Growers from across the state provide valuable insights for the future
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 Earlier this month we held our inaugural Grower focus event at the beautiful Strathalbyn Racecourse. The day brought together growers from across the state to share their thoughts on the priorities of WGCSA for the coming 12 months.
Each of the WGCSA regional councillors were tasked with nominating impressive, influential and forward-thinking growers to attend the event and share their thoughts.
Ashley Ratcliff from Ricca Terra professionally moderated the day, brilliantly facilitating discussions and keeping everyone on track.
It was wonderful to see such genuine engagement from all attendees. I was particularly grateful that everyone was so generous with their time, had read the draft plan and questions sent out prior to the day and came prepared to share thoughts and knowledge, listen to others and collaborate on ideas. Growers also had the opportunity to hear from Toby Bekkers as he shared his Nuffield Scholarship learnings.
The two CEOs of our national advocacy bodies were also invited as guests. Anna Hooper from Australian Vignerons and Tony Battaglene from Winemakers' Federation of Australia attended as observers and gained a clear understanding of contemporary issues of interest and concerns to growers.
Throughout the day many new networks developed whilst others re-connected with past acquaintances. We were all reminded of the immense value in good relationships, effective and honest communications and having a strong workplace culture.
Feedback received has been extremely positive. Growers welcomed the engagement and the opportunity to be involved, many commenting on the need for days like this to be developed further and implemented annually.
Many thanks to all the growers, speakers, observers and council who attended and offered up such insight and honesty. I am so very, very grateful. It was without a doubt my absolute favourite workday since being in this position and one that has given me plenty to think about, investigate and act on.
For Growers who weren’t at this inaugural Grower focus day, there’s still plenty of opportunities to have input, here are some questions I’d love your thoughts on.
- Do you have a suggestion for our next Grower Summit theme?
- Do you get too many emails – how would you like to be kept updated by WGCSA?
- Podcasts – is this the way forward for those who spend hours in tractors, harvesters or vehicles of some description?
Email your responses to us at admin@wgcsa.com.au.
AGM
Our Annual General Meeting was also held on October 18. It was great to have many members in attendance to hear Chair Heather Webster’s report on the past 12 months.
Heather farewelled and thanked our longstanding Clare Councillor, Anna Baum. Anna has been a valuable and committed council member for four years and we all wish her well in her future endeavours.
David Travers will join WGCSA as the new Clare Councillor. David brings plenty of broad business experience and knowledge to the council and we’re thrilled to have him join us.
Councillors ratified as per the AGM are
Adelaide Hills – Hamish Laurie
Barossa – Adrian Hoffmann
Clare – David Travers
Langhorne Creek – Heather Webster
Limestone Coast – John Summers
McLaren Vale – Andrew Press
Riverland – Sheridan Alm
ACCC Survey
A reminder, submissions for the ACCC market study into the wine grape industry close on Friday 2nd November. The study will examine competition, contracting practices, transparency and risk allocation issues in the wine grape supply chain. The ACCC is looking for grower input, I encourage you to read below for more information.
Lisa Bennier
WGCSA Business Manager
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In July and August 2018, the ACCC invited wine grape growers to provide feedback about competition issues in their industry through an online survey.
From this survey, a report has been generated which you can read here.
The ACCC is now asking for submissions to the wine grape market study from all relevant parties. To assist interested parties with their submissions, the ACCC has released an issues paper.
The paper outlines the issues that the ACCC plans to explore during the market study, based on their previous consultation with the industry, issues raised during various inquiries, and the results of the grower survey.
So, if you want to get involved, we recommend that you:
1. Read the results from the grower survey
2. Read the issues paper
3. Put together your submission
4. Submit it to the ACCC by the deadline (5 pm on 2 November 2018)
Submissions can be sent to winegrapes@accc.gov.au with the title: Submission re: wine grapes market study.
If you would like to provide information over the phone or have any questions, contact:
Tari Georgious at tari.georgious@accc.gov.au or on 03 9290 1887
Andrew Parnell at andrew.parnell@accc.gov.au or on 03 9290 6975.
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2018 Wine Industry Work Health & Safety Seminar
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The South Australian Wine Industry Association's Wine Industry Health and Safety Seminar is coming up with two sessions, one in Barossa and the other in McLaren Vale.
This seminar is a great source of important information and practical advice for wine industry employers and their employees of all sizes. WGCSA members can attend the seminar at SAWIA member rates.
Industry and specialist speakers including from Finlaysons Lawyers, SafeworkSA, and Population Health Branch at SA Health will present key topics for the wine industry, including:
- Consultation in the workplace – engaging workers and contractors to improve safety outcomes.
- Hazardous chemicals – practical guidance on storage, preparation and use.
- Self-care – staying healthy and productive as we age.
- Drugs and alcohol - practical approaches to managing risk.
- What can be learned from cases on plant and equipment safety?
- What legal changes do we need to be aware of?
To register, or find out more, click the button below.
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Grape Assess app updated to help fight against grapevine trunk disease
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 Did you know the Grape Assess app is one of the best tools available for grape growers to manage grapevine disease and disorders in their vineyards?
The University of Adelaide and Wine Australia have joined forces with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) to update the Grape Assess app – released in June this year – with the latest research on grapevine trunk disease, adding to the existing range of grapevine disease and disorder evaluations within the app.
Eileen Scott, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, said the updated app will simplify the assessment and management of grapevine trunk disease.
‘The Grape Assess update builds on the strength of the app’s existing assessment of powdery mildew and other conditions’, Professor Scott said.
‘The update has embedded the latest grapevine trunk disease research in a convenient tool that will help grapegrowers to make an assessment in the vineyard and then email the information, which includes GPS coordinates, to themselves to better target management of the disease.’
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Update on Australian Vignerons and Winemakers' Federation of Australia merger
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The proposed amalgamation of Australian Vignerons and Winemakers’ Federation of Australia will be presented to our members for a vote at the Australian Vignerons AGM on the 13th November 2018.
Both WFA and AV Boards have supported these moves and believe that this is an important first step in better delivering outcomes for the sector as a whole and in enabling the delivery of a program of work that will benefit all sector participants.
A discussion paper outlining the benefits of an amalgamated entity can be found here.
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AWRI Webinars aimed at grape growers
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The current round of AWRI webinars cover a range of topics specifically for grape growers! Best part is, they are free to attend!
Up next is Kerry DeGaris from the AWRI who will discuss the impact of a dry winter/spring on salinity levels in soil and fruit.
Other topics include weather forecasting tools, the benefits of undervine cover cropping, increasing wine flavour, and a Bureau of Meteorology outlook for vintage 2019.
We encourage all growers to check out the upcoming and past webinars by clicking the button below.
A great idea is to plug your headphones into your phone, click on the Youtube link for past webinars and have a listen while you're in the tractor spraying. May as well put all of the time to good use!
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Australian wine exports continue to experience strong growth
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Australian wine exports continue to experience strong growth in both value and volume, with an increase of 11 per cent in value to $2.71 billion for the year ended 30 Sept 2018.
This good news for growers considering Australia exports over 60% of wine produced.
Read the full story on the Wine Australia website.
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2018 Crop Protection Forum
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The Centre for Crop and Diseases Management (CCDM) invites you to join us at our Crop Protection Forum – 'Riders of the storm of resistance' – to be held at the Stamford Grand Adelaide in South Australia on Thursday 6 December 2018.
This one-day forum that will bring together researchers, practitioners, growers, agronomists and resellers to tackle the important questions around crop disease control and management.
The event will feature presentations on the current state of resistance, new research aimed at tackling the issue and a look at what innovations are needed to manage the impact. The cost is $89pp, including morning and afternoon tea, lunch and a closing sundowner.
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Leadership development scholarships now available for women in agriculture
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Women & Leadership Australia is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s agriculture sector. The initiative is providing women with grants of between $3,000 and $7,000 to enable participation in a range of leadership development programs.
The scholarship funding is provided with the specific intent of providing powerful and effective development opportunities for women in the industry;however the funding is strictly limited and has to be allocated prior to the end of 2018.
Click below to find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form prior to December 7, 2018
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