It’
Up Front
“Q
s still all about putting quality first
By Bryden Winsby
uality is never an
accident; it is always the
about noxious weeds
and how to deal with
Gary Strachan in the vineyard are on
sincere effort, intelligent
result of high intention, them.
the same subject, with some cogent
thoughts on things growers can do to
direction and skillful execution. It
represents the wise choice of many
resident Lyonel
Okanagan Falls help protect themselves from similar
alternatives.”
Doherty, a veteran
abnormalities in the future (at least,
wordsmith who
let’s hope they’re abnormalities).
bad for a guy who was never the
So said William A. Foster. Not worked for more than a
CEO of a huge company or one of
half-dozen years with a
quality theme. Okay, this one’s from a
And finally, another quote on the
those gurus of self-improvement
Penticton-based
guru, well-known American educator
and writer Peter A. Drucker:
who have made a fortune selling
pithy advice through books, courses
occupational safety information, gets
producer of
and television shows.
into detail about the Farm and Ranch
not what the supplier puts in. It is
“Quality in a product or service is
Safety and Health Association, which
what the customer gets out and is
who won a posthumous Medal of
Foster was a machinist by trade can provide many growers with
willing to pay for. A product is not
Honor for diving on a grenade and
something they need and should have.
quality because it is hard to make and
costs a lot of money, as manufacturers
saving a fellow U.S. Marine’s life
during the Second Word War. He
that never goes away: the weather.
Meanwhile, there’s another topic typically believe. This is incompet-
was 28. And he was right.
Associate editor Judie Steeves brings
ence. Customers pay only for what is
us up to date on how irrigation
of use to them and gives them value.
and is awash in wine, the producers of
In a world that has apples aplenty districts are coping with water
Nothing else constitutes quality.”
those products need more than
shortages and how vineyard damage is
Right?
quantity to carve a secure spot in the
still being assessed as a result of the
marketplace. You might have noticed
temperature extremes we’ve
that the need to develop and maintain
experienced over the past 12 months.
quality has been a recurring theme in
Peter Waterman in the orchard and
these pages for several years now. It’s
no coincidence that marketing
reports, keynote speakers and stories
about industry successes all focus on
that need.
More Fruit. Less Fruitless Labour.
see when you read what David
This issue is no different, as you’ll
Hughes has to say about the keys to
marketing this province’s tree fruits or
how a well-known Okanagan
winemaker collaborated with his
grape growers and came up with
entries that earned top honours in a
national competition.
part of the quality improvement
Streamlining an operation can be
process, of course, but it can have a
downside, as anyone who has been
through a business restructuring can
tell you. Such is the case with pending
All season weed control. One application. Casoron
®
G4
closure of the Summerland
packinghouse, as described by Susan
Protect your vine and orchard fruits with one easy-to-use
Gain more time next spring
McIver.
granular herbicide. Casoron G4 provides economical residual
season-long control of more than 30 dif_ferent weeds and
Okanagan contributors we welcome to
Susan is one of several South
grasses. It is easy to measure and apply, and requires no in
our roster of writers in this issue.
season re-application, so you will have more time for all your
Penticton Herald
She’s well-known to readers of the
other important tasks.
coverage of the ag biz and
for her quality
Summerland politics.
For full label information, visit www.uap.ca.
West: 1-800-561-5444 Ontario & Maritimes: 1-800-265-5444
Scott, who can tell you just about
Another familiar face is that of Lisa BC: 1-604-534-8815 Quebec: 1-800-361-9369
4
everything you need or want to know
® Casoron G4 is a registered trademark of Chemtura Co./Cie. Always read and follow label directions. 9039 08.09
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2009-10
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