21 July 2023
South Africa Wine has announced its new pruning competition, starting in August in collaboration with Felco and Vinpro.
With knowledge transfer one of the key objectives of SA Wine’s people development department, the competition offers farm workers an opportunity to hone a key skill.
The SA Wine Pruning Competition will have five regional events before the final at Boland Agricultural School in Paarl on August 31:
1 August – Paarl/Swartland at Bosman Adama.
4 August – Olifants River at Werda Baken.
15 August – Robertson/Klein Karoo at Zandvliet.
16 August – Worcester/Breedekloof at Nuy Wine Cellar.
17 August – Stellenbosch/Cape South Coast at Grondves.
“The SA Wine Pruning Competition in collaboration with Felco and Vinpro paves the way for recognition for agri-workers taking part in this competition,” says Kachné Ross, people development manager at SA Wine.
“It provides them with much-needed acknowledgement, learning opportunities, career development, and knowledge-transfer opportunities within our sector.”
During the qualifying rounds, each participant’s knowledge of pruning will be put to the test during a practical session. Vinpro’s viticulture consultants will provide specialised training on these days and judge the participants.
The top three from each region will compete at the final where there will be cash prizes from Felco of R3,000 for first place, R2,000 for second and R1,000 for third, and train-the-trainer packages worth R10,000 for their farms
The packages are based on a video training programme that already has 10 modules available online. They cover pruning, vineyard establishment, vine development, canopy management, soil management, identification of diseases and pests, irrigation, fertilisation, wine grape harvesting, and soil science.
The e-learning platform will also be made available to the winning producers for a year, and a Vinpro expert will show workers on the winning farms how the system works and how team leaders and teams can use it in the most efficient way.
“By winning the train-the-trainer packages, each winner and their respective farms will unlock the opportunity for career development,” says new Vinpro consultation services manager Etienne Terblanche.
“Upon successful completion of their training, the team leaders will be registered with [SA Wine] as vineyard worker foremen/women with special status and recognition. Each person who completes a module with an assessment above 80% also receives an e-certificate that they can download and print or keep on their profile if they need it for career advancement.”
During the farm worker leg of the competition, Felco will run qualifying events and provide skills training at schools and academic institutions. The top three students from each institution will also compete at the final, and Felco will provide medals and prizes to these winners.
“Felco’s main goal is to acknowledge all our pruners who must carry out this difficult but necessary task,” says Gys Liebenberg of Felco. “On average, 8,000 to 15,000 cuts per day are done by a vineyard pruner in South Africa.
“Training agri-workers and assisting lecturers at academic institutions with practical pruning workshops and competitions is a huge priority for us. A happy and well-trained pruner is a very good asset for any grower.”
The SA Wine Pruning Competition, in collaboration with Vinpro and Felco, is free to enter as long as a Felco pruner is used during the contest.
Enter here: https://forms.gle/GcuyaX1ogkCNzfm99
