Hello Peter Burner,
It's certainly not a slow news week at the Clare Region Winegrape Growers Assocation! The association is dividing its energy in many different directions at present with a lot of exciting projects underway. We are launching into the second stage of the the Clare Valley Rocks project with our partners Clare Valley Winemakers Inc. and we have begun the process of redefining the future direction of the association, employing a local consultant Neville Sloss to assist us in developing our new strategic plan.
SA Pruning Championships was once again held in the Clare Valley in late July, drawing record entries and introducing several new faces to the group of prize winners.
The association continues to engage with SA Water and Government to find a way to reduce the cost of irrigation water which is crippling grape growing in the region. We hope to soon be able to announce some progress in this area.
There will be more information in future newsletters about a water management workshop and an improving soil condition workshop planned for later in the year. Keep reading to find out more about the herbicide application workshop coming soon.
Grape growers herbicide application workshop
 If there is one workshop you should not miss this year, it is the herbicide application workshop designed specifically for Clare Valley grape growers.
So head to Annies Lane on Friday 5th September for the latest information and practical vineyard demonstrations.
Find out more about the best chemical combinations for controlling hard-to-kill weeds, herbicide resistance, machinery setup and calibration and the latest in nozzle technology.
We have lured national herbicide application expert Bill Gordon to the Clare Valley for the day to share his knowledge on the many new developments in herbicide application, in particular the importance of droplet size.
He will be joined by farm consultant Mick Faulkner who will talk about spray drift both from a vineyard and broad-acre farming perspective, and Platinum agronomist Phil Holmes who will tackle managing the problem weeds commonly found in Clare Valley vineyards.
For more detailed information and booking details please click on the 'read more' button below.
Read More
Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association AGM
The CRWGA Annual General Meeting will be held this year at Annies Lane on Friday 5th September at 8am, prior to the herbicide application workshop.
President Troy van Dulken will report on the development of a new strategic plan, including discussions on working more closely with the Clare Valley Winemakers Association, and will provide an update on negotiations with SA Water regarding a proposal to deliver cheaper water during the summer months.
SA Pruning Championships welcomes the ladies
The ladies stole the show at this year's pruning competition, with the introduction of a women's spur event. Contractors Pim, Roth, and Tran (pictured) were first, second and third in the women's event and Tran also out competed the men in the open spur event, winning a pair electric securateurs.
Speed alone was not enough to secure you a prize at this year’s championships. Good technique was key in determining the prize winners this year.
 The Wolf Blass shield for the Winner of the Vine Pruning Championship of South Australia for 2014 went to Jeremy O’Donald (pictured), J&J Vineyard, McLarenVale, who took out the best aggregate score across the two open individual sections.
The event attracted a record number of competitors with more entrants in the open sections than in previous years. Individuals from McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Great Western and the Pyrenees in Victoria joined the Clare Valley’s finest to battle it out in both individual and team events.
Competition organizer Malcolm Parish said electric snips were very popular in the women’s section and it was the first time that the judges had awarded higher points for electric snips than hand snips.
“Well done to the McLaren Vale fellow who came up with a strategy this year to knock off our local reigning champion”, Mr Parish said.
The results of the four events are as follows:
Electrocoup Individual Spur
1st Thi Kim Oanh Tran (Tran), Kilikanoon Wines, Clare Valley
2nd Jeremy O’Donald, J&J Vineyard, McLaren Vale
3rd Leigh Victor, Kilikanoon Wines
Gawler Farm Machinery Individual Rod and Spur
1st Ryan Longmire, Ackland Vineyard Services, Clare Valley
2nd Sounsaveng Euoangmala (Soun), Ackland Vineyard Services
3rd Brett Smith, Bastians Block, Clare Valley
Kilikanoon Ladies Individual Spur
1st Piyporn Onchai (Pim), Kilikanoon Wines
2nd Boreyroth Thul (Ros), Ackland Vineyard Services
3rd Thi Kim Oanh Tran (Tran), Kilikanoon Wines
Taylors Team Speed Spur
1st Seppelts Snippers (Malcolm Boatman, Jeff Elliott, Patrick Hall) from Great Western
2nd Mix Ups (Paul Steele, Boreyroth Thul, Jeremy O’Donald)
3rd Outsiders (Dean Willoughby, Karl Schiller, Steve Schiller) from the Barossa Valley
For more photos please visit our website www.claregrapegrowers.com.au.
Are you paying your employees correctly?
The Winegrape Council of South Australia is raising awareness to vineyard businesses that there have been recent changes to the award minimum wages that could effect your business. The council has provided the following member update.
FAIR WORK COMMISSION ANNUAL WAGE REVIEW - EFFECTIVE 1ST JULY 2014
All vineyard businesses who employ workers on a full-time, part-time or casual basis need to be aware of the following changes, which took effect on the first full pay period commencing on or after 1st July 2014:
1. There is an increase in modern award minimum wages by 3 per cent (this applies to all Awards)
2. The minimum ADULT full-time employee wage under the Wine Industry Award (2010) increases to $650.10 or $17.11 per hour for ordinary time. Employees whose classification is above the lowest classification in the award are to receive an increase of 3% on their current rates.
3. Casual employees are to receive the 3% increase.
4. The casual loading for all casuals is to be 25% at 1st July 2014.
5. The Superannuation Guarantee payment will increase from 9.25% to 9.5% also effective on 1st July 2014.
These increases apply to all employees bound by an Award or Agreement. More details can be found on our website www.wgcsa.com.au and the updated Award can be downloaded from http://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/documents/modern_awards/pdf/MA000090.pdf.
Specialist employment advisory service
SA wine grape growers who contribute $1/tonne to the SA Grape Growers Industry Fund have access to – at no additional cost – a 30 minute advisory service on any issue relating to the employment and safety of workers with Mediation and Employment Relations Services (MERS).
To take advantage of this offer, contact Chas Cini at MERS by phone (8331 2422) or email (chas@mers.com.au). For more information see our website or speak to Peter Hackworth (08) 8351 4378 or peterh@wgcsa.com.au.
Research into the danger of quad bikes
The grape growing industry has been asked to participate in a Adelaide University research project called Quad Bikes in South Australia: an assessment of their use, crash characteristics, and their associated injury risks.
If you would like to be involved in this project please read the Participation Information Sheet for details.
Key messages from the SA Winegrape Growers Summit 2014
A dozen grape growers from the Clare Valley attended the inaugural SA Winegrape Grower Summit in Adelaide at the end of June.
The key message was that its been a tough decade and there is no sign of conditions easing. But many growers left realising that there was also opportunity.
According to organiser Peter Hackworth, it is clear that benefits come to those that work hardest at building their relationships with buyers, who look to building economies of scale or who are open to new ideas like collaborative farming and new technologies.
Next year's summit will be held in May and have an even stronger focus on practical solutions, including case studies of those who are successfully changing.
For more information read the Summary Overview and Key Messages or you can access videos of the presentations online at www.wgcsa.com.au.
Newly released Phylloxera Board Winegrape Crush Survey 2014
Hot off the press is the 2014 Winegrape Crush Survey Clare Valley Regional Summary Report.
The regional crush was 19,796 tonnes, up 10% on the previous year but still 4.6% below the average over the past five years of 20,708 tonnes. The total value of grapes crushed increased to $21.7 million and the district weighted average price for Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz all made slight increases. There are now currently more than 5.300 ha under vine, with less than 50ha planted in the spring of 2013.
Unfortunately the figures published in the 2014 Winegrape Crush Survey questions the profitability of grape growing across regions and varieties throughout the state. The WGCSA is currently putting together profitability figures for all the SA wine regions.
Visit http://www.phylloxera.com.au/resources/sa-winegrape-crush-survey/ for the Winegrape Crush Survey State Report and Reginal Reports for 2014.
We are seeking your feedback on the Clare Valley Rocks project
 Clare Valley Rocks tells the story of the geology of the Clare Valley and its relationship to the grape growing and wine industries.
Stage 1 included four components: a map and brochure; interpretive signs; soil profile displays in participating wineries;and a website. Clare Valley Winemakers Inc. is surveying its members regarding adoption of stage one of the project and gaining feedback about the next stage. Grape growers have also been invited to fill in the survey by the COB Friday 29 August 2014. Please find the link to the survey below.
Clare Valley Rocks Survey
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