OCTOBER 2010
CELEBRATING 130 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
VOLUME 60 NUMBER 10
Cool grapes, hot science By Karen Davidson Core of cherry jam. Nuances of mineral and dry earth. Lively spice and chewy tannins. This is the language of wine critics. Tritrable acidity. Grape sour rot. Ladybug taint. Now that’s the language of growers. After one of the most ideal growing seasons on record, this year’s highly anticipated Ontario vintage is invested with its fair share of science. No one knows that better than the latest Grape King honoree of the Grape Growers of Ontario: vineyard owner and scientist, Debbie Inglis. “I’ve pulled brush, suckered, thinned, hoed, picked, planted – all those glamorous things,” says Inglis. It’s how she met her husband Rob years ago, recruiting him to pick up rocks in a field before planting grapevines at the vineyard of her parents Stan and Doreen Murdza. Today, they’re equal partners in Niagara Vintage Harvesters Ltd. with 20 acres of Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Franc grapes contracted to Vincor Canada. Setting aside the model stewardship of their Virgil, Ontario vineyard, it’s her scientific leadership and natural connection with fellow grape growers that sets her apart. Just two years ago, she became director of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) based at Brock University. She had been there since its inception, as a professor, teaching courses and working in the research laboratory. With this position came restructuring. What Inglis has executed, along with her team, is a focus on industry-set research priorities, outreach to the
Inside Garlic is gold
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Starting small with baby greens
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FOCUS: Stewardship in bloom Page 12
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grape and wine community and continuing education for professionals as well as wine enthusiasts. Communications technologies have been her loyal servants in this regard with webinars, a quarterly on-line newsletter and podcasts that can reach a national audience.
Locally, she’s promoted a lecture series, workshops and training sessions. Science is at the heart of it all. Cold-hardiness research is the centerpiece, not only in the Niagara Peninsula but the other viticultural appellations in Prince Edward
County and Lake Erie North Shore. In the next five years, CCOVI’s goal is to develop a best practices guide to maximize winter hardiness of the vines while ensuring quality grape production. From witnessing winter injury in 2003 and 2005, Inglis has
installed two wind machines on her farm, actively following the science on appropriate times to protect the vines. Inglis has never let the science be boxed on a shelf. Continued on page 3
The partnership between Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO) and the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is never more real than at harvest. Near Virgil, Ontario, Matthias Oppenlaender, vice-chair GGO opens the harvester door to share a moment with Debbie Inglis, director, CCOVI. The grape industry honoured her just days before with the year’s ambassadorship as Grape King for outstanding stewardship of her own vineyard. Photos by Denis Cahill.
Growers pledge support for food bank donation tax credit By Karen Davidson A tax credit may be in the future for Ontario farmers if MPP Bob Bailey convinces the Ontario legislature. In mid-September, the member for Sarnia-Lambton presented his private member’s bill, the Taxation Amendment Act (Food Bank Donation Tax Credit for Farmers). It passed second reading with all-party support and now goes to the Government General Committee. This bill would provide a nonrefundable tax credit to those who donate their unsold produce and other excess food to local food banks. The concept is to cover the cost incurred to collect, process, and deliver farmers’ unsold pro-
duce. More than 25 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food is disposed or plowed back into farmers’ fields in Ontario each year. These “seconds” are healthy but are often ineligible for sale due to cosmetic imperfections such as size, shape or colour. The “Bill to Fight Hunger with Local Food” asks the agriculture and finance ministries to assess the costs and benefits of establishing such a credit. Under his proposed legislation, the tax credit would be worth 25 per cent of the wholesale value of donated agricultural products. Unused tax credits would be carried forward and deducted for up to five years. It would go to meat processors,
dairy farmers, processors, farm gleaning sites, farmers’ markets, and fruit and vegetable farmers who donate Ontario products to food banks. “Only six per cent of private members’ bills get passed but I hope I’m one of the fortunate ones,” says Bailey, who distributed a petition at the recent International Plowing Match. Hailing from a constituency with a large rural base, he says that the idea was formed when he volunteered at a local food bank. Many of the foodstuffs are canned goods or cereals, but there’s a real need for fresh fruits and vegetables. The Ontario Association of Food Banks reports that food
bank usage in Ontario increased 20 per cent in the last year alone. That figure represents about 375,000 Ontarians using local food banks every month. His research shows that 10 American states already have some legislation in place to compensate farmers. Such a bill in Ontario would cost less than $750,000 to enact. “It seems like a no-brainer to me to enact this legislation,” says Bailey. Support has been received from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, the Ontario Association of Food Banks and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.