‘It’s the camaraderie’: New GGO chair reflects on first few months in role

New Grape Growers of Ontario chair Kevin Watson said he’s enjoyed the first few months in the role, and said the industry is in a pretty good place right now. ~ Submitted photo

By Luke Edwards

Running out of a product or having a piece of equipment breakdown on a Friday evening could be a huge problem for a business owner. But for farmers like Kevin Watson, there’s often an alternative solution when the shops are closed for the weekend: his neighbours.

“I think it’s the camaraderie,” Watson said when asked about his favourite part of farming.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake farmer took over as the new chair for the Grape Growers of Ontario earlier this year, replacing Matthias Oppenlaender, who had held it for several years. Watson is a second-generation grape grower currently in the process of transitioning the operation to his own son. Leadership roles with GGO aren’t new for Watson, who has been on the board since 2008, and spent time as vice chair under Oppenlaender.

Watson said he’s enjoyed his first few months as chair. It’s helped that the industry is in a good place, he said, though they’re still working hard on a few priorities, including getting a five-year VQA support program renewed to allow wineries to reinvest in their business. That would, in turn, lead growers reinvest, benefiting everyone, Watson said.

Growers in Niagara have also had to contend with a wild weather year. Two massive rain storms in the span of a week put a strain on vineyards, though Watson remained hopeful that many of the growers will come out the other side in decent shape. Better leveling of fields, and extensive use of drainage systems helped growers, he said. However, in some cases - especially where fields were lower than the roadside ditches or where creeks and drainage routes overflowed - vines suffered.

In light of the storms, GGO, the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, and Flowers Canada Ontario issued a joint statement. The groups thanked local and provincial support following the storms, but also issued a call for help in a few areas.

One area is to expand fungicide labels to permit drone application. Canada has in recent months progressed in allowing farmers to use unmanned drones to apply sprays on crops - trailing several other countries who had already approved the method - but Watson said labels need to be updated.

Regardless, Watson said farmers will have to continue to respond to weather events, whatever they may be in the future.

“As farmers, we need to be prepared for everything Mother Nature may throw at us,” he said.

The joint statement contained other requests, including: provincial support for changes to the vine and tree mortality coverage with crop insurance, increased flexibility on deadlines for temporary foreign worker housing inspections, and support the use of AgriRecovery to further help farmers. 