Loading...
The Rural Voice, 2003-12, Page 12• ;T: 0G FAR* Wheat, Barley, Corn & Beans Elevator 519-366-2749 519-366-2666 0173i Les Young Jr. 519-366-2749 • syngenta Seed Dealer David Young 519-366-2709 LESLIE HAWKEN &SON Custom Manufacturing LIVESTOCK & FARM EQUIPMENT • Big Bale Racks • Cattle Panels • Headgates & Chutes • Portable Loading Chutes • Gate -Mounted Grain Feeders • Feed Panels it lir ViiiiiiiM ,' . Round Bale Feeder ?4' film 1111111111,111WMIMIMM J��MINIMMINV :s Self Standing Yard Divider Seaaan'a greeting.a to aux euatameta and ',cicada. a VeKj .Mehr y. Ch'iatmaa to ate. 3,xam Jinm, Jayce, ramie, Joanne, Jackie, gait d a. j. For the hest quality and service — Call Jim Hawken RR #3 Markdale 519-986-2507 8 THE RURAL VOICE Robert Mercer BC forest fires vineyards than Robert Mercer was editor of the Broadwater Market Letter and commentator for 25 years. When you drink your toast to Santa Claus this year, give a thought to those vintners who may have come close to losing their whole crop, buildings and home from the massive forest fires in BC this summer. At the time the news across Canada was about the devastation of the wild fires and how they were eating up the forests at alarming rates. Then the news stories turned to their effects on the towns and villages, but there was very little about the wildlife, cattle or agriculture. Two hundred homes may have been burned down but one farm that housed close to 100 horses and got little coverage although the horse community, through the special effort of the Horse Council of British Columbia, managed to activate a group to help transport, house and feed these horses and more. Elsewhere farms were affected, cattle moved and companion animals evacuated. The vineyards and the orchards were no exception, except you can't move vines or trees in advance of an out -of -control forest fire that eventually burned close to 50,000 acres. The Okanagan Mountain fire caused four vineyards to be evacuated , from the area southeast of Kelowna. By August 21/22 it swept down on the city and the valley was full of smoke. It blocked out sunlight and brushed the growing grapes with the musty, clinging odour of ponderosa pine wood -smoke. Wine is a product that sells on its taste. Good wine has to be very selective, subtle and without a problem. Wine like tea or scotch, picks up its flavour from the soil, water and varietal genetics of its spared more theg harmed parental feedstock. Wine also changes with aging so that a wine now that shows no problems could begin to exhibit influence obtained from the smoke, ash or even fire retardant during the two to three weeks that the valley was swirling in smoke every hour of every day. So far the claims to the crop insurance program have not been massive. It is expected that the acreage affected may only be 330 as a total of damage to the crop. On top of this there is the potential for further losses where the vines were burned or damaged. The payout on that claim will not be made until the following year when the hardy grapevines will show,whether the damage was temporary or permanent. In some cases the questionable smoke -damaged grapes have gone to the vintner and he/she has then determined, after the crush, whether the grapes were usable or not. The actual number of burned acres for total losses claimed have been small. However, one vineyard sustained heavy building damage including the home and irrigation equipment in the field. On the positive side this has been a great year for the Ice Wine with the majority of the available grapes throughout the Okanagan Valley picked early in November. The cold snap allowed grapes to be picked three nights in a row. If you want to get a better idea of how the fire affected one particular vineyard, take a look at the website for St. Hubertus Winery. These people took the worst hit of the fire and have come out with gusto. Even though their production will be cut in half this year they have two new labels. A very poignant statement as one new wine is "Firemen's Red" and the other "Glowing Amber". Take a look at the photo shots on the web to see what disaster looks like as it advances on your life's work. (www.st- hubertus.bc.ca). And if you feel like helping the relief fund, you can even do it with a bottle of the above. Happy Christmas.0