KAREN DAVIDSON

CLARKSBURG, ON -- Whatused to be apple blossoms arecrumbling in Brad Oakley’shands like toast crumbs. Open upthe bloom and the ovaries arebrown. There are no workingparts. The seed is dead.

“There has absolutely neverbeen anything remotely similar,”says the grower who’s been farm-ing in the Beaver Valley since1984. Oakley estimates much ofhis 200 acres won’t produce thisyear due to devastating frosts thelast weekend of April. What’sunusual is that he’s not alone.Sustained low temperatures frosted every key growing regionin the province, spanning 16,000acres close to Lakes Huron, Erie,Ontario and Georgian Bay.

“It will be June before the trueextent of damage is known,” saysBrian Gilroy, chair Ontario AppleGrowers.

Elsewhere in Canada, appleblossom season has proceedednormally in British Columbia,although it’s been one of the earliest on record on the eastcoast. It’s so early that no blossoms are expected for the80th Annapolis Valley AppleBlossom Festival, May 25 to June3, according to Dela Erith, executive director, Nova ScotiaFruit Growers’ Association.Quebec seems to have fared muchbetter. Nearby states of Michiganand New York have also been

hard hit, amplifying the appleshortage for the entire GreatLakes basin.

Tender fruit growers are nurs-ing their own pain with signifi-cant damage to Ontario’s earlyplums, sweet and sour cherry andnectarine crops. Growers are stillhopeful that peaches and pearswill fare better with predictions ofa 60 to 70 per cent normal cropsays Sarah Marshall, generalmanager, Ontario Tender FruitProducers. It’s too early to tell.

Due to the frost timing, applesbore the brunt, with extensiveimplications for the value chain.Ontario, which produces 40 percent of Canada’s apples, has afarmgate value of $65 million.When ancillary industries ofpacking, trucking, cartons andcrates, juice operations and pieprocessing are included, the number balloons to $260 million.That figure is based on multiply-ing the farmgate value by four.

Most immediately, the effectsare playing out for off-shore

workers, some of whom will besent home to the Caribbean forlack of work or transferred toother vegetable operations. Thatcould be devastating news for 450to 500 workers. Experienced helpsuch as Phillip Lawrence will stayon to prune and to provide ongo-ing care for orchards.

That’s the double whammyfacing growers. While a hugeslice of annual income is gone,most of the usual costs remain.Spraying fungicides remains keyto protect trees from apple scab,powdery mildew and other dis-eases. To that point, OMAFRA’sapple team has communicated aminimum ‘care list’ to getorchardists through a stressfulyear. Some concern remains as tothe overall health of the trees andhow they’ll fare in 2013.

At Bay Growers Inc. in theGeorgian Bay area, the packingline is still running with Empires,Spartans, Red Delicious and IdaReds – just as crisp as they werelast fall. The challenge is to

communicate accurately withOntario’s major grocers who areasking about the impact to consumers for the coming fall.

“We’ll have some localapples,” says Jim Dolmer, generalmanager, Bay Growers’ Inc.“And they will be more expen-sive. What we can say is thatwe’ll be out of apples as early asnext January. We won’t be stor-ing and packaging apples untilnext June like we usually do.”

If big packers don’t have prod-uct, the problem will be as acutefor local on-farm retailers. TakeDave Lambe for example, whosefamily grows and buys localapples for Grandma Lambe’s bakery and store near Meaford.He is already phoning NovaScotia looking to source applesand cherries for pies, worried thatcustomers will wander to otheroutlets.

“Money can get you out ofawkward positions, but can youjustify passing the extra costs onto consumers,” questions Lambe.

“We’re already pulling outGrandma Lambe’s recipe booksand researching other pie recipes.Maybe we’ll sell pear pie as anovelty.”

For Golden Town AppleProducts, a local company thatmakes juices for Lassonde, it’sjust too early to make any predictions says Jay Johnson,director of business relations andglobal apple procurement.

For consumers, there’s a glimmer of good news in thatWashington State is predicting abumper crop, up five per centfrom average. However, the BayGrowers’ Dolmer points out thatother global events are in play.Poland has been frozen out, acountry that usually suppliesapples to Russia. Where will thecountry turn? China may haveenough apples to fill the vacuum. Overall, apple supplies will betight until the southern hemi-sphere starts shipping next winter.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

JUNE 2012 CELEBRATING 132 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 62 NUMBER 06

Several members of Ontario's apple value chain contemplate the severe frosts that wiped out a huge chunk of the crop at the end of April -- aprovince-wide event never experienced in generations of apple farming. While it's too early to predict total losses, the industry anticipates 20per cent of a normal crop might make it into the bin. The implications will affect (L-R), on-farm retailers such as Dave Lambe, packers such asJim Dolmer, Bay Growers Inc., migrant workers such as Phillip Lawrence, and growers such as Brad Oakley, all in the Georgian Bay area.Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Extreme frosts rob 80 per cent of Ontario’s apple crop Insurance assessment still underway for apples and tender fruits

INSIDEWhat’s your story? Page 6

Retail navigator Page 12

Spraying: it’s all in the tips Page 15

www.thegrower.org

P.M. 40012319

THE GROWER

NEWSMAKERSSteve Peters, former Ontario agriculture minister 2003-2005,becomes the new executive director of the Alliance of Ontario FoodProcessors. The group comprises 650 food and beverage processors in the province.

Asparagus grower and former OFVGA chair Brenda Lammens hasbeen elected as chair of the Ontario Agricultural CommodityCouncil (OACC) until April 2013. She replaces Mark Wales whostepped down from the position when he became president of theOntario Federation of Agriculture last November.

The Ontario Wine Society has namedAndrzej Lipinski Winemaker of theYear. He’s the winemaker for ColaneriEstate, Burning Kiln and OrganizedCrime.

Alberta’s Conservative Premier AlisonRedford named new ministers to hercabinet in early May, including lawyerVerlyn Olson who takes over fromdefeated Evan Berger in agriculture andrural development. Representing the riding of Wetaskiwin-Camrose, his firstnational foray will be to the federal-provincial-territorial ag ministers’ meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon on September 12-14.

Lorie Jocius is the new chair of Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc.Perry Wilson is vice-chair with Tim Nelson remaining as treasurer.

Mark Zachanowich has been hired as vice-president, operations byPeak of the Market based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the formerlogistics and distribution centre manager for Cabelas Canada, hebrings a deep knowledge of quality produce and distribution centres.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association has hiredDaryl Vermey for the position of economic analyst. He’ll bedeveloping economic and farm financial policy options and providing research on economic, social and environmental trends aswell as government programs and policies that impact edible horticulture. Previously, he was a program coordinator with theAgricultural Adaptation Program managing CAAP and FIP projects.

Wilmot Orchards, Newcastle, Ontario has racked up an impressivefundraising total of $35,000 in the last five years in the fight againstcancer. All donations go to Princess Margaret Hospital. This year,Charles Stevens, Robbie Montgomery and Jeremy Calhoun willbe participating in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer on June 9and 10 in a 200-kilometre event. Each must raise $2500 to participate. To support their bid this year, go to www.to12@conquercancer.ca

AT PRESS TIME…Ontario’s tenderfruit industryrefreshes website

Growers and marketers of ten-der fruit in Ontario now haveaccess to new marketing andcommunications tools, includingQuick Response (QR) codes anda new online discussion forum forfarmers. These tools are part ofthe newly launched website of theOntario Tender Fruit ProducersMarketing Board, which repre-sents growers of peaches, nec-tarines, pears, plums, seedlesscoronation grapes and chilled andpitted cherries.

“We are excited to offer ourgrowers and marketers new waysto promote and sell the great ten-der fruit we grow here inOntario,” says Phil Tregunno, afarmer and the organization’schair. “Consumers are increasing-ly looking for information aboutwhere their food comes from andour website offers resources tohelp do that.”

A QR code is a type of barcode that can be read by a smartphone or tablet device and directusers to specific information. Thesite offers various QR codes thatcan be requested for downloadfrom Ontario Tender Fruit forinclusion on tender fruit packag-ing and marketing materials.Recipes, an image library and in-store promotional materials arealso available.

For tender fruit farmers, thesite offers a password protectedgrower-only section that providespricing information and othermarket information, as well askey industry contacts and a newonline discussion forum.

The consumer section of thesite features a wide array of

recipes for all the tender fruitcrops as well as nutritional, stor-age and handling and productioninformation. It is also mobilephone-friendly and automaticallyswitches to a streamlined versionof the site for users accessing theinformation on a smart phonedevice.

“We want to make it as easyas possible for consumers toaccess information about tenderfruit, whether that’s at the grocerystore or on their smart phonedevice while they’re on the go,”says board manager SarahMarshall. “With the many differ-ent recipes as well as informationon where fruit is available, it’snever been this easy to buy andenjoy local.”

Check out the website atwww.ontariotenderfruit.ca

FedDev invests inVineland

The Vineland Research andInnovation Centre (VRIC) is toreceive $2.5 million in funding tocommercialize two projects: arobotic automation system for usein greenhouses and nurseries anda frost protection system for usein vineyards, orchards and fields.

“With investment fromFedDev Ontario’s ProsperityInitiative, Vineland has broughttogether partners in technologyand automation from non-agricul-tural sectors to address labourefficiency issues, one of horticul-ture’s largest challenges,” saidJim Brandle, CEO, VRIC. “Thisis innovation working at its best -new partners and proven ideas toaddress some of the unique plant-ing and harvesting challenges thatare common to our industry.”

RPC labeling is standardized

Three large retailers—Kroger,Loblaw, and Safeway—haveagreed to accept a new standard4”x 2” label for ReturnablePlastic Containers (RPCs) follow-ing an industry collaboration dri-ven by Produce TraceabilityInitiative (PTI) volunteers.

The change guides a level ofstandardization to RPC labelingand provides a cost effective solu-tion for produce suppliers.

The effective date of thechange, transition plans and otherdetails regarding the new RPClabels will be communicated indi-vidually by each retailer to itstrading partners, according to anews release from the CanadianProduce Marketing Association.

Tunnel Tech sold

Tillsonburg Tube has pur-chased agricultural tunnel makerTunnel Tech of Lasalette,Ontario, a manufacturer specializ-ing in the design and supply ofmulti-bay high tunnels for theagricultural and greenhouse mar-kets.

“Tunnels are becomingincreasingly popular in the agri-cultural market, because they areso effective in extending thegrowing season, and improvingproduce quality and yield,” saysKeith Prince, Tillsonburg Tube.

Tunnel Tech is a turn-key sup-plier that provides planning, sitemeasurements, installation, vent-ing and tunnel management ser-vices. The company customizeseach installation, taking intoaccount varying requirementsbased on winds, micro-climates,soil type and crops grown.

PAGE 2 –– JUNE 2012

INTERNATIONAL

TRENDS

Packaging healthand convenience

Health and convenience seemlike two contradictory trends, butaccording to a report fromDutch-based Rabobank, they willbe the key drivers of increaseddemand for fresh vegetables inthe next five years.

Although North Americansare concerned about obesity,marketing of health benefitsalone won’t be enough to enticehigher consumption of fresh pro-duce. The benefits must be pack-aged in easy-to-consume formatsas well.

That finding is inspirationalnews for seed companies who areencouraged to breed more vari-eties in terms of flavour andnutritional content. Also suggest-ed is more access to global veg-etables to cater to regional tastesand adventurous consumers.

“As stores develop and

BREEDING

New lettuce varietylaunched in U.S.

Frescada, a cross between ice-berg and Romaine lettuce, is nowavailable in select Sam’s Clubstores in six states.

"We are pleased to offer con-sumers a new lettuce choice thathas the sweetness, crunchinessand juiciness of iceberg with theadded nutrition equal to 246 percent of the folate and 174 percent of the vitamin C in iceberg,"said Dan Canales, MisioneroVegetables’ vice president ofsales and marketing. "Co-brand-ed under Misionero’s GardenLife brand, Frescada is cored,trimmed and ready to use withoutany waste.”

Frescada was developed usingtraditional plant breeding byMonsanto’s Seminis VegetableSeeds.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

expand their own private labelofferings, it creates a challengefor established brands,” saysKaren Halliburton Barbet, thereport’s author. "Though someleading branded processors aresupplying private labels, there's arisk of diminishing their ownheavily invested brands."

Overall, grower-shipperprocessors are uniquely posi-tioned to develop new productsand grow the fresh-vegetablemarket by serving the evolvingdemand for healthy, convenientfoods.

Mastronardi Produce, Kingsville,Ontario won the Best NewVegetable Product Award at theUnited Fresh show for theirflavourful Sunset Delano tomatoes-- an example of this trend.

LOGISTICS

New RPC station inOregon

IFCO Systems has opened areusable plastic container (RPC)service centre in Portland,Oregon.

According to the Houston-based company, the 85,000-square-foot facility is the fifthsuch station in the U.S. Othercentres include: San Antonio;Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.;Atlanta; and Chicago.

More than 40,000 RPCs arewashed daily at the Portlandfacility. Up to 40 truckloads ofRPCs are shipped and receiveddaily.

Source: IFCO news release

MARKETING

Brazilian ad agencyengineers the box

Marketing starts in theorchard, according to a Brazilianadvertising agency representingCamp Nectar juices. The fruitsare covered in a plastic moldwhile still on the tree, and asthey mature, become embossedwith the company logo.The result? A natural fruit juicebox that can be sliced open witha knife.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Andrzej Lipinski

Bamford Produce, one of thelargest wholesalers at the OntarioFood Terminal, has purchasedhalf of the outstanding shares of

Bay Growers Inc., based inClarksburg, the Georgian Bayarea of Ontario.

“In a tough year, this is good

news for us at Bay Growers,”says Jim Dolmer, general manag-er. “Every packer needs to provide the right varieties. We’re

already planting trees this springof varieties in demand:Honeycrisp, Gala, Ambrosia.”

Bamford Produce, with rootsback to 1881, is a fourth genera-tion family business, which dis-tributes a wide range of conven-tional and organic fresh produce.Of strategic importance to applegrowers, their holdings includeFreshline Foods, a fresh cut fruitand vegetable processor. Appleslices have become an importantitem on the healthier menus ofmany fast-food chains.

Bay Growers Inc, an applepacker/shipper with a storagefacility built in 1994, is wellpoised for growth with access tomore than 2,500 acres of appleorchards. More synergies will becreated with this vertical integration.

In a tough year, this is good news for usat Bay Growers.”

~ Jim Dolmer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

During a crisis like this, firstthoughts are about insurancemanaged through Agricorp. Theagency reports the followingnumbers are enrolled in Ontarioproduction insurance: 140 applegrowers, 80 peach growers, 33pear growers, 22 sour cherrygrowers, 18 sweet cherry grow-ers, and 22 plum growers. Butmore to the point, what number ofacres are covered. Newcastleapple grower Charles Stevenssays early estimates are that only

half of the losses, about $32 mil-lion, are insured under the pro-gram.

“That’s the topline but the sit-uation is more complex than thatfor individuals,” explains Stevens.“Growers have a choice of cover-age levels of 70 per cent, 75 percent or 80 per cent. But if youhappened to have a claim in thelast five years, the program oper-ates on a rolling average. In thatcase, you won’t receive the fullamount of compensation.”

For some growers who losttheir entire crop of McIntoshapples, Agricorp has given per-

mission to pull out the trees andto immediately replant. Thatflexibility has been much appreci-ated by the Ontario AppleGrowers.

In the meantime, insuranceadjusters will be in the fieldassessing damage once the treeshave passed fruit set and ‘Junedrop.’ And growers are continu-ing to steward their orchards, asurreal exercise in the spring sun-shine.

“We really don’t know whatour industry will look like in ayear,” concludes Brian Gilroy.

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 3

THE GROWER

Extreme frosts rob 80 per cent of Ontario’s apple crop

Freezing temperatures before the emergence of blossoms caused severe damage to apple blooms, which arenow drying up and falling off. This example was photographed at the farm of Brad Oakley, Clarksburg,Ontario on May 14.

In Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, apple blossoms were between thetight cluster and pink stage of development when cold temperaturesthreatened the crop. Andy Parker, Grafton, NS, used overhead irrigation to protect his apples April 30 and May 1. When the waterfreezes heat is released. The latent heat keeps the surface of the plantmaterial above freezing, even though a layer of ice accumulates.Photo courtesy of Andy Parker.

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“

ALISON ROBERTSON

Obesity is a public health issueof monumental importance inNorth America. It is a huge publichealth challenge because of thehuge number of people it affectsand because of the ripple effectsit has and will have on the devel-opment of debilitating and costlychronic diseases.

On May 7-9, 2012, the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention Division of Nutrition,Physical Activity, and Obesity,hosted “Weight of the Nation” inWashington D.C. and I was fortu-nate to attend. During the confer-ence the Institute of Medicine ofthe National Academies releasedtheir long awaited report“Accelerating Progress in ObesityPrevention.” They laid out a verystrategic approach to this complexhealth problem: make physicalactivity an integral and routinepart of life; create food and bev-erage environments that ensurethat healthy food and beverageoptions are the routine easychoice; transform messages aboutphysical activity and nutrition;expand the roles of health careproviders, insurers, and employ-

ers; and make schools a nationalfocal point (“Strengtheningschools as the heart of health”). This has fruits and vegetableswritten all over it!

The obesity crisis

Almost one-third of childrenand youth in the United States are

overweight or obese. We are notmuch better in Canada with morethan one in four children andyouth being overweight or obese.The Public Health Agency ofCanada warns that childhood obe-sity increases the risk of obesitylater in life. The direct healthcarecosts of obesity have been esti-mated at $6 billion a year.

There are many admirable stu-dent nutrition programs across thecountry. Until now their messageshave mainly focussed on address-ing hunger. Perhaps they shouldtake a step back and see what elsethey are, or could be, accomplish-ing. Perhaps we need to talkabout all the additional benefits ofchild nutrition programs: docu-mented improved educational out-comes, shifting children’s dietaryintake to prevent obesity and riskfactors associated with chronicdisease risk by increasing theamounts of fruits, vegetables, andhigh-fibre grains they consume,agricultural economic develop-ment, reduction of escalatinghealth care costs . . . I could goon and on. These children are ourfuture consumers. If we don’tintroduce our products to themwhen they are young, to whomare we going to sell in 20 years?

We have seen it in theNorthern Fruit and VegetableProgram . . . if you serve childrenfruits and vegetables enoughtimes they acquire a taste forthem. They start bringing themfrom home in their lunch boxes . .. we have created new and hope-fully long-term consumers. Thisis horticultural economic develop-ment.

The senior spectrum

Now, let’s take a look at theother end of the spectrum . . .seniors. I attended a presentationby Agri-Food for Healthy Agingin Guelph. Presenters spoke onsuch topics as nutrition and agingwell, and the correlation betweennutrition and dementia. I wasshocked to hear that 10 per centof hospital acute care admissionswere from long -term facilities.By exploring linkages betweenagriculture, food, nutrition andhuman health, “Agri-Food forHealthy Aging” aims to realizeinnovative opportunities forOntario’s agri-food and healthsectors to improve health andwell-being of older adults. As thebaby boomers age, this issue will

grow exponentially. It appearsfrom the cradle to the grave, weneed fruits and vegetables in ourdiets.

Things are moving in the rightdirection. OFVGA continues tobe involved with Hort4Health, aworking group of the HorticultureValue Chain Round Table. Weare a founding member of theCanadian Child and YouthNutrition Program Network(CCYNPN).

We are participating in a pre-sentation at Parliament Hill inJune regarding the opportunitiesto collaborate between horticul-ture and nutrition programs. Weare meeting with the chair of theStanding Committee of Healthregarding student nutrition andthe role horticulture can play. Dr.Kirsty Duncan, MP works tire-lessly on child hunger issues inCanada and we support her when-ever we can. On May 11, RoyalGalipeau, MP put forward a pri-vate member’s motion regardinga national obesity strategy.

B is for breakfast

A study was released thismonth by the Toronto DistrictSchool Board showing that pro-viding children with a nutritiousbreakfast each morning has adirect effect on their academicperformance.

And just to really stir thingsup, U.N. special right-to-food rap-porteur Olivier De Schuttertoured Canada from May 5th tothe 16th and handed the federalgovernment a list of recommen-dations to address some very serious concerns regarding foodsecurity in Canada. Oh the poli-tics of food!

Let me leave you with thisquote: “Knowing is not enough:we must apply.

Willing is not enough: wemust do.”

Alison Robertson is specialprojects coordinator, OntarioFruit and Vegetable Growers’Association.

PAGE 4 –– JUNE 2012THE GROWER

The politics of food NUTRITION

These children

are our future

consumers. If we

don’t introduce our

products to them

when they are young,

to whom are we going

to sell in 20 years?

“

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 5

KAREN DAVIDSON

In one sense, potato farmerKeith Kuhl is typical of the 2011Census of Agriculture statisticthat there are more farmers thanever in the age group 55 and over.What the census fails to calibrateis the next generation of universi-ty-educated sons and daughterscoming back to high-tech farms.If they’re employees of the farm,they’re not counted as a farmoperator.

The Kuhl story is of four gen-erations who have done extremelywell in the transfer of theWinkler, Manitoba business. Inthe 1960s, it was Keith’s father,his brother and brother-in-lawwho abandoned wheat – “youcouldn’t give it away” – andplaced their chips on potatoes.Prior to planting the first potatocrop, the Kuhl’s were so confi-dent of their business plan, theyincorporated the SouthernManitoba Potato Company onMay 1, 1960.

“They were pioneers in howthey structured the farm,” recallsKuhl. “Farming was still a way oflife back then, but they were leaders in that shift to businessthinking.”

After graduating with his agri-cultural diploma in 1975, Kuhljoined the family business. Justthree years later, his father boughtout the company shares fromother family members and down-sized from a considerable 8,000acres to 3,500. Acting more like acompany on the Toronto Stock

Exchange, the financial shareswere split between all of the Kuhlsiblings, including his brother andfour sisters. For the times, thiswas a progressive move.

Planning for situations, not crises

The best laid plans of the family business encountered ashock when Kuhl’s brother suddenly passed away in 1999.The will left shares to nieces andnephews but again, business plan-ning kept the farm on an even

keel due to an unanimous share-holder’s agreement that kept thefarm intact.

During the ensuing years,additional acres were purchasedand the potato operation diversi-fied to 2100 acres of fresh, chip-ping and seed potatoes. Withother rotational crops, the farmnow totals 6,500 acres today.Kuhl’s sons Marlon and Jeremy,having earned university educa-tions, have returned to the farm.Marlon runs the commercial potato operation while Jeremymanages the seed business androtational crops of wheat, canola,soybeans and corn. In 2010, Kuhlpurchased all of the shares ownedby his siblings so that the company is now wholly ownedby him and his children.

In another wise move, Kuhlleft the operational reins to hissons in the last decade while hebecame more involved in farmorganizations. He is currentlychair of the Peak of the Market, afarmer-owned, not-for-profitcooperative that sells a range ofvegetables in Canada and thestates such as California, Florida,Texas and Washington. State-of-the-art storage facilities permityear-round shipments of potatoes,carrots, onions, parsnips, beets,cabbage and shallots.

With responsibilities to 40family farms and multiple com-modities, Kuhl gained a breadthof knowledge of the complexities– and dangers – of the market-place. “I’m very thankful for theDispute Resolution Corporationand the protection we have indoing business in the U.S. underthe Perishable AgriculturalCommodities Act, ” he says. “Iwould love to see the same protection in Canada.”

Through Peak of the Market,its employment of more than athousand Manitobans and injec-tion of more than $70 million per

year into the local economy, Kuhlhas honed his conservativeapproach to business. He seeksthe financial statements of futurepartners when millions of dollarsare at stake. Even-tempered andcautious, he’s earned a place inother leadership positions. He’sbeen chair of the Canadian PotatoCouncil for many years, and justrecently, was voted first vice-president of the CanadianHorticultural Council.

The effects of eliminatingStandard Container legislation

In this role, Kuhl observeshow federal issues affect every-day life at the farm. For example,the 2012 federal budget proposedto eliminate standard containerlegislation as regulated by theCanadian Food InspectionAgency. That fine print is causingconsternation in an industry that’sexport-dependent.

As Kuhl explains, standardcontainers include many differentpackage sizes. Hundred-poundbags are the largest size undercurrent Standard Container legis-lation. If an importer wants tobring in product that does notmeet standard container sizes, aministerial exemption must besought. Once granted, the minis-terial exemption allows bulkproduct.

Every November, theCanada/U.S. Potato Committeemeets to discuss trade issues, andthe U.S. has regularly lobbied toremove ministerial exemptions.Canada’s position has been that ifministerial exemptions fell to the

wayside, then Canadian growerswould expect the U.S. to give upmarketing orders. “The elimina-tion of standard containers wouldgive U.S. producers exactly whatthey want and disadvantageCanadian producers,” says Kuhl.

On a day-to-day basis, the con-tainer legislation shelters manyCanadian fruits and vegetableswhich must compete in a jurisdic-tion with higher taxes, fuel pricesand input costs. Without the legis-lation, the result could be morereliance on imports. Leaders ofthe Canadian HorticulturalCouncil are currently explainingthe implications of the proposedchange to the Canadian FoodInspection Agency andAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada.

Late May meetings have beenfruitful. “Government has clari-fied that ministerial exemptionswill impact standard containersonly as they relate to packagesize, not grade or labeling,”reports Kuhl. “This proposalimpacts fresh, but not processingindustries as there is no grade forprocessing potatoes. While this isgood news for the processingindustry, the fresh market seg-ment will continue to seek a solu-tion with government.”

Ottawa is a long way fromKeith Kuhl’s childhood dayswhen he often found himself atthe end of a sugar beet hoe. It’sthis lifetime of sage experiencethat’s now shaping his counsel onwhat horticulture needs to surviveand thrive.

THE GROWER

PAGE 6 –– JUNE 2012

Behind the census is a go-ahead generation of farmers

3211 - 8th Line Bradford, ON

L3Z 2A5Ph: 905-960-0033sales@agriveg.ca

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Keith Kuhl, Southern Manitoba Potato Company (center), has steered through many business challenges tokeep the Winkler farm intact for sons Marlon (L) and Jeremy.

VEGETABLE EQUIPMENT FOR CARROTS, ONION, POTATOES

FOR SALE - 1 Row Hill potato harvester with bunker, Hedgehog and steerable axle. Call- 550 GPM Irrigation pump. 540 PTO drive, $2500- 700GPM self priming 4cyl diesel Irrigation pump on wheels with 200 gallon fuel tank. $7500

-WYMA potato/carrot washer, good condition, 575volt motors, new brushes. $39,000

- Lockwood 2row potatoe harvester, $8000.- John Deere 1840 4wd tractor. $9500- Self propelled carrot harvester. $18,000- 1300 Gallon Gregson sprayer, 100ft boom, chemical eductor, floatation tires, used 2 seasons, $55,000

- Spudnick 4-row potato windrower, new front spades, shaft monitors, field ready, floation tires. $22,000 SOLD

- 100HP Case 1370 tractor, nice shape. runs great. $11,500- Lockwood 5500 4 row windrower, full width secondary star table.

TTT warranty $27,500- 4 Row Potatoe harvester, swing away boom, double set of shakers, new belts.

Reconditioned with TTT warranty. Call for Price.- Kerian Sizer L 48 with extra long discharge conveyors, Set for Onions or

Potato sizing $12,000- 50 lenghts 3"x40ft Wade Rain irrigation pipes, 40 lengths 3"x40 TICO

irrigation pipes, Misc fittings- Thomas C91 2 row harvester, field ready, TTT warranty Call for price.- 2 row Spudnick potato harvester. Call for price.

Making sense of the census� In 2011, Canada had 205,730 census farms, a decrease of 10.3%(or 23,643 farms) since the last census.

� The total land on farms stands at 160,155,748 acres, down 4.1%since 2006.

� Compared to 2006, the average size of a Canadian farm increasedfrom 728 acres to 778 acres, a growth of 6.9%.

� For the first time, operators in the age group 55 and over repre-sented the largest share of total operators. They accounted for 48.3%compared to 40.7% in 2006, up from 32.1% in 1991.

The eliminationof standard containerswould give U.S. producers exactlywhat they want anddisadvantageCanadian producers.”

~Keith Kuhl

“

The spring meeting of theboard of directors of theInternational Federation forProduce Standards (IFPS) washosted by Asociación deExportadores de Frutas de Chilein Santiago, Chile (April 19-22).The board includes representa-tives from Canada (CanadianHorticultural Council, CanadianProduce Marketng Association),Chile, South Africa, UnitedStates, Australia, Norway andseveral other countries.

The IFPS provides an interna-tional forum to address issues thatrequire global harmonization orstandardization for the producesectors and creates the first incor-porated body constituted ofnational organizations providingdirect representation of theirrespective countries’ constituents.

The core focus of IFPS is on:

Product Identification. It con-siders applications for and assignsPLUs. For additional informationon PLUs visitwww.ifpsglobal/PLU.com

Chain InformationManagement. The Food SafetySubcommittee provides counselon food safety and harmonizationto the International Federation forProduce Standards.

Objectives:• To improve the efficiency of thefresh produce supply chainthrough investigating, examining,developing, implementing andmanaging harmonized interna-tional food safety standards. • To act as a forum for commentand discussion on issues relatingto international food safety standards that affect the produce

industry.• To make recommendations andadvocate appropriate courses ofaction in relation to internationalfood safety standards that affectthe produce industry.

International Organization forStandardization (ISO) has regis-tered IFPS as a liaison with thecommittee for ISO/T 34/SC 17Management systems for foodsafety.

IFPS also has been designatedofficial observer status withCODEX.

Complementing the boardagenda, members visited a number of fruit packing and dis-tribution facilities as well as anindustry/USFDA jointly operatedphytosanitary export preclearanceinspection facility.A workingmeeting of the IFPS board is tobe held late summer.

The Canadian HorticulturalCouncil (CHC) and CanadianProduce Marketing Association(CPMA) will integrate the

CanadaGAP (On-Farm FoodSafety) Program and the CPMARepacking and Wholesale FoodSafety Program (RWFSP).

Both the CHC and CPMAboards of directors approved theintegration initiative during theirrespective annual meetings earlier

this year, after reviewing resultsof a feasibility study.

Integrating the two programswill result in some key benefitsfor the Canadian fruit and veg-etable industry, including:• adopting an industry-wide foodsafety system that meets customerrequirements• ensuring consistent and com-plementary food safety standardsfrom producers and packers towholesalers and repackers• lessening the confusion aroundoverlapping programs or require-ments• meeting the needs of companiesthat pack and re-pack product • maintaining strong linkagesbetween the various levels of thevalue chain• competing more effectively

with other internationally-recog-nized programs whose scopereaches further along the valuechain• integrating audits, audit check-lists, auditor training, governmenttechnical reviews and internation-al benchmarking processes (sav-ing time and money)

The two programs will be inte-grated under an autonomous cor-porate entity that will functionindependently of both CHC andCPMA.

Work on this initiative willcontinue through 2012-13, withfunding assistance fromAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada. The integrated programcould be available by 2013-14.

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 7

CanadaGAP and CPMA food safety programs to merge

NEW MODE OF ACTION

CITED IN APHID DEATHS.

www.uap.caWestern Canada: 1-800-561-5444Ontario & Maritimes: 1-800-265-5444Quebec: 1-800-361-9369British Columbia: 1-604-534-8815

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

International Federation for Produce Standards studies chain information management

Bird netting, one of many food safety measures, is shown at aUnifruitti (Chile) facility.

THE GROWER

PAGE 8 –– JUNE 2012

STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-252-7337, kdavidson@ecomente.caProduction: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, production@thegrower.orgAdvertising: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, hsherwood@cogeco.ca

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the nextissue. 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 thesole owner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressedin The Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/orcontributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the association.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publicationmay not be reproduced either whole or in part without theprior written consent of the publisher.

P.M. 40012319

OFFICE355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105

Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADATel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604

The 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:

$30.00 (+ G.S.T.) / year in Canada$40.00/year International

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.

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Mac James, LeamingtonVice-Chair Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeFruit Director Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginVeg Director Jason Ryder, DelhiDirector Jason Verkaik, Bradford

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Brian Gilroy, MeafordFresh Vegetable - Other Mary Shabatura, Windham CentreTender Fruit Fred Meyers, Niagara-on-the-LakeON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Jason Ryder, DelhiGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeFresh Vegetable - Muck Jason Verkaik, BradfordON. Potato Board Mac James, LeamingtonSmall Fruit/Berries Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginON. Ginseng Growers’ Ken Van Torre, BurfordGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse Don Taylor, Durham

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty Brian Gilroy, MeafordLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Murray Porteous, Simcoe

A few months back theFederal, Provincial and Territorial(FPT) agriculture meetings tookplace and as is typical, not awhole lot of information on whatwas agreed upon was made pub-lic. What we have come to learnhowever, is that there is expectedto be agreement by the provincesand federal government onGrowing Forward 2 (GF2) inJune with official sign-off takingplace in September. It will beafter that time that we find outwhat the new program will looklike for both the Business Risk

Management (BRM) and non-BRM components of the program.

As early as last June, there wasspeculation coming from our ownprovincial ministry that there maybe big changes to the BRM com-ponent of GF2 as it pertains toAgri-Stability; in fact it was suggested that the top tier (70%to 85%) coverage level and possibly more of Agri-Stabilitymight even disappear and furtherthat some of those dollars mightget shifted to some type of inno-vation program outside the BRMsection of GF2.

We still do not know if this isthe case or not but the speculationstill remains.

Some of the things we doknow are: 1) Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada (AAFC) is trying to reduce their budget by$250 million annually; 2) manyat the federal level think that thecurrent program needs to be radically changed and 3) some inOttawa think that innovation willsolve the ills of all Canadian agriculture.

First, if AAFC is trying to save$250 million then what is thechance of much of the savings

being reinvested in innovation oranywhere else in GF2? Havingsaid that, let’s assume some of itwill be reinvested in some type offederally sponsored innovationprogram. Let me state very clear-ly that I am a very firm believerin innovation, but innovation inand of itself will never be theanswer to the financial problemsof agriculture. History will showthat anytime there has been amajor innovation the financialgains are short-lived. It does notmatter whether it is increasedyields, disease resistance or newequipment. The financial gain isshort-lived as the new innovationsand technologies move out glob-ally at lightning speed. It is theearly adopters that reap anyreward and then, only until the“new” becomes mainstream.

The other problem is thatwhen government designs theseprograms, they typically make ittoo cumbersome and complicated,often so much so that the averagefarmer/business cannot access theprogram. This happened threeyears ago when the federal government announced the Agri-Flexibility program; a year

after the announcement of theprogram not a nickel had flowed.

Is it possible to keep thingssimple?

Another statement all too oftenheard is that the old style of farmsupport is not working -- “eachyear we pay out and each year weare asked for more, it’s just notworking!” Maybe it’s not the support system that is the problem; maybe it’s global subsidization of agriculture that isthe problem, maybe it’s the factthat globalization is causing thecommoditization of all crops eventhose that are not true commodities.

Perhaps one of the biggestkickers is that while we areexpected to meet the global competition head on, penny forpenny our governments downloadadditional expenses onto thebacks of our farmers and nowgovernment(s) are looking at cutting support to the farmingcommunity.

Perhaps there is a lack of con-nectivity between government’sactions and their expectations.Yes the current program is flawedand for the fruit and vegetable

sector it is very flawed; but whatis being proposed now is akin to“throwing the baby out with thebath water” and not just cleaningup the baby.

I believe that it is possible todesign programs that work butnot the one size fits all types. Further if you want “buy in” fromCanadian farmers then the program design must be done inconsultation with the stakehold-ers. Sadly AAFC refused to consult with farmers on the BRMprogramming in GF2.

So as we approach the signingof the agreement of GF2 we stillreally do not know what we aredealing with. It’s a bit like fighting in the dark, you don’tknow what is coming your way orwhere it’s coming from; you justknow it’s going to hurt.

For what it’s worth, it’s theway I see it.

ART SMITHCEO, OFVGA

BRM cuts heading our way

The good

The unusually mild winter andspring have allowed producers toget the work of the season donein a timely manner.

The bad

The Government of Canadaannounced in the 2012 budget therepeal of regulations pertaining tostandard containers. Their reason-ing is to enable industry to takeadvantage of new packaging for-mats and technologies, and also

to remove any unnecessary barri-er for the importation of newproducts from international mar-kets.

This action is going to have avery significant impact for potatoand apple producers not only herein Ontario but across the country.This legislation contains the rulespertaining to MinisterialExemptions which allow for thecurrent system of control of bulkloads of product. OFVGA andthe Canadian HorticulturalCouncil are working hard to bringthese facts to the attention of both

federal and provincial governments.

There have not been manyweather disruptions around theworld recently and consumptionseems to be down which is apply-ing pressure to fruit and vegetableprices. I hope conditions changebefore we start to harvest here inOntario.

The ugly

The most recent assessment offrost damage indicates up to 80per cent of the province’s apple

crop has been affected, as well as30-40 per cent loss in peach production and virtually complete devastation of the cherry andplum crops. We need to remainoptimistic and hope thingsget better as we go forward!

The good, the bad and the ugly

MAC JAMESCHAIR, OFVGA

Left: Ontario asparagus took a frost hit but recovered to expected volumes by the second week of May, says Jason Ryder, chair, Ontario Asparagus Growers’ Marketing Board. Photo courtesy of OMAFRA

Right: Early-season varieties of strawberries were touched by frost,depending on geography and stage of growth, says Kevin Schooley,Ontario Berry Growers’ Association. The first flush of flowers on day-neutrals were lost unless they were protected by tunnels or irrigation. Cheryl Peck, Vittoria, Ontario who irrigated 16 nights to save her strawberries, had a good supply to sell at The Cider Keg on-farm retail store by last week of May. Photo by Cheryl Peck

THE WEATHER VANE

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 9

Re: Nematicidelessons from California

I am a semi-retired economicsprofessor at York University,with a small family farm inPrince Edward County. I grew upin Fresno, California (raisin coun-try).

I was just reading yourGrower article in the May issueon the carrot industry inCalifornia. You have one typo inthe article. The area west ofBakersfield where carrots aregrown is identified as "Southern

SJV" on the map. You expandedthat to "southern San Jose."Southern San Jose is way upnorth of the Salinas valley, justabove the artichoke and garlic areas, just below "SiliconValley" (which used to be plumorchards).

The SJV stands for SanJoaquin Valley, and runs from theSacramento/Stockton area in thenorth to south of Bakersfield inthe south.

Sam LanfrancoPicton, ON

LETTER TO EDITORGeography matters

Spring is such an exciting timefor farmers’ markets. Marketowners joining twitter areextolling the virtues of fresh,local food -- I’ve seen one marketwalking readers through the plant-ing process, trying to gain follow-ers it hopes will become cus-tomers. It’s a good tactic andreflects the value of building rela-tionships, instead of just sellingproduct.

Farmers’ markets are (or

should be) grounded in localfood, which has achieved momen-tum through the hard work offarmers, entrepreneurs, communi-ty groups and the markets them-selves.

I saw concentrated evidence ofthis momentum first hand in thefall, when my agricultural com-munications students at theUniversity of Guelph wrote abevy of local food stories, withguidance from Kate Vsetula,manager of the GuelphWellington Local Food initiative.The diversity of topics she leadthe students to was amazing. Sowas the commitment by produc-ers, retailers, restaurants as wellas some institutions to worktogether to provide customers andclients with locally grown andraised food.

But some think there’s muchmore potential yet for local food.They say that in people’s minds itshould go way beyond its long-held association with harvest,end-of-the-lane sales, and evenfarmers’ markets.

For example, if it’s as healthy

as its proponents claim, whydon’t more hospitals serve it? And if we’re so concerned aboutfood security, why aren’t we ded-icating more resources to devel-oping reliable, sustainable localfood systems?

Those are among the questionsa Guelph and Waterloo researchgroup have been trying to figureout. With support from theOntario Ministry of Food,Agriculture and Rural Affairs,researchers have been looking atthe challenges and opportunitiesfacing local food producers. Andthey’ve found there are plenty ofboth, particularly in Ontario’shealthcare system.

For example, they say healthi-er and fresher meals in hospitalsand long-term care facilities havethe potential to improve patientcare. Ideally, they’d like to seethe local food quotient in thoseinstitutions rise to 20 per cent by2015.

That presents challenges, theysay, which includes actually

defining local food, for sourcingand purchasing purposes. Thedefinition -- like local food itself -- is all over the map. That makesit tough for something as massiveas Ontario’s health care system torally around it, when it can’t easi-ly define, let alone find it in quan-tities it requires.

Budgets are another matter.Hospital food budgets are $30-$35 per patient per day – but thatincludes everything, such aswages and food preparation. Only$7-$8 remains for actual foodpurchase. And that’s for threemeals. No wonder hospital foodmanagers are tempted to seek outbig food suppliers that makeavailable large, cheap and consis-tent quantities. “ Senior administrators and foodsupply managers have low expec-tations that the use of local foodin Ontario’s hospitals willincrease in either the short or longterm because of low budgets,government regulations and con-cerns about supply,” says market-

ing professor Paulette Padanyi,one of the study’s authors.

However, they say, don’tthrow in the towel. New research-driven advances in storage andproduction technologies areimproving so that produce, meatand dairy are available more oftenand in larger quantities. Padanyithinks that Foodland Ontario –one of the most identifiablebrands in the province – couldsucceed in joining existing initia-tives to publicize and educatepeople about new developmentsthat make local food more avail-able.

Overall, the researchers wantthe province's health ministry torecognize local food might play arole in health care, and providehigher budgets so that health careadministrators aren't so focusedon minimizing food costs. How wonderful that people mightbe able to eat their way to betterhealth. What a great concept asthe traditional local food seasonarrives.

Time for health care to wake up to local food

OWEN ROBERTSUNIVERSITY OFGUELPH

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Ontario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association (OFVGA)

Following are highlights from theOFVGA board meeting heldApril 19, 2012. The purpose ofthis brief is to keep you up-to-date on the issues that theOFVGA is working on, as well asprojects and initiatives the organi-zation is involved in.

Crop protection

Section chair Charles Stevensattended the Minor Use prioritysetting workshops in Quebec inlate March. The CanadianHorticultural Council (CHC) andthe Pest Management Centre(PMC) will take the lead in form-ing a national working group to

develop an action plan to dealwith two new invasive species,Brown Marmorated Stink Bugand Spotted Wing Drosophila.The working group will includerepresentatives from both groups,as well as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial special-ists and researchers, PestManagement Regulatory Agency,IR-4, Crop Life Canada, and U.S.researchers.

Property

Section chair Brian Gilroy report-ed that a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) is current-ly in development between theMinistry of the Environment(MOE) and the Ontario Ministryof Agriculture, Food and Rural

Affairs (OMAFRA) to addressregulation of agricultural nutrientsand waste in the fruit and veg-etable sector under the NutrientManagement Act. OFVGA hasrequested that a moratorium onfurther enforcement actions byMOE be implemented immediate-ly until the MOU is completedand appropriate best practices arein place.

OFVGA has been advised thatlast year’s funding availablethrough the wildlife loss workinggroup has expired as of March 31,2012. OFVGA had made anapplication to the working groupfor a study to identify the amountand type of damage to the fruitand vegetable sector by wildlifeand to develop a best practicesdocument. OFVGA is now look-ing to get the funding through thecurrent year’s allotment.

Canadian Horticultural Council

The CHC’s Legacy Fund projectis gaining some traction.OFVGA’s CHC representativeBrian Gilroy reported thatSyngenta, Peak of the Market andAgro-Fresh have contributed tothe fund to date. The LegacyProject will serve as a road mapfor the CHC to focus its lobbyingactivities on key areas. TheOFVGA supports the project’sintent and will make a decisionon financial support for the initia-tive once final project plans havebeen made available by CHC.

Research

Section chair Harold Schooleyreported on the creation of newgrower organizations for laven-der, hazel nuts and wineries onthe south coast. Much of thisactivity has been spearheaded byDr. John Kelly through ErieInnovation andCommercialization, an initiativeof the OFVGA to advance newagricultural opportunities in theSouth Central Ontario Region. Schooley also participated in theProductions Systems PlantsReview Committee meeting inApril to select projects that willbe funded in 2012 under theOMAFRA/University of Guelphresearch partnership. This is thefinal year of a five-year fundingpackage. Eleven proposals were

reviewed with approximatelytwo-thirds receiving funding.Future funding levels are not yetknown.

Closure of Delhi ResearchFarm

Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada (AAFC) announced theclosure of various research sta-tions, including the DelhiResearch Farm. Research on vari-ous edible horticulture crops isconducted at Delhi, but it is criti-cal for Ontario’s ginseng growersas the farm is the only centre inCanada conducting research onthis valuable crop. Ginseng canonly be grown successfully inspecific soil and climate combina-tions, which means that the gin-seng research being carried out atDelhi cannot easily be moved toanother research facility. Thereare no other Canadianresearchers, universities orresearch sites working directlywith ginseng on production andpest issues. OFVGA and severalother organizations have request-ed a meeting with AAFC to dis-cuss possible options for the sta-tion.

Ending of federal adaptationprogram delivery throughregional councils

AAFC announced that theAgricultural Adaptation Council(AAC), along with the otherregional councils, would nolonger be responsible for federalprogram delivery starting inMarch 2014. As well, theCanadian Agricultural AdaptationProgram (CAAP) will end, withfunding streamlined into nationalprograms. This is a staggeringloss of $7 million dollars per yearfor Ontario in innovative researchand development projects. Theregional council model in Ontariorepresents a highly efficient,responsive and cost effectivemethod of program delivery.AAC achieved 98 per cent cus-tomer satisfaction in a stakeholdersurvey completed in 2010, andprovides this high level of serviceat a low cost of less than 10 centsof every dollar allocated toadministration, resulting in moremoney invested directly back intothe industry since program costs

are covered out of overall pro-gram allocations. OFVGA, alongwith other AAC members, havesent letters to both the federal andprovincial ministers of agricultureon this issue, asking for reconsid-eration of this decision.

Commodity Council and pro-gram delivery update

CEO Art Smith reported that for-mer OFVGA chair BrendaLammens has been elected aschair of the Ontario AgriculturalCommodity Council (OACC)until April 2013. She replacesMark Wales who stepped downfrom the position when hebecame president of the OntarioFederation of Agriculture lastNovember. At the same meetingon April 2, Agricorp providedOACC with a program deliveryupdate. Changes to Allowable NetSales (ANS) matchable contribu-tion levels for the Self DirectedRisk Management (SDRM) pro-gram will go ahead this year.ANS levels are set at two per centto $2.5 million, 1.5 per cent from$2.5 to $5 million and 1 per centon everything exceeding $5 mil-lion. Premise identification andparticipation in the AgriStabilityprogram will be mandatory thisyear for growers wishing to par-ticipate in SDRM.

Mega Quarry in MelancthonTownship

Ted Mets and Rick Wallace of theNorth Dufferin Ag andCommunity Trust (NDACT)addressed the Board about theproposed Mega Quarry inMelancthon Township. HighlandsGroup of Companies has made anapplication to build a large quarryin the Shelburne area on land thatis primarily in potato productionunder the premise of wanting tobe the province’s largest potatogrower. The project’s applicationis currently under review and isfaced with vehement oppositionfrom people in the area who arecampaigning to have the quarrystopped.

The next OFVGA board meetingwill be held June 14, starting at10 am, at the OFVGA office inGuelph.

THE GROWER

PAGE 10 –– JUNE 2012

Board briefsOFVGA

Uni

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11_1

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Self-propelled harvester

FALC products

Carrot HarvesterOnion Harvester

Vegetable washers and polishers

Vineyard equipmentCabbage harvester

Stripper LF Trimmer LF

Soil preparation

Ginseng

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 11

Sustainable food – the shift from‘trust us’ to ‘show us’Open dialogue, collaborative approach key tomoving forward

LILIAN SCHAER

The need to prove sustainablefood production practices isgrowing and industry leaders arepredicting they’re here to stay.Many large companies nowemploy staff solely to addresssustainability issues, includingSobeys Inc., one of Canada’slargest grocery store chains, andiconic coffee company TimHortons.

“For us, sustainability is aboutdetermining how we can improvewhat is controllable by us. Ourcustomers want to know about thepackaging, about the productionfacility where it was producedand how workers are treated atthat facility,” David Smith, vicepresident of sustainability withSobeys told a sold-out crowd atthe recent Farm & Food Careannual meeting. “This wasn’t partof our discussion before, nobodyused to consider all these otherpoints.”

Smith leads Sobeys’ sustain-ability direction, which coversboth direct operations (retailstores, fleets and warehouses), aswell as product sourcing, includ-ing sustainable seafood, agricul-ture, packaging, social compli-ance and animal welfare.Approximately 80 -90 per cent ofthe chain’s global footprint isthrough the products it sells, saysSmith, so the chain is aware thatif it wants to address the issue, ithas to deal with the products itsources.

He cited the example ofSobeys’ recently launched sus-tainable seafood initiative, wherethey’re now able to trace theirproduct right down to the specificfishing area where most of theirseafood comes from. The days ofbuyers trusting suppliers withoutasking for verification of theirpractices are over, he says.

At Tim Hortons, investors andconsumers are also asking toughquestions about what’s happeningin the supply chain and pushingfor transparency.

“We’ve been doing a lot onsustainability and building ourstrategy across the organization.When we started it, very few ofour competitors in the quick ser-vice restaurant (QSR) space wereacting on their own sustainabilitystrategies,” says Tim Faveri, TimHortons director of sustainabilityand responsibility. “Now everymajor QSR brand is workingtowards this now. It’s not goingto go away, but it will be differentfor everyone. We’re all still earlyin this journey and these thingstake time.”

Pressure by activists forcedTim Hortons staff to start educat-ing themselves on issues of ani-mal welfare, which have becomepart of their overall sustainabilityprogram, called ‘Making a true

difference.’ To date, they’ve beenworking with their suppliers andwith farmers to ensure everyonein the supply chain meets orexceeds established governmentregulations, standards and recog-nized industry guidelines for ani-mal welfare, which includes ani-mal welfare audits.

“Continuous improvement iskey,” says Faveri. “We believeour animal welfare programsshould be developed based oncurrent scientific opinion andadvice from recognized expertsand industry. This is a collabora-tive effort for us.”

Sobeys, too, believes in collab-oration and continuous improve-ment, with Smith telling the audi-ence they are seeking more evi-dence of compliance, improve-ments and effectiveness in theirsupply chain. Collaboration, andnot competition, amongst stake-holders is the key to effecting truechange, otherwise sustainabilityjust adds complexity and cost tothe system without really improv-ing conditions.

“We need to make sure wedon’t cause audit fatigue amongstour suppliers and to make sure

sustainable supply chain systemsare about more than just creatingexpertise in how to pass audits,”says Smith.

To that end, both Tim Hortonsand Sobeys are trying to beproactive on animal welfare andagriculture and to ensure that theindustry can drive change insteadof being pressured into it byactivist demands. All suppliersneed to be making incrementalimprovements, and awareness ofwater quality and quantity, cli-mate change, animal welfare andwaste management needs tobecome part of normal businesspractice. This means a credible,multi-stakeholder, science-basedapproach that involves not justproducers, but also academics,veterinarians, and yes, thehumane societies too.

“The best way to escalate anissue is not to talk to people and

we all need to do our homeworkon what it might take in the sup-ply chain to meet and make com-mitments. And an awful lot ofgood progress has already beenmade by farmers and all of oursupply chain and we need to tellthat story,” says Smith. “We’rehappy to partner to tell those sto-ries; if we say nothing, we letactivist groups control the agendawhich ignores the progress we’vealready made.”

“The mainstream won’t adoptthis is we require them to makemassive behavioural changes sowe have to make it easy for main-stream consumers to change,” headded. “They won’t pay more,and won’t sacrifice performanceor convenience. Sustainability is avalue-add, but think of it as dri-ving loyalty and not as driving apremium.”

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June 10 Garlic Growers of Ontario Field Day, Arranhill Garlic Farm, Allenford, ON

June 12, 13 Farm Management Canada Annual General Meeting, Chateau Cartier, Aylmer, QC

July 12-14 Canada’s Fruit & Veg Tech X-Change, St. Williams, ON

July 15 – 17 13th Annual Oenology Viticulture Conference, Penticton Convention Centre, Penticton, BC

July 26, 27 International Fruit Tree Association Study Tour, South Shore, 20 miles south of Montreal, QC

August 4 Food Day Canada

Aug 24 – 26 Winona Peach Festival, Winona, ON

Sept 8, 9 Stratford Garlic Festival, Stratford, ON

Sept 11 – 13 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON

Sept 12 – 14 Federal, provincial, territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting, Whitehorse, Yukon

Nov 2 – 11 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON

COMING EVENTS 2012

All suppliers need to be making incremental improvements, andawareness of water quality and quantity, climate change, animal welfare and waste management needs to become part of normal business practice.

When you are trying to understand your customers, it isinteresting to look at the stockprices. The big national retailersare all publicly traded companiesand they must publish results.They are judged every day ontheir ability to deliver whatinvestors are looking for.

Many of the companies have

share ownership plans so employees are usually veryinformed as to how the stock isperforming. The share price doeshave an impact on the organiza-tion, especially the higher up theladder you go. Loblaws andMetro are the only Canadian foodretailers whose price on the TSXin Toronto is an indication of the

investor’s perception of the valuein the Canadian retail landscape.Sobeys results are a component ofthe larger Empire Company,which is diversified beyond retailand Walmart and Costco are trad-ed on the NYSE in New York.

I have included the 52-weekhistory of the share price for eachof these companies. I will let you

draw your own conclusions as towhether the market has it right,but it is one piece of informationyou should be aware of whenunderstanding your customers. Ifyou have a smart phone you cantrack the performance of theretailers on one of many apps thatfollow stock market prices.

Empire Company (TSX)52 week high 64.2452 week low 52.56

Metro Inc. (TSX)52 week high 55.1752 week low 43.70

Loblaw Companies (TSX)52 week high 41.9852 week low 32.21

Walmart (NYSE U.S.$)52 week high 62.6352 week low 48.31

Costco (NYSE U.S.$)52 week high 92.1052 week low 70.22

Empire, Metro and Loblawcharts are from www.TMX.quote-media.com and Walmart andCostco are fromwww.NYSE.com. You can findother retailers on these sites ifyou are interested.

Peter Chapman, a retail foodconsultant and professionalspeaker, is principal of GPSBusiness Solutions, based inHalifax, Nova Scotia. Peter workswith producers and processors tohelp them navigate through theretail environment with the ulti-mate goal of getting more itemsinto the shopping cart. pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca.

THE GROWER

PAGE 12 –– JUNE 2012

Accessing the MarketplaceIdentifying the path to market for growers and buyers

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Know your retail customer inside and out

The retail environment is verycompetitive and every week theywatch each other, there are shortterm and longer-term reactions tothe competition. Short-term reac-tions are price changes and selec-tion or pricing in the weeklyflyer. Longer term reactions arechanges to shelf space, changes tothe section within a department,or even the departments them-selves.

To be a good supplier youneed to understand what yourcustomer is doing and what theircompetition is doing. If you seean item in your category adver-tised or priced higher or lower,you need to be aware of it regard-less of where it is. Your cus-tomer will see it and have tomake a decision to react or not.

You need to anticipate these deci-sions and be ready for the ques-tion. In some cases you shouldeven let your customer knowabout a change in the marketwithin the category. These peo-ple are busy and the more infor-mation you can share that is rele-vant the better. A .10 pricechange on the #4 item in the cate-gory is not relevant; a .50 changein the regular advertised price isrelevant.

It is imperative to get into yourcustomer’s stores to see what ishappening. It is also important toget in to their competitor’s stores.If they sell items in your catego-ry, you need to see what they aredoing. Recently I have beenspending more time in GiantTiger and some of the other non-traditional players who are sellingproduce. It is not what I am usedto and I am not blown away bythe fixtures or the execution, butthe reality is that people are shop-ping there and buying the prod-ucts. If you compete in this cate-gory you need to see what theyare doing because it will have animpact on your customer soon.

You should read all the adsevery week, not just your cus-tomer’s ad. Spread them out andcompare them front page to frontpage and also in your specific cat-egory. You need to know what ishappening and where the items

and prices are going. Don’t for-get to look at the non-traditionalcompetitors - you never knowwhat you will find!

Watch your category in all ofthe stores. The addition of linearfootage at your customer’s com-petitor could be an indication thatthings are about to change foryou. New listings or de-listingsat the other store are also impor-

tant to understand, as are con-sumer taste changes. We are inan environment where change isconstant and you can learn thingsfrom all retailers.

These are all important itemsto share with your category man-ager when you have a chance tomeet. You need to talk abouttheir stores but it is certainlyacceptable to talk about the com-

petition. This illustrates yourinterest in the category and, if youcan share some insights that theymight not have noticed or hadtime to check out in person, youare helping them do their job.They are the experts at retailingbut you should be the expert inyour item and your category!

PETER CHAPMAN

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Stock prices are another piece of the puzzle

Chris Cervini, president, Lakeside Produce, Leamington, ON checks out greenhouse cucumber prices atWalmart. Photo by Denis Cahill.

JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA,PROVINCIAL MINOR USECOORDINATOR, GUELPH

Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada, Pest Management Centre(AAFC-PMC) hosted the 10thnational minor use priority settingworkshop in Ottawa in lateMarch.

This meeting brought togethera wide range of participants fromacross Canada including universi-ty and federal researchers, cropextension specialists, provincialspecialists, minor use coordina-tors, registrants, PMRA represen-tatives, growers and grower orga-nization representatives, process-ing companies and other stake-holders. In addition several indi-viduals from the U.S. IR-4 pro-gram also attended the meeting.

The purpose was to review thetop minor use priorities identifiedby each of the provinces for allcrops including ornamentals andto establish the top priority pro-jects for the new Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada, PestManagement Centre (AAFC-PMC) to do work in 2013.

The four-day agenda coveredbiopesticide priorities for allcrops, entomology priorities,pathology priorities and weed sci-ence priorities.

Eight biopesticide projects arechosen during the first day ofmeetings. On the remainingminor use days and for each ofthe three main pest managementdisciplines, only 10 top priorities(ranked as As) are chosen from along list of identified pest controlproduct solutions. Additionalsecondary priorities (ranked asBs) were also chosen for eachdiscipline each day.

The provincial minor usecoordinators could also add fiveregional upgrade projects at theend of the process and the organ-ic industry could also add twopriority projects to the list of cho-sen projects.

Additional top crop/pest issuesthat did not have any identifiablesolutions were also chosen to bepart of minor use screening trials

designed to find some usefulsolutions for growers. At thisyear’s meeting the top prioritieschosen for this group (calledAPWS) included horsetail on out-door ornamentals, boxwoodblight on outdoor ornamentals,Fusarium on greenhouse orna-mentals and Cylindrocarpon onginseng.

The discussions, collabora-tions and decisions made at thismeeting demonstrated not onlypotential challenges for the minoruse system in Canada, but alsohighlighted the many needs ourgrowers have. Growers,researchers, registrants, provin-cial specialists and other stake-holders worked very hard toreach consensus and negotiateneeds. Overall the process was asuccess and now the next step isfor AAFC-PMC to complete theminor use submissions that wereagreed upon. Additionally theprovinces also have to follow upon a number of potential submis-sions and rationales for minor useneeds.

The following table summa-rizes the tentative projects agreedupon as the top 10 for each disci-pline. These projects will be sub-mitted to the PMRA by AAFC-PMC, and the data requirementscompleted in 2014-2015.Registration decisions for thesewill likely occur in late 2015 and2016. A final version of the topprojects will be available thissummer on the AAFC-PMC web-site: www.agr.gc.ca/env/pest/index_e.php

There were also meetings heldwith several registrants, PMC andPMRA representatives to discussspecific projects for new activeingredients and charting a regula-tory path forward. The PMCtechnical working group mem-bers also met with several keystakeholders and the members ofthe PMC advisory committee toreview key concerns and issues.

THE GROWER

Consensus reached atNational Minor UsePriority SettingWorkshop

MINOR USE

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 13

Crop/Crop Group Pest(s)ProductSolution

Active Ingredient Solution Registrant

BIOPESTICIDE PROJECTSWheat, spring Cleavers MBI-005 Streptomyces acidiscabies Marrone

Alfalfa Botrytis Serenade Bacillus subtilis Agraquest

Blueberry, lowbush Weeds AEF-1201 Pine oil AEF Global

Raspberry Nematodes Dazitol mustard oil, oleoresin of capsicum Champon

Carrots Nematodes Dazitol mustard oil, oleoresin of capsicum Champon

GH pepper Thrips Grandevo Chromobacterium subtsugae Marrone

GH ornamentals Whiteflies Grandevo Chromobacterium subtsugae Marrone

Outdoor ornamentals Scale Grandevo Chromobacterium subtsugae Marrone

WEED SCIENCE PROJECTS

Carrots Weeds Blazer aciflurofen UPI

Shallots Weeds Prowl H2O pendimethalin BASF

Chickpea Dessicant Heat saflufenacil BASF

Grapes Weeds Gallery isoxaben Dow Agro

Raspberry Weeds Alion indaziflam Bayer

Bromegrass Pre-seed burnoff Express +glyphosate

tribenuron-methyl + glyphosate DuPont

Switchgrass Weeds Buctril M bromoxynil + mcpa Bayer

Alfalfa, clover Dessicant Heat saflufenacil BASF

Mustard Kochia Authority sulfentrazone FMC

Hops Sucker control Aim carfentrazone FMC

GH ornamentals Growth regulation

TopFlor flurprimidol SePro

ENTOMOLOGY PROJECTS

GH lettuce Aphids Sivanto flupyradifurone Bayer

GH pepper Thrips Beleaf flonicamid ISK

GH cucumber Cucumber beetle Scorpion dinotefuran Gowan

Peach SWD Ripcord cypermethrin BASF

Plum SWD Ripcord cypermethrin BASF

Plum BMSB Scorpion dinotefuran Gowan

Grapes SWD Success/Entrust spinosad Dow Agro

Grapes Rose chafer (east); LH(west)

Voliam Flexi thiamethoxam + chlorantraniliprole Syngenta

Raspberry SWD Ripcord cypermethrin BASF

Strawberry SWD Ripcord cypermethrin BASF

Xmas trees Balsam gall midge Movento spirotetramat Bayer

GH ornamentals Aphids Closer,Transform

sulfoxaflor Dow Agro

Outdoor ornamentals Red-headed flea beetle NAI-2302 tolfenpyrad Nichino

PLANT PATHOLOGY PROJECTS

Ginseng (use radish asrep crop for residue)

Nematodes MCW-2 fluensulfone Makhteshim

Beet leaves Leaf spot Cabrio pyraclostrobin BASF

Mustard greens Downy mildew QGU42 n/a DuPont

Pepper, GH Powdery mildew Quintec quinoxyfen Dow Agro

Tomato, GH Powdery mildew Quintec quinoxyfen Dow Agro

Cucumber, GH Powdery mildew Quintec quinoxyfen Dow Agro

Peach/Nectarine Bacterial spot Kasumin kasugamycin Arysta

Cranberry Fruit rots Propulse fluopyram + prothioconazole Bayer

Grapes Anthracnose Ziram zineb UAP

Strawberry Powdery mildew GWN-10087 n/a Gowan

REGIONAL UPGRADE PROJECTS

GH ornamentals(MARITIMES)

Fusarium APWS

Garlic (QC) Weeds Prowl pendimethalin BASF

Hops (ON) Downy mildew Ranman cyazofamid ISK

Perennial ryegrass(PRAIRIES)

Growth regulator

Primo Maxx trinexapac-ethyl Syngenta

GH ornamentals (BC) Leafminers Voliam Flexi thiamethoxam + chlorantraniliprole Syngenta

ORGANIC PRIORITIES

Cherry SWD Pyganic pyrethrins MGK

Cranberry Lepidoptera Pyganic pyrethrins MGK

THE GROWER

SPRAYING

DR. JASON S.T. DEVEAU,APPLICATION TECHNOLOGYSPECIALIST

In 2009, Robert Grisso, an exten-sion engineer with VirginiaCooperative Extension, authoreda compelling publication describ-ing a new fuel-saving practice.Grisso noted that many PTO-driven farm implements don’trequire full tractor power, so whywaste the fuel? He proposed shift-ing to a faster tractor gear andslowing engine speed to maintainthe desired travel speed. Sevenhundred diesel tractors were test-ed, and as long as the equipmentcould operate at a lower PTOspeed and the tractor itself didn’tlug (i.e. overload), as much as 40per cent of the diesel was saved.

Enter British Columbia’sSlimline Manufacturing Ltd. Thiscompany has embraced Gear Up,Throttle Down (GUTD) as a wayto not only save fuel during air-blast spraying, but to improveearly-season spray coverage.Representatives flew out toOntario two months ago todemonstrate the method at twosprayer workshops held in associ-ation with the Ontario AppleGrowers and funded by theAgricultural Adaptation Council.Here’s why this method couldsave money and improve spraycoverage.

Early in the season, crops haverelatively empty canopies. Whenan airblast sprayer passes by, thespray is blasted into the target.The vast majority of the sprayblows through and over thecanopy without actually imping-

ing on the target. This is becausethe air carrying the spray is mov-ing so fast, that it causes dropletsto slipstream around targets.

Imagine it is winter and a driftof snow has formed at the side ofa barn. Have you ever noticedthere’s a hollow area on the wind-ward side where the snow didn’tpile up against the wall? Rather, itseems scrubbed out and often youcan still see the ground. This isbecause the high-speed air hit the

wall, compressed, and wasdeflected to either side, carryingthe snow with it (see Figure 1).

It is the same with airblastspray. Anyone who has eversprayed oil has noticed that thewood on the sprayer-side is wet,but not all the way around. This isbecause the high-speed air isdeflected. However, with slowerair, the air stream does not com-press as much on the surface ofthe wood, and becomes turbulent,sending spray in many directionsand wrapping around the wood towet more surface area (see Figure2).

The slower fan speed hasanother advantage. As difficult asit is to believe, the intention whenspraying every row is to have thespray move no further than the farside of the canopy. Any spray you

see floating in the next alley rep-resents a “miss.” Much of it landsin the alley, under the next row,or simply drifts away.

Therefore, the goal is to getthe spray to the top of the targetcanopy, compete with any ambi-ent wind, and get the leaves flut-tering to expose all surfaces, butstill only just “lob” the spray intothe target (see Figure 3). Even ifthe airblast sprayer already has alow gear for the fan, there is typi-cally too much air for early sea-son applications.

Slimline demonstrated thetechnique. A length of flaggingtape was hung in the canopy andthe sprayer would drive by withthe fan going. If the tape wasmoved by the air (say 45degrees), then it was assumedspray could penetrate that far intothe canopy. If the tape stoodstraight out in the air (say 90degrees), there was too much air.If the tape did not move, therewas not enough air. Very simple.

By gearing up and throttlingdown, the PTO speed drops fromthe age-old 540 rpm to some-where between 350-375 and thefan speed decreases. Travel speedremains the same and so doesoperating pressure, so there is noneed to recalibrate if you use apositive displacement pump.Those with centrifugal pumpswould see a drop in operatingpressure and would have to re-nozzle, or if spray quality was notcompromised, slow down. Thosewith Kinkelder-style air shearsystems may compromise sprayquality if the air is not fastenough to create fine droplets.

One Ontario tree fruit growerrelated this story. While sprayingoil, they were not satisfied withtheir coverage – the wood wasn’tas wet as they wanted. Theygeared up and throttled downfrom 1,700 rpms to about 1,300and suddenly, the wood was drip-ping wet. The grower was soimpressed that he phoned fromthe cab of his tractor to tell me.

When we tried it at the work-shops, the first thing we noticedwas that we could hear again –the decibel level dropped consid-erably. One grower told me thatwhen they tried it on their homeorchard, they could suddenly heara squeak they hadn’t noticedbefore. It was a loose belt thatthey couldn’t hear when theywere running full-out. This samegrower also reported a significantimprovement in coverage.

We noticed a limitation at theworkshops, however. The growerwas already using a low sprayeroutput, venturi (air induction)nozzles, and the low gear on thefan. When they further reducedfan speed through GUTD, cover-age at the top of the tree wascompromised. There wasn’t time,but adjusting the air directionusing the deflectors and possiblyincreasing pressure to lob thelarge droplets created by the ven-

turi nozzles in the top positionswould likely have improved cov-erage at the top of the tree.

A few growers have volun-teered to monitor diesel savingsand coverage over the growingseason and report on any success-es or failures. At the moment, Ibelieve there is a lot of merit tothis method if growers observethese rules:1) Airblast sprayers with centrifu-gal pumps make GUTD verycomplicated, and the method maynot work – fan speed is tied tooperating pressure.2) Growers who are already usingvery coarse spray droplets,reduced volumes in the springand the low gear on their fan may

compromise coverage withGUTD.3) Growers performing alternaterow applications should not useGUTD.4) If the tractor begins to lug (e.g.black smoke, sluggish response,strange sounds), GUTD won’twork.5) Many spray operators will findthis method useful, particularlyduring oil and spring fungicideapplications. Try a before-and-after comparison using water-sen-sitive paper to be sure you areachieving the required coverage.

More on this new method willbe reported later in the season asgrowers report any diesel savingsand coverage improvements.

PAGE 14 –– JUNE 2012

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First impressions: Gear up, throttle down for airblast operators

Figure 1

Figure 2 - Slower air deposits more spray around a branch in cross-section. Faster air is compressed and deflected, depositing less.

Figure 3

DR. JASON S.T. DEVEAU,APPLICATION TECHNOLOGYSPECIALIST

What is the hardest part of a tree tospray? Generally speaking, there are twohard-to-reach spots: the centre of the tree,some two-thirds up the trunk and the verytop of the canopy.

On May 3, we nozzled a Turbomist 30Pto spray a block of Golden Delicious. Ourtarget tree was 4.9 m (17 ft) high, 5.2 m(24 ft) wide and rows were on 7.6 m (30 ft)centres. They were in need of a good prun-ing, so the canopy was relatively dense.There was a cross wind of 6.8 kph, it was24 degrees Celsius and relative humiditywas more than 50 per cent.

Water-sensitive paper was placed in thepotential trouble areas throughout thecanopy and one more face-up on theground (see figure 1). The sprayer sprayedinto the canopy from both sides of the treeand the papers were analyzed. Here’s howwe interpret the papers:

Paper 1 110 drops per cm2 and 20% coverage. Sufficient coverage for anyinsecticide or fungicide – special circum-stances are described later in the article.Paper 2 100% coverage. Basicallydrenched because it was adjacent to thesprayer.Paper 3 142 drops per cm2 and 24% coverage. Sufficient coverage for anyinsecticide or fungicide.Paper 4 125 drops per cm2 and 11% cover-age. Sufficient coverage for any insecticideor fungicide.Paper 5 41% coverage droplets overlap somuch that an accurate droplet count isimpossible; this borders on excessive cov-

erage for fungicides and insecticides. Thehigh coverage is because the wind helpedcarry more spray into the canopy. Thesmaller droplets follow the air from thesprayer deep into the canopy but are beingstalled and blown back by the wind.Paper 6 100% coverage. Basicallydrenched because it was adjacent to thesprayer and with the wind.Paper 7 100% coverage. Basicallydrenched because it was adjacent to the

sprayer.Paper 8 118 drops per cm2 and 27% cover-age. Sufficient for any insecticide or fungi-cide. Sadly, not useful on the ground. Thisindicates the bottom nozzle of the sprayermay need to be turned off, but only if thesprayer can still cover the lowest brancheson the canopy. Often, this care shows theoverspray from the next row, combinedwith whatever falls through the tree.

What is interesting here is that Paper 1

was missed entirely the first time wesprayed. It required the sprayer to blowspray 4.9 m (17 ft) high and against theprevailing wind. We realigned the air out-put on the sprayer and tried again, but stillmissed. We changed to nozzles with ahigher output in the top two positions, butstill missed. Finally, we shifted the fangear box from low to high, but still nodroplets impinged on the target.

None of this was particularly surprisingbecause of how small droplets behave.Pressure does not propel fine droplets veryfar. Increasing the volume may make thedroplets slightly larger, but essentially it’sjust more small droplets that are stolen byambient wind. Raising the fan speed gotthe spray somewhat closer, but much willevaporate before it gets to the target, par-ticularly on dry days.

The coverage on Paper 1 is the result ofswitching to venturi-style air-inducing tipsin the top two positions. In this case,TeeJet AITX tips. They emitted the samerate of spray as the disc-cores theyreplaced, but created very coarse dropletsthat were propelled by pressure and essen-tially lobbed into the top of the tree againstthe wind.

The result lends itself to an emergingsprayer strategy. The nozzles that mostoften create drift problems are those in thetop positions. One of the hardest parts of atree canopy to spray is the top of the tree.By switching to venturi-style tips in the toptwo positions, two problems are solved:coverage is improved and the largedroplets are not prone to drift.

THE GROWERJUNE 2012 –– PAGE 15

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SPRAYING

Venturi’s go on top The benefits of mixed sprayer nozzling

Spraycast may help horticulture too

Bayer CropScience, PRIDE Seeds, and Weather INnovationsIncorporated have launched weathercentral.ca which features a site-specific, three-day hourly forecast of spraying conditions. Althoughthe Spraycast program was designed for grain and oilseed producers, ithas benefits to horticulture too.

“I would suggest printing off the forecast for your records for eachday you are spraying,” says OMAFRA’s Janice LeBoeuf. “And per-haps email a copy to your neighbour or neighbour’s custom operatorto remind them not to drift herbicide onto your hort crops.”

Ontario Agri-Food EducationInc. (OAFE) has received$210,000 in funding fromAgricultural Adaptation Council(AAC) to expose students toemerging agriculture careers andinnovations. The two-year projectwill identify the skill set short-ages of the agri-business sectorand expose high school studentsto the variety of agriculturalcareers available.

A recent Conference Board ofCanada study reported that thefood sector is now Canada’s

largest manufacturing industry(by sales) and provides approxi-mately 13 per cent of employ-ment in this country. To supportthe full economic impact of thisgrowing sector, the CanadianAgricultural Human ResourceCouncil (CAHRC) also predictsthat Canada will need to fill a jobskill set shortage of about 50,000in the next few years.

While the agriculture sectorhas a career skill set shortage,education in Ontario has a skilledworker overage, with an estimat-

ed 80 per cent of those currentlygraduating from Faculties ofEducation unable to obtain fulltime employment for five years.

A key focus of this project willbe connecting the agri-businesssector to the educational sector todevelop a cutting-edge programthat brings career information tostudents. Working together theywill deliver programs andresources to students that show-case agricultural innovation andtechnologies as they relate toemerging agri-business career

opportunities.New and creative educational

resources and tools, includingvideos and other web-based mate-rials, will be created to exposestudents to the vast array of newand innovative career opportuni-ties in the agriculture and foodsector.

A pilot program this fall willuse existing agriculture eventsand facilities as “classrooms” toshowcase the variety of emergingcareer opportunities to students,having them learn first-hand

through face to face interactionswith local agri-business representatives.

“The funding for this new initiative supports the very definition of research and innova-tion as OAFE dialogues withemerging agri-businesses toshowcase their predicted skill setshortages, and then producesinnovative career resources toentice tomorrow’s graduates tofill these job gaps,” commentedColleen Smith, OAFE executivedirector.

THE GROWER

PAGE 16 –– JUNE 2012

OAFE to connect students with emerging agriculture careers BITS AND BITES

Researchers often work on age-oldproblems that, with a little funding, couldprovide a breakthrough for millions of peo-ple. That’s the promise that Jan Kreuzeplans to deliver from his base at theInternational Potato Center (CIP) based inLima Peru. The principal virologist at CIPhas just won funding from GrandChallenges Explorations, an initiative fund-ed by the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation. He’s trying to eliminate plantviruses by inducing RNA silencing in-vitro.

In plants, virus infections cause enor-mous crop losses in food staples such as

sweet potato, cassava, yams, bananas andpotatoes. The are prone to disease oversuccessive generations because they aregrown vegetatively and not from seeds.The only way to eliminate virus infectionin the plants is through a laborious, time-consuming process that involves a combi-nation of heat or cryotherapy treatment,and meristem tip culture. It is a processthat has advanced little since its inceptionover 60 years ago.

The CIP-based project will use newknowledge of RNA and plant defensemechanisms to fight off virus infection.Kreuze and his team will stimulate RNA

silencing and Systemic AcquiredResistance (SAR) in infected plants invitro. The goal is to tip the delicate balancebetween the plant RNA silencing mecha-nism to combat the virus, and the virus’ability to avoid and suppress this mecha-nism, in favour of the plant. If successful,they will produce “kits” containing appro-priate cocktails for different crop viruses.The project will be tested on potato initial-ly, and if successful, will be applied to awider range of viruses and crops. Source: International Potato Centre newsrelease

Unorthodox approach wins potato virus funding

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 17

TERMINATE EARLY BLIGHT

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Crops require boron, copper,iron, manganese, molybdenum orzinc in relatively small amounts.If your soil test report recom-mends the application of one ofthese micronutrients, there areseveral organic and inorganicsources from which to choose.

Soil organic matter and organ-ic sources such as composts andmanures are an often overlookedmicronutrient storehouse. Forexample a one ton manure appli-cation can provide (in lbs) 0.02-0.1 boron, 0.04-06 copper, 0.4-2iron, 0.2-1.0 manganese, 0.0002-0.01 molybdenum, and 0.2-1 zinc.Micronutrient content depends onthe source but an added benefit isthat they are generally already inthe plant available forms. Withplanning and careful manage-ment, organic sources can providea long term sustainable micronu-trient source to plants.

Inorganic micronutrient fertil-

izer sources are oxy-sulphates,sulphates, chelates and solublepowders. The most appropriateform for application depends onthe specific nutrient as well as thecrop species and soil conditions.Granular micronutrient productsare blended with other fertilizeringredients for broadcast applica-tion or used in a starter fertilizer.

Oxy-sulphates

• combination of oxide and sul-phate form• oxide - much more stable in ablended product, slowly availableto the crop• sulphates - much more solubleand available than oxides• inconsistency in plant avail-ability and crop response

Sulphates

• quite soluble• tend to be hygroscopic(adsorbs moisture from air) andcan cause problems with cakingor clumping when mixed withother fertilizer ingredients• consistent plant availability

• generally as effective aschelates in foliar sprays but lowercost

Chelates

• complex organic molecule • keeps nutrients in solubleforms prevent them from reactingwith other minerals to form insol-uble compounds• allows many of these nutrientsto be mixed with liquid fertilizerswithout forming insoluble precip-itates• may increase the availability insoil• most commonly used chelatingagents are EDTA and DTPA• other organic materials (humicacids, lignosulphates, glucohepto-nates) will form complexes withmetallic ions but do not holdthem as tightly as a true chelate• considerably more expensivethan other soluble forms ofmicronutrients• Use with care since they caninteract with minerals already inthe soil and possibly make thedeficiency worse.

Soluble powders

• least expensive form ofmicronutrient for foliar applica-tion and the most consistentlyreliable• most require sprayer with goodagitation to keep materials insolution• sticker-spreader needed to getthe nutrient through the cuticleand into the leaf

Choosing an inorganicmicronutrient source depends onthe product’s effectiveness (solior foliar), soil pH, crop, applica-tion method (soil or foliar) and of

course price. To meet the crop’smicronutrient needs only a smallamount of the micronutrient isrequired. This means that apply-ing inorganic micronutrientsources uniformly to a field isvery important.

For more information aboutmicronutrients for crop produc-tion, pick up a copy of OMAFRAPublication 611 Soil FertilityHandbook, Publication 363Vegetable ProductionRecommendations and ManagingCrop Nutrients Best ManagementPractices Guide by visitingontario.ca/omafra.

THE GROWER

PAGE 18 –– JUNE 2012

Micronutrient fertilizer sources -- asmall amount goes along way

MICHAEL CELETTIOMAFRA, PLANTPATHOLOGIST –HORTICULTURE CROPSPROGRAM LEAD, GUELPH

Late blight caused significantproblems for tomato and potatogrowers in 2009 and to a lesserextent in 2010 and 2011.Regardless, a few organic tomatofields and market gardens experi-enced significant late blighttowards the end of last season. Inboth 2009 and 2010 the source ofthe disease was traced to infectedtomato transplants sold and dis-tributed throughout home gardenretail centres across the south andeastern United States. In 2011,the disease was suspected to orig-inate from infected volunteerpotato plants that grew frominfected tubers left in the field orhomeowner backyard gardensduring the harvest in 2010. Thevery wet weather experienced lastMay 2011 in many parts ofOntario was very conducive forthe development of late blight onthese leftover volunteer potatotubers and developing shoots.However, the hot dry conditionsduring last July 2011 were notconducive for the development orspread of this disease last summer

and the disease halted. Unfortunately cool tempera-

tures with frequent rains returnedin September to some regions ofthe province which were ideal forthe pathogen to build up againand spread but too late for thewidespread occurrence that wasobserved in Ontario during 2009.Nevertheless, some tomato fieldswere hit very hard by this diseaselast fall particularly in fresh mar-ket tomatoes in fields east ofToronto and in eastern Ontario.

Over the past two years, a lateblight survey was conductedacross Canada including Ontario.Two new strains, US-22 and US-25 were found infecting tomatoesin Ontario during 2010 and againin 2011(Table 1). Strain US-22was the most widespread ontomato transplants back in 2009which spread around easternNorth America. The US-22 straincan infect both potato and tomatobut is more aggressive on toma-toes resulting in severe diseasecompared to potato. Interestingly,scientists have determined thatstrain US-22 is sensitive to meta-laxyl, the active ingredient inRidomil. The US-22 strainbelongs to the A2 mating typeand if it happens to colonize thesame tissue as one of the A1 mat-

ing types, new strains can devel-op. In addition, mating of oppo-site mating types can result in theproduction of very persistentoospores. Not much is knownabout the US-25 strain which iscurrently being tested for matingtype and metalaxyl sensitivity atthe University of Manitoba.

It is not known what newstrains will emerge in the futureand what additional managementpractices and tools will berequired to limit the spread of lateblight. The late blight survey inCanada will continue until 2013.Tomato and potato growers whoencounter late blight in theirfields during 2012 are encouragedto send in samples either toAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada or contact JaniceLeBoeuf, OMAFRA Vegetable

Specialist, Ridgetown Ontario orMichael Celetti, OMARFA Plant

Pathologist, Horticulture CropProgram Lead, Guelph Ontario

THE GROWERJUNE 2012 –– PAGE 19

Tomato late blight strains during 2011 in Ontario

Always read and follow label directions. Regalia is a registered trademark of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. © May 2011 Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc.

Techincal support provided by:

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The best offense is a good defense.So switch on your crops’natural defensesto control disease with Regalia Maxx.

NEWTable 1. Strains of the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans found in Ontario during 2010 and 2011.

VEGETABLE FOCUS

Figure 1. Advanced late blight symptoms on a tomato leaf appear asbrown lesions often surrounded by a light green or yellow margin orhalo.

Strain Predominant Host Mating TypeMetalaxylSensitive

Year2010 2011

US-8 Potato (frequently associated withtuber infections)

A2 No 1 0

US-11 Tomato A1 No 1 1

US-22 Tomato A2 Yes 1 11

US-24 Potato A1 Yes 1 0

US-25 Tomato ? ? 1 5

JOHN MOLENHUISBUSINESS ANALYSIS ANDCOST OF PRODUCTIONPROGRAM LEAD

Costs have been increasing;this is not news to anyone. It isimportant with increasing costs tomake sure every dollar spent isspent wisely. In financial termsthis is referred to as financial effi-ciency. Financial efficiency looksat how well farms are using theirinputs (or spending their money)to maximize revenue.

Given that costs are increasingfor everyone, are there somefarms doing a better job of man-aging those costs and are moreprofitable as a result? To explorethis a little further we will look atthe financial results of the fieldfresh vegetables farm type in the

Towards Increased Profits (TIP)report. The TIP report usesAgriStability data to compare thefinancial performance of the indi-vidual farm operation to an indus-try benchmark based on theirfarm type and income range.

Being low cost is one thing;being low cost while still maxi-mizing revenue can be anotherthing. To account for this, theTIP report does not just look atthe lowest cost producers; itrelates it back to revenue andmeasures expenses as a per centof gross farming revenue. Thisgives an indication of financialefficiency.

Figure 1 shows cash operatingcost results for five gross salesranges in the field fresh vegeta-bles farm type for the 2010 year.The results are divided into the

high 25 per cent cost producers,the median or middle value of allproducers and the low 25 per centcost producers. Any numberunder 100 per cent means costswere less than revenue and thefarms made money on a cashbasis. The first sales group, $0 -$50,000, has the biggest rangebetween low cost and high cost.It evens out more in the largersales ranges but in each groupthere is still a fairly large gapbetween the high and low.

The $100,001 to $500,000 hadthe largest number of farms (218)so let’s drill down a little deeperin this sales range. Figure 2shows where the field fresh veg-etable farms spent their money.For this group the average farmspent 22 per cent of their revenueon direct expenses such as seed,fertilizer and pesticides. But the

range between low cost and highcost was significant with the low-est cost producer spending 15 percent of their revenue where thehighest cost group spent 30 percent. Put another way, the lowcost producers were able to gen-erate $100 in sales with only $15of direct expenses while the highcost producers needed $30 tomake that same $100 in sales.

One of the largest expenseitems for many vegetable opera-tions is labour. From Figure 2 youcan see the farms spent, on aver-age, 23 per cent of their revenueon labour costs. Again the rangewas big with the high cost groupat 30 per cent spending doublethe low cost group at per cent.

Clearly the low cost producersare managing their costs differ-ently, and able to do it withoutsacrificing revenue.

Understanding where youspend your money is an importantfirst step in cost control.Wondering where you fit intothese numbers? If you do notalready receive the TIP reportevery year, the first step is torequest a TIP report on yourAgriStability application form.

As a second step, Ontario pro-ducers may be able to access theFarm Financial Assessment costshare component of the GrowingForward Business Developmentfor Farm Businesses initiative towork with an advisor on adetailed cost of production analy-sis. More details on GrowingForward Business Developmentfor Farm Businesses can be foundat:www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/growingforward/busdev.htm.

THE GROWER

PAGE 20 –– JUNE 2012

Spraying transplant vegetable row middles – what are your options?KRISTEN CALLOW, OMAFRA WEEDMANAGEMENT PROGRAM LEAD –HORTICULTURE

There has been a lot of interest in spray-ing the row middles of vegetable transplantfields with herbicides using hoodedsprayers. Is this a good idea? Well . . . itdepends on the herbicide. Some growershave questioned whether or not glyphosatecan be sprayed. This is not a labelled useand is definitely not a good idea. Why?Just take a look at Figures 1 through 3which show the impact of glyphosate drifton tomatoes and cucurbits and Figure 4which shows glyphosate drift on strawber-ry using a hooded sprayer. Other reasonsinclude:

1. Drift could occur. No matter how care-ful you are, wind can get under the hoodedsprayer, you could drive over a rock, youcould forget to turn off the sprayer whenturning around on headlands, all resultingin drift.2. Drift of glyphosate typically results indead plants. Glyphosate is absorbed into

green leaves or green stems. Once there,glyphosate moves or "translocates"throughout the plant, eventually causingwilting, yellowing - followed by completebrowning, deterioration of plant tissue andultimate decomposition of the undergroundroots and rhizomes (dead plants).3. Knowledge of how long glyphosatetakes to break down on plastic mulch is notknown. Some formulations of glyphosatehave been manufactured with surfactantsincluded and the potential for residues inplastic mulch are also not known. So, canthe glyphosate stay active on the plasticmulch resulting in exposure when growingplant foliage reaches it? This is notknown. We do know that glyphosate isbroken down quickly by microbes in thesoil.

The only herbicide currently labelled forweed control in row middles with a hoodedsprayer is carfentrazone – ethyl (Aim EC).Carfentrazone-ethyl is taken up through thefoliage, not readily translocated and has noresidual in soil. If drift occurs with carfen-trazone-ethyl the leaf tissue will simplybrown and burn on contact.

VEGETABLE FOCUS

Cost control – is that even possible?

Figure 4. Glyphosate drift on strawberryFigure 3. Glyphosate injury on cucurbit

Figure 2. Glyphosate injury on tomato.Photo courtesy of Janice LeBoeuf

Figure 1. Glyphosate drift on tomatoPhoto courtesy of Janice LeBoeuf

THE GROWER

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 21

CANTUS is a trade-mark of BASF SE, used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. AGSOLUTIONS is a registered trade-marks of BASF Corporation, used with permission by BASF Canada Inc.Photo Credit: Gualtiero Boffi via BigStockPhoto © 2012 BASF. ALWAYS READAND FOLLOW LABELDIRECTIONS.

Precision.Reliability.Confidence.

Target disease with

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For more information on CANTUS

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Technical support provided by:

TM

The British Columbia govern-ment is making $2 million avail-able to help replant low-valueorchards with high-demand vari-eties. This is a “right variety,right size, right grade” strategyfor growers to deliver produce

that excels in the B.C. climate. “Our association has been

working with the province onways to bring sustainability to ourindustry, through the formation ofthe Tree Fruit Industry WorkingGroup and its recommendation

for a replant program,” saidKirpal Boparai, BCFGA president.

The program, which alsoincludes a grafting and buddingcomponent, will operate for threeyears. Growers can apply to par-

ticipate in the program at anytime. The B.C. Fruit Growers’Association will administrate theprogram along with the B.C.Investment AgricultureFoundation.

B.C. produced 97,000 tonnes

of apples in 2011, with about 75per cent sold in western Canada.B.C. also had apple exports of$11 million to the U.S. and $1million split between Mexico andVietnam.

BITS AND BITES

Okanagan fruit sector receives $2 million for replant program

Some growers in British Columbia’sOkanagan valley are worried by the intro-duction of genetically modified crops.That’s because the Canadian FoodInspection Agency has received an applica-tion for the genetically modified Arcticapple. Its non-browning trait results fromsilencing the browning gene.

"I’m not concerned about the sciencebehind it; I’m not a scientist,” saysSummerland orchardist, Joe Sardinha. “

From my standpoint as a producer, I’mconcerned that, with genetic modification,consumers could easily feel that their pris-tine apple suddenly has a component thatthey’re not confident in."

"There are plenty of ways to keep thoseapples fresh with some very simple natur-al-occurring things like citric acid. In thisparticular case, the trait is only the non-browning feature. We already have a natu-rally selected apple that has that," he said.

Last year, the B.C. Fruit Growers’Association passed a resolution against theintroduction of genetically modified fruit.

In a May 24 news release, OkanaganSpecialty Fruits reported that the publiccomment period is proceeding smoothlyfor its non-browning Arctic Golden andArctic Granny apples.

“We are very pleased to see the strongprogress we are making toward reachingthe market in Canada,” said Neal Carter,

himself an apple and cherry grower.“We’re confident this public commentopportunity will reassure consumers andproducers alike that Arctic Apples addressbrowning in an innocuous way, so that wecan move on to the work of getting morepeople eating more apples.”

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA) posted the notice of submission onMay 3, kickstarting the public inputprocess.

GM apple raises concern

Kelowna, BC – Favourable weatherhas blessed the cherry crop, accordingto BC Tree Fruits, a part of theOkanagan Tree Fruit Cooperativewhich is owned by more than 500local growers. An eight-millionpound crop is anticipated with firstpick expected to land in grocerystores by end of June.

That’s almost double the 4.6 mil-lion pounds harvested last year,

according to BC Tree Fruits’ seniorfield advisor, Hank Markgraf. “Amild winter and an early and hotspring led to our cherry trees bloom-ing three to five days ahead of lastyear,” says Markgraf. “We werelucky that we didn’t experience anyfrost issues that other parts of Canadaexperienced.”

“Cherry season is always one ofthe most anticipated among con-

sumers,” added marketing managerChris Pollock. “We are excited toincrease our production from last yearand to see fresh BC cherries in gro-cery stores longer.” The cherry crop is expected to extendto the end of August. Other fruits will benefit. BC TreeFruits also markets and distributesapples, pears, peaches, apricots, pruneplums and blueberries.

Large cherry crop expected in British Columbia

THE GROWER

MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011

CONTAINERS

PAGE 22 –– JUNE 2012

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THE GROWER

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JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 23

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THE GROWER

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PAGE 24 –– JUNE 2012

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New Holland TM 125 4wd tractor4200 hours, $38,000; Diesel selfpropelled Onion Harvester,$6,500; Univerco Onion Puller,$12,500; Pickling OnionEquipment (combine, digger,grading line) $7,500; Howard 10foot Rototiller, 4,200; 2705 MFTractor, $8,200; 2775 MFTractor, $12,700; IrrigationPackage including 100 pieces - 5inch pipe, 21 Wade Rain 5 inchhop-a-longs, 7 Nelson irrigationguns and Rovatti PTO drivenIrrigation Pump $13,400; 250Used Hardwood Carrot/OnionTotes, $35 each; Stanhay BeltPlanter 4-row, $4,200; Drum style2 row bedder, $1,500; IrrigationPipe: 6 inch, $110 each; 4 inch,$45 each; 3 inch, $30 each; PipeFittings (call for pricing); CallLeamington 519-326-0093 or e-mail brunojmb@gmail.com

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THE GROWER

MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011

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JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 25

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THE GROWER

PAGE 26 –– JUNE 2012

The cost of doing business isnever just about the straight costof goods or services provided oravailed. Every grower knowsabout “giving back” in one formor another. So, too, is it for thecompanies we deal with, or atleast most of them. Likewise, theprice of goods and servicesincludes (usually) something tocover these ‘extras.’ They arenever truly free.

In late March at the CanadianMinor Use Priority Setting meet-ings we all witnessed many com-panies who agreed to projects onminor uses that do not and cannotbe justified solely from a futuresales perspective. These compa-nies will provide data, staff timeand regulatory time to help thePest Management Centre (PMC)get the use on a label.

Not every company partici-pates, however. This year therewere some who got no request fortheir product, maybe in part dueto their lack of willingness in thepast. Some companies also pro-

vide even more than that--theyare proactive in their own right indoing the work and labelingminor uses from day one with thenew actives. There are increasingnumbers of these happening. Inspite of this, some companies arestill reluctant to even participatein joint reviews, let alone labelminor uses themselves. It wouldtake about $150,000 a piece forthe PMC to do the work to regis-ter these after the fact. The sav-ings are enormous, but onceagain, not all companies are onboard. That is part of the reason itis taking so long to close the‘Technology Gap,’and why westill do work on old compounds.

When it comes to giving outthings, it is often the same com-panies who provide assistancewhere needed. I have read about acompany who helped to put anew roof on a curling club in asmall town in the west. Local pro-jects like these build good willand better relationships, and thetown may have otherwise seentheir facility close without thatkind of help. A win-win foreveryone! Others have underwrit-ten the costs of Masters and PhDstudents who may otherwise havenot been able to get that training.I have seen donations made tonumerous community eventsacross Canada. I have heard ofstaff time given to help managenational events and organizationslike 4-H. Many types of steward-ship programs would never getoff the ground without companyhelp. Suffice to say that thesetypes of ‘giving back’ do help,

but rarely get the notice or thethanks they deserve.

At the same time, there aresome who do nothing. The con-tribute nothing. They do not sendstaff to CropLife ProvincialCouncils to help in local pro-grams. Their staff are not encour-aged or supported to give back inany way. Some say it is to bemore competitive. I do not agree!Some feel that it is ‘someoneelse’s job.’ I do not agree!

The days when a ‘free’ hat wasenough to get a sale are gone. Sotoo are the days when one onlyshopped at the same outlet thatgrandpa did in his day. We tendto shop widely, travel widely, andhave information at our fingertipson price, value, service, and ‘pro-grams’ before we decide on whoto buy from. Perhaps anotherintangible is that often-hiddenextra value. It may not be thedetermining factor when pricesvary widely. It may never be theonly factor that comes into play.It could be the factor when allother considerations are on thetable. I guess I would rather buyfrom a solid citizen who givesback in my community, when Iget the chance.

Most of these (The GoodOnes) kinds of companies doNOT go around talking aboutwhat they do. In fact, just askingthem seems to put them on thedefensive side. I know the differ-ence between a braggart and aproud donor. I have seen ‘well-off’ community membersextolling their own virtues, andthe needy giving all they can

spare when it is more than theycan afford. The quiet and thought-ful giving strikes a chord muchdeeper than the very public andoutspoken ‘generosity’ of someothers. At the same time, I thinkthere are few growers who knowor appreciate the giving that doesgo on. The local dealers may alsonot know about it either.

Likewise, I know of manygrowers who make their quietdonations to local groups, needyindividuals, and their time toorganizations. In fact, over 200growers gathered in Ottawa just afew weeks ago to attend theCanadian Horticultural Council.This was unpaid time away fromtheir farms and families to pro-vide their wisdom and expertiseon behalf of all CanadianHorticulture producers. This wasgiving to their friends and neigh-bours, even if not thought of inthat way. If you know of such aperson, take a moment to thankthem! They may have once againsaved you money in ways younever dreamed possible. Whenyou meet reps from the variouscompanies you buy from, askthem how their company givesback. Ask them how their compa-ny is worthy of your business. Ifyou don’t ask they may never tellyou. If they have no answer youmay reconsider your buyer’s alle-giance.

I also encourage those reticentcompanies to be more open inwhat they do. I may have first-hand knowledge of just a fractionof what is given, but I certainlywish I knew more. I also wish

others could appreciate thebehind-the-scenes work going on.

There is another way that giv-ing back can help. Just telling astranger or a non-ag neighbourthe story of agriculture as prac-tised on your farm will build animportant bridge of understand-ing. Many growers host tours ontheir properties each year, and usethe opportunity to tell “our” story.Not everyone can afford to giveat the same level. However, whenyou give what you can, everyoneis better off, and believe me whenI suggest YOU will feel bettertoo.

Price is never the ONLY thing.The following is just one

example of what I call ‘GivingBack.’

Annual Sponsorship of theOntario Grower and VendorPesticide CertificationPrograms

Platinum: $10,000 BASFGold: $4000 N.M. BartlettSilver: $1,000 FMC Canada

and Engage AgroBronze: $500 Cheminova andBusy Bee Beekeeping Supplies

I also acknowledge the$10,000 contribution of SyngentaCanada towards publication #75Weed Control to put the tabs inthe book.

Thanks to each of them, and tothe others who have ‘done theirbit’ that I have not been privy to!!

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Giving back

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

The greenhouse and potato industriesare impacted by an extensive range ofpests, diseases and weeds which threatenthe two industries’ access to foreign anddomestic markets. Since 1990 the potatoindustry has dealt with PVY (potato virusY), potato wart and golden nematodewhich have resulted in significant financialimpacts for growers.

The greenhouse industry has dealt witha number of pests, including most recentlyMacrolophus, false codling moth, TutaAbsoluta and pepper weevil. The industry’sability to meet biosecurity challenges andmaintain access to foreign and domestic

markets is dependent on a program struc-ture which will provide incentives for thereporting of plant pest incursions.An agreement between the CHC andAAFC was signed late in 2011 for fundingunder the AAFC Canadian AgriculturalAdaptation Program (CAAP) to initiate aplan for a plant pest response program thatwill provide a nationally consistent guide-line for preparedness and prevention,response procedures and mechanisms forfinancial redress in the event of emergencyplant pest incursions. International plantpest response plans are being reviewed toidentify their respective best practices and

compensation mechanisms. Secondly, asurvey of growers in identified countrieswill be conducted through their nationalorganizations to identify the importantcomponents of the national programs. Thisinformation will be used to establish theframework of a national plant pestresponse plan.

For further information please contact:Greenhouse related inquiries, CraigAnderson, Commodity Coordinator: can-derson@hortcouncil.caPotato related inquiries David Jones,Manager, Potato Industry Coordination:djones@hortcouncil.ca

National Plant Pest Response Plan underway

Pepper weevil

Kin-Gro, a plant growth regulator (PGR) has been recent-ly registered by the CanadianFood Inspection Agency under registrant AgroChem Inc. Thedistributor’s news release saysthe product significantly increas-es yield of field and greenhousegrown peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and eggplant.Kin-Gro is a 0.5 per cent concentration of the plant hormone cytokinin (present asKinetin). Cytokinins are responsible for cell division andare found naturally in the apicalbuds, young leaves, flowers anddeveloping seeds. When appliedfoliarly at specific stages of plantgrowth (leaf expansion, pollination and flowering) Kin-Gro will increase cell division and result in significantyield. As indicated on the label,Kin-Gro has been shown toincrease the number and size offlowers/fruit, plant weight, rootweight, crop quality and yield.

Kin-Gro is available in a 1L,4L and 10L jug from Kam’sGrowers Supply, a Canadiancompany based in Guelph,Ontario that supplies commercialgrowers with a full range of plantgrowth regulators, fertilizer(water soluble and slow release)and crop protection products. Formore information, please call877-821-1684 or email: jfordyce@kams.ca.Source: Kam’s Growers Supplynews release

THE GROWER

Callisto 480SC registered to control weeds in asparagus

JUNE 2012 –– PAGE 27

JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USECOORDINATOR, GUELPH

The Pest Management RegulatoryAgency (PMRA) recently announced theapproval of a minor use label expansion forCallisto 480SC herbicide (mesotrione) forcontrol of weeds on established asparagusin Canada. Callisto herbicide was alreadylabeled for management of weeds on corn,mesotrione-tolerant soybeans, cranberriesand blueberries in Canada.

This minor use submission was spon-sored in 2010 by the minor use office ofOMAFRA in response to minor use priori-ties identified by producers and extensionpersonnel in Canada.

Weed control is an important compo-nent of asparagus production and has beenidentified as a priority by producers forseveral years. The registration of Callistoherbicide is an important step towardsobtaining an effective and useful weedmanagement and resistance managementtoolkit.

The following is provided as a generaloutline only. Users should consult the com-plete label before using Callisto 480SCherbicide.

Callisto herbicide can be used on estab-lished asparagus plantations only. Callistocan be applied at a rate of 0.3 L per ha in100 – 200 L water per ha after fern mow-ing, disking or other tillage operations butprior to spear emergence. Only one application per yearis permitted.

Callisto herbicide should be used in anintegrated weed management program andin rotation with other management strate-gies. Follow all other precautions anddirections for use on the Callisto herbicidelabel.

For copies of the new supplementallabel contact Kristen Callow, OMAFRA,Ridgetown (519) 674-1335, Elaine Roddy,OMAFRA, Ridgetown (519) 674-1616 orvisit the Syngenta Canada website atwww.syngenta.com.

MINOR USE

Company Name:

Address:

City: Prov./State:

Postal Code/Zip:

Tel:

Fax:

General Email:

Mailing Address �if different than above�:

Website:

Year Established:

Products:

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers� Association�s second bi-annual, industry-wide, universal guide assists farmersin finding companies and organizations within the fruit and vegetable sector.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is bringing the industry together, again – and you can help. If youare interested in being listed, FREE of charge, merely fill out the information below and fax it back to 519-380-0011 .

This resource guide will be sent out via The Grower throughout Canada, providing fruit and vegetable farmers with avaluable contact tool for future reference. While keeping it as simple as possible, the guide will be broken into 12sections for ease of management and accessibility for the farmers using it.

This is one booklet that will always be on-hand with fruit and vegetable farmers in Canada – count on it.

The sections for the guide are as follows �please circle each applicable section for your business�:Equipment Pollination Seed RootstockIrrigation Greenhouse Packaging ContainerCrop protection Fertilizer Miscellaneous Farm Organizations

It’s literally a “Who’s Who” for the fruit and vegetable industry. Don’t be left behind.Get your information in today.

For advertising in the guide, contact Herb Sherwood who will be happy toexplain other options aside from the FREE listing.Ph: 519-380-0118 Fax: 1-519-380-0011Email: advertising@thegrower.org

Pricing

Back Page. . . $1,250 Inside back. . .$1,100 Inside Front . . . $1,100Page 3 . . . $1,100 Full Page . . . $975 3/4 Page . . . $8501/2 page . . . $625 1/4 page . . . $375Process Colour is available on all pages and is included in cost per page

Registered:plantgrowthregulator

THE GROWER

PAGE 28 –– JUNE 2012

Grapes worth celebratingPURE PROTECTION LEADS TO PURE PERFECTION

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Introducing PureSpray GREEN Spray Oil 13E, from the largest

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purity levels on the market with CAS# 8042-47-5. This means it’s

formulated with 99.9% pure isoparaffin base oils and is guaranteed

to be free of aromatics, which harm the food chain. And since

it’s suitable for organic production, both organic and traditional

growers can benefit from its many strengths.

PureSpray GREEN Spray Oil 13E effectively protects your high value

grape crop by quickly controlling pests and disease, and providing

extended protection within your IPM program. All without any

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So use it early to avoid the need for traditional toxic chemicals later.

As many pesticides are being delisted, your choices are limited and

becoming more so every day. So when you have a choice to make,

be sure to choose the purest – PureSpray GREEN Spray Oil 13E.

It’s an effective choice with unlimited possibilities. For more product

information visit www.purespraygreen.com/grapes.

TMTrademark of Suncor Energy Inc. Used under licence.

TM k ofrademarTTr

y Inc.f Suncor Energ Used under lic

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