from its parents.

Says Hampson, “Every year we germinate thousands of new seeds and retire thousands of inferior trees. Less than one per cent of them have any potential of being better than their parents.”

Factors important to selecting a winning apple include the flavour, texture and appearance, but it also has to store well and retain those qualities after being stored. Growers are also interested in other qualities such as the breed’s ability to grow to a good size, resist disease and blemishes and produce consistently year after year.

Photos courtesy AAFC

Out of that 800 the Salish apple is the final result, an apple which everyone believes should have a good marketable finish.

John Kingsmill, CEO of the Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation and Kelowna MP Ron Cannan enjoy a new Salish apple at its official launch in the fall of 2012.

The last stage is finding a name that is different, easy to remember and yet has significance.

Salish language in this part of British Columbia and the northern part of Washington State.

The Salish name has those qualities and is also a reminder that the apple was grown and developed on territory held

by First Nations people who spoke the

The Salish is the latest apple from that 1981 pollination experiment – the other winners from that time include the Nicola and the Aurora Golden Gala.

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Year End 2012 13

 YEAR END | NEWS & EVENTS

Whistler’s Cornucopia Things to Do Here is a prominent date for growers to keep in mind for in 2013.

On March 2-3 the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets (BCAFM) will be holding their annual conference in Kamloops, exact location yet to be determined.

Going under the title of ‘Growing Times’ the BCAFM conference will be two-and-a-half days in length and provide an opportunity for market organizers to meet and mingle with growers, small scale food processors, artisans, and agricultural and community leaders.

In addition to the conference meetings and the AGM the event will include workshops on local food production and distribution, marketing, organizational development and a farm tour.

Photo by Glenn Fawcett

Interested parties can check the BCAFM’s website at www.bcfarmersmarket.org to find out where the conference will be held.

The location is expected to be finalized by the first week in December.

B.C. wine flows freely between screenings at ‘The Best of the Vinos’ film festival held in Whistler this year (Photo contributed by BC Wine Institute - see story on page 45).

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Young Farmer: Kristen Jordan - Vancouver Island

She Sells Sea Cider near the Sea Shore

By Darcy Nybo

K

risten Jordan comes from a family of farmers and ranchers. She grew up in Alberta and was accustomed to the long hours involved in being a farmer. She inherited an orchard (with her brother) on Shuswap Lake in 1986; however, farming wasn’t a career the 20 something woman considered. “I had no interest in it whatsoever,” she says from her Vancouver Island home. At the time, she was doing contracts for the United Nations and the Canadian International Development Agency working on environmental and food security projects in East Africa.

Jordan did her research and realized markets and growing conditions were perfect in the Victoria area. In 2002, she and her then-husband started a business plan, took cider-making courses, and in 2004 bought 10 acres of land and incorporated Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse.

“It was primarily sheep pasture,” Jordan explains. “We planted 1,000 apple trees that fall. The cider house was completed in 2006 and in 2007 she opened the doors for business. And my, how that business has grown.

“We divide our business into different territories,” she says. “We have wholesale customers throughout B.C., but primarily on the Island and the Lower Mainland. In addition, we sell to wholesale customers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon and into Washington, Oregon and Minnesota.

Sea Cider’s sales have always been done in house; first, with her doing all the selling and then with a full time salesperson. “We’ve looked at the potential for

Photo by Kim Kalyn Photography

“It was about 10 years ago, when my son was born, I realized I didn’t want to travel any more. I had kept the orchard, but the forest had overtaken it and the bears had eaten all the apples,” she says.

“I was living in Victoria and didn’t want to move to the Shuswap. My parents had moved here too. I wanted to start a cidery, partly because of the orchard I already owned, and partly because I wanted a career change.”

Kristen Jordan comes from a farming background but took the long way ‘round to get back to her roots with an apple orchard on Vancouver Island.

“ The future looks bright for young farmers who recognize the importance of diversifying their income sources.”

Kristen Jordan market expansion, but we aren’t selling outside of North America at the time.

The strategy is to take the sales that come most easily and where we see the greatest demand.”

Noticeably absent from her list of clientele, are buyers from Ontario. “We don’t sell into Ontario yet, because it is easier to sell into the U.S. from a regulatory point of view. In some ways we look at it as a positive thing [selling into Washing-

ton, Oregon and Minnesota]. The market is primed for cider right now. We compete with a couple dozen cideries and we are about the most expensive cider on the shelf. We are certified organic and the quality of our cider over all keeps us in the U.S. market.”

In the beginning, Jordan did it all. Today they have a full time production manager and a lead production assistant.

There is a sales and marketing coordinaYear End 2012 15

tor and several sales associates, full and part time.

The cidery holds private events, corporate events, group luncheons, and weddings on site. “That brings in more awareness and revenue,” explains Jordan. “It’s shrinking as a percentage of our income, but it is only because our wholesale is growing so much.”

“These days it is all about planning for growth and business development. Ours is a diversified operation with apples as the core theme. We have tour and tastes, private events and our wholesale business.”

When not overseeing the cidery, Jordan

can be found in her office tweaking spreadsheets and trying to figure out different scenarios. As for the future of farming itself, Jordan is highly optimistic.

“The future looks bright for young farmers who recognize the importance of diversifying their income sources. Farming today means you have to be computer literate and marketing savvy. You need to brush up on your spreadsheets and your business planning.”

Most important, she says, is to reach out for advice. “Farm Credit Canada offers short courses on financial planning and financial ratios and those were hugely helpful to me.”

Then there’s web presence. “Having a great website is also an important tool in today’s world to get the word out about business. You don’t have to spend lots of money for a good website; if you are computer savvy you can do it yourself. If you aren’t, hire somebody!

Bramble Bubbly, Cyser and Rumrunner are just some of the imaginative names given to the products that Sea Cider Farm puts out.

16 Year End 2012

“It’s important to know when to outsource for what you aren’t good at. We are often blind to our shortcomings. I tend to spend most of the time doing things I like to do and I neglect things I don’t like to do – even if those things are important – so I hire someone to make sure those things are done.”

The tasting room at Sea Cider shows another method the young company is using to not only earn money, but get the word out about their cidery products.

Jordan reflects on her beginnings. “In a sense I got into the business of farming as part of a lifestyle choice. However, the only way to farm sustainably is to think about it as a business and think about the notion that you are growing widgets. You have to have a passion for growing things – in my case heritage apples. I know I can’t continue to do it unless I treat it like any other business.

I think the biggest epiphany I had is whether you call yourself a farmer or a businessperson, you are a problem solver first. You need the stamina, a healthy dose of optimism to stay in the game.”■

Year End 2012 17

2012 YEAR I 18 Year End 2012

IN REVIEW Year End 2012 19

2012 BAD WEATHER HAS SUNNY SPOT

By Darcy Nybo Cherries were the pits Ask anyone who grows them and they’ll tell you, cherries did not do well in 2012.

Ontario farmers reported crop failures and harvests about half the usual size.

The weather was, as usual to blame, with a hard spring frost that killed cherry fruit blossoms. Western weather didn’t give B.C. cherry growers much of a reprieve either.

Glen Lucas, general manager for the BCFGA (BC Fruit Growers Association), says weather, plus a large volume for early

season cherries in Washington State made it a tough season for B.C. growers.

“We had a very dry finish to the summer, but the early season was very wet and that is hard on cherries.” He adds, “The later season cherries still had periods of rain where they had to get the helicopters out, but the quality improved and it wasn’t as much of a struggle. When we got more distance in time from the big volume that came from Washington, prices came up and stabilized. It didn’t match previous years even for the late season cherries.”

Chris Pollock, marketing manager for BC Tree Fruits agrees the weather and quality had a negative impact on cherries.

“Everyone had challenges this year with the rain that affected the entire Pacific Northwest. It affected prices in a negative way because the market had a lot of fruit that was challenged in quality.”

Many customers who purchase cherries at local supermarket found the quality lacking and did not go back for seconds.

“It takes quality to get consumers to be repeat customers,” says Pollock. “Because the quality wasn’t there early in the season, the demand at a retail level was not as high and prices dropped.”

The projected cherry harvest for 2012 was estimated at 8 million pounds. Pollock says, “We had anticipated a large crop of cherries this year and we didn’t get it. Total harvest was 5.8 million pounds, down from 6.5 million last year.”

An abundance of apples Apples were another story in the Okanagan. Early season weather didn’t affect the apple crop, as it was dry and warm near the end of the season. “We got great cool nights so things went well for apples,” reports Lucas. “One risk of early season rain is less pollination – that didn’t happen. We had a good crop and things went well overall throughout the growing season. There was some hail in areas, but overall the crop was up from a normal year by about 10%.”

Photos Dreamstime.com

Lucas says the increase was in part due to larger harvests but also due to larger sized fruit. Then there was the bad weather in the rest of apple growing country in Canada and the U.S.

20 Year End 2012

In a recent interview Brian Gilroy, chairman of the Ontario Apple Growers, says the 80% crop loss now looks more like 90%. In many cases the crop was barely worth harvesting. Of all the apples, Northern Spy fared the best with about 25% to 30% of a normal crop, while Gala, Honey Crisp and Golden Delicious fared better than 10%. “Macs, Empire and Matsui are pretty well non-existent,” he says.

Ontario hasn’t seen an apple season like this since 1945. It was the same story for

FOR APPLES those in apple country in the U.S. Growers across the pond didn’t fare much better than Ontario. Throughout the U.K., it was the worst apple yield in 15 years. Adrian Barlow, chief executive of the Growers’ organization says, “It is going to be a tough time not only in the U.K. but across Europe.” Retailers are reducing their specifications and accepting apples with more skin markings than normal and prices are likely to rise.

These lousy weather systems across the Northern Hemisphere gave B.C. an advantage this year. “It was a vacuum out there,” says Lucas. “There was a low crop in Ontario and the U.S. The supply in North America went down so prices went up and quality was great. It was a banner year for B.C. apples in terms of market pricing. It wasn’t a battle to compete against others to get into the market. With apples in short supply the market is actually pulling B.C. apples out of storage to fulfill the need in the North American market.”

Local apple farmers have more than rising prices to celebrate. B.C. apples are also winning awards in record numbers.

“We topped out and won in every category at the National Apple Competition,” says Lucas. “In the category ‘five varieties in a basket’, B.C. placed first, second, and third.

We won grand champion and reserve champion in three categories new variety, heritage variety and commercial variety.”

Devin Jell of Sun-Oka Fruit Farms in Summerland came in first in three of the five new varieties and came in first for Best Collection of Five varieties. Lane and Ryan Mitchell (Mitchell Family Orchard) and Shivinder Gill, (Gill Farm) came in second and third for Best Collection of five varieties.

Although quality and quantity do factor in, programs set up by BC Tree Fruits to sell apples through wholesalers and retailers that have made 2012 a great year for B.C. apples “Our MacIntosh crop this year was fantastic,” gushes Pollock. “It was all positive. The weather was perfect and with

all the sun in August and September it was great. The temperature dropped perfectly at night to get the apples to colour up.”

Pollock says all varieties of apples were over the estimated amounts in 2012.

“Ambrosia, Honey Crisp, Golden, Fuji, Nicola, MacIntosh, Royal Gala, Spartan and Sunrise were all over our original grower estimates in bins. Everything else came in right on track.”

was good this year as well. Nectarines were good, a little under in crop size at 575,000 pounds received. We were over on prunes and plums with just over 1.1 million pounds received and apricots were up from last year and just a little under our grower estimate at 212,000 pounds. Andrew, Bartlett and Bosc pears were estimated at 5,500 bins and we received the same.”

When you don’t include cherries, soft fruits also did very well for 2012.

According to Pollock the majority of B.C. fruits harvested this year will stay in Western Canada, but, he says, “The challenges in Eastern Canada opened up more opportunities for us.” He adds, “We do build programs with certain countries like Vietnam with Ambrosia and Galas. We are continuing to build programs with export marketplaces to sell them fruit.” ■

“Peaches was the exact same as last year,” says Pollock, “at just under 3.1 million pounds received. The quality

**Note: BC Tree Fruits represents 580 of 800 fruit growers in the Okanagan. Total above are for those 580 farmers only.

Total apples harvested in 2012 was 222,000 bins, compared to the 209,000 bins they predicted. That’s 178 million pounds of delicious B.C. apples in the marketplace.

Soft Fruits weigh in

Year End 2012 21

By Ronda Payne People asked to define B.C. may come up with provincial treasures like the abundance of culture, diverse people and lush scenery – not to mention the title of “Hollywood North” – but when it comes to defining agriculture, and specifically crops, berries always take a starring role in the province.

In the ongoing saga of berry production it is an expectation that the weather will fight for its star on the walk of fame. This year was no different when the weather diva captured headlines by playing both roles of the supportive side-kick and the villainous antagonist. Despite the weather’s unpredictability, there are still a number of rave reviews for the strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and cranberry crops of 2012.

Strawberries The first to ripen, and perhaps the hardest hit by the weather, this year’s strawberries could win the award for best fresh face.

22 Year End 2012

Commercial growers once focused solely on June berries, but with a desire for a longer production season and a need to expand beyond the unpredictability of May and June weather patterns, growers have added more ever-bearing plants.

“We anticipate that the acreage of ever bearing strawberries will increase, while the June bearing acreage will either stabilize or decrease,” notes Sharmin Gamiet, association manager of the Fraser Valley Strawberry Growers Association.

For the past several years, 2012 included, June provided a wet, cold weather setting, but the plot twist this year came with a late sun burst. The late support helped, but certainly didn’t create any record breaking results.

According to Gamiet, the majority of early berries were more of an industrial quality due to the heavy rains, but later berries were excellent in quality thanks to the tardy, sunny weather. Not all growers have reported in, but Gami-

et says yield numbers are expected to be down from last year’s for processed strawberries while the fresh crop will be up.

Richmond grower Bill Zylmans was one of a lucky few who experienced an “awesome” fresh crop, but his story is not the standard this year.

Raspberries B.C. raspberries valiantly took the best supporting role for having a decent, though below average, year.

Raspberries also fell victim to the challenging antagonist of a cold, rainy spring and early summer. According to B.C. Raspberries, pollination wasn’t abundant due to the overly damp weather, leading to poor performance in both quality and yield. It even rained during peak harvest periods.

The yield for raspberries is expected to finish 10% below last year’s results.

Gamiet, who also serves as the executive

Photos Dreamstime.com

B.C. BERRIES – A GREAT PICTURE

director for B.C. Raspberries says results are still coming in, but the pattern of quality was similar to that of strawberries. Early berries were generally of industrial grade, while later season berries were “exceptionally good”.

“The IQF (individually quick frozen) price was good for raspberries, but the puree, jam and juice price was low,” she summarized.

Blueberries Best picture goes to blueberries for a 10.5% increase in yield.

This is the largest crop ever for B.C., now the largest blueberry growing region in the world, according to Debbie Etsell, executive director of the B.C. Blueberry Council.

“We’re estimating at 105 million pounds.

Ten million over last year,” she says.

Like most film productions, our neighbours to the south generally overshadow B.C.’s involvement, but not any more.

Preliminary stats from the USDA indicate a continuing decline in blueberry crops in Maine and Michigan – the two largest producers in the U.S. If 2012 stats come in at similar levels to 2011 for those two states, B.C. will indeed come out, as Etsell predicts, in the leading role. Something Hollywood North will envy.

A happy ending wasn’t always predicted.

The weather challenges threatened to create a horror movie, but unlike the raspberries, pollination wasn’t impacted by the late, soggy spring.

Quality did suffer during one week of harvesting, towards the middle of the season, when berries were getting too hot, but fortunately it had little impact on the majority of the crop.

“There were some areas with quality concerns at the beginning of the season,” Etsell said, referring to those impacted by the high waters of the Fraser River as well.

With early, mid and late maturing varieties the fruit was harvested from mid-July to mid-October without much drama. In fact, Etsell notes it was one of the best seasons with great ripening weather.

Including the new plantings this fall, there will be close to 800 blueberry growers with 24,000 acres under production in 2013.

Year End 2012 23

Photos by Rhonda Payne

Cranberries There was a lot of press about cranberries this year. The tart berries would definitely receive awards for best costume as well as best scientific and technical feature.

The fruit’s wardrobe enhancement came thanks to the new $26-million Ocean Spray receiving station which opened in September in Richmond. Just 6 km from the former station, according to Ocean Spray, the new plant has an annual capacity of 45 million kilograms – a 50% increase.

“It can handle more berries, it is designed for future growth and it has the latest in food-handling equipment,” notes Mike Wallis, executive director of the B.C. Cranberry Growers’ Association.

Sorting, cleaning and binning are all done with the latest equipment, improving berry quality, thus appearance, and wait times for delivering growers.

Rows of blueberry fields in the Lower Mainland .

24 Year End 2012

In the scientific and technical feature category is a new Richmond research testing facility made possible in part with funding from the federal government. A

first in Canada, the site will allow testing of different varieties and inputs in a controlled setting. Initial construction is expected to wrap up in early 2013 on the 15-acre production site.

“Blueberries and raspberries have had their own testing and research station,” remarks Wallis. “Cranberries had to do it on their own. It’s kind of exciting really.”

Because they are the latest berry crop to come in, specifics on yield data are unavailable.

“We’re still harvesting now,” Wallis said.

“The overall anticipation is to be at least average or above average.”

“There was a declining yield over the past few years and it didn’t start off all that great this year,” he says.

Then, that helpful side-kick stepped in. A fall filled with sun made for above average yield and a good fruit size – at least for one Richmond grower Wallis spoke to.

Wallis suggested a total crop yield of more than 90 million pounds with quality issues expected only on some of the last-harvested berries due to the returning rainfall.■

A GREAT GRAPE REPORT

By Darcy Nybo Despite a soggy start to the season, Mother Nature eventually came through making August and September perfect for grape growers. In the Okanagan, picking started in the south in early September. Growers in the Similkameen were harvesting by early October, while the Fraser Valley and the Creston growers picked in mid-October and those on Vancouver Island did their picking in late October.

According to the BC Wine Institute the 10 most planted varieties in 2012 in order of total acreage are: Merlot, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.

“The BCWI is excited for the 2012 vintage, which looks to be an excellent year for B.C. VQA wine,” says Kate Crothers, Communications Coordinator for the BC Wine Institute. “Despite 2012’s wet spring vintners across the province are excited about the prospect for both quality and quantity this vintage. Some of the standout varietals look to be Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Syrah and Pinot Noir.”

Bob Heiss, Operations Manager at Grey Monk, is also thrilled with the grape crop of 2012. “We get our grapes from all over the Okanagan and we found this year every area had a good season. Harvest wise we had some of the best fruit we’ve seen in years.”

He is particularly excited about Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon this year. “The winemakers were coming in and raving about the fruit while it was still in the bin.” He also noted this year was good for Auxerrois and the Pinot Gris. “All in all,” he says, “there were no disappointing grapes for us this year. Pinot Noir is usually a struggle and even it did quite well.”

Randy Picton, the winemaker at Nk’mip is exceptionally happy with this year’s

Photo Dreamstime.com

Total acres planted in 2012 are estimated at 10,396.5 acres. Although final figures are not in yet, the estimated tonnage for 2012 is 35,372, which translates into approximately 19,454,600 litres of wine.

Merlot, Chardonnay, Cab Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. “They have good flavours and ripe tannin profiles.” Picton notes that for some, the Syrah was a little disappointing. “It seemed as if the sugar and flavour development stalled out,” he says.

Mike Watson of Constellations Brands (formerly Vincor) noted this year showed

a higher demand for Riesling and Gewurztraminer. “The quality of grapes is going to be quite high this year for both white and red. The Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir had a very good flavour profile early on.”

Overall, 2012 looks to have been a very good grape year indeed.■

2008 to 2011 Surveys VARIETY

% CHANGE

WHITES:

VARIETY

% CHANGE

REDS:

Viognier

+ 24.0 %

Cabernet Franc

+ 32.3 %

Riesling

+ 19.6 %

Pinot Noir

+ 19.6 %

Pinot Gris

+ 14.8 %

Marechal Foch

+ 12.9 %

Gewurztraminer

+ 9.8 %

Cabernet Sauvignon

+ 10.9 %

Chardonnay

+ 5.8 %

Gamay

+ 7.0 %

Sauvignon Blanc

- 10.5 %

Syrah (Shiraz)

+ 5.9 %

Pinot Blanc

- 28.0 %

Merlot

+ 1.0 %

Year End 2012 25

By Michael Botner The Year With most of the 2012 vintage picked and delivered to wineries, the industry expects a banner year for both quantity and quality, according to the BC Wine Institute.

According to an industry source, some wineries are bursting at the seams, which could suggest surplus wine for some and inadequate storage capacity. Our insider puts his finger on this shift: While Merlot is a perfect fit for the Okanagan, there is a little too much at this time, but clear trends are near impossible to deduce in B.C. where there is a little bit of everything, a mishmash of varieties and styles.

Ultimately, Merlot will likely end up playing a supporting role in new, unconventional, non-meritage red blends.

“The red blend category outpaced everything,” says Jody Levesque, a marketing manager at Constellation Brands. She stresses the red blend styles are not restricted to dry reds. “They even include sweeter reds that introduce wine to people who didn’t drink,” she explains.

26 Year End 2012

With competition for consumer attention and dollars heating up, 2012 marked the emergence a number of effective and innovative strategies for making and selling B.C. wine. Notable developments are highlighted below.

■ The commercialization of FreshTAP allows wine to be served from a keg in restaurants, comes from a subsidiary of recently-launched Vancouver Urban Winery. Wines are shipped in bulk to the winery and transferred to 19.5 litre stainless steel kegs pressurized by nitrogen. The kegs are shipped to restaurants where wines are served at the peak of freshness by the glass.

Although the technology is not new – it’s used for beer, and Naramata Inn has been offering Nichol Vineyard’s Pinot Gris from a keg for a while – this promises to revolutionize the service of wines by the glass in restaurants. Benefits include lower costs all-around, fresher wine and no spoilage from half-empty bottles, and a price break for consumers. While the wines by the keg cannot be sold as BC VQA wine, even if it is exactly the same as the wine in the bottle, the number of

Bench 1775 is the new name, and part of the rebranding, for the former Soaring Eagle winery in Naramata.

Photo Dreamstime.com

2012: STEADY GROWTH, TRENDS AND HIGHLIGHTS

wineries (about 30) and restaurants (50 accounts) enlisted for this service in so short a time is impressive.

■ Recently, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery introduced a new look for its highly rated Black Sage Vineyard wines, as part of a rebranding plan for its wine portfolio.

Now Black Sage Vineyard wines – a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pipe Fortified Wine - sport clean, modern, smart, more masculine labels putting more focus on the stature of the vineyard and the bold style of the wines.

“We wanted the wine to stand out as unique and special, and differentiate them from the other wines,” explains Jody Levesque. She points to the Napa Valley where wineries are taking the time to ensure that labels for iconic California brands like Robert Mondavi Private Selection reflect the quality in the bottle. “We realize that consumers have only a set amount and we have to exceed expectations,” she adds.

Don Triggs at work on the vines for the expected 2013 launch of the Culmina Family Estate Winery.

The best news in 2012 was Bill C-311, which finally allows wineries to ship their wine inter-provincially for personal use subject to provincial limitations.

Many provinces including B.C., Alberta and Manitoba have come on board with Ontario and Nova Scotia expected to follow suit. With strong interest in B.C. wines across the country, this gives B.C. wineries a major boost. Much credit for this change to the Importation of Intoxication Liquors Act of 1928 goes to Okanagan area MPs Dan Albas and Ron Cannan.

Photos by Michael Botner

There are many variations to this theme in B.C. One of the most intriguing examples of cleaning house is the new name and label at Bench 1775 on the Naramata Bench, replacing Soaring Eagle. Another is the striking Saxon Winery label.

Murray Jones is co-owner of Platinum Bench, another one of the half dozen winery openings that happened in the past year.

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Year End 2012 27

The Wineries The torrid pace of winery openings in British Columbia – we reported 21 for 2011 - has slowed considerably in the past year. By our calculation, only six wineries opened their doors in 2012: ■ Symphony Vineyard, Saanichton ■ A dega on 45th Estate Winery, Osoyoos ■ Platinum Bench Estate Winery, Oliver ■ Baccata Ridge Winery, Grindrod ■ V ancouver Urban Winery (commercial license) ■ Monster Vineyards, Penticton

Reinvented Four established wineries reinvented themselves under new names and/or owners: ■ S ynchromesh Wines replaces Alto Wine Group, Okanagan Falls ■ S axon Winery replaces Holly & Wine, Summerland ■ B ench 1775 Winery takes the place of Soaring Eagle, Penticton ■ M oraine Estate Winery was Zero Balance, Naramata Bench

Under Construction Wineries currently undergoing renovation and/or expected to open in 2013: ■ Liquidity Wines, Okanagan Falls ■ 50th Parallel Estate, Lake Country ■ Culmina Family Estate Winery, Oliver ■ Maverick Estate Winery, Oliver ■ Harper’s Trail Estate Winery, Kamloops ■ M onte Creek Estate Winery, Kamloops ■ P rivato Vineyard and Winery, Kamloops

Protect the grape, protect the

New federal government rules for Allergen labelling came into effect in 2012.

Sulfites greater than 10 ppm and, important for wine that is unfiltered, any significant amounts of residual protein from the use of egg (ovalbumin), fish (isinglass) or milk (casein) products must be declared on the label. The rules apply to 2012 and later vintage wines and all wine packaged without a vintage date.

2012 Milestones ■ The only one of the original farmgate wineries still family owned, Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery, celebrated the grand opening of an impressive, new 1,800 sq. ft. tasting room and winery expansion on August 18.

■ Once known for its quaint Quonset hut location, Black Hill Estate Winery opened a 3,000 sq. ft., $1 million tasting area and wine shop on Black Sage Road on June 8.

■ CedarCreek Estate Winery marked 25 years as CedarCreek under the Fitzpatrick family; it originally opened in 1980 as Uniacke.

■ On a perfect spring day in June, Trudy and George Heiss celebrated a trio of anniversaries – 50 years of marriage; 40 years since they started planting vines in Okanagan Centre; and 30 years since Gray Monk Estate Winery opened in 1982.

■ Calona Vineyards, B.C.’s oldest continuously operating winery, turned 80 in 2012 with little hoopla. Launched as Domestic Wines and By-Products in 1932, it is now owned by Andrew Peller Ltd., and occupies a sprawling, 1950s era complex of buildings, together with the newer Peller Estate Winery and Sandhill Wines, on Richter Street in downtown Kelowna.

For information about how to improve safety in your winery, e-mail us at smallbiz@worksafebc.com.

worker

If you have questions about workplace safety, call WorkSafeBC’s Call Centre at 604 276-3100, or toll-free in B.C. at 1 888 621-SAFE (7233).

28 Year End 2012

Wine Making After it’s in the Bottle

By Devon Brooks Suppose you sat down at a table with two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and, after carefully sampling both, you describe the one on the left as having chocolate and plum overtones but the second is dryer with an astringent nose.

We’re not talking about a really subtle difference that only an expert could pick up on either – we’re talking about an over-the-head thumping difference.

So far, there is nothing special about this experience. Anyone who compares different wines has this happen all the time.

If I told you the only difference was that they used two different synthetic corks,

Photos by Devon Brooks

How surprised would you be to find out the two wines are identical? Not only the same varietal, but the same vintage from the same winery, the same plot, the same batch, aged in the same way and produced by the same wine maker.

The synthetic cork shown here is just coming off the extrusion line and has been sliced but not yet treated or marked.

Year End 2012 29

Antoinette Morano, known as “The Nose” for her extremely sense of smell, or more officially as the Principal Sensory Technologist, runs a lab making sure components of Nomacorc’s closures are sensory neutral and will not affect, even over a long period of time, the taste of the wine.

Affecting the wine’s taste was a common criticism of the first synthetic corks in the 1990s.

This oxygen meter, sold under the name of NomaSense, is another innovative product that allows a wine maker to determine the oxygen content of a sealed bottle of wine.

30 Year End 2012

The corks filling this bin are only part way through the manufacturing process, still waiting for beveling and printing.

albeit both corks were from the same manufacturer, you’d be forgiven for being skeptical. When I sat down and tried those two glasses of wine and I was told that answer I was incredulous. So the people providing the test tried it again with a different wine, but this time I tasted three different glasses of red.

Obviously, my information must be wrong or incomplete. Everything couldn’t be identical else the wines wouldn’t be that different but I, along with seven others, most of whom are wine reviewers, were astonished when told the only difference was the variety of synthetic cork in the bottles.

All the corks are made by North Carolina-based Nomacorc and the differences in the corks are deliberate, a creation of years of careful testing and manufacturing decisions.

Nomacorc closures consist of a slick, polyethylene skin with a core of softer foam consisting of 60% air, but it is through (literally) the foam core that Nomacorc has perfected the manufacturing process to assist the wine maker produce the wine they really want.

The wines we tasted were identical except that each bottle was closed with a different Nomacorc from their 'Select' series.

There are four different numbered models in the 'Select' series and each number represents a core that allows a different oxygen transfer rate (OTR).

Nomacorc’s VP of Global Marketing & Innovation is Malcolm Thompson. A chemical engineer by training, Thompson says, “We feel we’re the only [closure] company in the world that can do that, manage the OTR.” Consider natural cork, taken from the bark of the cork oak tree. Beautiful as it is, natural cork does not have a consistent density and the rate of oxygen penetration of cork can vary enormously.

It is estimated that about 3% of all wine sealed with cork suffers from cork taint, which means that every year, approximately 360 million bottles of wine are thrown away. That waste results in considerable financial damage to every part of the industry from the wine maker right through to the final retailer. Too many tainted bottles can ruin a company’s reputation.

Notes Thompson, “Whenever there is a fault in wine the first place anyone looks is the closure.”

Aside from gross failure of that 3% of cork the more subtle issue is what did the wine maker intend when they bottled the final product? Considering the care paid to the fruit in the field, the processing, aging, and subtleties that make up any winemaker’s style it is ironic that the rate at which oxygen reaches the bottled wine –and which will have an enormous impact on the taste of what is finally poured– is almost random.

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A red that ages in a cellar for five years versus a white that is meant to be consumed within a year need differing levels of oxygen exposure. Throw in a random number for oxygen exposure and the white could receive far too little or the red far too much, spoiling one or both.

As Nomacorc’s CEO, Lars von Kantzow, puts it, “Wine is one of the few consumer products where the consumer can’t be sure what they’ll get when they open a bottle.”

One criticism of synthetic corks made during the 1990s was that

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they cut off all oxygen to the wine, but wine makers have long known natural cork didn’t stop all OTR and tried to incorporate that into their wine making process.

Nomacorc has moved far beyond a cork with no oxygen ingress to a precisely modulated rate of oxygen transfer. The process is so carefully controlled that a wine maker can now order closures that will provide the OTR they believe will make the best wine.

For wine makers who aren’t sure what that rate is, the company has developed software, known as Noma Selector, to aid them based on the varietal, the region, the winemaking style, duration of storage and desired shelf life.

There are other kinds of synthetic closures available, from hard plastic which is oxygen impermeable along with screw caps, but Nomacorc’s founder and current team believes the process had to reflect what winemakers need. Nomacorc’s Director of Global Marketing, Jeff Slater says, “The twenty-first century technology gives you a control factor that is missing in natural cork.”

Natural cork still plugs the neck of most wine in the world, being placed in 64% of all bottles. Screw caps seal another 17%, which is followed by 13% for Nomacorc, now the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic cork. Other synthetic cork manufacturers, including Tapi and NuKorc only account for 6% of the world market; although different manufacturers can be very strong regionally. NuKorc, for example is an Australian company, a market Nomacorc has not penetrated.

That is not the case in other winemaking strongholds – Nomacorc now claims 40% share of the U.S. wine market, 25% in Germany and one bottle in five in France.

Based on sales by volume Nomacorc says 30 of the world’s 40 biggest wineries use their closures for at least some of their product. ■

Like us at: facebook.com/OrchardandVineMagazine 32 Year End 2012

“New” Hardy Wine Grape Varieties with Potential for B.C.

By John Vielvoye, P.Ag. - Specialist in Grape Production

T

he grape and wine industry in British Columbia needs to become aware of the availability of hardy wine varieties that produce good quality wine as shown by the gold, silver and bronze medals won in numerous Canadian and international wine competitions.

The BC Wine Authority is conducting a plebiscite until mid-December among its members dealing with four proposed amendments to the Wines of Marked Quality Regulation, which deals with all aspects of VQA. One of the amendments includes the addition of five grape varieties to the ‘List of Acceptable Grape Varieties’ for BC VQA. The proposed additions include the hardy varieties Frontenac, Frontenac Blanc, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent and Marquette.

Frontenac grapes have a semi-early bud break and can be harvested in early October after 1,250 to 1,350 Celsius degree days – compare that with 1,400 to 1,600 degree days for Cabernet Sauvignon.

These grape varieties are not “new” to many grape growers and wineries in Quebec and Ontario, the Maritimes and the Eastern and Midwest States of the USA. When fully dormant these varieties are reportedly hardy to temperatures of -32ºC to – 35º C. Several varieties have survived temperatures as cold as -40ºC. Some varieties are grown without winter protection in Eastern Canada and USA while others, such as Foch, Vidal, Baco Noir and all V. vinifera selections require winter protection or are considered marginal in these colder areas.

These “new” hardy wine varieties are unlikely to replace currently popular grape selections grown in climatically suitable areas, but these hardy varieties could expand commercial grape production into areas climatically marginal or not suited for current grape selections.

Elmer Swenson of Wisconsin, a grape breeder who died in 2004, introduced many hardy selections that are also early maturing. Some of his selections are better suited to cooler climate areas with a long frost free season, but low accumula-

Photos by John Vielvoye

Grape varieties currently popular with the wine industry in British Columbia are not reliably winter hardy in many parts of the province.

La Crescent is a hardy white grape with an early bud break and a September harvest date requiring 1,150 to 1,250 degree days while Riesling averages around 1,400.

tions of growing degree days. Some popular varieties from Swenson’s breeding program are referenced in the accompanying table below.

One of those varieties is Baltica, a Russian selection hardy to -40ºC, which is one of the earliest maturing varieties in the world. Baltica requires only 100 to 120 frost free days and 650 to 750 growing

degree days. It can be used as a varietal by itself, but is mostly used for blending and the production of light red wines.

The University of Minnesota expanded wine grape production in colder climates of North America by introducing the hardy wine grapes Frontenac in 1996, La Crescent in 2002, Frontenac Gris in 2003 and Marquette in 2006. A mutation of Year End 2012 33

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED HARDY WINE GRAPE VARIETIES

Variety

Frontenac, called Frontenac Blanc, with the same hardiness characteristics was found in Quebec in 2006 and later in Minnesota.

Budbreak *

Harvest

Degree Days*

Aldamiina (ES 6-16-30)

Late

Early September

1000 to 1050

ES 10-18-14

Semi Late

Early September.

1050 to 1150

ES 10-18-30

Semi Late

Early September

1000 to 1050

Frontenac Blanc

Semi Late

Mid October

1250 to 1350

Frontenac gris

Semi Early

Early October

1150 to 1250

la Crescent

Early

Late September

1150 to 1250

Louise Swenson (ES 4-8-33)

Semi Late

Late September

1050 to 1150

Osceola Muscat (ES 8-2-43)

Early

Early September

1050 to 1150

St. Cliche

Semi Late

Mid September

1050 to 1150

St. Pepin (ES 282)

Semi Late

Late September

1150 to 1250

Swenson White (ES 6-1-43)

Semi-Late

Early October

1250 to 1350

Vandal-Cliche

Semi Early

Mid September

1050 to 1150

Baltica

Semi-Early

Late August

650 to 750

Radisson (ES 5-17)

Semi Late

Late September

1050 to 1150

Sabrevois (ES 2-1-9)

Semi Late

Late September

1050 to 1150

St. Croix (ES 242)

Semi Late

Late September

1150 to 1250

Frontenac

Semi Early

Mid October

1250 to 1350

• Sidhu & Sons Nursery Ltd., 9623 Sylvester Road, Mission, B.C. Phone 604-826 3537.

Marquette

Early

Late September

1150 to 1250

www.sidhunursery.com

White

This year a tasting of wines made from Marquette, Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, la Crescent, Frontenac Blanc, Osceola Muscat, St. Croix, Louise Swenson and Vandal-Cliché was held at a local winery in October. One wine received double gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships, another a single gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships and several took gold, silver and bronze medals at the Finger Lakes International or at Grands vins du Quebec wine competitions. ■

Red

Note: All varieties listed are reported hardy to -35º C or more except for St. Pepin, which is hardy to only -32ºC. St. Pepin is a pistillate variety and requires a pollinator. * Early = mid April, Semi-Early = end April, Semi-Late=early May, Late = mid May .

Degree Days base 10º C to fully ripen.

For more information go to: • University of Minnesota: http://www.grapes.umn.edu • The Minnesota Grape Growers Association provides a list of hardy varieties grown in Minnesota. http://www.mngrapes.org • Tom Plocher and Bob Parke, 2008. Northern Winework – Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates – Second Edition. Eau Claire Printing Company 415 Galloway Street.

Eau Claire, WI 54703.

• Dube, Gaelle and Isabelle Turcotte. 2011. Guide d’identification des cepages cultives en climat froid – cepages de cuve. Cost: $40. This new ampelography publication describes in detail, in French, hardy varieties grown in Quebec. An English version is expected in 2013.

Available from http://guideampelo.info/en/ou-commander

34 Year End 2012

Canadian Nurseries Licensed to sell University of Minnesota variety introductions

• Vine Tech Canada, 278 Line 5, RR4, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Phone 908-984-4324. www.vinetechcanada.com • Viticulture A&M Inc., 520 Rg. De la Montagne, St.Paul d’Abbotsford, Que. Phone 450-379-5302 http://www. viticultuream.ca At the present time Viticulture A&M is the only Canadian nursery that can provide a full range of the hardy grape varieties grown in Quebec.

• Byland’s Nurseries Ltd., 1600 Bylands Road, West Kelowna, B.C. Phone (250)769-7272 www.bylands.com

Apple Powdery Mildew Control

By Bill McPhee

P

owdery mildew on apple trees is a problem in the Okanagan because of the ideal climatic conditions for the fungus Podosphaera leucotricha.

Control of the disease is poorly understood by growers, which has resulted in a lot of frustration. This article will relate the disease to conditions encountered in local orchards with an emphasis on fallwinter management.

Flower and vegetative buds become infected in the summer under moist, warm conditions. Bud infections occur within a month of bud formation and before bud scales are suberized. These infections remain quiescent until bud break the following spring. Chemical control begins in the spring, but assessment of the potential for spring problems are best carried out in late summer, fall and winter. The level of leaf infections evident during picking and the number of white shoots present during winter pruning should be a signal indicating the seriousness of the problem.

During the winter infected flower buds and white tip shoots that contain infected vegetative buds are easily identified and can be removed. If left in the tree many of these visibly infected buds will not survive; however, they indicate the presence of many other fruit and vegetative buds harbouring the live fungus that are not showing any sign of the disease outwardly. Their numbers are indicative of the potential for the primary infection level expected in spring.

These quiescent infections post a threat in the spring but can be monitored using the following simple technique: The percentage of infected buds is determined by selecting a representative sample of bud sticks from orchard trees late in the winter. These buds can be forced to open by placing them in water in a warm room (20-25oC). The severity of the mildew expected in the spring can be estimated on the basis of the number of shoots with infected buds.

If you’re wondering whether a severe winter can kill the fungus the answer is there is some evidence that the fungal

These infected buds are visible during pruning.

They are grey to black, pointed and covered with external mildew. They generally push very weak in spring if they push at all; however they are an indication that there is a significant potential for high mildew levels at blossom. During the winter infected flower buds (arrow) are easily identified and can be removed.

White Shoots: White shoots are easy to spot during pruning and carry viable fungus in their buds, which are typically grey and distinctly pointed. During the winter infected white tip shoots that contain infected vegetative buds (arrow) are easily identified and can be removed.

mycelium is more sensitive to cold than the buds themselves and may be reduced when temperatures reach -24oC. However, since the fungus only survives in living tissue if the bud survives, then generally, the fungus survives.

Since infected buds are more vulnerable to winter injury a severe winter will reduce the carry over by reducing the number of surviving buds that are infected. This answers the other common question, “Is it necessary to remove and destroy white tips that are pruned out?”

The answer is no. The buds in pruned wood do not survive so the fungus cannot survive.

“White-tip prunings” often contain chasmothecia (formerly called cleistothecia) and these structures can survive independent of the host. However, the ascospores they contain do not pose a significant threat in apples and can be disregarded. In cherries on the other hand, the chasmothecia are the primary infection agent in the spring so in cherry blocks infected prunings should be removed if possible to reduce the potential for spring infections.

Growers are surprised to see a major blossom infection within an apple block even though they put on an early systemic, but this is simply the over-wintering fungus within the bud developing as the bud develops. The early systemic

White tips can also be evaluated throughout the summer and during picking

The chasmothecia are visible, as seen here on the apple stem. These structures can survive the winter, release ascospores in summer and cause infections; however, ascospores do not cause foliar infections.

fungicide penetrates into the bud tissue and impacts the fungus’ ability to generate viable spores, but cannot suppress expression of the fungus at this early stage.

However, the early sprays greatly reduces the potential for secondary infections (infections visible on leaves during early Year End 2012 35

Apple Powder Mildew Control Guide

Mildew Levels*

Winter White Tips

Sprays See production guide or talk to your field person for choices

Late Summer Fall Leaf

Severe Heavy leaf infection of highly susceptible varieties affecting all trees

Numerous white tips evident during pruning when the leaves are off

1st spray - a systemic** at green tip 2nd spray - a systemic at pink 3rd spray - a protectant at first as necessary

White tips evident throughout the tree

1st spray - a systemic at pink 2nd spray - a protectant at first cover Further sprays as necessary

White tips evident in 10 % of the trees

1st spray - a systemic at pink

Few white tips visible.

1st spray - consult with your field representative - no sprays may be necessary

Heavy Leaf infections easily visible throughout the tree (in approximately 50% of trees)

Moderate Leaf infections in 10% of the trees

Light Visible on leaves but scattered through the block

Newly Planted Nursery 1st spay - a systemic at green tip Further sprays if necessary

Infection levels in newly planted trees cannot be assessed properly until the tree leafs out. For this reason a preventative spray is recommended at green tip. * Ratings are general. Cosult with your field representative if you are unsure of your level. ** Systemic refers to a local systemic action. A fungicide will penetrate into leaf tissue.

summer) to initiate and cycle throughout the summer. In other words, early systemic applications facilitate summer control by preventing the initiation of secondary summer infections.

The powdery mildew potential of apple blocks for the following spring can be es-

timated if the current level of infection is assessed during the late summer, fall and winter (Table 1). This can be done by observations made in the orchard in late summer and during winter pruning or by bringing in shoots and forcing them to expose mildew levels in the terminal buds.

This management effort will allow you to be as aggressive as necessary early in the spring and enhance summer control.

Tree growth within your trees will visually improve if mildew is controlled, which is so important in the new high density systems. ■

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 EDITOR’S VIEW | DEVON BROOKS

BCFGA’s Silence is Deafening the story this issue on Boparai.

Whether the charges are true or not at this point almost don’t matter. By staying in his position as president of the BCFGA board, Boparai damaged the organization, and, by extension, the other fruit farmers in the cooperative.

K

irpal Boparai may have set it in motion but the recent chain of events shows just how dysfunctional the BCFGA can be.

Boparai was the embattled president of the BCFGA. Various and sundry charges were made against him, beginning with a breach of contract for selling his fruit outside of the cooperative, although none of the allegations have been proven. For more details see

Even if what Boparai claimed about inefficiency at BC Tree Fruits was true his reputation was tarnished and too many rank and file farmers were suspicious. It is almost impossible to see how he could have effected any reforms of either organization, and perhaps that’s why he finally stepped down.

Meanwhile, precious few others at the BCFGA are going to

get any credit for their handling of the situation.

What happened at the Association, namely scandal and allegations, happens periodically to every organization ever created. What we should expect of the leaders first and foremost is that they speak up.

The duck-and-cover methodology taken by almost everyone associated with Boparai is astonishingly complete.

Boparai himself used some profoundly unprofessional language, having told The Kelowna Courier’s reporter, J.P. Squire that he would “wipe his butt” with the allegations. More recently he told Squire that he would no longer talk with him at all.

Management and executive members of the BCFGA were conspicuously silent. BCFGA VP Jeet Dukhia says these issues are internal to the BCFGA and that the allegations against Boparai are personal.

This misses the mark by a wide margin.

As the BCFGA rightfully points out, the business of growing fruit impacts far more people than just fruit growers. It builds the economy in many ways, through direct employment and less obviously through many economic spinoffs. A serious problem at the BCFGA can potentially hurt many people.

If Boparai has valid criticisms of how BC Tree Fruits or the

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BCFGA is working, then those complaints need to be looked at and dealt with. On the other hand, if the allegations are true that he cheated on his contract, or was doing his job inappropriately, then the rest of the BCFGA shouldn’t just cross their fingers and wait for the next AGM. The most vocal voice came from Joe Sardinha who, when he retired as president last year, probably thought his dues for being spokesperson were behind him. Sardinha stated only the obvious: that the membership had lost faith in Boparai and that he should step down, but it shouldn’t be the retired, past-president who speaks up.

Sure, there will be legal ramifications and there are undoubtedly other complications, but the people who are paid, or elected to lead, should say something about what is happening even if only to clearly, calmly state the facts.

But, they didn’t.■ Devon Brooks is the editor of Orchard & Vine. You can send comments to him by e-mail at editor@orchardandvine.net.

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38 Year End 2012

 WANDERINGS | SANDRA OLDFIELD

Pause to Look Back – Vintage 2012

T

he final red fermenters at our winery are being pressed off as I write, and vintage 2012 officially comes to an end. All that is left is cleanup, fixing equipment you didn’t have time to fix in the flurry of harvest activity, rolling up bird netting, blowing out of irrigation lines and giving the staff a bit of a break before we get back to setting the plan for vintage 2013. Working in a cyclical industry, the end of harvest

gives everyone the time to pause and reflect. Most people reflect on New Year’s Eve, but it has been my experience that people in the wine industry do it when the grapes are all safely indoors—having been transformed with the use of yeast (and some pixie dust of course) to wine.

This was my nineteenth harvest in the Okanagan Valley.

Nineteen years of “I’ve never seen that weather pattern before.” Nineteen years of “…that seems so different from what we’ve seen in that block before,” and nineteen year of saying, “I’ve never heard an employee say that before.” Nineteen years of change. I often say that in every vintage there is certain to

The year began with a mild winter —in the south Okanagan our coldest day of record was -16Cº— and although that is indeed cold, it is not cold enough to cause any concerns for the vines or the bud viability in the spring. Above average temperatures in May led to a good, even budburst, but in June growers lamented cool weather and higher than normal rainfall amounts resulting in a less-than-perfect set for some varieties. Heat in July wiped away some grower’s frowns as they breathed a collective sigh of relief that weather patterns seemed different from recent summers

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where temperatures did not climb into the 30s very often.

Any frowns still on the faces of grape growers melted away in the fall months when we had absolutely superb weather—until mid-October.

We had not seen a drop of rain since mid-July, but the rain systems began to move in from the coast in mid-October. Unlike previous years where these storms roll in and then promptly roll out, this year they never really went away. We spent the last part of vintage 2012 dodging the weather to get the entire crop in.

And how did this affect the grapes? They came in very clean, in great condition and

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disease free. With the beautiful fall sun we were able to ripen varieties fully before harvest. It was our experience, though, that there was quite a lag between the sugar ripeness (it kept climbing steadily and quickly) and the slower time it took for the flavours to develop. We were waiting longer than normal to pick some blocks because, although the numbers were perfect, the flavours still needed more time to develop. I am not sure if I felt this way because I am getting more impatient in my old age or if the phenolics (flavours) really did take a lot longer to develop!

I know there were many times during the vintage where I would walk the rows with our viticulturist, Andrew Moon, and we were certain that the grapes would be ready in a week only to find that when we went back out a week later we were postponing the pick for an additional week.

When the grapes did finally come into the winery we were rewarded with intense fruitiness and fullness of flavour. Walking though the cellar during fermentation with the complexity of aromas bombarding your nose made the wait and all the row walking worthwhile.

Vintage 2012 has ended and is unique from every other vintage that has preceded it. As winemakers we now focus on how we can preserve the best parts of what nature gave to us and “not screw it up” before we hand it over to wine lovers to enjoy.

A part of me is beginning to wonder if change really is the only constant when it comes to our vintages. Maybe something else is at work. Maybe Henry David Thoreau had it right many years ago when he wrote: “Things do not change; we change.”

Could it be that the vintages are more similar than we like to admit, but it is really the experiences we bring to the year that are ever-changing? ■ Sandra Oldfield, winemaker and owner of Tinhorn Creek Winery in Oliver. Follow her blog at www.sandraoldfield.com, or on Twitter at #CabFrancTuesday.

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40 Year End 2012

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 LEGAL LIBATIONS | DENESE ESPEUT-POST

Duty of Care gets into an accident and becomes a paraplegic. The good times at the party long forgotten, your employee sues you for negligence.

T

he holiday season is here. It is the time to make merry and enjoy holiday celebrations. Many of you with employees may be planning a business Christmas party where alcohol is served.

While you are deciding on the food to be served and gifts to give away, take a few moments to think about the “duty of care” you may owe to your employees at your party and steps you should take to minimize your risk of liability.

I know…seasonal parties are supposed to be about good times and cheer, not risks of potential liquor liability. But, let’s say that you provide several bottles of B.C. wine at your party and an employee drinks too much, drives home,

Your employee argues you threw a party where a large amount of liquor was available and you should have done better to protect their safety in the workplace. Your employee takes you to court and argues that because you gave them access to liquor and failed to monitor their drinking, when you knew or ought to have known your employee would be driving home, you should have to pay damages for their injury.

A few moments thinking about employer host liability could save you a great deal of grief and cost in the future.

Such an argument was made by an employee in Hunt v.

Sutton Group Incentive Realty Inc., a 1996 case from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In this case, the employer held a holiday office party at its office for employees, customers and other business as-

sociates. Guests served themselves from an open bar and no one was monitoring how much liquor each guest drank.

The employee, Ms. Hunt, was the office receptionist, attended the party where she drank alcohol, cleaned up the office at the end of the party and left with others. She and the others went to a local pub where she consumed more alcohol. She left the pub about 1.5 hours after arriving. While driving home, Ms. Hunt appeared to have lost control of her vehicle, slid into the opposite lane and was hit by an oncoming vehicle. She was seriously injured.

During the trial of the case, the employer argued while there was a duty on the employer to keep the place of employment safe, the duty did not require the employer to supervise an employee’s drinking habits or ask about an employee’s intoxication level when there are no signs of impairment.

The trial judge rejected the employer’s position and

®

found the employer had a duty to its employee to safeguard her from harm, which included a duty to ensure she would not enter into such a state of intoxication while on business premises and “on duty” that would interfere with her ability to drive home safely. The judge concluded the employer should have anticipated the possible harm that could have happened to her as a result of her intoxication and taken positive steps to prevent her from driving.

The trial judge concluded that the employer and the pub were jointly and severally liable for 25% of the employee’s loss.

On appeal by the employer, a new trial was ordered as a result of certain errors of law made during the trial; however the Court of Appeal did not take issue with the rulings of the trial judge regarding the standard of care owed by the employer to the employee. The decisions of the trial judge regarding the care owed by the employer to Ms.

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Hunt at the holiday party may be followed by another trial judge.

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This is why it is important to spend time considering whether you, as an employer, owe a duty of care to your employees.

Consider the specifics of your Christmas party and determine what steps you need to take as a result. What inquiries will you make to determine if your employee is intoxicated? Will your bar be supervised? Will you offer your employees a cab ride home or, if necessary, take away their car keys? Do you know the names and numbers of their relatives who can pick them up?

Depending upon the situation and the specific factual scenario under which liquor is provided, different standards of care may apply and the potential for liability will vary. As this article provides information alone, obtain advice from your lawyer about your specific business.■ Denese Espeut-Post is an Okanaganbased lawyer and owns Avery Law Office.

Her primary areas of practice include wine and business law. She also teaches the wine law courses at Okanagan College.

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 THE WILD THINGS | MARGARET HOLM

Grey Invasions is found in the Lower Mainland, while its close cousin the red squirrel lives in all other areas of the province. The Douglas squirrel is reddish brown with cinnamon undersides while the red squirrel is tan or grey-brown with pale undersides. Both squirrels occur in coniferous or deciduous forests feeding on cone seeds and often making big piles of cast-off seeds. These small native trees squirrels fiercely defend their territories so squirrel densities are usually about one per hectare.

R

eleasing two dozen Eastern grey squirrels in Stanley Park around 1914 was a nutty idea. Perhaps second only to the bad idea of introducing starlings to North America. The nonnative squirrel stayed in the park for decades but suddenly, in the 1980s, there were sightings all over Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Now the furry fiend has become a pest throughout the Northwest, digging up gardens for bulbs, chewing through eaves and shingles to make nests in attics, and taking over bird feeders.

Karl Larsen, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Thompson Rivers University

is studying the invasion since this species is now considered one of the top 100 invasive species in the world. In Europe, grey squirrels were introduced to Britain, Ireland, and Italy, and in all three countries have spread and replaced the native European red squirrel. It is anticipated that the squirrels will occupy every country in Europe within two decades.

Invasive species are a big

problem for agriculture, and for biodiversity. Is the Eastern Grey Squirrel the next big threat to B.C.’s orchard and vineyard industries? Probably not, but growers need to familiarize themselves with the new squirrel on the block that has recently moved into the central Okanagan and Thompson.

First let’s look at our native squirrels, their habits and habitats. The Douglas squirrel

The Eastern grey squirrel is either grey or black in colour and is twice the size of the native squirrels and has a large, bushy tail. This species allows its territory to overlap with others, so squirrel density is much higher where they have taken over. It does well in urban habitats, being comfortable on the ground scrounging handouts and preferring urban edges to denser stands of native forest. The native squirrels prefer coniferous seeds and habitats where

Year End 2012 43

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Both squirrels will eat buds, mushrooms, fruits and small bird nestlings when they are available. Grey squirrels have become a problem in hazelnut orchards in Europe, but so far are not a major pest in fruit trees or orchards. It is not an animal that likes open country, fields, or vineyards, although it is causing trouble in hazelnut plantations in Italy. This new squirrel may follow the pattern of the Eastern Fox Squirrel, which was introduced to the American Okanagan in 1948, showing up in Osoyoos about 1974 and slowly spreading north in low numbers.

Unfortunately the larger, more gregarious Grey Squirrel is having an ecological impact on songbirds, competing for food and eating bird eggs and nestlings. It depletes populations of native squirrels and mice after it moves in through competition and disease.

To help prevent the establishment of this alien species don’t feed them. Second, never trap and relocate them. This “kind” approach to wildlife management is likely what is causing the population explosion in British Columbia as people trap, but do not euthanize the animals they catch. The same applies to all rodents that are trapped—trap and humanly kill, never relocate. You are just spreading the problem. Keep in mind that relocation is not permitted for invasive species.

Under “Schedule C” of the Wildlife Act, property owners in B.C. are permitted to live trap and humanely euthanize or shoot the Eastern grey squirrel. Trapping is most effective during winter months when food is scarce. Prevention and persistence are key to managing the Eastern grey squirrel.

Eastern Grey squirrel sightings can be reported to the Invasive Species Council of BC at 1-888-WEEDSBC and to Karl Larsen who is tracking the expansion of the squirrel in the B.C. interior. The web site www.bcinvasives.ca has more information on the squirrel as well as a place to pose questions and report sightings. ■ Margaret Holm works for OSCA, the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance. For information on local wildlife and wildlife management contact outreach@osca.org or go to www.osca.org.

44 Year End 2012

 THE WORD ON WINE | BC WINE INSTITUTE

Cornucopia hosts ‘Best of the Vinos’

T

he successful Vinos Wine Film Festival was featured at Whistler’s 16th annual celebration of food and wine, Cornucopia, held November 7 to 11, 2012.

“Bringing the Vinos to Whistler during Cornucopia was a total blast and a great way to tie into the high profile of this festival,” says Vinos founder Glenn Fawcett.

Inspired by the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, the annual Vinos Wine Film Festival features films made by amateur and professional filmmakers alike, all about B.C. wine. Compiled from the most exciting videos of the festival’s three year history, Cornucopia hosted The Best of the Vinos on Thursday, November 8 at the Whistler Conference Centre Sea to Sky Ballroom.

Cornucopia is the ideal place

for The Best of the Vinos – pairing fun B.C. wine films with an indulgent and exciting wine and food festival.

Cornucopia celebrates impeccable wines and Whistler’s culinary scene for every type of bon vivant. With winery dinners, interactive seminars, gala wine tastings and electric after-parties, this highend five day showcase fulfills its mission to put Whistler on the map as the must-experience wine and food party.

Hosted by Novus TV’s Natalie Langston, The Best of the Vinos screened the best rated film submissions. Judged by audience response, the winning entry was “The Real House Wines of British Columbia,” a riff off of the reality show The Real Housewives of Vancouver.

Produced by Larkyn Statten, the video features personified representations of prominent B.C. wineries such as Red Rooster Winery, Burrowing Owl Vineyards, Laughing Stock Vineyards, and Mission Hill Family Estate Winery. The “house wines” give hilarious accounts of the tasting notes of each winery’s best wines,

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Judged by audience support, the people’s choice award was granted to top submission “The House Wines of British Columbia.” Following the screenings, more than 250 guests enjoyed B.C. VQA wine at the after party, with music

by D.J. Ace and entertainment by the Whistler A Go Go Girls.

Six wineries brought their wines to the event, featuring The View Winery, Steller’s Jay, Black Hills Estate Winery, Cel-

Fawcett says, “Whistler already has the engagement of the creative community with the annual Whistler Film Festival. We feel that once this group of video and film producers catch wind of the excitement of the Vinos, that it will only serve to raise the bar on the quality of video content that we can attract for the 4th Annual Vinos event in 2013.” Fawcett is hopeful the event will be held again at the 2013 Cornucopia.

“These films showcase the best of B.C. wines and wineries and bring viewers into the vineyards and tasting rooms of British Columbia,” says BC Wine Institute executive director Miles Prodan. “We were happy to bring the wine country experience to all the viewers.” ■ The BC Wine Institute represents 119 winery members and 17 grape growing partners that represent 95% of the province’s total wine production and produce 88% of wine production made from 100% B.C. grapes.

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Coming in second was “Vinos, Boxed Wine and Nudes,” by Kent and Jennifer Molgat of The View Winery. Styled as a hardline investigative news segment, the video outlines a faux bribe to Vinos organizer Fawcett to help the video win, a bust-up of supposedly illicit boxed wine, and a new marketing technique that saw the staff wearing nothing but the winery’s signature red shoes.

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Year End 2012 45

The Travails of Kirpal Boparai

By Devon Brooks Kirpal Boparai has finally acknowledged the inevitable, giving up his post as president of the BCFGA board amidst a storm of controversy.

Previously, President Kirpal Boparai appeared to have gone to ground, refusing to discuss allegations he breached his contract and sold his fruit outside of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative (OTFC). In return the OTFC cancelled his membership and fruit contracts.

As recently as late November, Glenn Lucas, General Manager for the BCFGA said, “Kirpal was elected president and he’s still president. At this point we’re operating normally, but,” Lucas notes, “Kirpal is not responding to the personal allegations.”

Jeet Dukhia is the BCFGA’s vice-president.

Asked about Boparai’s performance on the job Dukhia avoided the question, answering, “I wouldn’t take the co-op’s side; I wouldn’t take [Kirpal’s] side because I wasn’t there.” He adds, “What Kirpal or anyone else does is personal and none of my business.”

After the OTFC, which represents 580 grower members, ejected Boparai from the co-op, the members then passed a resolution calling for the BCFGA to fire Boparai as president.

Lucas says the member’s resolution was a suggestion only. “As far as I know the members were advised that the motion is only an advisory to the board and is not binding.”

Boparai says he is stepping away from the position because it is clear he is doing harm to the BCFGA and other farmers.

It seems likely there was internal pressure for him to go.

In the fall each year candidates for the next year’s board are nominated at four meetings throughout the region and the president usually addresses growers on 46 Year End 2012

Photo by Devon Brooks

Since that story broke in Kelowna’s The Daily Courier in early October other allegations came forward, suggesting Boparai threatened and harassed staff at the OTFC and that he hasn’t properly paid some of his Mexican workers.

The 2012 BCFGA board members in happier times immediately after the election at the 2012 AGM. Kirpal Boparai is sitting in in the centre, lower row.

what has happened so far in the current year. This year Boparai was conspicuously absent and the address was made by Dukhia.

Lucas feels the scenario, regardless of the allegations or facts, should be resolved by the membership. “I think the feeling I’m getting is that we need to deal with these things internally and that it hurts us to air these things publicly. There’s a democratic system for the grower members to democratically elect a president and board.”

In spite of the controversy, Boparai says, “Well, I think I have done a couple of the big things that I wanted to do. You know you had people running this industry for 20 years and they didn’t want to change anything and that was huge.”

Boparai says the OTFC board had become complacent and needed to change.

Many farmers are frustrated with ongoing low returns for their apples. After the OTFC board was changed CEO Gary Schieck and Operations Manager Rod Vint were immediately let go.

Boparai feels he is responsible for making what he considers a long over due change happen. “The board has changed [at the packing house]. Things weren’t working and when things don’t work, you need to make other changes. Standing up to the board and I don’t think that’s ever been done since I’ve been around and it needed to be done.”

Boparai says his second accomplishment was in securing another $2 million for tree replanting from the government of British Columbia.

Now that’s he is leaving the president’s position, Boparai says, “I will step back from this and move on with my life. The future is bright for me. I have a son who lives at home and in one year he’ll move on to university. I have 80 acres and I want to concentrate on that and spend some more time with my wife.”

For the BCFGA, Dukhia will step into the president’s position until the election of the next board at the BCFGA AGM in January. The position of vice-president will be left vacant until then.■

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