KAREN DAVIDSON

In the haste of harvest,Thomas Oppenlaender takes amoment to assess hisChardonnay vineyard and thefuture of the grape industry.While the Niagara escarpmentshelters tender vines, it can’tprotect against a competitivebusiness climate.

To mitigate those risks, particularly rising labour costs,his business partner TimAndrews has purchased a NewHolland harvester. Its claim tofame? It can separate the grapesfrom petioles and stems with an

on-board optimal sorter. “This machine is a step

above what currently exists,”says Oppenlaender. “Already,the wineries are tasting a difference in the grape juice.”

What a year to launch a newharvester. “The 2016 seasonproduced one of the most phenologically ripe harvestsever in Ontario,” saysOppenlaender.

The $400,000 investment isas large as the lumberingmachine imported from France.The machine is capable of harvesting 1.5 acres per hour.When the speed and quality of

harvest are compared to hand-picking, there is no doubt thatquality gains will be noted atthe crush pad. Growers want tomaximize quality along withtonnage which averages justover three tonnes per acre.

Ontario’s grape growers andwinery owners are taking amethodical and analyticalapproach to their future. In thefirst annual Ontario Wine andGrape Industry PerformanceSurvey conducted in 2015, therewere 42 growers and 106 wineries participating. Wineriesrepresented 95 per cent of allOntario-made wine and the 42

grape growers represented 25per cent of acreage under vine.While that benchmarking survey is being repeated for2016, the same themes will likely rise to the top of the list.

For wineries in all size categories, the major constraintis infrastructure such as tankcapacity, crush, fermentationand bottling. As Oppenlaenderexplains, these factors impactgrowers in terms of when wineries call for harvests to bedelivered depending onripeness.

Continued on page 3

JANUARY 2017 CELEBRATING 138 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION THEGROWER.ORG

BENCHMARKING

Big investments tame labour costs, improve grape quality

INSIDEMonitor your banking relationship pg 6

FOCUS: Grapes, vineyardsand berries pg 14

Happy New Year Flower quiz pg 22

Volume 67 Number 01P.M. 40012319$3.00 CDN

What does the future hold for the grape industry? An Ontario benchmarking report ranks government regulation and cost of compliance as the biggest business hurdle in thenear future, with rising input and labour costs as the second biggest concern. These findings likely echo the concerns of all horticultural producers. As growers tackle theseissues in their own individual ways, Thomas Oppenlaender, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, shows how new harvesting equipment enhances grape quality in the vineyard andlowers labour costs. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Admire under fire

On November 24, HealthCanada proposed a phase-out ofthe neonicotinoid imidacloprid,most commonly known by thebrand name Admire. This insecticide is commonly usedfor managing Colorado potatobeetle, an insect which chewsthe foliage of potato plants.

Health Canada says the levels of the pesticide beingfound in waterways across thecountry is harmful to aquaticinsects, such as mayflies andmidges. The phase-out may beextended to five years if thereare no alternative pest-controlproducts.

Health Canada has launcheda 90-day comment period andwill hold stakeholder forums.

Reviews on two other neonicotinoids have also beenlaunched, namely clothianidin(Titan) and thiamethoxam(Actara).

“Growers are concernedabout implied trade disadvan-tages if residue limits are notalso revoked on imported commodities from nations whodo not also restrict use, if thePest Management RegulatoryAgency moves ahead on theirproposal,” says Craig Hunter,Research and Crop Protection,Ontario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association.

Yes to Berry Growers ofOntario

Ontario’s berry growers –strawberry, raspberry and

highbush blueberry– have votedin favour of forming BerryGrowers of Ontario. The votewas conducted betweenOctober 31 and November 14,2016.

The positive outcome wasconfirmed by Geri Kamenz,chair of the Ontario FarmProducts MarketingCommission on December 15.The commission sent ballots to765 growers. Of that number, 94ballots were cast and 74 percent voted in favour of the proposal. The growers who casta positive vote represent 82 percent of the berry acreage.

If the newly formed market-ing board is approved by theprovincial government, then theamalgamated group would havethe powers to collect fees forthe purposes of market development and promotion,research and government relations. This board would nothave pricing powers.

Kamenz explains that thevote is part of an ongoingprocess of gathering publiccommentary and developing theregulatory package which couldtake six months. In all probability, the regulatory structure would be in place forthe 2018 growing season.

“We take great pride in seeing a sector evolve to servethe growers and the value chainin the context of a successfulOntario industry,” says Kamenz.

For more detailed back-ground, go to: thegrower.org/news/vote-be-held-form-berry-growers-ontario

CPMA’s podcast forecasts issues for 2017

The Canadian ProduceMarketing Association (CPMA)recorded its year-end podcaston December 15 with four journalists, reviewing the issuesthat resonated most in 2016.Topics ranged from Canada’sweather extremes to GMOs,global trade, the impact ofvalue-added produce in retail towhat’s in store for 2017.

Ron Lemaire, president ofCPMA, chaired the podcast,interviewing the following:Karen Davidson, The Grower;Meagan Kashty, CanadianGrocer; Greg Johnson, ThePacker; Marieke Hemmes-deRijke, FreshPlaza.com.

What’s the forecast forCanada in 2017?

“For all the media focus onthe United States and globalaffairs, I still think that domestic issues will pose thebiggest threat to the Canadianhorticultural industry in 2017,”predicted Karen Davidson. “Noone really knows what theimpact of carbon taxes or cap-and-trade will be. Growersare increasingly frustrated withthe disconnect between government policies and thebusiness reality on the ground.Agriculture has the capacity togenerate more jobs, but thereare finite limits on financing thechanges to get there.”

The podcast will be postedby year-end at: cpma.ca/grow/resources/produce-talks-the-cpma-podcast

NEWSMAKERSTHE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– JANUARY 2017

Congratulations toAndrew and JenniferLovell of KeswickRidge, NewBrunswick andDominic Drapeauand Celia Neault ofSte-Francoise-de-Lotbinière, Quebec,recently named thewinners of Canada’sOutstanding Young Farmers 2016 competition. Andrew andJennifer Lovell are first-generation market garden farmers fromNew Brunswick. The Quebec winners are third-generation dairyand field crop farmers. Horticulture was well represented thisyear with honourees Adrian and Jodi Roelands, innovative vegetable propagators from Lambton Shores, Ontario.

Ontario’s new deputy minister of agriculture, food and ruralaffairs is Greg Meredith, effective January 9. Since 2010, he hasbeen the assistant deputy minister, strategic policy, forAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). He’s held manyexecutive positions within AAFC including farm financial programs, communications and consultations. Prior to agriculture,Meredith has worked in several federal departments includingCorrectional Services, Global Affairs and Industry Canada. Heholds Masters Degrees in Business Administration andInternational Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree in PoliticalScience.

The Ontario Potato Board held its annual generalmeeting on December 7, re-electing GlenSquirrell as its chair and Harry Bradley as vice-chair. Bert Tupling is a newly elected director.Other directors include: Shawn Brenn, IsaiahSwidersky and Homer VanderZaag.

The Canadian Corrugated and ContainerboardAssociation has announced that Allen Kirkpatrick is now theexecutive director. Formerly with Norampac, a division ofCascades Canada Inc., Kirkpatrick has held various industry positions over the last 38 years. He takes over from DavidAndrews who has retired.

The BC Tree FruitsCooperative has hired StanSwales as Chief ExecutiveOfficer effective November28, 2016. Swales re-joins theCooperative and brings withhim more than 30 years ofindustry experience. He started in the industry in 1985at Okanagan North GrowersCo-Op in Winfield where hespent 20 years in various roles. From there, he moved to GrowersSupply Co. Ltd. as general manager for a decade. Most recently,he has been with BASF Canada as a business representative.Swales replaces Alan Tyabji, who had served as CEO sinceNovember 2012. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative is owned by 500local grower families with its offices based in Kelowna.

Ontario’s Agricultural Adaptation Council has announced its2016-2017 board of directors. Newly elected chair is Kelly Duffy,representing agribusiness/retail/food processing. Horticulture isrepresented by tender fruit grower Ray Duc and vegetable grower Jason Verkaik.

Farm and Food Care Ontario welcomes Joel Porter as the newly-hired vice-president of development and member relations. Hecomes from the charitable and non-profit organization sector,focusing his 26 years of experience on relationship management.

Condolences to the family of Cecil (Bill) Carsley who passed atthe age of 80 on November 22, 2016. He was well-known in thehorticultural industry as a past general manager of the OntarioFood Terminal and a recipient of the Award of Merit from theOntario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

Ontario’s agricultural industry is saddened with the sudden passing of John Vander Burgt, 61, the victim of a car accident onNovember 19. He was a shareholder of A & L Labs and founderof Bluewater Crop Care and Consulting, based in Dashwood,ON.

Glen Squirrell

Continued from page 1

When it comes to mostreported business challenges,wineries and grape growers areon the same page. They totallyagree that government regulation and cost of compliance are the top hurdle.Next comes access to viableretail markets, rising input costsfor labour and land, gross mar-gin on sales through the LCBOand grape supplies. Thosestickler issues are for the GrapeGrowers of Ontario (GGO) totackle through the Red TapeChallenge consultation whichends January 31, 2017.

“Overall, we’re growing,”says Debbie Zimmerman,CEO, Grape Growers ofOntario.

As the GGO websiteexplains, for the first time inthe last 30 years, grapes are the

most valuable fruit in Ontario interms of farm gate value.Grapes comprise 35 per cent ofthe total farm value of Ontariocommercial fruit crops.Increased growth is linked tothe switch in acreage to higher-valued viniferas, which are instrong demand by Ontariowineries and consumers.

The majority of new plantings have been withvinifera varieties. Over the lastseveral years, growers like theOppenlaender’s have investedmore than $125 million inexpanding vineyards to supplywineries’ demands for morepremium grapes.

The results of the Red TapeChallenge – expected in July –will coincide with negotiationsfor grape prices with the wineries for the 2017 season.The benchmarking study –with its updated financials --will be a timely bargaining tool.

JANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

COVER STORY

AT PRESS TIME

Big investments tamelabour costs, improvegrape quality

Constellation Brands, Inc. aleading beverage alcohol company, has announced that ithas completed the sale of itsCanadian wine business toOntario Teachers' Pension Plan,the largest single-professionpension plan in Canada. Thetransaction, which includesCanadian wine brands such asJackson-Triggs and Inniskillin,wineries, vineyards, offices,facilities, and Wine Rack retailstores, is valued at approximately C$1.03 billion.

The company received cashproceeds, net of repayment ofoutstanding debt, of

approximately C$765 million,subject to post-closing adjustments. The sale of theCanadian wine business alignswith the company's focus ondriving higher growth, higher-margin business activities, andits capital allocation strategy,which includes returning valueto shareholders through cashdividends and share repurchases, and making select,value-creating acquisitionswhile operating at a targetedleverage ratio.

Source: December 19 ConstellationBrands news release

Canadian wine brandssold to pension fund

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This new harvester optimizes the quality of grapes by separating material other than grapes – MOG –from the Chardonnay varietal. These grapes will arrive at the crush pad without the stems and petioles that can lend an unwanted vegetal character to the wine. Thomas Oppenlaender (L) and harvester owner Tim Andrews give instructions to the driver.

Clean grapes are dumped into a waiting bin for transportation to the winery.

Source: Ontario Wine and Grape Industry Performance Study, by VQA Ontario and Deloitte.

This machine is a step above what currently exists.Already, the wineries are tasting a difference in thegrape juice. ~ THOMAS OPPENLAENDER

““

PAGE 4 –– JANUARY 2017THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

ALBERTA

With roots going back to1942, the Peak of the Marketfarmers’ cooperative has survived not only World War IIbut weather wars as well. In2017, the grower-owned cooperative celebrates 75 years

with fresh stories aboutthe 20 families nowgrowing vegetablestoday.

“It’s not often thatbusinesses survive thislong, so it’s good that wetake a moment to honour the history,” saysLarry McIntosh,

president and CEO, Peak of theMarket. “We had our best yearin 74 years,” he said, comment-ing on the 2016 fiscal year ending June 30. Peak of theMarket earned $105 million dollars in sales for 2015/2016.

“We saw growth in many cropsin most of the markets we deliver to,” he says.

The cooperative continues toseek growers for specific cropsincluding: Brussels sprouts,eggplant, green onions, radishes, napa and Taiwan cab-bage and turnips. Conversationsare underway for the 2017 cropyear. Trials continue with sweetpotatoes that might mature inthe Manitoba climate. Okra isanother crop of interest.

Cold storage expansion isunderway at the Winnipegheadquarters with the $1.3

million project nearing completion in March 2017.More energy-efficient coolingcoupled with gravity-fed rackingwill make the operation more

competitive for year-round storage of root crops.

For more information on2017 festivities, go to:www.peakmarket.com

Peak of the Market marks 75th anniversary MANITOBA

Cavendish Farms plans to build a newpotato processing plant in Lethbridge,Alberta which will create demand foranother 9,500 acres of potatoes. Expectsod to be turned this spring and for theplant to be operational by 2019. Thisgives the industry time to plan for majorexpansion.

The December 12 announcement,made by company president RobertIrving, capped off a milestone year forthe Alberta potato industry celebratingits 50th anniversary.

“An opportunity like this comes alongonce in a lifetime,” says TerenceHochstein, executive director, PotatoGrowers of Alberta, based in Taber.“This new facility will allow the youngergeneration to expand if they want.”

Access to irrigated acres in southernAlberta won’t be a limiting factor

explains Hochstein. In the last 10 years,Albertan farmers have increased the effi-ciency of irrigation with variable ratetechnology and pressurized waterpipelines which eliminate the need for

pumps. The expansion does not meantearing up native ground. Rather, farmerswill switch up their four-year rotations ofwheat, canola, peas, barley and sugarbeets to include more potatoes.

Southern Alberta has proven to be adependable home for processing potatoes. Old Dutch and Pepsico-FritoLay operate here. Two other plants --McCain’s near Coaldale and Lamb-Weston near Taber -- also do business inthis fertile area, tapping supplies fromabout 40,000 seeded acres. Once the newCavendish Farms’ plant is built, growerscould expect acreage to expand to almost50,000 acres – an 18 per cent increase.Cavendish Farm’s output will be aboutthe same as Lamb-Weston’s.

Almost four years ago to the day,December 10, 2012, Cavendish Farmsannounced its purchase of the frozenpotato business of Maple Leaf FoodsInc. in Lethbridge. The transaction hasgone well. French fries and chips haven’tlost their crunch.

Lethbridge’s potato processor to increase capacity significantly

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 5

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

NOVA SCOTIA

Eastern Canada’s big crop of wild blueberrieshas outstripped demand, causing prices to plungefrom 50 cents per pound in 2015 at processingplants to 30 cents per pound in 2016. Poor pricesmay result in growers choosing to idle land nextyear.

Costs of harvesting are 15 cents per pound,without factoring in fertilizer costs or rented beehives.

“The latest 2016 crop topped 300 millionpounds,” reports Peter Rideout, executive director, Nova Scotia Wild Blueberry Growers’Association. “That’s a big increase from the 225million pounds recorded in 2013.

Quebec had a record crop due to favourablewinter conditions in 2016 and a slow snowmeltthat meant dangers of frost were past before flowering and pollination. Although Nova Scotiahad the driest summer in 70 years, wild blueberries responded well to late rains inAugust, resulting in good weight and size.Virtually all of the crop is quick frozen for export

as ingredients in value-added food. In Nova Scotia alone, there are 44,000 acres of

wild blueberry cultivation managed by a core of250 to 300 growers. Agricultural exports fromNova Scotia were worth $100 million in 2015.

“This is a very important industry to our ruraleconomy, and everyone feels the downturn,” saysRideout. “There’s no way to sugar coat the situation.”

Trade agreements will continue to be important in Europe, the United States and Asiawhere there are already solid business relationships. With the signing of theComprehensive Economic Trade Agreement(CETA), there is an open door for more value-added business in ingredient lines. Perhapsa dried fruit product could be developed for wildblueberries.

Domestically, there may be more room forgrowth among food manufacturers such as yogurtmakers. But without major exports, the comingyear looks less promising.

Wild blueberry industry faces big crop, poor prices

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

In late November 2016, yet anotherincident of potato tampering was report-ed to provincial police, causing GiantTiger stores to recall PEI potatoes. Asewing needle was found in a dish ofcooked potatoes, after the potatoes had

been peeled and cooked at a local home. Metal pieces and needles were first

discovered in PEI potatoes in 2014. Thefederal government has helped islandgrowers by funding $1.5 million to purchase metal detection equipment.

The provincial government also supported with $500,000 for on-site security assessments and training.Several cases of metal objects found inpotatoes in Atlantic Canada have notbeen solved.

The ongoing crimes are against thesafety reputation of Prince EdwardIsland’s largest agricultural commodity,with farmgate receipts of $250 millionannually.

Discovery of sewing needle in PEI potatoes stumps police

PAGE 6 –– JANUARY 2017

THE GROWER

LENDING

Practical advice on managing your banking relationship

Farm Credit Canada doubles amount of credit to young farmers

KAREN DAVIDSON

If it’s not already self-evident, the relationship withyour bank has changed over thelast few years and will likelychange more. Rob Hall is a for-mer vice-president, agriculture,Central and Atlantic Canada forTD Canada Trust and formerexecutive with Meridian CreditUnion and Desjardins. Now, heoffers advice to agricultural andbusiness clients as president ofhis own consulting company,Bankspeak. As guest speaker ofthe Ontario Potato Board’sannual general meeting, heshared some myths that maysound familiar and some advicethat may be prudent for 2017.

Myth 1. Banks understand agriculture.

Today, senior banking exec-utives understand only what’s inthe newspapers and mainstreampress. Their knowledge isn’tthat good. Farm Credit Canadais an exception.

Myth 2. Your bank is yourfriend.

Your “banker” might be, butyour “bank” isn’t. Today,bankers work for the interest oftheir shareholders, not their customers. Bonuses are basedon selling certain products and

product mixes.

Myth 3. I have lots of securityso getting a loan shouldn’t be aproblem.

Think again. Your land mightbe worth $20,000 per acre butsecurity is the last thing thatbankers look at. Bankers look atcash flows.

Myth 4. My bank will work withme if I have a problem.

That depends, if it’s in theirbest interest. At the branchlevel these days, bankers wantnew business and relationships.They want to lend more money,even if you don’t need it. Butwhen there’s lots of administra-tion and “handholding” thenthe bank will move you to aspecial loans unit.

Myth 5. I am in the bank’s special loans unit -- they aregoing to foreclose on me.

Not necessarily. You may betechnically in default, but if youare making your payments, thebank will be loathe to do any-thing. For example, if for everydollar of payments, your bankrequires that you have netincome of $1.10, and you don’t,they are likely to put you onnotice but not take action.However, understand that thebank gets twitchy if payments

such as property taxes are inarrears.

Myth 6. My banker says thatI’m getting the best deal theycan offer.

Everything is negotiable.Push back on that assumptionand question the fees.

Myth 7. My banker says he/shehas the ability to make the decision.

Very few lenders have anymaterial discretion left anymore.This is now driven by regulato-ry oversight where there mustbe a separation between salesand credit operations.

Myth 8. All decisions are madeon facts in a business-like manner.

Bankers are human. If some-one in the decision chain had abad experience 20 years agowith a similar farm story -- orheard about a story from his/herfriend at another bank – thedecision could be tainted.

Myth 9. The prime rate is thesame across Canada.

TD Prime is not TDMortgage Prime is not RBCPrime is not FCC Prime etc.Read your documents carefullyfor the actual prime rate of your

individual bank.

Myth 10. When I speak to mybanker, he/she understandswhat I am saying and can clearlycommunicate internally.

This is a big assumptionwhen bankers don’t understandthe acronyms and agricultural language. A good example thatHall provided: A VP of creditonce asked “What’s a gilt?” Theanswer: A virgin pig.

Myth 11. My banker under-stands his/her bank’s documentsand can explain what I am signing.

The chances are good thatthey haven’t even read the document themselves. Be cautious on relying on their representations – speak to alawyer or trusted advisor.

What are the trends going forward?

• turnover in staff is accelerating • timing in approvals may taketwo weeks to a month• fewer people who understandyour business (or business ingeneral)• bankers’ margins are gettingsqueezed. They are buildingsmall business units, adminis-tered by bank branches. This isessentially portfolio lending or

scorecard lending. • as you are borrowing moremoney under these programs,bankers will have less knowledge of your business • less personalized service • more costs if you are a largeborrower • more regulations/oversight.This is happening a lot in creditunion systems right now.Anticipate more mergers ofsmall credit unions. • if you are a “good” borrower,anticipate more pressure to buyother services (that you may ormay not need) such as VISAcards, mutual funds.

Some advice on dealing withthese trends

Ensure you know more thanone person in your bank. Lookat the ages of your contacts andanticipate retirements. Whathappens if your branch manageror area manager is downsized?Shop around if possible. Banksdo become complacent. Have aback door if you need it.

Question requests. If thebank wants five reports everymonth, ask why. Ask why thebank needs security on all theproperty. Don’t encumber all ofyour property.

Hold your bank accountableby communicating in writing.

Farm Credit Canada (FCC)is increasing its support foryoung farmers, doubling theamount of credit availableunder the FCC Young FarmerLoan.

“A big focus of FCC’s mandate is to provide innova-tive financing products andknowledge to assist the nextgeneration of Canadian farmers,” said Michael Hoffort,FCC president and CEO.“Changes to the Young Farmerloan recognize the rising cost foryoung farmers to become established in the industry.”

In addition to doubling thecredit limit to $1 million from$500,000, FCC has lowered thepossible minimum down pay-ment required for a YoungFarmer Loan to 20 per centfrom 25 per cent of the value ofthe loan, which supports thepurchase or improvement offarmland and buildings. Thispotentially makes more workingcapital available to qualifiedproducers, under age 40, as theylook to enter the industry orgrow their business.

FCC will continue to offer avariable lending rate at primeplus 0.5 per cent, as well asoffer a special fixed rate if producers choose that avenue of

repayment. No loan processingfees are charged on the YoungFarmer Loan, which was introduced in 2012.

“Our customers benefitwhen we effectively managerisk at every stage of their business lifecycle, whether theyare just beginning to pursuetheir dreams or preparing toleave the industry,” Hoffortsaid. “Our lending decisions arebased on sound business plans,strong relationships with ourcustomers and taking the timeto understand their business.”

The loan fills a gap in themarketplace by enabling youngfarmers to access the credit theyneed to get started and grow inthe industry. In 2015-2016,FCC overall approved morethan $2.5 billion in financing –including the Young FarmerLoan – to farmers under age 40,representing more than one-quarter of the $9 billion indisbursements last year to helpcustomers expand or start theiroperations.

FCC is Canada’s leadingagriculture lender, with a loanportfolio of more than $28 billion.

Source: Farm Credit Canadanews release

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 7

POTATOES IN PERSPECTIVE

For potato growers, the question is how much toplant, how much to insure

Statistical table 2016Area and production of potatoes (imperial measures) Canada and provinces

KAREN DAVIDSON

Cambridge, ON -- Table talk atthe recent Ontario PotatoBoard’s annual general meetingwas all about comparing harvests after last summer’sdrought.

Chairperson Glenn Squirrellsaid, “It appears that the summer crop was off by about30 per cent in some areas. As aresult, pricing was stronger thissummer than in the past. Foodfor thought – it took a 30 percent reduction in supplies tomove the table market to a reasonable level. What happensnext year when we plant thesame acreage of potatoes butreturn to normal production levels?”

As of November 2016, theOntario Potato Board recommended a per cwt tablestock price of $22.50, aprice that was set earlier inSeptember 2016. Overall,Ontario’s potato market for2015-2016 was valued at justover $69.4 million.

Industry observers expectthere will be higher interest incrop insurance for 2017. Onlyabout 30 per cent of Ontario’spotato crop was insured in 2016,compared to about 80 per centin other provinces.

This coming winter, theprocess council will be negotiating five processagreements according to HarryBradley, process chair. “Thiswill be a challenging set ofnegotiations as we continue tobe challenged by the availabili-ty of potatoes from surroundingareas,” he reported. “On a positive note, the continued lowvalue of the Canadian dollarincreases the value of Ontariopotatoes contracted for the U.S.market and puts imported product from the U.S. at a disadvantage.”

The United Potato Growersof Canada (UPGC) no longerenjoys the financial support oftwo potato-producing provinces.Both New Brunswick andOntario have left this umbrella

group which reports monthlystocks on hand, movement,prices, conditions and outlook.This means that real-time statistics from these twoprovinces are not part of theUPGC national report. Asreported by Statistics Canada inthe table to the right, NewBrunswick’s and Ontario’s seeded acreage represents 24per cent of the national total.

Total Canadian seeded potato acres is down from 355,338 acres in 2013 to 346,827 in 2016 – a reduction of 8,511 acres. This is in response to decreasing potato consumption.

2016 Seeded area Harvested area Average yield Production

Canada 346,827 342,409 307 105,172

Nfld/Labrador -- -- -- --

PEI 89,000 88,700 290 25,723

Nova Scotia 1,774 1,600 270 432

New Brunswick 47,629 4,700 305 14,335

Quebec 41,761 41,514 287 11,914

Ontario 34,800 34,750 190 6,602

Manitoba 65,914 64,000 350 22,400

Saskatchewan 6,000 5,900 250 1,475

Alberta 52,300 51,557 388 20,012

British Columbia 7,249 7,000 315 2.205

The OFVGA board metDecember 15, 2016 prior to theAnnual General Meeting to beheld January 10-11, 2017 at theHoliday Inn TorontoInternational Airport, Toronto,ON. The top issues are reportedhere.

Harold Schooley, chair, researchsection

Precision Agriculture

Ontario Agri-FoodTechnologies is applying forAgricultural Adaptation Councilfunding to develop Ontario’sfirst comprehensive, open, agri-food data collection andinnovation platform to advanceprecision agri-food technologyapplications.

The goal of this project is toequip Ontario farmers withinnovative decision supporttools that enable them to usedata generated on the farm fordecision-making that leads to amore competitive cost structure.

This also provides benefits forresearchers, ag organizations,and government staff byempowering them to make better decisions regardingresource allocation.

Agricultural Soils Health andConservation Strategy

The Ontario Soil Health andConservation Working Groupcontinues its strategy develop-ment process. A soil healthstrategy is expected by summer2017. Expected deliverables are:updated soil maps, benchmarksfor soil health, improved under-standing of soil greenhouse gasemissions and best managementpractices for mitigating them,best management practices forsoil health and the educationand training of all involved.

Ontario Edible Hort ResearchWorkshop: From Priorities toProjects

Jan 19, 2017 Quality Inn,

Woodstock 8:30 am – 2:30 pmThe purpose of this meeting

is to bring growers andresearchers together to commu-nicate research issues andneeds, discuss the researchfunding process and where toaccess funding. Bring your listof research priorities with you!

For enquiries contact:Rosanne Ranieri atRosanne.ranieri@vinelandresearch.com or 905-562-0320 ext 830.

Brian Gilroy, chair, propertysection

The land use planningreviews, that have been takingplace in Ontario over the pastthree years, have been exten-sive. Added to the review was a proposal to expand the areacontrolled by the NiagaraEscarpment Commission(NEC). Affected municipalitiesand land owners have reacted tothis news with a lot of questionsand deep concern. Buses of

concerned individuals travelledto Queens Park to try and get ameeting with the Minister ofNatural Resources and Forestry,Kathryn McGarry.

The meeting did not takeplace but the message may havebeen received. From unofficialsources, the Minister’s Officehas stated that the proposedexpansion did not originatefrom her office. From recentreports, any expansion of theNEC control area will not happen in the foreseeablefuture.

As chair of Farm and FoodCare Ontario, I’ve had a busy

few months working throughsome growing pains with theorganization. Farm and FoodCare has gone national andintroduced the Canadian Centrefor Food Integrity. I am confident that we have the rightpeople in place and the needhas never been greater to haveall farmers and related sectorsbuilding public trust in food andfarming!

To quote from TheodoreRoosevelt:

“No one cares how much you knowuntil they know how much youcare.”

PAGE 8 –– JANUARY 2017

THE GROWER

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION

Board briefs

The “Sold-Out” sign for modern town homes is an ironic commentary on the century-old stone house about to be moved from Milton, Ontario.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

OUTREACH

More life to the pear story We enjoy receiving The

Grower in our office and it wasnice to see the recent articleabout pears (Evolution: still lifein the pear category, December2016). However, there is a slightcorrection that needs to be madein the article. You state “Thesebreeding efforts started by Dr.David Hunter at AgricultureCanada’s (AAFC) Harrowresearch station...”

The pear breeding efforts thatled to the release of the currentgroup of varieties was actuallystarted by Dr. Harvey Quamme.Then when he transferred to theAAFC research station atSummerland BC, I took over the

program and built on the workthat Harvey had started. Then in1988, I transferred toSummerland and Dr. DavidHunter continued the program.

Tree fruit breeding, and especially pears, is a long-termproject and all fruit breeders benefit from the work done byour predecessors. It is gratifyingto see work that was started inthe 1970s finally paying off andbenefitting the Canadian fruitgrowers.

Frank Kappel, Ph.DGeneral ManagerSummerland Varieties Corporation Summerland, BC

Fresh from the Farm- Healthy fundraising forOntario schools

DAN TUKENDORF

The Ontario-based Fresh fromthe Farm school fundraising program completed another successful campaign at the end ofNovember. 2016 was the fourthand largest year to date of theprogram that provides schoolswith an alternative to traditionalfundraising programs. Schoolsare provided with fresh Ontario-grown root vegetables and appleswith 40 per cent of all sales goingback directly to each school. Inaddition, the program connectsstudents to Ontario agriculture,helps increase access and consumption of Ontario-grown

fruit and vegetables along withhelping support Ontario growers.

In 2016, the program wasexpanded to also include schoolsin the Greater Toronto area, partsof Eastern Ontario, Grey-Bruceand Huron counties. More than370 schools across Ontario participated selling almost900,000 pounds of fresh fruit andvegetables raising more than$350,000 for schools.

Planning is already underwayfor the 2017 campaign withdetails to be released this spring.For more details and updatescheck out www.freshfromfarm.ca.

Dan Tukendorf is program manager,OFVGA.

I am very happy for the industry to see the pear line-upon the front page of theDecember issue. Finally theannouncement of a new team, asif it were the front line of theLeafs at outset of new season.

I have been retired fromV.Kraus for three years now buthad always been in favour of getting the news out about newOntario fruit varieties. My last

two years in the booth for Kraus Imanaged to find some Bountypears, well before it was named,to hand out at the Ontario Fruitand Vegetable Convention inFebruary. And it was somethingthat growers/owners of the varietyshould really have been doing foryears prior. But the industry hasnot been overly proactive thatway. I recall one Toronto retailerremarking after taking a bite of

the pear at the show and com-menting, “Wow, I could sell thisfor $7 a pound at my stand inToronto” Would that I had followed up on that with a nameand location.

Your December article comes,I would think, with growers butalso VRIC's input, but perhapslimited somewhat to those withvested interests. For those growers not in a position to be

part of the tree propagation andfruit production of the so-to-speak “taken” varieties or thegood, new, to-come selections ofpears, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums, it might begood also to mention, for one, theHarrow/Vineland pears such asHarrow Delight and HarrowSweet, for example, that do notcome with controlling right-to-grow issues. Harrow Sweet is a

late pear and one that wouldprobably benefit from an earlypick and short storage but onethat appears to be a multiple-timepick, so seemingly very suitablefor pick-your-own sites.

Again, congratulations on yourpear article.

Harry A. de VriesMount Hope, ON

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 9

Photo by Glenn Lowson

THE GROWERPAGE 10 –– JANUARY 2017

STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, editor@thegrower.orgProduction: Carlie Melara, ext. 221, production@thegrower.orgAdvertising: 519-763-8728 x 218, advertising@thegrower.org

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Anyerrors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compen-sated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue.No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad.Client signature is required before insertion.The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the soleowner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressed inThe Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/orcontributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the associa-tion.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication maynot be reproduced either whole or in part without the priorwritten consent of the publisher.

OFFICE355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADATel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604The Grower is printed 12 times a year and sent to allmembers of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year forthe paper through their commodity group or container fees.Others may subscribe as follows by writing to the office:

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Subscribers must submit a claim for missing issues withinfour months. If the issue is claimed within four months, butnot available, The Grower will extend the subscription byone month. No refunds on subscriptions.

P.M. 40012319

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Jason Verkaik, BradfordVice-Chair Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownFruit Director Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginVeg Director Mac James, LeamingtonDirector John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-Lake

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Charles Stevens, NewcastleFresh Vegetable - Other Kenny Forth, LyndenTender Fruit John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-LakeON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Mike Chromczak, BrownsvilleGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Bill George Jr., BeamsvilleFresh Vegetable - Muck Jason Verkaik, BradfordON. Potato Board Mac James, LeamingtonSmall Fruit/Berries Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginON. Ginseng Growers’ Remi Van De Slyke, StraffordvilleGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse George Gilvesy, Tillsonburg

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty Brian Gilroy, MeafordLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Adrian Huisman, St. Catharines

Who among us would not eatthe food we grow? Or feed ourproduce to our family? Whowould knowingly ruin the landon which we depend for our living? Who would not treattheir employees with therespect and dignity theydeserve? Certainly no one withthe intention to succeed in thisbusiness, that much is certain.In fact we take our integrity sofor granted that we assume thateveryone trusts us farmers likewe trust our own food.

In 2017, less than two percent of Canadians are farmers.The lack of interaction with therest of society means that thepublic’s understanding of foodproduction is quickly declining.Misconceptions about GMOs,organics and pesticides are ruling the day. Some consumers actually choose

organic produce because theythink it has not been sprayedwith pesticide. As farmers, weknow this might not be so andthat we can set consumersstraight. Well not so fast.

We need to listen to the perceptions of consumers andhear why they make specificchoices. Only then, should weexplain why we make our choices. The key is to find common ground, common values. That’s listeningrespectfully. All of us want togive our families the best.

Let’s keep this principle inmind when talking to yourchild's teacher or hockey coach,the bank teller, the neighbourat church, the cashier at the grocery store, the person cuttingyour hair, friends, family and soon. We need to share why locally-grown produce is ourclear choice, why it is a healthychoice and why it is a responsible choice socially,environmentally and nutritionally.

I am sometimes surprised atthe perception people havetowards our hiring of guestworkers. I wish they understood how importantCanadian employment is to theworkers and their families backin Mexico and the Caribbean. Iwish we could show the publicthe examples of the farm workers who have put their children through university

allowing them access to betterpaying jobs and an escape frompoverty.

I wish everyone could seethe satisfaction of the workerswho have saved up over theyears and bought a house, property, or business in theirhome countries raising theirstandard of living for the rest oftheir lives. Wouldn't it be greatif the public could hear whyworkers sign up for farm work,year after year, and how much

they depend on these jobs tosupport themselves and theirfamilies.

As producers, we have a greatstory to tell about nutrition –how half a plate of fruits or vegetables at every meal canpromote good health. To getthat produce to consumertables, we we feed our crops atthe right time with the rightamount of nutrients at the rightstage of development.

I hope we all take the

opportunity to host a tour of ourfarm when we can. Whether itis a group of students, journalists or political leaders, itis great when they can see first-hand where some of theirfood comes from.

This year, let's all make aneffort to strategically share someof the goodness of the country,straight from the farm.

Growing understanding

JAN VANDERHOUTVICE-CHAIR, OFVGA

Photo by Glenn Lowson

Ontario’s ice wine grape harvest started 21 days early this year, with many fields done before the holidays. Thanks to Bill George, past chair of Grape Growers of Ontario, forsharing his perspective of the grape harvester.

WEATHER VANE

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 11

Almost everyone would agreeDonald Trump is not recognized as a calming, unitingforce. But in a curious way, hispresidency may be part ofwhat’s going to drive Canada’sagri-food sector towards newlevels of cooperation in 2017.

Like other countries, we’reworried about how muchTrump’s extremism could fracture trade, turn exports ontheir heads and send our agri-food sector reeling.

And that realization may bewhat sparked the unusual effortI saw towards the end of theyear to let bygones be bygones,face our competitors and moveahead.

To start with, the province’sbiggest general farm group, theOntario Federation ofAgriculture (OFA), extended anolive branch to one of theprovince’s most influential commodity groups, GrainFarmers of Ontario (GFO).

The federation’s new president, Keith Currie, calledOntario’s agri-political scenefractured, specifically mention-ing the strained relationshipbetween the federation and thegrain farmers. He said it neededfixing, and stressed the need fortogetherness by all groups if thesector was to heal and advance.

A little earlier, GFO haddone some reflecting of its own.It turned heads with its unusually restrained response toa federal government proposalto phase out a neonicotinoidcalled imidacloprid. The organi-zation said it couldn’t argue forevidence-based decisions byfederal regulators on one hand,then criticize them for suchdecisions on the other.

This all followed the provin-cial environment ministeradmitting at the OFA’s annualconvention that he used tooheavy a hand when dealing withfarmers over the neonicotinoidmatter, which resulted in a courtchallenge and some of the mostacrimonious feelings I canremember between farmers andthe province. He apologized andoffered to work together more.

And earlier in the year,

several leading farm groups,including the Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Association,joined hands to form the one-for-all, all-for-one Grow OntarioTogether. It’s described as “acollaboration of agriculture organizations that recognize theneed to work together – witheach other, with the public,with environmentalists, withmunicipalities, concerned citizens and with governments.” This coming together happenedmonths before the U.S. election;at the time, it was the provincethese groups were most concerned about. Now, compared to Trump, theprovince looks docile.

Most lately, concerns havebeen raised about the possibility

of Trump’s presidency causingfood prices in Canada to rise in2017. The thinking is that he’sthreatened to deport illegalimmigrant workers, which willhave a huge impact on farmlabour. Fruit and vegetablegrowers, who rely on theseworkers so much for manuallabour, may feel it more thanany other producers.

Canada struggles mightilywith farm labour problems, too.At an outlook event inNovember at the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Foodand Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)headquarters in Guelph, panel-list Alison Robertson, executivedirector of the OFVGA,expressed her concerns aboutthe farm labour situation.

The sector, she said, “is onan unsustainable path.”

At the outlook event, apotential solution put forward tothe chronic labour crunch wasrobotics, particularly in greenhouses. Robertson saysrobots could allow a farmer tofocus less on manual labour, andmore on creating value.

Next door to the OMAFRAheadquarters, at the Universityof Guelph, progress is beingmade on robots for greenhouses,ones that could offer consumersinformation they’re coming toexpect with many other commodities – like “smart”greenhouse tomatoes, in whicheach piece of fruit has its ownproduction history and nutritional profile, based on

coding from the robot that nurtured it and harvested it.

This kind of research isneeded to help prepare the sector for the challenges thatnot only lie ahead, but are infact here now.

Here’s to a prosperous andcollaborative New Year.

Collaboration and cooperation at home will distinguish 2017

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

BRUCE KELLY

As has been reported in thismagazine in the past, Farm &Food Care Ontario has beenworking on projects with veg-etable growers, fruit washersand irrigators to help themmake informed decisions aboutwater use, identify opportuni-ties for recycling and minimizethe amount of water comingfrom facilities that might needto be treated. We have workedwith a number of growersaround the Holland Marsh aswell as in Alliston, Leamingtonand Niagara regions - almostanywhere that vegetables orfruit are irrigated or washed.

When you talk about water,three issues invariably come up:the drought, your water sourceand how much water you use.The recent project focused onwater use, with an intent toreduce usage through recyclingand using the minimumrequired to get the productclean.

How much water does a veg-etable tumbler use? For thosenot in the carrot business, it isworthy to note that many root

vegetables are washed in barrelwash tumblers, 10 to 12 feetlong. Carrots, for example, areconveyed or flumed in one endand come out the other end ofthe tumbler clean and ready toeat.

Water enters most tumblersthrough a bar with holes spray-ing down on the vegetables. Buthow much water does it takes torun the machine? The spraybar, with holes inside themachine, will take all the wateryou give it, which is often muchmore than it really needs to getthe product clean. Many of thenewest machines incorporate arecycling tray underneath tocatch the cleanest water nearthe end of the tumbler and useit for the first-rinse or a pre-soaktank, reserving potable water foronly the final wash stage. Thisdrastically reduces the amountof fresh water used by themachine but our measurementsshow that even the newestequipment with a recycling trayinstalled will use more waterthan is needed unless carefullymonitored and regulated.

How do you measure wateruse? This seems like a simplequestion. A flow meter on the

well or supply can tell you howmuch water you are using over-all and is useful for monitoringfor permit purposes, but thisonly works for the whole facili-ty. We have found that thereare flow meters that can beinstalled on individual waterlines. They’re called rotametersand are big sight gauges withfloats riding inside on the cur-rent flow rate to a machine. Thered ball rides inside a calibratedcylinder that can help easilymanage the water flow to amachine.

For smaller equipment like apeeler or small tumbler thatruns off a garden hose-style fit-ting, a low-cost flow meter fromCanadian Tire or Lee Valleycan be used to monitor the flowand cost less than $50.

Case study: A carrot tumblerwith recycling capacities wasrunning about 100 liters/minwhen we first measured theflow. After the rotameter wasinstalled, staff could see at aglance what the water flow was.They were able to turn the flowrate down under 50 liter/minand still achieve the same washquality and line speed. A 50 percent savings in water hasreduced the burden on theirwell and helps their settlingpond system work much better.By giving the machine operatoran easy way to monitor flow,they can keep water use downto agreed-upon rates.

Most water is regulated tovegetable washing machines bya ball valve, which makes a poorflow regulator. Any tiny changein the handle position results ina big change in flow rate. A tipis to add a second ball valve.Use the first as the regulator

and set it to the appropriateflow – leaving it in that positionat all times. Then use the sec-ond to routinely turn the flowon and off. In combination witha flow meter, this will give aconsistent flow without requir-ing constant adjustments everytime the water is turned on.

For more information onwater flow assessments or watermeasuring equipment suitablefor your situation contactbruce@farmfoodcare.org or visitthe Holland Marsh Growers’Association website at www.hollandmarshgold.com

Bruce Kelly is environmental program manager for Farm &Food Care Ontario.

THE GROWERPAGE 12 –– JANUARY 2017

January 4-6 Potato Expo, San Francisco, CA

January 10 Ontario Apple Growers’ Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport, Toronto, ON

Jan 10-11 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport, Toronto, ON

Jan 17-19 Empire State Producers Expo, Oncenter, Syracuse, NY

Jan 23-24 Nova Scotia Horticultural Congress, “Building Blocks for Tomorrow’s Farms, Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 24 Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association Annual Convention, Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 24-26 Manitoba Potato Production Days, Keystone Centre, Brandon, MB

Jan 26-28 Horticultural Growers’ Short Course, Lower Mainland Horticulture Improvement Association together with Pacific Agriculture Show, Tradex Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford, BC

Jan 26 – 29 Guelph Organic Conference and Trade Show, University Centre, Guelph, ON

Jan 31-Feb 1 Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, Four Points by Sheraton, London, ON

Feb 2 BC Fruit Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Penticton Lakeside Hotel, Penticton, BC

Feb 8 – 10 Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany

Feb 9 Simcoe AgKnowledge Day, Bond Head Golf and Country Club, Bond Head, ON

Feb 15 B.C. Tree Fruit Symposium, Trinity Baptist Church, Kelowna, BC

Feb 15 AAFC Potato Selection Release Open House, Fredericton, Guelph and Lethbridge, www.agr.gc.ca/potato-cultivars

Feb 21 Ontario Berry Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Feb 22 Farmers Markets Ontario Annual General Meeting, “Your Market Success – Taking it to the Next Level,” Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

Feb 22-23 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention, “Innovations to Grow By,” Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

COMING EVENTS 2017

The ‘AQUA Wetland System’“A new breed of constructed wetland”

AQUA Treatment Technologies Inc. designs and installs the ‘AQUA Wetland System’ (AWS) for tertiary treatment of many types of waste water including sanitary sewage, landfill leachate, dairy farm & abattoirwastewater, greenhouse irrigation leachate water & mushroom farm leachate water (i.e. manure pileleachate) and high strength winery washwater.

The ‘AQUA Wetland System’ is operated out ofdoors and can achieve year-round tertiary treat-ment of wastewater. This sub-surface, vertical flowconstructed wetland consists of sand & gravel bedsplanted with moisture tolerant plant species. Wateris pumped vertically from cell to cell. There is noopen or standing water. Treatment occurs throughphysical filtration & biological degradation. Plantsshade & insulate the cells, cycling nutrients whilepreventing algae growth. There is no production ofsludge.

The AWS has been approved for use by the Ontario Ministry of Environment through over 40 EnvironmentalCompliance Approvals. Recently the Region of Niagara began approving the AWS for treatment of ‘smallflow’ winery washwater I.e. < 10,000 liters per day. Other agencies who have issued approvals includeHealth Canada, USEPA and OMAFRA. Recent projects include:1) treatment & re-use of greenhouse irrigation leach water atgreenhouses in Niagara & Haldimand2) treatment of winery wastewater at Greenlane Estates Winery& numerous other in Niagara 3) treatment of landfill leachate at sites in Pembroke, Niagaraand Alabama

For additional information please contact Lloyd Rozema at 905-327-4571or email lrozema@aqua-tt.com

Some lessons learned crawling around carrot washing machines

This photo shows two types ofmetres – a rotameter (flowmeter) and a portable meter.

Depending on who you talkto, any fee can be justified.Retailers can certainly explainwhy listing fees are a necessarypart of doing business. The twomain reasons are:1) To cover the cost of settingan item up in the system. Thereare many touch points throughthe retailer’s system where theyinvest resources to create theenvironment where the productflows from the back door of thewarehouse through the supplychain and out the front end ofthe store. The infrastructure inmerchandising, supply chainand operations to list, distributeand sell an item is complicated.

2) Renting space on the shelf.

It is very expensive to buildstores and put fixtures in.Retailers see listing fees as ameans to recover costs that theyincur up front to build and operate stores, where a supplier’s items are sold.

It is also true that listing feesare now part of the profit modelin today’s retail environment sountil they are replaced by something else, they will alwaysbe there. For some time, retailers have charged suppliersa listing fee and since then thepractice has continued to escalate.

What listing fees buy for suppliers

Essentially, a listing fee willget you the shelf space youagree on for a year. You haveone year to prove the item willperform and that it deserves theshelf space you are ‘renting.’

That does not mean youdon’t have to do anything for ayear, it means your product willprobably not be de-listed for ayear. You still must support theitem with the promotional pro-gram and everything else youcan afford, to generate the salesyou need to stay on the shelf.

It is unlikely an item will be

de-listed within 12 months ofpaying listing fees. If the retail-er did this, I would go back toask for some of the listing feesback.

Are all listing fees createdequal?

The short answer to thisquestion is - NO.

As with any fee you areasked to pay you should negotiate. There is no printedschedule with listing fees. Itreally is different by retailer, bydepartment, by category.Experience is the best resourceto understand if the fees you arebeing asked to pay are realistic.In the past we only experiencedthese fees in the center of thestore, however they are now inplace throughout the store.Somewhere the merchandisersin fresh produce realized theycould command the fees aswell.

There are a number of factors that will impact listingfees:1) The number of stores andwhich formats you want youritem to be on the shelf.2) The department where youwill be in the store.3) Where you are merchandised

within the category.4) The strength of the retailer’scontrol label offerings in thecategory. If they have strongitems, you will have to paymore. They do not want to losethe sales and profit they generate on their items.5) The strength of your item. Ifyou have a great unique newitem they want they will bemuch more willing to negotiate.If it is just replacing somethingelse you will pay more.6) The competition in the category will influence the fees.Right or wrong, if you are competing against a big company with deep pockets theretailer will charge morebecause your competition canpay more. This is a frustrationfor many suppliers as they try todevelop and list items. It is

interesting because they blamethe retailer when in fact it is theother suppliers who are payingto keep them out.

Peter Chapman is a retail consul-tant, professional speaker and theauthor of A la Cart-A suppliers’guide to retailer’s priorities. Peter isbased in Halifax N.S. where he isthe principal at GPS BusinessSolutions and a partner inSKUfood.com, an on line resourcefor food producers. Peter workswith producers and processors tohelp them navigate through theretail environment with the ultimategoal to get more of their items in theshopping cart. pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca

For the full article visit www.thegrower.org

THE GROWER

JANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 13

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

How retailers justify listing fees

PETER CHAPMAN

WENDY McFADDEN-SMITH

Grape mealybug is a vector ofgrapevine leafroll associatedvirus. The insect overwinters asyoung instars under the bark ofvines and resumes developmentin the spring. When a grapemealybug feeds on an infectedvine and then moves to an adjacent healthy vine and feeds,it can transfer some of the virusto the healthy vine and infect it.

The best way to determinewhether you have grape mealy-bugs is to peel back the bark andlook for them. The first thing tolook for is the white egg massesthat were laid last year. These aredifferent from spider nests whichare more wispy and webby whilemealybug egg masses are moreclumped in appearance and mayhave some yellowish-green fungalgrowth on them. Examine theegg masses for the presence offirst instars, which are very tinyand dark salmon orange-pink incolour. You are more likely to seesecond instars which have movedaway from the egg masses. Theseare a lighter salmon colour and

move a lot faster. As the mealy-bugs go through their stages ofdevelopment, they become largerand lighter coloured. The adultfemales are coated in white waxyscales. You may also see a lot ofants if there are mealybugs present as they feed on the sugary secretions mealybugs produce.

The graph shows weeklycounts for mealybugs in a heavilyinfested Cabernet Sauvignonvineyard in 2014. Under Ontarioconditions, it appears that mealybugs go into the winter as1st instars (red line). Thesedevelop into 2nd instars by earlyMay and gradually develop into3rd instars (purple line) and thenadults (orange line). The adultfemales lay clusters of eggs (blueline) which hatch to produce anew batch of 1st instars (red line).The 1st instars are the most effi-cient vectors of grapevine leafrollvirus and are the easiest to killwith insecticide so those are theones we target. 1st instars firststarted to develop at fruit set withpeak populations at cluster close.

While mealybug crawlers canmove only short distances on

their own (between neighbouringvines in the row), they can bepicked up by wind and moved toadjacent rows or even adjacentvineyard blocks. Mealybugs canbe spread physically on equip-ment, field crews and tools, andby natural dispersion by birds,animals and wind-blown infestedleaves. Address mealybug- andvirus- infested, or “high-risk,”blocks of vineyards at the end ofa work schedule. This could helpto avoid spread to other areas. Insome grape-growing areas, harvesters are responsible for moving mealybugs from vineyardto vineyard but in Ontario by thetime harvest starts, mealybugs areonce again under the bark oftrunks.

Because the majority of mealybugs are deep under thebark of vines, it is difficult to useproducts with contact activity tocontrol them. Therefore, themost effective product isMovento because it moves in thevascular tissues of the vine.When applied to foliage afterbloom, it moves into the trunkwhere mealybugs are feeding.Applying it before that time willnot result in good movement intothe vascular tissues in the trunkbecause the vine is sending mostof its sugars into developingleaves. If you are applyingMovento to manage both phylloxera and mealybug, use theprebloom timing for phylloxeraand make a second application30-45 days later.

Development of mealybug isvery much dependent on temperature, as is the growth ofgrapevines, so cool weather in thespring may delay mealybugdevelopment: it’s best to timethe spray relative to vine development rather than the calendar. It takes some time forthe Movento to move from leavesto the trunk where the mealybugsare feeding. The best timing for aMovento spray to target the 1stinstars as they emerge is just afterbloom. A second spray should beapplied 30 days later to target theremaining 1st instars as theyemerge.

The Movento label states amaximum of 920 mL/ha per season with a rate of 365-585mL/ha per application. It is registered for control of phylloxera and mealybug andsuppression of scales. In trials lastyear, single full canopy applications of Movento at postbloom at rates of 365, 420 or 460mL product per ha did not significantly reduce the numberof mealybugs in counts done inAugust. A single application of

500 mL/ha post bloom reducedthe number of mealybugs compared to the untreated check.We also tested double applications post bloom and 30days later with the following combinations: 365/365 mL,500/420 mL, 420/500 mL and460/460 mL. The greatest reduction in mealybug populations was achieved with aseasonal total of 920 mL/ha splitover two applications. It didn’t matter how this was split up postbloom and 30 days later. We willcontinue to fine tune the rate andtiming in research trials in 2016.

Fruit Lecanium scale is theother vector of grape leafroll virusthat has been identified inOntario vineyards. It may befound exposed on canes or underthe bark at this time. Youngscales are tannish brown and asthey mature they become darkerbrown. Scales are not as good attransmitting grape leafroll virusbut they can still contribute to itsspread. Some vineyards that werescouted last year had higher populations of scale than mealybug while others were thereverse. Sprays of Clutch, Assailor Malathion will kill exposedscales but there are lots more hiding under the bark so theeffect will be minimal. Moventois registered for suppression ofscales on grapes. The timing andrate are the same as for mealybug.

This article first appeared inONFruit. Subscribe to the blog bygoing to: ONFruit.wordpress.comand entering your email addresswhere it says “Subscribe by email.”You will receive email notificationwhen new articles are posted.

Wendy McFadden-Smith isOMAFRA’s Horticulture IPM specialist focussing on tender fruitand grapes.

THE GROWERPAGE 14 –– JANUARY 2017

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS AND BERRIES

Management of mealybugs in vineyards

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 15

KAREN DAVIDSON

The chains of office sit well onJamie Quai, Ontario’s 2016 GrapeKing. It’s safe to say that Quai duVin Estate Winery is no longerthe biggest little winery no hasheard of. The award shines a lighton the 22-acre vineyard south ofSt. Thomas, Ontario, part of theLake Erie North Shore appellation. It’s only the secondtime in 61 years that the awardhas been endowed to a grapegrower outside the NiagaraPeninsula.

For those familiar with the history of the provincial grapeindustry, this award rewardsexcellent vineyard managementand knowledge of the grape-growing industry. To qualify for anomination, the vineyard must beat least 10 acres in size.

Thanks to the foresight of parents Roberto and Lisa and tohis grandparents who first plantedvines in 1972, Jamie Quai grewup on the farm and after his academic career, is now co-proprietor, vigneron and winemaker. The vineyard was asurprising venture in those days,surrounded by cash crop anddairy farms south of St. Thomas,

Ontario. But the quest for theright piece of property – clayloam soil at the top of a morainewithin seven kilometres of LakeErie – was a keen bet on futuresuccess.

“We haven’t invested in windmachines,” says Jamie Quai,“because only three times in 44years have frosts economicallydamaged our vines. I believe inthe technology, but we don’tneed it here due to our elevation.Our bud break is typically six to10 days after Niagara.”

It’s that close observation oflocal conditions and detail thathas earned the respect of fellowgrowers. When judges visited thesite last July, they noted a number of key attributes.

First, the Quai family andtheir employees have been fine-tuning varietals, starting with areplant program in the 1980s. Forexample, rather than buy BacoNoir grapes from fellow growers,they have nurtured several smallblocks of Baco Noir.

“We’ve done a better job ofthinking about what we’re goingto produce for the market,” saysQuai. For example, about an acreand a half closest to the winery isdevoted to Aurore, a white grapehybrid that’s not well known in

Ontario. There might be only 50acres in all of the province, butfor Quai’s money, the varietal is agood example of how to take a$10 bottle of wine and improve itto $14.

Aurore is a challenging grapedue to its thin skins and propensi-ty to split with excessive rains.During the last seven years, Quaihas tamed its high acidity levelsand brought the varietal into balance.

“We were overcropping thisgrape,” explains Quai. “By chang-ing the four-cane trellis system toa vertical shoot system, I cut theyield by 30 per cent but allowedmore sunlight into the canopy.There’s now more flavour.”

Consistent yields of 4.2 to 4.4tonnes per acre are now achieved,a common standard with hybrids.No chemical manipulation isrequired in the wine-making.Labour committed to this vine-yard has doubled, however thepayoff is in a higher price pointon the wine.

“Good wine is easier to sellthan bad wine,” quips Quai.

Other management practicescaptured the interest of the GrapeKing judges. Quai works hard at

biodiversity, encouraging a neigh-bouring apiary to locate beehivesin the vineyard. While beehivesare not needed to pollinategrapes, they do play an importantpart in the ecosystem, foraging onthe permanent sod of whiteclover planted between the vines.

This practice has prompted arethink of the entire spraying program and its timing. Forexample, Quai outfits his airblastsprayer with a “donut” – a wood-en donut placed on the back ofthe fan to lessen the air volumewhile spraying. This technique ishelpful in the early season to con-trol fast-moving mist of spraydroplets.

“Where possible, we use gentler spray treatments,” saysQuai. Rather than use a systemicspray every two weeks, he rotatesbetween a systemic and contactspray.

Over the years, the clay soilhas been a boon for water retention as well as nutrients.Organic matter is measured atanywhere between 2.5 to 4 percent in the vineyard. No granularfertilizers have been used in thelast eight years. “Earthworms arethe best regulator of nutrients,”

says Quai. “Micro-nutrients areadded if necessary.”

Quai’s intimate knowledge ofhis vineyard is enhanced withknowledge obtained from trialprograms. Every year, severalrows are donated for research totrial new sprays and techniques.

Being awarded Grape King2016 has bestowed additionalbenefits. “This is incredible validation and has reinforced ourcustomers’ pride in the product,”says Quai. The winery producesabout 2500 to 3000 cases of wineper year, sold mostly through theon-farm winery. However, firstdeliveries of a VQA SignatureWhite were delivered to theLiquor Control Board of Ontariolast fall.

“With grocery retailing of winein the future, we want to knowhow the LCBO system works,”says Quai.

With characteristic insight,Quai talks about the future of theOntario grape industry. “I thinkthe last 10 years were aboutdefining who we are. I think thenext 10 years will be definingwhat we’re not. There aredefined limits to what we can dowell.”

THE GROWERPAGE 16 –– JANUARY 2017

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS AND BERRIES

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THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 17

THE GROWERPAGE 18 –– JANUARY 2017

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS AND BERRIES

Nova Scotia’s grape industry is maturing withinfrastructure designed to hone the science andcraft. In March 2016, the federal and provincialgovernments announced $487,960 over two yearsfor a new wine research lab at Acadia University,Wolfville. Officially called Acadia Laboratory forAgri-Food and Beverage (ALAB), it’s now up andrunning and is headed by Dr. Anthony Tong.

“My research focuses on flavour and fragranceanalysis of different wines,” says Tong. “In a coolclimate such as Nova Scotia, there’s not enoughtime for grapes to come to full maturity, so wetend to have more acids and less sugar in ourwines. We’re looking to the change of flavouringcompounds during the fermentation process andinvestigating ways to improve the quality.”

Potential research partners include food scien-tists, dietitians, biochemists, plant physiologistsand producers of food and beverages.

“Having access to lab facilities here in NovaScotia has been identified as a priority by theNova Scotia Wine Development Board,” saidKeith Colwell, Nova Scotia agriculture ministerwhen the lab opened. “They know this will helpto build knowledge and expertise right here thatcan help the industry grow.”

Currently, there are 23 wineries and 94 grapeproducers in Nova Scotia. The province’s winer-ies produce about one million litres of wine annu-ally with sales of $15.4 million in 2015.

Early in 2017, Tong expects to have a servicelist published so that local growers can track suchcharacteristics as organic acids, brix, sugar profile,volatile organic compounds and phenolic com-pounds. For more information, go to alab.acadi-au.ca.

New wine research lab opens in Nova Scotia

KAREN DAVIDSONThe Nova Scotia wine

industry is rising on the tides ofconsumer favour. The Tidal

Bay appellation is winningrespect with bottles priced from$20 to $29. Wines can be a combination of approved grapevarieties but must demonstratea distinctive taste profile: livelyfresh green fruit, dynamic acidity and characteristic minerality. And they must below in alcohol, no more than 11per cent.

What a recipe for pairingwith the brininess and richnessof seafood.

Most of the 70 grape growersare never far from the waters ofthe Bay of Fundy, at most about12 miles. So the combination ofsalty breezes and rolling terroircontribute to a distinct cool-climate region like no other inCanada.

“2016 was the best harvestwe’ve ever had in my experi-ence in this industry,” says CarlSparkes, owner of DevonianCoast Wineries, referring to thehot, dry summer. “Our yieldsvaried by varietal, but we were20 per cent ahead of our five-year average. Tonnage byacre is misleading though. Ourviticulturist Jonathan Rodwell

has taught me to go back to theoutput of each vine.”

Sparkes is one of the drivingforces in the Nova Scotia industry, bringing his pan-Canadian business and marketing experience to thearea in 2011. With around 300acres under vine with Jost,Gaspereau, Mercator and contract grower vineyards, he

and his wife Donna now havefive seasons of data under theirbelts.

“We’ve inherited 30 years ofexperimentation in the indus-try,” says Sparkes. “But not allvines are where the market isgoing in the future. High-acidred grapes must be sweetenedand the market is not there forthat. I’ve taken an aggressiveposition with our own as well asgrowers’ vineyards that we needa replant program.”

The vision is for cool-cli-mate, crisp, aromatic whites thatpair well with local seafood.Sparkes is pragmatic about thebusiness, forecasting that moremarketing needs to be done tocapture the domestic market.He’s upbeat that surveys show

that 49 per cent of NovaScotians drink Nova Scotia wineat some point during the year.

That’s a base to work from.He wants to build a strongerbeachhead in Atlantic Canadaand in the New England states.Still wines are really not a bigexport number in Canada – it’sabout 100,000 cases -- so there’sa lot of room to grow.

While the cachet of international sales may appearalluring, Sparkes is leery of themarketing investment requiredto educate the Chinese marketto get beyond red wines and icewines.

Next step, for him, is to ripup some acreage and replace oldred hybrids with new whiteones. He is planning 20 to 25acres replanting for the next twoyears.

“It’s a tough call to ask growers to pay the whole shot ofreplanting,” he says. That’swhere the Winery Association ofNova Scotia’s strategic plan asksfor some government fundingsupport.

Future Nova Scotia wines will be positioned to meet the market

Dr. Anthony Tong

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS AND BERRIESTHE GROWER

JANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 19

SUKH KAHLON

For more than 50 years,Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada (AAFC) operated a successful berry breeding program at the Agassiz Researchand Development Center(ARDC) in British Columbia(BC). When it was announcedthat the Agassiz program wouldbe terminated and the breederposition would no longer befunded after 2012 -- with theview of centralizing all berrybreeding activity in Kentville,Nova Scotia -- BC berry industry leaders voiced theneed for the continuation of theprogram. A successful breedingprogram was seen as vital toremaining globally competitive,and to take advantage of exportopportunities.

The Fraser Valley produces95 per cent of Canada’s high-bush blueberries, 70 per cent ofraspberries, and is a significantproducer of strawberries withtotal farm gate value for thethree commodities exceeding$200 million. With such a largepresence of the berry industryin BC, the berry commoditygroups felt they needed a berrybreeding program that couldrespond to their regional needs.In fact the berry groups haveidentified berry breeding as thesingle most important researchpriority for the industry. Theindustry sees genetics researchvital to addressing yieldimprovements, disease resistance, extending harvestwindows, and adapting to climate change. Genetics is alsofundamental in improving quality characteristics such astaste, firmness, handling, storage, and shelf life.

The berry groups cametogether under the umbrellagroup Lower MainlandHorticulture IndustryAssociation (LMHIA) to

negotiate a new life on thebreeding program at Agassiz. Itwas to be a ‘new model’ -- withindustry providing the leader-ship and direction -- whileAAFC contributed facilities andtechnical assistance. In 2013,the industry hired a berrybreeder, Dr. Michael Dossettthrough a funding partnershipwith AAFC under theAgriculture Innovation Program.

Dr. Michael Dossett continues to works out of AAFCin Agassiz using the existingfacilities. He is making significant progress in develop-ing new varieties for BC. Hiswork involves both germplasmdevelopment and cultivar finishing. BC growers collaborate by evaluating varietal selections and by providing sites for field trials.

The commodity organizationmake a 25 per cent contributionto the funding model to sustainthe program.

A berry breeding committee,made up of industry members,has provided direction.Priorities for new cultivars areset based on industry needs asidentified by each commoditygroup. The raspberry industryfor example has focused ondeveloping varieties that allowfor machine harvestability, havefirmness, root rot tolerance andresistance to raspberry bushydwarf virus.

While the berry breedingcommittee is trying to addressthe needs of the regional industry, it is actively seekingpartnership and collaborationswith industry, government andacademia nationally and internationally. Dr. Dossett hasbeen working with the Quebecstrawberry and raspberry industry to trial our varieties inQuebec. He also has ongoingprojects to develop genomicresources and markers forbreeding with scientists inWashington and Oregon. As the

program evolves, there will begreater focus to tie in withAAFC national priorities, collaborations with academia,and developing opportunities tolaunch projects with other berrygrowing region of Canada. Theindustry would also like to seemore collaboration with theKentville Research andDevelopment Center withrespect to germplasm work.

The second part of plantbreeding is protecting intellec-tual property, and commercializ-ing promising varieties. A com-mercialization entity, BC BerryCultivar Development Inc., hasbeen established (BCBCDI). Ithas replaced the berry breedingcommittee in managing thebreeding program. In the longrun, the entity expects to gener-ate revenue from sales royaltiesto help support the program.

For now, as we are so early inthe innovation continuum, theindustry will continue to rely ongovernment funding for sup-port, and very much values itspartnership with AAFC. Thearrival of new scientists atARDC is a positive develop-ment as it enhances capacity atthe Center. The industry is verysupportive of bringing newresource to the Center so thatregional agriculture communityresearch priorities can be met.

The ‘new model’ of berrygenetics research, with industryleadership and a focus on maintaining and developingpartnerships with government,academia, and other Industryplayers, has the structure to beresponsive to user needs. Thereis a sense of urgency to developberry varieties based on marketneeds to give a competitiveedge to the berry industry inthe Fraser Valley.

Sukh Kahlon is chair of the BritishColumbia Berry CultivarDevelopment Inc and a B.C.raspberry and blueberry grower.

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ERIC HANSON AND JOSH MOSES

Growers in the UpperMidwest and Northeast UnitedStates need raspberry cultivarswith improved productionand/or quality. Cultivars developed for production onprimocanes in the fall may alsooffer opportunities for floricaneproduction (double cropping).Double cropping is of particularinterest now because the summer floricane crop often istoo early for severe infestationby spotted wing drosophila.

We have grown newer raspberry cultivars in containersunder a high tunnel to morerapidly assess their potential.Plants are being grown in aHaygrove high tunnel in BentonHarbor, Mich. using three-

gallon plastic Gro-bags filledwith a 70 per cent compostedpine bark and 30 per cent peatmedia. Each bag is irrigatedmultiple times a day with a 0.5gph emitter and fertilized viafertigation with a complete solu-ble fertilizer delivering 100 ppmnitrogen. The tunnel is coveredwith Luminance THB plasticfrom late April until harvestconcludes in late October.Plants are over-wintered byeither placing them in a cooleron site or stacking the plants ontheir side in the uncovered tunnel and covering the pilewith a thick row cover. Severalcultivars were pruned complete-ly for primocane fruiting only. Asmaller group of cultivars werepruned for double cropping byretaining two floricanes perplant. Plants are supported bysandwiching canes between

horizontal lines of twine running down each side of therow at different heights. Fruitwere picked by hand two tofour times per week. Fruit wereweighed and subsamples wereheld for 24 to 48 hours at 18°Cin high humidity. Fruit werethen rated for appearance,weighed, and sorted into marketable, soft or leaky, andmoldy.

RESULTSCRIMSON NIGHT (NY 2012).This is a red raspberry varietythat produces unique deep redfruit with very good flavour thatmay have value as a specialtyproduct. It is reported to bevery productive in high tunnels,and is suggested for farm mar-keters and homeowners.Harvest time is similar toHeritage. In southern Michigantunnels, berries had an attrac-tive uniform dark colour andshape, and glossy surface.Drupelets were small andflavour was mild and pleasant.Primocane harvest appearedlater than Heritage.

DOUBLE GOLD (NY 2012).This variety was released pri-marily for its unusual goldenchampagne-coloured berries andis suggested for farm marketersand homeowners looking for aunique colour. Berries in south-west Michigan tunnels werevery attractive, uniform in

°shape, with a pleasant flavour,but somewhat soft. Primocaneharvest was very late.

IMARA (The Netherlands).This new variety appears toripen in the mid-season. Insouthwest Michigan tunnels,berries were very firm with auniform medium red colour,glossy surface and excellentflavour. Primocane and floricaneyields were high and berriesfrom both seasons had an excel-lent shelf life.

KWELI (The Netherlands).This is a newer early to mid-season type. In tunnels insouthwest Michigan, berrieswere very firm with a uniformmedium to darker red colour,excellent flavour, and very goodshelf life. Kweli produced highyields of both floricane and pri-mocane fruit, and has promisefor double cropping.

KWANZA (The Netherlands).This is a late season new vari-ety. In pots under a southernMichigan tunnel, plants werevery productive and vigorous.Berries were very large, round,and lighter red with a glossysurface. Drupelets were larger,giving berries a coarse appear-ance. Flavour and firmness werevery good and berries had anexcellent shelf-life. Since theprimocane crop is late maturing,Kwanza may have limited value

in short season areas unlessgrown under tunnels.

NANTAHALA (NC 2010).Nantahala is late season typewith large, light to medium redberries, with a dull finish andexcellent flavour. In pot cultureunder tunnels in southwestMichigan, berries were relative-ly susceptible to gray mold andpowdery mildew. Primocanefruit may mature too late forgood yields in field plantings.Some doubling of fruit mayoccur in tunnels.

BP-1 (Italy). This is a newearly variety. Observations frompotted plants in a southernMichigan tunnel indicateberries have a nice flavour butare somewhat dark and soft,with a tendency to crumble.Canes were short and branchedso the floricane productionpotential is probably low.

VINTAGE (OR 2013). Thisnew type appears to mature inthe late season. In pot culture inMichigan tunnels, yields werelow to average. Berries are avery attractive bright, mediumred colour, with excellentflavour and uniform shape.

Eric Hanson and Josh Moses arewith the Department ofHorticulture, Michigan StateUniversity, East Lansing, MI

PAGE 20 –– JANUARY 2017

THE GROWER

Raspberry cultivars for high tunnel productionEffects of cultivar on primocane berry weight, appearance (1=unsalable to 5=excellent), and percent-age of berries that were soft or leaky, or moldy, after 48 h at 18°C. Berries were grown in pots underhigh tunnels in southwest Mich., 2016. Most are means of four replications on each of four dates.

Cultivar g/berry Appearance % soft/leaky % moldy

BP-1 2.3 2.9 10.1 11.3

Crimson Night 2.4 3.6 10.9 5.9

Double Gold 2.7 3.7 11.4 2.8

Josephine 3.6 2.9 8.7 5.8

Imara 2.7 3.6 4.1 4.3

Kwali 3.4 4.4 3.7 1.6

Kwanza 3.8 4.2 0.8 2.3

Nantahala 3.0 2.0 16.4 20.8

Vintage 2.5 3.0 7.6 13.7

Floricane (FL) and primocane (PR) yields (g/plant) from potted raspberries in high tunnels, BentonHarbor, MI. Plants spacing was 1.5 x 6 feet.

2015 2016Cultivar FL PR Total FL PR TotalEncore 430 -- 430 1140 -- 1140Imara -- -- -- 1230 1720 2950Josephine 600 300 900 1050 1220 2270Kweli -- -- -- 1560 1680 3240Kwanza --z -- -- 1430 930 2360Nantahala 440 300 740 640 1120 1760Nova 510 40 550 1240 550 1790Prelude 340 -- 340 820 1260 2080

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 21

BERRY FOCUS

Berry meetings in February Don’t miss these opportuni-

ties to be informed! TheOntario Berry GrowersAssociation Annual Meeting onTuesday, February 21, 2017 atthe Embassy Suites and theOntario Fruit and VegetableConference on February 22-23,2017 at the ScotiabankConvention Centre, are both inNiagara Falls. The programagendas are now posted on lineat OFVC.ca.

Two days of berry programming with grower panels, guest speakers andround table discussions will

bring you up-to-date on whatberry growers need to know.On the third day, February 23,programs on Specialty Berries,Nematodes and Soil PestManagement will be of interestto berry growers. Please registerfor the OBGA annual meetingand the Ontario Fruit andVegetable Conference separately.

For more information, seewww.ofvc.ca and contact theOntario Berry GrowersAssociation by emailinfo@ontarioberries.com orphone 613-258-4587.

A few program highlights forthe Ontario Berry GrowersMeetings Feb 21-22

Here are some of the guestspeakers for this year’s berryprograms in Niagara Falls. • Justin Renkema is an ento-mologist with the Gulf CoastResearch and Education Centerin Florida. Justin began hiscareer here in Ontario workingon Spotted Wing Drosophila.He will be speaking on thrips,spider mites and cyclamen mitemanagement in strawberries. • Susan Chan is an entomolo-gist with Farms at Work, near

Peterborough. She has a passionfor pollinators and will bespeaking about creating habitatfor bees and beneficials aroundyour farm. • Amanda McWhirt is a horticulture extension specialistat the University of Arkansas.Her recent research on sustainable soil management forberry crops will convince youthat investing in soil health ispractical and rewarding. • Randy Beaudry is aresearcher at Michigan StateUniversity whose researchfocuses on improving post-

harvest quality of horticulturalcrops. Always an entertainingspeaker, Dr. Beaudry will makesure you are up-to-date onwhat’s important for excellentberry quality and shelf life.

These are just a few of thespeakers who will be joiningberry growers for the two-dayprogram on Feb 21 and 22. Formore information seewww.ofvc.ca

Learning the lingo - what is an MRL? DENISE BEATON

We use a lot of acronyms inour daily life! You may haveheard “MRL” before, especiallyif you grow an edible crop. Butdo you know what it means?

MRL stands for “MaximumResidue Limit,”which refers tothe maximum amount of pesti-cide residue that may remain onfood after a pesticide is appliedas per label directions andwhich can safely be consumed.

When you apply a pesticideto a crop, a residue may stillremain on that crop at harvesttime. Health Canada’s PestManagement RegulatoryAgency (PMRA) reviews studiesthat show residue levels foundin food (raw and processed)when the pesticide was usedaccording to label directions.The PMRA assesses whetherthe food with these pesticideresidues can be safely consumed. The PMRA sets theMRL well below a level thatmay cause harm to humanhealth. The MRL is specific forevery pesticide-crop combina-tion and is regulated by thePMRA through the federal PestControl Products Act. Until anMRL is established, the PMRAuses a default MRL of 0.1 ppm.

The Canadian FoodInspection Agency (CFIA) isresponsible for enforcing theMRLs established by thePMRA. The CFIA conducts anAgricultural Chemical ResidueSampling Program that involvesmonitoring and compliance.Every year it tests about 10,000samples of imported anddomestic fruits and vegetablesfor pesticide residues.

OMAFRA’s Food InspectionBranch also conducts an annualProduce Food SafetyMonitoring Program whichinvolves collecting Ontario-grown fresh fruits and vegeta-bles and testing them for pesti-cide residues and pathogenicorganisms (e.g., Listeria mono-cytogenes, E. coli O157:H7).Samples are randomly collectedfrom retail points of sale acrossthe province including roadsidestands, farmers’ markets,

wholesalers and farm gate sales.About 250 samples are analyzedfor more than 500 agriculturalchemicals and compared toHealth Canada’s MRLs. A risk-based approach is used todetermine the type and numberof commodities collected.Factors taken into considerationinclude consumption patterns,cooking patterns, outbreak dataand history of non-compliance.Chemical non-compliance triggers notification letters andpotentially an on-farm visit by aRisk Management Specialistdepending on the outcome of arisk assessment. Ministry staffwork with the grower to determine the source of thecontamination and to implement preventive measures. Summaries of FoodSafety Monitoring Programresults can be found atwww.ontario.ca\producesafety.

Applying a pesticide at ahigher rate or applying toomany applications or too closeto harvest are some scenariosthat can lead to a violation of anMRL (residues that are toohigh). No one wants a violation.If you decide to apply a pesticide, it is important thatyou follow the most currentlabel directions, because labelscan change.

When exporting your foodproduct, you need to be awareof the importing country’sMRLs because their MRLs maybe different than our CanadianMRLs. Know which pesticideshave lower MRLs or no estab-lished MRLs. You may want toavoid using these pesticides andchoose an alternative.

There are various ways youcan find MRL information: • Search PMRA’s MRL database at http://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/mrl-lrm/index-eng.php This database provides informa-tion on established CanadianMRLs. You can search by individual pesticide-commoditycombinations or by multiplepesticides and crops. In thisdatabase, you may find MRLsfor certain pesticides or usesthat are not registered for use inOntario (Canada). These MRLs

are for food products that areimported into Canada and thatmay contain these pesticideresidues. It does not mean youcan use that pesticide on thatparticular crop here. Alwaysrefer to the current Canadianpesticide label for uses allowedin Ontario (Canada) (PMRAlabel search database: http://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php). • Global MRL Database atwww.globalmrl.com

This database provides freeaccess to U.S. MRL informa-tion. Check with your growerorganization for other countries’MRL information as they mayhave access. • Agricultural ChemicalCompanies can provide MRLinformation for their products.The companies’ contact infor-mation is found on the pesticidelabels, company websites and inour OMAFRA crop protectionguides.

Denise Beaton is the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs crop protection spe-cialist.

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The future of LOCAL FOOD SECURITY in a global economy

resource alley • coffee bar networking • panel discussions

PAGE 22 –– JANUARY 2017

THE GROWER

FLOWER QUIZ

Our annual flower quiz tests the most inquisitive botanical minds. Answers are found on page 26.

1 2 3

5 64

JANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 23

THE GROWER

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THE GROWER

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IRRIGATION

This year’s February 22-23 event will be the largest gathering of horticultural producers in eastern Canada with more than 2,000 attendees. The ever-popular educational program delves deep into each commodity’s current issues while thetrade show offers a broad offering of input suppliers.

Advertise your company’s products and booth location in this key decision-makingseason. Extra copies will be available at The Grower trade show booth.

FEBRUARY 2017FOCUS

ontario fruitand vegetableconvention

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Blueberry farm for sale in West Elginnear West-Lorne on major Highway.

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Responsibilities and Duties:• Manage a team of Farm Managers, regular and seasonal employees.• Overall operations of the farms, including farm development, irrigation, application/pest management, fertilizer and seed purchases, training and harvesting• Identify equipment improvements, changes and or replacements.• Budget and manage farm to ensure efficient and profitable operations and ongoing fiscal responsibilities.

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The Grower

www.thegrower.org

The Ontario governmentpublished its Pollinator HealthAction Plan on December 16.

The action plan outlinesstrong steps Ontario will take tohelp pollinators thrive, includ-ing:• Restoring and protecting onemillion acres of pollinator habi-tat across the province• Supporting new pollinatorhealth research• Collecting more data to bettermonitor managed honey beecolonies and wild pollinators,and to track neonicotinoid lev-els in the environment• Consulting to modernize theprovince's legislative frameworkon beekeeping, which mayinclude modernized tools forpest and disease management

The plan builds on theprovince's ongoing work to pro-tect pollinators, including pro-viding production insurance forbeekeepers and reducing theuse of neonicotinoid-treatedseeds in the agricultural indus-try. It also supports the workbeing done by Ontario farmersto protect the environment,including pollinators, throughon-farm Environmental PlanProjects.

Some additional context: • Ontario’s pollinators includewild bumblebees, managedhoney bees, solitary bees, but-terflies and moths, some bee-tles and flies.• Ontario is home to more than400 bee species, which are themost common pollinators.• On July 1, 2015, Ontariobecame the first jurisdiction inNorth America to protect beesand other pollinators throughnew rules to reduce the numberof acres planted with neonicoti-noid-treated corn and soybeanseeds by 80 per cent by 2017.• Ontario farmers have com-pleted more than 23,900 on-farm Environmental PlanProjects since 2005, includingprojects such as building windbreaks and planting cover cropsto boost pollinator health. Theprovince and the federal gov-ernment have invested $99 mil-lion to support these plans.• Many crops such as apples,cherries, peaches, plums,cucumbers, asparagus, squash,

pumpkins and melons rely onpollinators.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Quai

Source: Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture and Food, and RuralAffairs.

THE GROWER

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JANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 25

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POLLINATION

Ontario launches plan to protect pollinators

In light of recent events, itbehooves us to look back intime for guidance. No matterhow horrific the atrocities wereduring WWII, the allies workedwith the new leaders of thoseformer enemy nations to rebuildtheir economies. Even whenthe Berlin airlift had to be instituted to get supplies into afreezing and starving city, theU.S. and U.K. ‘victors’ gavemightily when they too hadneedy folks back home. Britainhad even harsher rationing afterthe war than during it. Coal washard to find and a coal miners’strike didn’t help, yet coal bythe ton was flown in to Berlinnonetheless. It was hard formany cold Londoners to fathomthat British coal could be sent toBerlin, while they too were inneed.

It may not have been ‘forgiveand forget’ but it was recogni-tion that life had to go on, thatnot everyone was culpable forthe awful things that happenedin the war, and that men,women and children of beatennations were nonetheless stillvulnerable.

So too it is with the currentpolitical climate of Canada,when it comes to governmentregulatory challenges. There aremany vulnerable amongst usincluding farmers who stand tolose many vital pest controlagents, and for seemingly lessthan acceptable reasons. Thereare going to be some drawn outand heated battles over theapproaches taken, the dataused, (some will say mis-used)and the whole climate of re-evaluation. It will matter not

who ultimately ‘wins’ or ‘loses’in the final outcome. What mat-ters more is that we will all haveto continue to work togetherdown the road. There willalways be more re-evaluationsand more issues to resolve. It isalways much better to work in afriendly, respectful, and colle-gial manner to accomplish more.When current events lead to abreakdown of this working as ateam, everyone stands to lose.

The ultimate loss couldbecome staggering if as a resultof the current situation, Canadabecomes a tiny island in theinternational pest managementworld.

Just imagine what wouldoccur if registrants walked awayfrom further investment hereif/when our system, for better orfor worse, regains its old reputa-tion. Not so long ago, when Iwent to international meetings,Canada was decried as anextremely unpredictable andslow place to attempt new registrations We were last onthe list, or never made it ontothe list of places to register anew active ingredient. A lot ofhard work changed that around,and Canada is considered aleader today in global registrations. Or at least up untila short time ago.

So what has happened andwhat needs to change? In a nutshell, workloads built up andtimelines were not being met.Complex reviews made thingseven worse. The Canadiancourt system ruled that morethan 30 ‘special reviews’ need-ed to be done because our lawsaid so, notwithstanding theseactives had already been recently reviewed here. Wewere hoisted on our own petard.

Things got out of hand, datawas pouring in before, duringand too often after deadlines.Much of it was missing criticaldeadlines, so all of a sudden (itseemed like overnight) finalversions of reviews were createdhastily and began hitting thestreets, and they were contentious to say the least. (Itreally proved the old adage thatwhile there is seemingly neverenough time to get it right, it

can always be done again later.)Growers and registrants weregob-smacked by the many proposals that came out in 2016and the short timeframes forresponses -- often required fromthe same people, and theybecame understandably quiteirritable as a result.

The response by PMRA wasthen to offer up changes to there-evaluation process, but onlyfor new reviews starting afterDec. 1st 2016! Since then evenmore contentious proposalshave come out (of the blue insome cases) that could ‘sink theship’ unless major changes aremade to them. The court ofpublic opinion doesn’t hold outmuch hope of that under thecurrent regime.

So, we are at an impasse.Each ‘side’ will hold its groundand it will become politicallyadversarial, like 30 years ago.Nobody actually wants that tohappen, but just like negotiat-ing a union contract, the heelshave already got dug in- on bothsides. Growers stand to losemajor control products for reasons that are hard to acceptto be scientifically valid. ThePMRA has put a (actually several lately) proposal to cancela slew of uses based on theirsummations and calculations ofdata that so far have not evenbeen openly shared with stakeholders. This defies thepromise of the revisedapproaches including transparency, and at the veryleast that needs to be corrected.

If it does indeed get political,there become visible ‘winners’and ‘losers.’ Animosity maylinger a long time and affectother work down the road.Growers will continue to live inuncertainty about what is available to use next week andnext year. They will be concerned about what the effectwill be for their pest controlprograms, what resistance issuesmay arise, and whether by usingalternatives they will freezethemselves out of foreign markets, and/or risk the crop ifthe alternative is weaker.

That is a lot to consider. It iseven worse to consider when

you have no faith that theprocess leading to that situationwas fair, the data was createdand analyzed fairly, that theinterests of all (everybody) wereconsidered in the process, andthat the proposals could bringall players to a respectful acceptance.

If the shoe is on the otherfoot, it is often difficult for managers to rein in their enthusiastic staff and it may create hard feelings there aswell if their work is re-exam-ined. After all, the conclusionsof their reviews were approvedoriginally by someone in author-ity. It is assumed they followedthe policies laid out internally.The use of worst case scenariosand cherry-picked worst casedata was agreed upon. Themost sensitive species wereselected as the proverbial‘canary in the coal mine’ for toxicity ratings. (Even thoughthere was no proof offered thatsuch species actually exist ineach and every site where datawas collected.) In other words,how can anyone assail the conclusions- they are perfect (intheir own minds’ eyes at least).

Therein lies the problem:The rock and the hard place.One or both sides need tochange positions on some or allof the conclusions. Past historytells me that is going to betough to accomplish. The folkswho created the document alsoare the ones to review the comments, accept or denythem, and create the final outcome. That smacks of at

least a vested interest, and possibly a conflict of interest.

Maybe what is needed incases like this are teams of qualified external third-partyreviewers to do a review of thewhole approach to the work.Maybe both antagonists canaccept any outcome better if itcame from someone elsebesides each other.

Regardless, when the finaloutcomes of the current passelof re-evaluations do come out,there will be angst somewhere.It is going to take a lot to overcome the feelings that havebeen engendered through andby this process. We have to getit right, or the consequences forCanada are serious indeed.

And, there will be a lot morecoming down the road as thesecond round of re-evaluationsis starting even before roundone is complete.

In the longer term we will allbe much better off if a solutionto this mess leaves all parties ina position to move ahead. Yes,we will need to work together,but healing the proverbialwounds would be a long drawn-out process, and it is so needlesswhen if, by working togethernow, we don’t even need thathealing because we reachedagreements together in the firstplace.

In the aftermath of war,nations trade: yes. But healingof wounds and fading of memo-ries often takes a generation ortwo. Preventing the war in thefirst place means having noaftermath to fret about.

THE GROWERPAGE 26 –– JANUARY 2017

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Dealing with the aftermath

Flower quiz answersFrom page 22

1. Pears (Denis Cahill)

2. Field peppers (Glenn Lowson)

3. Blueberries (Glenn Lowson)

4. Sweet potatoes

5. Hops

6. Raspberries

Spotted-wing drosophila(SWD), first identified inCanada in 2009, is an invasivespecies resulting in lost revenues for fruit growers. Anational technical workinggroup (SWD-TWG) has beenchampioning research and communication since 2012. It’sa partnership between theCanadian Horticultural Counciland AAFC’s Pest ManagementCentre.

While the first webinar hasalready occurred for Nova

Scotia and Quebec (December13, 2016) three more sessionsare scheduled for January andFebruary across Canada.Growers are invited to participate by phone. The two-hour webinar will focus ontree fruits in mid-January,berries in mid-February andwrap up in late February withnovel technologies. Theseregional and commodity-specific webinars address thedifferent experiences acrossCanada and the research that’s

been accomplished to date. “There’s been lots of global

work done on this pest, but it’simportant for our growers toknow the regional work that’sbeen done across Canada,” saysTracy Hueppelsheuser, entomologist for BC’s Ministryof Agriculture.“Our intent,through these webinars, is toshare what has been learned,identify the gaps we still havein knowledge and managementand determine what the nextsteps are towards sustainable

management of this pest.” The discussion in these

forums will be useful to informfunding requests underGrowing Forward 3.

Registration will be on afirst-come, first-served basis.For details on final dates andtimes, please contact TracyHueppelsheuser, BC Ministryof Agriculture or Leslie Farmer,Pest Management Center –AAFC or look to www.thegrower.org for updatesas available.

The European Union has establishedMaximum Residue Limits for Quashfungicide, containing metconazole, onblueberries, potatoes, and other crops.

Lowbush blueberry growers in east-ern Canada who export to the EuropeanUnion (EU) can now use Quash fungicide, containing metconazole, tocontrol key diseases with the recentestablishment of Maximum ResidueLimits (MRLs) for metconazole.

Quash (metconazole) is a Group 3fungicide, developed and registered byValent Canada, Inc, that delivers preventative and curative control of

mummyberry and anthracnose, and suppression of phomopsis in highbushand lowbush blueberries. Quash movesinto foliage with locally systemic andtranslaminar activity providing preventative and curative control.

“Quash offers growers an economicaloption for controlling the most devastating disease affecting Canadianblueberries,” says Sabrina Bladon, eastern marketing manager for NufarmAgriculture Inc. “The EU MRLs offerlowbush blueberry growers an additionalapproved tool for their resistance management fungicide program.”

An important part of an IntegratedPest Management (IPM) program,Quash delivers broad-spectrum diseasecontrol of economically important diseases in one low-use rate. Quash provides good residual activity, protecting blueberries during the

infection period. Quash is also registeredfor use on a range of crops includingpotatoes and canola. For more information, consult the complete product label at www.nufarm.ca/product/quash/ Source: Nufarm news release

THE GROWERJANUARY 2017 –– PAGE 27

MINOR USE

BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

News MRLs for blueberry exports to EU

Spotted-Wing Drosophila: focus of Canadian webinar series

Q. We are a Montreal buyer trying to resolve a claim with afreight contractor who cross-docked a load in Michigan with-out our prior consent. The FOBload arrived on schedule withbad temperatures. We stampedthe Bill of Lading (BOL)“received under protest” due towarm temperatures and secureda timely CFIA inspection.

The results of the inspectionshow that the product failed tomeet good arrival guidelines.After handling the product, wepresented our losses to thefreight contractor, but they willnot honour the claim as thetemperature recorder downloadonly registered warm temperatures when the load wascross-docked.

We explained to the freightcontractor that there is no evidence the load was loadedwarm at shipping point, they

broke the cold chain, and wehave warm product which failedDRC Good Arrival Guidelinesdue to temperature relateddefects. Do they have groundsto refuse the claim?

A. (Answer provided by JaimeBustamante, Trading AssistanceOfficer)

Cross-docking is a commonpractice used due to some carriers not being able to crossborders or to save costs by partnering a long haul carrier to

a major distribution point with aregional carrier. Unfortunately,cross docking may break thecold chain and, in some cases,cause the load to lose its identity.

In our opinion, because theload was cross-docked withoutthe buyer's consent, the freight contractor does not have a validobjection. Not only does thefreight contractor not knowwhat temperature conditionsthe product was exposed to during unloading and re-loadingbut the carrier delivered warm

product without evidence ofproduct having been loadedwarm.

It is imperative that regard-less of whether cross-docking isagreed upon, a procedure isestablished ahead of time todocument temperatures whenunloaded and reloaded, to maintain the cold chain and tomaintain the identity of theload. Once unloaded most products are difficult to posi-tively identify and because theshipper is responsible for

approving any truck it loads;putting the load on anothertruck likely removes any potential claim with the shipper.In addition, it is also essentialthat parties are made aware ofcross-docking and that it isagreed to in advance.

While in this case you mayhave recourse with the freightcontractor, as an FOB buyer youdo not want to lose the right toclaim damages against a shipperwhose product is not loaded insound condition.

Dispute Resolution Corporation answers a question about cross-docking

Labour andhealth issues

THE GROWER

PAGE 28 –– JANUARY 2017

BITS AND BITES

Did you know that Canada’sfresh produce industry needsanother 29,000 workers? Did you know that Canada isthe only G7 country withoutsome form of national fruit andvegetable health/nutrition policy?

These were the key issuesthat industry leaders from theCanadian Produce MarketingAssociation (CPMA) and theCanadian Horticultural Council(CHC) discussed with morethan 50 parliamentarians andcivil servants in Ottawa last fall.Both issues are critical for theindustry and have severe implications on the cost andquality of produce for theCanadian consumer.

“Currently, the horticulturesector needs an extra 29,000workers to function properly,”added Keith Kuhl, president,Canadian HorticulturalCouncil. “The federal govern-ment needs to recognize thatCanada’s agricultural industryrelies on temporary foreignworker programs to get workersit can’t find in Canada, and thatthese programs need toimprove.”

“As the only G7 countrywithout some form of nationalfruit and vegetablehealth/nutrition policy, webelieve that it is time the federal government act toensure that Canadians are consuming the recommendedamount of servings as outlinedin Canada’s Food Guide,” stated Sam Silvestro, chair,CPMA. “A balanced diet richin fruits and vegetables is a cornerstone of good health andan important line of defenseagainst chronic disease andexcess weight.”