the grower newspaper november 2010
DESCRIPTION
Volume 60 Number 11TRANSCRIPT
InsideB.C. greenhouse grower surveys the next decade Page 4
Foodland Ontario tweaks its logo Page 6
FOCUS: Seeds and rootstock Page 11
www.thegrower.org
By Karen DavidsonTelling a good story is like
peeling an onion. The everyday ismade dramatic with the aromatic.
The Holland Marsh Growers’Association (HMGA) has madean art of telling an earthy storyabout vegetables that usuallydon’t get hero status. At their first-ever Soupfest in mid-October,they attracted 3,000 visitors slurp-ing everything from squash to pur-ple carrot soup. In all, there were28 farmer-made soups on offer. Itdidn’t hurt to invite all the otherlocal farmers with dairy products,honey and artisanal wares.
“Freshness matters,” declaresJamie Reaume, executive director,HMGA. “Local Food Plus carriedout a survey with consumers blindtasting soups with California-sourced ingredients against soupswith Holland Marsh-sourcedingredients. It’s totally unscientif-ic, but the Ontario soups won.”
The soup celebration is timedto coincide with root vegetableharvest so that visitors can seemachinery at work. All those visu-als are ideal for TV camera crewsthat love to get out of the city ofToronto – just for an hour – andreturn in time for six o’clockdeadlines.
“We have some very media-savvy farmers in the HollandMarsh,” says Reaume. “JasonVerkaik is a hit on Breakfast TVwith his purple carrots.”
Farmers are slowly becomingthe next media superstars. Theyare where chefs were 10 yearsago, when Food Network TV wasborn. It’s a concept that Reaume
has exploited with “The FreshLife” series on SunTV. SeveralHolland Marsh farmers cook withchefs, explaining how the rawingredients are grown, sprinklingin a few fun facts for good mea-sure. Enough footage has beengathered that a documentary couldbe in the works in the year ahead.
Other commodity groups areforging links to culinary celebri-ties. The Prince Edward IslandPotato Growers are launching anon-line cooking show withMichael Smith, the native sonwho has several shows on FoodNetwork TV. Called FoodCountry, the show has alreadytaped chair Boyd Rose and direc-tor Kevin MacIsaac in the fieldwith Smith digging up differentvarieties of potatoes and thenshowing how they are prepared inthe kitchen.
“This is a new way to use foodmedia,” explains Kendra Mills,communications director for thePEI Potato Growers. “Research istelling us that consumers are tak-ing their laptops right into thekitchen for inspiration.”
In addition to this project,growers recently taped in the fieldfor CBC’s Rick Mercer Show thatwill be aired November 9.Coincidentally to be aired whilethe growers are attending theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair,the show will give a fun spin tothe spud.
“The Royal is a huge consumershow for us,” says Mills. “Wedon’t have a big budget, so weneed to spend carefully.
Continued on page 3
The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association has coined the term “soup bowl” for their prodigious production of onions, carrots and celery. This vegetable trio is the aromatic base for most homemadesoups. Here, Doug Van Luyk shows his 2010 onion harvest near Newmarket, Ontario. Just a few of theseonions along with carrots, parsnips, kale and leafy greens will be sold at a new farmers’ market at theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair, November 5 to 14.
J.M. Smucker to close Ontario Bick’s pickle and processing plants
CELEBRATING 130 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATIONNOVEMBER 2010 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 11
By Karen DavidsonAmerican multinational J. M.
Smucker is consolidating produc-tion in the U.S. with the plannedclosure of its Ontario pickle plantafter the 2011 growing season,throwing 150 employees out ofwork and ending contracts for 130cucumber growers. The well-known company has a tank farmnorth of Delhi and a vegetableprocessing facility in Dunnville,affecting another 35 pepper grow-ers and five red beet growers.
“Any time you lose diversifi-cation, it’s very disappointing,”says Marshall Schuyler, Simcoe,Ontario, holder of a significantcucumber and red beet contract.“I can’t say I was surprised
because they have been downsiz-ing for several years and notgrowing their business. I’ll belooking for alternative opportuni-ties in cucumbers, but am not opti-mistic.”
According to a corporate newsrelease, the decision will moveproduction to third-party manu-facturers in the U.S. and a facilityat Ripon, Wisconsin for savingsof eight million dollars.
The Smucker’s plant buysabout one-third of Ontario’scucumber crop for its popularBick’s brand. Other processorssuch as Hartung and Strubs maynot be able to absorb the tonnage.In the last couple years, U.S.based Hartung -- now the second-
largest processor in the market --has been a welcome buyer ofOntario’s high quality, hand-har-vested cucumbers.
“It’s never a good thing when aprocessor closes in your backyard,” says Al Krueger, executiveassistant, Ontario ProcessingVegetable Growers.
When Smuckers bought theplant, he says their focus waspurely on the Bick’s brand,eschewing a strategy of supplyingprivate brand pickles. That deci-sion may have cost dearly, how-ever, as reduced volumes and theresulting rising overhead wouldhave impacted profitability.Unfortunately, the possible resultis an iconic Canadian brand being
supplied by a U.S. plant.The announcement sets back
the sand plains diversificationplan where farmers have beenshifting out of tobacco says ChrisVan Paassen, chair, NorfolkAgricultural Advisory Committee.
“Cucumbers were a natural fitfor the skills of our local farmers,”says Van Paassen. “This situationspeaks to the fact that Canadadoes not have a national foodstrategy. It’s a cheap food policy.Until we have a sustainable farmpolicy, we’re at the whim ofimporters and multinationals.”
The ultimate pickle crunch willcome in 2012. Who will take upthe volume?
The best storytellerswin media coverage
P.M. 40012319
New import requirementsslated for Dec. 1
In order to better regulate theimport of fruits and vegetablesinto Canada, the Canadian FoodInspection Agency (CFIA) willimplement new requirements onDecember 1 this year.
Under the Licensing and Arbi-tration Regulations, Canadian pur-chasers of fresh fruit and vegeta-bles are required to be licensedwith the CFIA and/or be a memberof the Dispute Resolution Corpo-ration (DRC), if they are notexempt from the Regulations.
On December 1, 2010, theCFIA federal produce licencenumber, or alternatively the Canadian DRC membership num-ber, or a declaration of exemptionwill be required to be part of thesubmission of import documentsfor shipments of fresh fruits andvegetables coming to Canada.This will improve the informationavailable regarding the identity ofthe importers and traceability ofproduct.
The new requirements relate todeclaring in box 22 on the Confir-mation of Sale (COS) form or inthe “Registration Requirements”field, if transmitting import infor-mation electronically, one or moreof the following:• when importing any type of produce, a CFIA federal producelicence number, a Dispute Resolu-tion Corporation (DRC) member-ship number or an exemption• when importing cantaloupesfrom Mexico, the name of thegrower/packer company• when importing leafy greensfrom California, the name of thesignatory handler
If you have any questions,please contact CFIA, John Woodat 204-984-6188 or Ian MacKen-zie (416)259-7827 ext 231 [email protected].
November 30 deadline forlabour survey
The Horticulture Value ChainRoundtable is surveying growersfor input on innovation and labourissues. Complete details are onpage 24. The deadline is Novem-ber 30.
Ontario growers to linkwith public sector
While details are vague, theOntario government announced onOctober 4 that the Broader PublicSector Investment Fund will helpconnect farmers, food processorsand distributors in getting localfoods into public institutions suchas schools, hospitals and municipalities.
The initiative is administeredby the Greenbelt Fund, a sister
organization of the Friends of theGreenbelt Foundation. The firstround of applications will beaccepted until November 1, 2010.Details are available by visitingwww.Ontariofresh.ca.
This initiative will fund localprojects that encourage businessbetween institutions and farmers.It will develop an electronic mar-ketplace linking buyers and sellersacross Ontario. And a province-wide report will track positive support of local foods in the publicsector.
“As a large public institution,the University of Toronto is look-ing forward to enhancing our localfood-buying efforts with this pro-gram,” says Jaco Lokker, directorof food service, University ofToronto. “This kind of fundingwill enable universities and otherpublic institutions to make signifi-cant additional purchases ofOntario food.”
CanadaGAP stakeholdersmeeting planned for
March 2011
CanadaGAP program partici-pants, Canadian HorticulturalCouncil (CHC) members, certifi-cation bodies, auditors and cus-tomer representatives are invitedto participate in a discussion aboutthe program. This meeting will beheld before the CHC’s annual general meeting on March 8between 1:30 pm and 4 pm at TheWestin, Ottawa.
There is no registration fee, butadvance registration is required.A survey will be issued in advanceof the meeting. For more informa-tion, email [email protected]
PAGE 2 –– NOVEMBER 2010
THE GROWER
NEWSMAKERSThe Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission hasannounced the appointment of Don Taylor as chair of theOntario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers effective November 1.He replaces Len Roozen who has served three years in the position. Taylor comes with a 32-year career with the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) invarious roles. He was a member of OMAFRA’s ExecutiveCommittee for eight years with Assistant Deputy Ministerresponsibility for agriculture and food research, agriculturaladvisory service delivery and economic development and regulatory programming targeting Ontario’s food industry. Hehas also served as chair of the Farm Products Marketing Commission and as OMAFRA’s Chief Administrative Officer.
Bruce Christie, past chair of the Ontario Farm Animal Council,has been elected chair of Farm Care Foundation, a new charita-ble foundation to support outreach pertaining to farmers, farmsand food. For more details, see page 23.
Ontario’s new deputy minister of agriculture is John Burke.He moves from deputy minister, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Previous to that posting, heserved as deputy minister to the Municipal Affairs and Housingportfolio as well as Natural Resources.
Maria Van Bommel, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, isnow parliamentary assistant to Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s agriculture minister. She was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Agri-Business Women’s Symposium held in Guelph,ON.
Garlic and fresh vegetable grower Mark Wales is now a municipal councillor for Malahide Township in Elgin County.He was acclaimed prior to the Oct. 25 municipal elections.
Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc.(OAFE) has named KatelynMcEachren as coordinator of the new Teacher Ambassador program. With recent experience at Canada’s Outdoor FarmShow and degrees in both agricultural science and education,McEachren comes well-equipped to spark a drive for 100 teach-ers to act as point people within their school boards in the nextyear. OAFE provides curriculum-linked agricultural resourcesto more than two million students across the province.
Donna Cobbledick, executive coordinator for the CanadianGreenhouse Conference for 23 years, is retiring for more family time. She has overseen tremendous growth of the tradeshow from 60 booths to more than 250. Her duties will be inherited by Carol Pupo. Her husband Bob Cobbledickremains conference manager who will be overseeing the eventin a new location, the Niagara Convention Centre, in 2011.
Bette Jean Crews has announced her intentions to run for re-election as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.Don McCabe, currently a vice-chair, has also put his hat in thering. The election will be held at the annual general meetingNovember 22 and 23 in Toronto.
Celebrating 50 years in business is Keith Kuhl, his father Johnand sons Marlon and Jeremy. Based at Winkler, Manitoba,Southern Manitoba Potato grows 5,500 acres of potatoes, wheat,canola, soybeans and corn. Kuhl is currently chair of the Canadian Horticultural Council’s potato executive committee.
At press time…
Correction: In last month’s issue, Vegetable Viewpoint contained an error. In
the article “Herbicide Resistance: It’s here and needs your manage-ment,” the first paragraph referred to 2.4 million acres. The figureshould be 11.4 million acres.
Pumpkin harvest at the farm ofTom Komienski, Scotland, ON.
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 3THE GROWER
Continued from page 1We pick up tidbits that inform us
how to micro-tune our marketing.” For example, last year con-
sumers said they loved PEI pota-toes but didn’t know where to findthem. This year, PEI samples willbe accompanied by a card that listsretailers. The give-away also tiesto the second launch of “Pack yourAppetite” contest.
“We have a unique story totell,” says Mills. “Our island, ourred soil, our multi-generationalfarmers - that’s gold. We comefrom an authentic place.”
Urban consumers are more predisposed to these messageswhen they attend fairs. And that’sexactly why the apple competitionhas been revived at the RoyalAgricultural Winter Fair. Now inits third year, the competition willbe showcasing heritage, new andcommercial varieties, says Brian
Gilroy, chair, Ontario AppleGrowers. There’s also a class forheaviest apple. “We’ve seen somewhoppers weighing in at twopounds,” says Gilroy. While theseunusual apples may get theircameo moment in the cameraspotlight, it’s the display of somany varieties that engage con-sumers, right from McIntoshthrough to Ambrosia. Entries willbe displayed from British Colum-bia, Ontario, Quebec and NovaScotia.
With a recent survey fromFarmers Feed Cities discoveringthat half of Ontarians have little tono knowledge about farms, there’sample incentive to tell the story.Onions, potatoes, apples – they’reall tasty ingredients in a soupbowl. What’s the media recipe? Anews hook, a newsmaker and avisual.
The best storytellers win media coverage
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PEI potato farmer Jason Webster (R) takes a moment from filming to pose with Rick Mercer of CBC fame.The harvest shoot will air November 9.
Recipe for Soupfest success: involve the community
A friendly competition always jumpstarts creative juices. Here are some of the soup categories and their winners.
Farm Fresh / Homemade - Dingo Farms - Outstanding Oxtail
Restaurant / Caterers - Amaya Indian Room - Roasted Corn
Educational and Community Groups - Muskoka District Chefs Association - Potato Leek
Honourable Mention - Beretta Organics -Split Pea and Ham
Most Creative/Unique - The Club at Bond Head - Organic Tomato and Scallion Consomme
Best Texture - Georgian College - Beer and Onion
Watch these stories unfold at the RoyalAgri-trekking game offers
window to Ontario counties
There’s a reason that a big apple is at thegateway of the Journey to your Good Healthpavilion at the Royal Agricultural WinterFair. It invites everyone to take a bite ofinformation. Ontario Agri-Food EducationInc (OAFE) owns the kiosk and with staffand volunteers, will be providing a roadmapof what to see and do within this “foodtain-ment” pavilion. (www.royalfair.org)
OAFE will also be unveiling its newinteractive resource, Agri-Trekking AcrossOntario. It’s a fun way for grade-five levelstudents to explore the counties and regionsof Ontario. Participants can manipulatepuzzle pieces to create a new geographicview of Ontario, while uncovering healthyeating facts and exploring food sources.
Canada Can Cook competition grillsemerging chefs
Count on a dash of friendly rivalrybetween Ontario’s chef schools as studentsprepare dishes from the winning cookbooks
of the Canadian Culinary Book Awards.Here’s a chance to see cauliflower rise tonew heights under the hand of Jeff Crumpwith the George Brown Chef School Team.Other schools include Liaison College,Georgian College and Stratford ChefsSchool. For the complete stage schedule onthe November 5- 7 competition, go to:www.cuisinecanadascene.com
Agriculture as a science career
CurioCity gets the spotlight as VinelandResearch and Innovation Centre partnerwith Let’s Talk Science on this new career-oriented program for teenagers.
Farmers’ market sells fresh produce With the rising popularity of farmers’
markets in urban areas, the concept has beenborrowed for the duration of the Royal.Find the Holland Marsh Growers’ Associa-tion and others in the Annex.
Sampling the bounty of the counties
The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’
Association will have its booth in the Journey to your Good Health pavilion, HallB, Direct Energy Centre.
November 5 - Ontario Potato GrowersNovember 6, 7 - Ontario Apple Growers
November 9 - Grape Growers of OntarioNovember 10 - Ontario Apple MarketersNovember 11 - Ontario Farm Fresh Marketers AssociationNovember 12, 13 - Ontario GreenhouseVegetable Growers
Left: Avia Eek, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, board member.
PAGE 4 –– NOVEMBER 2010
THE GROWER
CANADIAN GREENHOUSE CONFERENCE
Energy, not labour, will make the difference in the next decade By Karen Davidson
As the keynote speaker at therecent Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Casey Houwelingcommanded respect as mostgreenhouse growers know that hisbusiness straddles both sides of theCanadian-American border.
He is a second-generation grower as well as sole owner ofHouweling Hothouse, with 20hectares in Delta, British Colum-bia and a 50-hectare, state-of-the-art facility in Oxnard, Californiajust outside Los Angeles. No onedoes business in California without a steep education in environmental and labour law,Houweling admits, but it’s theinfluence of Mexico that permeates many decisions.
The Mexican exchange rate hascome down against the Americandollar, Houweling said. Mexico’sacreage continues to increase, particularly in the Baja peninsula.For the Mexicans, the definition ofgreenhouse can range from high-tech to plastic to an open field.
“The Mexicans are very dangerous to our market,” saidHouweling, “because if they comeon strong with a wave of tomatoes,we can go from $20 to $6 per casein an instant. Cheap labour is onlypart of the story.
• 4,000 people from 41 states and 10 Canadian provinces attended in 2009
• Informative education program for fruit and vegetable growers and farm marketers – 48 education sessions and workshops over three days
• Large trade show – last year’s show had 394 exhibitors covering four acres of exhibit space
• Pre-conference bus tour for farm marketers on Monday, December 6
One registration fee covers both conferences and the trade show!
(Specified workshops and tours require an additional fee)
On-line registration starts September 27. Register by November 12 to save on registration fees.
The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO
• 450 greenhouse growers from 26 states and 3 Canadian provinces attended in 2009
• Three days of education sessions and workshops for greenhouse growers
• Many greenhouse vendors in the trade show
• Greenhouse growers bus tour on Thursday, December 9
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“President of the Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture (AMHPAC), Mr. Cesar Campana statedthat the main problems still to work on are the lack of supply organization, health issues and food
security, as well as commercial disorder.”- Agri News Mexico – Summer Edition (June-August 2010), Agricultural Office Mexico
Continued on next page
Elgin County wants a piece ofEssex County’s greenhouse industry. The business strategywas clearly on record with a first-time booth at the Canadian Green-house Conference. What the twocounties have in common is theshores of Lake Erie, but somefinancial advantages may havebeen overlooked in the pastaccording to economic develop-ment officer Stephen Vanderen.
“Our agricultural real estate isgoing for $4100 per acre compared to $15,000 per acre inLeamington,” says Vanderen.“All the logistics are in place, with
proximity to the 401 and 402highways. We’re just 90 minutesfrom Buffalo, Sarnia and Windsor.”
He also cited a nearby labourforce in London, Ontario and thefact that infrastructure of naturalgas, plentiful water and three-phase hydro are all in place. The“buy local” initiative is strongwith a Savour Elgin program.
Both counties share a disad-vantage. As Casey Houwelingconcluded in his keynote address,“One of the biggest challenges ofLeamington is its distance to U.S.markets.”
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 5
Continued from page 4The further south you go, the moredifficult it is to grow organictomatoes. I’d say 50 per cent of theorganics grown in Mexico are notorganics.”
That said, Houweling doesn’tfigure that Mexico is greenhouseheaven. “Try to get a grower man-ager to live in Mexico – life’s tooshort,” he said. “You need a verygood Mexican business partnerand the hurdles are huge.”
What about the promise of Cali-fornia? Houweling, after all, hasinvested $55 million there so he’scommitted. There is no perfectlocation he said. The advantage oflight is offset, at times, by toomuch heat, and by pest pressures.
The advantage of being close tothe California market is offset bythe cost of doing business in California -- $1 million budgetedfor health care costs in 2011. It’salso expensive to truck product outof California to other markets.
All of this leads to energy. Oilprices affect freight If oil pricesrise, imagine the cost of plastic.Natural gas prices remain volatile.
To make matters even morecompetitive, the Canadian dollar islikely to strengthen in value vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar. “Be preparedto add 10 per cent!” advisedHouweling. He believes the U.S.will continue to struggle for thenext decade under their debt load,with current borrowings of $25billion every week.
For Canadians, what’s the com-petitive advantage? Locally grownis the hottest menu item for the1800 chefs reporting to a NationalRestaurant Association survey.For consumers, it’s not just aboutthe food miles, but about support-ing the local economy. For thisreason, Houweling counsels country-of-origin labeling: “It’sbetter to be a Canadian supplier tothe U.S. than a Mexican supplier.”
To take a step further, he said
that a Certified Greenhouse Grower program would differenti-ate product from field-grown. “Weneed to become year-round suppli-ers,” said Houweling. “We cannotafford to be fighting our way backinto the marketplace. That’s a verydangerous trend.”
For Canadian growers in theNAFTA environment, the industryboils down to becoming competi-tive on energy. Those costs areupfront costs which must be mitigated over the long term. “Setup beside an industrial facility sothat you can use its waste energy,”he advised. “Explore opportuni-ties in landfill gas. Wean off natural gas.”
Opportunities exist everywhere,said Houweling. Do your research.
Editor’s note: To see a video onHouweling’s California operation,go to www.houweling.com.
Energy, not labour, will make the difference in the next decade
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A place to grow in Elgin?
Casey Houweling, keynote speaker at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, poses in a booth with greenhouse tomatoes after his address.
From farm to table and espe-cially in between, Ontario food isin good hands. That was the mes-sage at the 23rd annual FoodlandOntario Retailer Awards in Toron-to October 19.
The awards honour grocerystores that promote Ontario foodin their stores. The HonourableCarol Mitchell, Ontario’s Ministerof Agriculture, Food and RuralAffairs, handed out the awards to
store representatives at alunchtime ceremony.
“It’s because of your hard workthat more people are putting freshOntario food in their shoppingcart,” Minister Mitchell told theretailers.
Chain and independent grocerystores submit photographs of theirpromotional displays of Ontarioproduce to qualify for the Food-land Ontario Retailer Awards. The
program recognized 62 stores intotal this year.
Minister Mitchell presented the25 gold and platinum level awardsto grocery store representatives, aswell as three awards of excellenceto stores with top scores two yearsin a row.
The food and the atmospherewere highlights for WalliArchibald, a produce clerk from aMetro store in Mississauga andfirst-time guest at the RetailerAwards. She accompanied herstore’s produce manager JohnLeonardi, who has been receivingawards here for nearly twodecades.
This year, Archibald andLeonardi accepted a gold creativeaward for their display of Ontarioproduce.
“We love to merchandise andpush our stuff when we have it.Plus, our customers wantOntario,” Leonardi said. “Theflavour is there. The freshness isthere.”
He supports Ontario farmswherever he can, especially sincehis parents were farmers whenthey first arrived in Canada, hesaid.
Leonardi, along with all of theother retail winners, would havehad plenty of opportunity to con-nect with producers at the event.
Representatives from many ofOntario’s largest producer groupsattended, including several whohelped sponsor the event.
Brian Gilroy, chair of theOntario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association, offered awelcome and congratulations onbehalf of Ontario producers.
“The farmers look forward tomany more partnerships and manymore years of celebrations such as
this,” he said. He also noted the opportunity
for farmers and retailers in thegrowing enthusiasm of shoppersfor local food.
“But one thing we do know,that interest in local food is greaterthan ever before.”
THE GROWER
PAGE 6 –– NOVEMBER 2010
New campaign promises good things growing in Ontario For Willy Hekman of Frootogo
Orchards, promoting local food can’t getany closer to home.
The Waterdown, Ontario farm she andher husband have operated since 1995 isfront and centre in this fall’s FoodlandOntario advertising campaign that showsOntario food from farm to store to table.
“It just happened like boom and there wewere involved in the commercial,” Willysaid. “I think our regular customers will rec-ognize our place. I think they already havebragging rights about coming here.”
Those who’ve visited the Hekman farmwill see the familiar dwarf fruit trees andhear the familiar “Good Things Grow inOntario” jingle.
Foodland Ontario is an Ontario govern-ment initiative which has, for more than 30years, promoted food grown in the province.The program has a strong level of recogni-tion with the public. New advertising thisfall includes television ads, billboards at theOntario Food Terminal, transit advertising,and online ads which feature imagesdesigned to encourage consumers to seekout and buy more Ontario foods.
The program is also working closelywith on-farm markets, farmers’ markets andgrocery stores to provide resources to edu-cate consumers on Ontario foods. Look forFoodland Ontario’s 2011 calendar in storesin November as well as a retail samplingprogram that lets shoppers taste a variety ofOntario foods.
Updated promotional material for gro-cery stores and markets will appear in storesas the campaign progresses. The posters andprice cards will have the same look and feelas both the calendars and all of the advertis-ing.
“People aren’t interested in buying localfoods because it’s “trendy,” people are buy-ing local because they’re feeling good aboutwhere their food comes from,” said CarolMitchell, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs. “Our strong Food-land Ontario brand has been instrumental inhelping families look for and ask for ourfresh, high-quality local foods.”
Foodland Ontario encourages all growersto use the logo, free of charge, on theirpackaging. For more information on theFoodland Ontario logo, or ordering promo-tional materials, go to www.foodlandon-tario.ca and click on the Industry tab or con-tact Sandra Jones, Foodland Ontario’s clientservices officer at 519-826-3847.
The media campaign elements focus on“The Good,” meaning the good things thatgrow in Ontario and pair touching familymoments with Ontario food. That includes ahusband cooking dinner for his wife, fatherand daughter making a pizza together andWilly’s husband Bert Hekman pickingapples with their grandsons.
“We’ve always been really proud of ourfarm and the work we’ve done here,” Willysaid. “We felt very honoured to be picked.”
Foodland awards recognize innovative grocery retailers
Foodland Ontario’s new look can be seen on television, billboards, transit ads and the Internet.
Brian Gilroy, Chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and George Gilvesy, General Manager of the OntarioGreenhouse Vegetable Growers. Both organizations were among thesponsors of the 2010 Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards.
Bert Hekman of Frootogo Orchards braved a hot August day with his grandsons to appearin the Foodland Ontario television commercials on air this Fall.
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 7
Measuring agriculture’s economic footprint in OntarioBy Lilian Schaer
Farming affects the daily livesof all Ontarians - what we eat,where we live and what we do toearn a living. Now, a newlyreleased report spells out in starkdetail the economic impact of theagricultural sector as well as thepunishing effects of long termfarm income losses on the Ontario
economy. The results are stagger-ing.
The study revealed thatOntario’s farm sector sustains164,000 jobs and farm outputscontributed $22 billion in grosseconomic stimulus to Ontario in2009 with a net value of $10.7 bil-lion. This economic contributionalso includes $3.4 billion paid in
federal and provincial taxes tohelp support our health, educationand transportation systems, as wellas other vital infrastructure.
Ontario’s food processing sec-tor needs Ontario agriculture – 70per cent of Ontario’s farm produc-tion is bought by Ontario foodprocessors, a $33 billion industrythat directly employs 110,000Ontarians.
Ontario’s farming community,especially non-supply managedsectors, has been struggling withseveral years of losses caused by acombination of low prices andrapidly rising costs. A decrease inOntario net farm income impactseveryone in Ontario. A govern-ment-predicted farm income lossof $500 million in 2010 will costOntario $3 billion in GDP and10,000 jobs over the long term, aswell as almost a half a billion dol-lars in lost tax revenue to govern-ment.
The study, commissioned bythe Ontario Agriculture Sustain-ability Coalition (OASC) and
completed by JRG Consulting ofGuelph, was unveiled to provin-cial politicians at a breakfast atQueen’s Park at the end of Sep-tember.
OASC’s members have beenlobbying the provincial and feder-al governments for predictable andsustainable safety net program-ming for Ontario’s non-supplymanaged commodities since latelast fall. The Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers Association isa member of OASC, along withOntario Federation of Agriculture,Christian Farmers Federation ofOntario, Ontario Pork, OntarioVeal, Ontario Sheep MarketingAgency, Grain Farmers of Ontarioand Ontario Cattlemen’s Associa-tion. Agriculture’s economic footprintin numbers• 164,400 – number of Ontariojobs supported through economicactivity generated by the farmingsector (value of the wages andsalaries tied to those jobs = $7 billion)
• $3.4 billion – taxes collected byprovincial and federal govern-ments as a result of economicactivity generated by farm sectoroutput• 13% - value of rural economy toOntario’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP)• 15% - percentage of the Ontariopopulation that lives in rural areas• 70% - percentage of Ontario’sfarm production bought byOntario food processors• $33 billion – value of the Ontariofood processing sector• 4,000 – the number of jobs lost inthe short term through the slide innet farm income of $287 million(2004-08 average) to -$50 millionin 2009. • $1.4 billion – estimated decreasein Ontario’s GDP as a result of theprojected $500 million farmincome loss in 2010. • $450 million – tax revenues lostto government due to long termimpacts of a $500 million farmincome loss in 2010.
November 5 – 14 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON
November 12 Ontario Produce Marketing Association Annual Gala Event, Liberty Grand, Toronto, ON
November 12, 13 Saskatchewan Green Trades Conference, Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, SK
November 16, 17 Canadian Agricultural Safety Association Conference 2010, Hilton Suites Airport Hotel, Winnipeg, MB
November 17 QMI-SAI Global On-Farm Food Safety Program Webinar at 1 pm. Contact: Carlos Araujo at 416-401-8703
Nov 20 – Dec 5 “Wassail” Prince Edward County Wine growers Association throughout the “County”
November 22, 23 Ontario Federation of Agriculture Annual General Meeting, “Future of Food”, Double Tree Hilton/ Toronto Airport, Toronto, ON
November 23, 24 Essex County Associated Growers 60th Annual Trade Show, Kinsmen Recreation Complex, Leamington, ON
Nov 30 – Dec 2 Grow Canada Conference, The Westin, Ottawa, ON
December 8 Ontario Potato Board Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn, Cambridge, ON
December 7 – 9 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Market Expo, DeVos Plaza Convention Centre and Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI
December 16 Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Quality Hotel and Suites, Woodstock, ON
January 5, 6 18th Annual Southwestern Agricultural Conference, Ridgetown, ON
January 10 – 12 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association 152nd Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON
January 25, 26 Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, Hilton Hotel and London Convention Centre, London, ON. For information: [email protected]
January 27 – 31 Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph, ON
January 27 – 29 Pacific Agriculture Show/Horticultural Growers’ Short Course, Tradex, Abbotsford, BC
COMING EVENTS 2010
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growerswin anti-dumping case against
Dutch bell peppers The Canadian
International Trade Tribunal (CITT)announced its final determination,upholding the OntarioGreenhouse VegetableGrowers’ (OGVG)complaint of injuriousdumping by Hollandof bell peppers into theCanadian marketplace.The complaint, whichwas filed on December24, 2009, alleged thatimports of greenhousebell peppers originat-ing or exported fromthe Netherlands werebeing dumped and thatthe dumping of thesegoods was causing injury to the Canadian industry.
This announcement follows the Canadian BorderServices Agency’s (CBSA) September 20th, 2010final determination that greenhouse bell peppers fromthe Netherlands had been dumped, and that the margin of dumping was significant.
“We are very pleased with the results of the investigations by both the CITT and the CBSA,” saidLen Roozen, Chair of the OGVG. “The finding ofinjury to Canadian growers, and the resulting dutyimposition, restores a level playing field for ourgrowers. Our growers want to compete on the basisof fair trading practices, and this case demonstratesthat we are prepared to defend ourselves if neces-sary.”
This decision means that bell peppers released
into Canada from theNetherlands will nowbe subject to a duty forthe next five years.
Earlier this year,OGVG requested thatthe CBSA investigatethe unfair pricing ofgreenhouse sweet bellpepper imports fromthe Netherlands. Thisrequest reflected theOGVG’s belief thatDutch exporters wereselling below theircost of production, atvery low prices, intothe Canadian market-place. This had contin-ued over a period ofyears, and has caused
serious injury to Ontario growers. OGVG’s concernswere shared and supported by greenhouse producersin other provinces.
Canada’s Special Import Measures Act permitsCanadian producers to seek the imposition of anti-dumping measures when they are injured by foreign producers selling into Canada below the selling prices in their own country, or below theircosts of production.
Over the last ten years, Canadian growers havemade substantial investments in greenhouse technol-ogy in order to expand the availability of Canadiangrown vegetables, including sweet bell peppers. TheOntario greenhouse sector is now one of the largest inNorth America, producing over 1824 acres of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
As of October 20, 2010, all greenhouse peppers from theNetherlands are subject to an anti-dumping duty of 193per cent of the export price for five years.
THE GROWER
PAGE 8 –– NOVEMBER 2010
And another one down
Several weeks ago, anotherannouncement was made regard-ing a processing plant closure.This time it was the Bick’s plant inDunnville and this makes some-thing like seven or eight in the lasttwo years alone.
Now I know that businessescome and go all the time so maybewe shouldn’t be alarmed but then
again this was a primary processorthat has announced the closing ofits doors, eliminating the marketfor yet another crop.
I believe warning bells shouldbe sounding loud and clear in bothOttawa and Toronto but I wonderif anyone has even noticed?
This processing plant closure,like so many before it, will not cre-ate an empty space on the grocerystore shelves where pickles oncestood. Instead the pickles will besupplied by someone else, likelyfrom a different country. That iswhy no one notices… there is noshortage of food.
Ontario and specifically theGreater Toronto Area is the second largest food processingcentre in all of North America,second only to Chicago but is it injeopardy?
These plant closures did notcome about because there was nodemand for their products but
rather because of competitivenessfactors.
Will the loss of primary pro-cessing in Ontario mean the end ofvalue-added or secondary process-ing in the province? I do not havethat answer but I do know thatmany of the secondary processorslocated here because of the avail-ability of product in the form theyrequired and as well the proximityto market.
It would seem to me to be allconnected -- the need of producersto have primary processors whoneed secondary processors whoneed consumers. Lose a link andthe chain breaks, but so what?Someone else will fill the gap andthe store shelf will remain full.
But there is so much more to itthan this. There is food systemsustainability, food security andjobs both on the farm and in facto-ries that are at risk here; and gov-ernments, at least to me, seem
oblivious to the problem. I believe that what we are see-
ing are the results of not having afood policy in this country; a poli-cy that says food production iscritical to the long term well beingof Canada and Ontario. As anation and as a province we havebeen content to allow others, oftenthe cheapest producers supply uswith food and as a result we arelosing many of our food-relatedjobs and businesses. To be fairthere are many examples of gov-ernment programs put in place toassist farmers and food businessesbut then again there are manymore examples of governmentdownloading costs onto thesesame folks.
What one hand giveth the otherhand taketh, usually taking awaymore than it has given.
Without a sustainable food pol-icy we bounce between programs,often with resentment on the part
of the policy makers. “We alreadygave you money” or “We gaveyou money and you keep comingback for more, what good does itdo.”
Canada is a high cost-of-pro-duction society trading in a globaleconomy and every time govern-ment downloads costs on the backof our food system we lose and wetake one step closer to another pro-cessing plant closing, another mar-ket lost; and having to depend onthe rest of the world to feed us.
Canada, to the best of myknowledge, is the only developedcountry in the world that does nothave a food policy that ensures ourability to feed ourselves or evenplaces a position of prominenceon a sustainable food productionsystem and that, in my opinion, isunsustainable.
For what it’s worth, it’s the wayI see it
Art SmithCEO, OFVGA
STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-252-7337, [email protected]: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, [email protected]: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, [email protected]
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ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Brian Gilroy, MeafordVice-Chair Mac James, LeamingtonFruit Director Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeVeg Director Jason Ryder, DelhiDirector Len Troup, Jordon Station
Apples Brian Gilroy, MeafordFresh Vegetable - Other Jason Ryder, DelhiTender Fruit Len Troup, Jordan StationON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Lonnie Duwyn, 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’ Doug Bradley, TillsonburgGreenhouse Jim Veri, Exeter
OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS
Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty David Lambert, Niagara-on-the-LakeLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Murray Porteous, SimcoeAGCare/Nutrient Man. Charles Stevens, Newcastle
Ontario -- open for business initiative
The Ontario government hasintroduced a new initiative called“Ontario – Open for Business.”
Their objective is to reduce theamount of red tape and govern-ment regulations that may be hold-ing people back from setting upbusiness in Ontario.
One proposal is to get rid of theFarm Products Grades & SalesAct. This is a no-brainer asOMAFRA doesn’t have anyinspectors to enforce the Act any-way. The good news is that theyintend to transfer those parts of theAct that are important and incor-porate them into other pieces oflegislation that will remain inplace. These will include sectionsdealing with misrepresentation ofproduct, fraud and country of ori-gin labeling. In the future, theindustry can rely on federal legis-
lation under the Canada Agricul-tural Products Act for minimumgrade standards.
While this is a positive move,the Ontario government has failedto accept that recently introducedlegislation does not support their“Ontario – Open for Business” ini-tiative. Here I am referring to:1. Greenbelt Legislation –restricting farmers’ rights withoutcompensation. Land below theNiagara Escarpment was onceused exclusively for producer spe-cialty horticultural crops. Morerecently, I see many acres of eitherabandoned farm land or as manyacres of grains and oilseed cropsbeing produced in that area. . 2. Minimum Wage Legislation –
28 per cent increase over the lastthree years (2008-2010) withoutany offsetting programming tomitigate the effects on horticultur-al crop producers, who have yet tofind a way to recoup the addedcosts from the market place.3. Increased hydro rates.4. Water taking permits and relat-ed red tape.5. Municipal Taxation:a. Bunkhouses – In the past mostbunkhouses were assessed at thefarm rate. MPAC is now assessingany new bunkhouses at the resi-dential rate and farmers are at riskof MPAC reassessing existingbunkhouses as residential as well.b. On-Farm Value-Added activi-ties being assessed as commercial
rather than as farming operations.Where’s the incentive for growersto undertake such activities?
Unfortunately, these recent rulechanges have and will continue toadversely affect horticultural pro-ducers who rely most heavily onseasonal labour and are high usersof hydro to operate their packinglines and run their cool storages.
Just removing an existing use-less piece of legislation (whichreally wasn’t holding anyoneback) and replacing it with newrules and legislation that threatento render our fruit and vegetableproducers unviable is not the wayto demonstrate that Ontario is real-ly “Open for Business.”
Adrian HuismanOntario Tender Fruit
Producers
For close to two years, the non-supply managed commodities inOntario have been united in theirmessage to government. The agri-cultural support programs namedGrowing Forward are not designedto deal with the economic realitiesof today. A number of the agricul-tural sectors have been strugglingto be profitable and production isdeclining. Potential solutions havebeen recommended by the farmcommunity and a Business RiskManagement Program has beendeveloped and implemented on apilot basis for the grains andoilseeds sector.
Horticulture is very different
from grains and oilseeds in a num-ber of ways, and what works forthem may not work for us. TheOFVGA Safety Nets Committeehas been very active recentlydeveloping a proposal that is beingreferred to as a Self Directed RiskManagement (SDRM) Program.Although the name is the same,this program is designed to be amarket revenue-style program andnot a production insurance pro-gram. The details have been circu-lated to all horticultural commodi-ty groups for input and a meetingwith the Ontario Minister of Agri-culture has been requested tomove this proposal forward.
It is often stated that farmersare the eternal optimists and weregularly hear, “Next year will bebetter.” One of the main factorsthat leads me to be optimistic isthe “Buy Local” movement thatcontinues to grow. The fact that inmost commodities we are nowhereclose to producing what ourdomestic market requires is defi-nitely an opportunity. We need tohelp develop a plan on how Cana-dians can have a secure, safe,locally produced food system. Ibelieve the real challenge will bein convincing the government ofthe day that it requires long-termplanning and support. The answer
I feel is in the development of aNational Food Strategy that recog-nizes food production as a vitalcomponent of the food valuechain.
We are currently researchingwhat other countries are doingregarding a food policy and I haveheard from a couple of sourcesthat Canada is the only G20 coun-try without a National Food Strat-egy. If this is true, what are wewaiting for? For those of usinvolved in the growing of fruitsand vegetables, the status quo isnot sustainable!
The status quo is not sustainable
Brian GilroyChair, OFVGA
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 9
Board briefsFollowing are highlights from
the OFVGA board meeting heldOctober 14, 2010. The purpose ofthis brief is to keep you up-to-dateon the issues that the OFVGA isworking on, as well as projects andinitiatives the organization isinvolved in.
LabourLabour section chair Ken Forthreported that the Supreme Court ofCanada has not yet reached a deci-sion in the unionization of agricul-tural workers’ case. It is one of themost complex cases before thecourt as it involves the rights ofprovinces to make laws. TheLabour Issues Co-ordinating Com-mittee, which has been involved inthis case on behalf of agriculture,is proposing a consistent yearlyfee for its member organizations,which includes OFVGA.
Crop ProtectionProduct updates: OFVGA hasasked the Pest Management Regu-latory Agency (PMRA) to extendits regulatory approval for Endo-sulfan, which is used in tenderfruit production, and has asked theU. S. government to maintain itsimport tolerances for that product.Telone has been withdrawn by itsmanufacturer Dow due to arequest by PMRA for extra data.OFVGA has sent a letter to PMRAasking them to reconsider so thatDow will reinstate the product.There are no known environmen-tal or health problems with Teloneand there is no replacement prod-uct available in Canada.
Grower Requested Own Use(GROU) program: There are 26products currently available forgrowers to import for their ownuse from the U.S. through this pro-gram. The savings can be substan-tial, reported OFVGA minor usespecialist Craig Hunter, who citedthe example of Agri-Mek, wheregrowers can save approximately50 per cent by importing itthrough the GROU program.More information on GROUincluding which products areapproved for import can be foundat www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/agri-commerce/import/_grou-piapda/index-eng.php.
Guide to Weed Control: TheOntario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs is revisingits Guide to Weed Control and isseeking input from commoditygroups on how to make it moreuser-friendly.
Safety NetsProgram proposal for edible hor-ticulture: OFVGA Chair BrianGilroy reported that the SafetyNets Committee has met threetimes since August to discuss amodified Self Directed Risk Man-agement (SDRM)-style programfor edible horticulture in lieu ofthe cost of production-based RiskManagement Program that hadpreviously been considered.OFVGA has requested a meeting
with provincial agriculture minis-ter Carol Mitchell to present theprogram proposal.
The basic principles of the pro-posed program include:• open to all edible horticultureproducers• contributions to be based onmatching five per cent Annual NetSales (ANS)• grower contributions go intotheir own account; matching con-tributions from Ontario govern-ment go into grower accounts• dollars can only be removedafter triggering and that therewould be mandatory triggers,which would be the same as theywere in the previous SDRM pro-gram • no cap on ANS; ANS calculat-ed per entity similar to AgriStabil-ity• account cap of 50 per cent of arolling five year average of yourANS as a cumulative account cap• unlimited annual withdrawalsup to your account balance; canwithdraw every year providingthere is a trigger• program account to collectbank interest• all money in the account at thetime the operation ceases remainsthe property of the producer• cross compliance with AgriSta-bility, but no cross compliancewith crop insurance
A motion was brought forward forOFVGA to endorse this programwhich carried.
Ontario Agriculture SustainabilityCoalition (OASC): Safety NetsChair Mark Wales reported thatforms for the grain and oilseed riskmanagement program (RMP)should be available in late Octo-ber. OMAFRA announced a oneyear extension of the RMP for thesector in the spring. Ontario Porkand Ontario Cattlemen’s Associa-tion have both presented their sec-
tor proposals for an RMP to Min-ister Mitchell. OASC held a lob-bying breakfast at Queen’s Park atthe end of September to buildawareness of the need for non-sup-ply managed commodities to haveaccess to improved income sup-port. OFVGA Chair Brian Gilroyand CEO Art Smith participated inthe event.
PropertyWater Opportunities and Conser-vation Act: OFVGA has submittedcomments to the provincial gov-ernment’s Water Opportunitiesand Conservation Act. OFVGA issupportive of responsible wateruse but there is concern about thepotential for municipalities or theMinistry to be able to limit wateruse by farmers who need to irri-gate crops. A copy of the commentdocument may be requested fromthe OFVGA office.
Waste water discharge: The Min-istry of the Environment is step-ping up activity in the area ofwaste water discharge – such asresults from washing carrots, forexample – and related concernsabout nitrate and phosphorous lev-els in lakes and streams.
ResearchFunding for the Horticulture Sci-ence Cluster was announced in thesummer but work is still underwayto finalize the Memorandum ofUnderstanding. The CanadianHorticulture Council (CHC) willact as the administrative hub forthe edible horticulture scienceadvisory program.
Horticulture Value ChainRound TableCommittees of the HorticultureValue Chain Round Table havebeen very active. One of these sub-committees is developing a “Hor-ticulture for Health” campaign.OFVGA projects manager AlisonRobertson has been working with
this group who among other thingsare planning a “Hort on the Hill”event to secure political support.
Innovation and labour: The inno-vation/labour sub-committee willbe circulating a survey to evaluatelabour-saving technologies andmechanization opportunities inhorticulture. The survey will beavailable in this month’s Growerand OFVGA is encouraging grow-ers to participate by the end ofNovember.
Fair and ethical trade practices:Discussion took place around theneed for a PACA-like trust provi-sion program for the Canadianproduce industry. In the U.S., thePerishable Agricultural Commodi-ties Act (PACA) licenses buyersof produce to ensure that thosewho sell produce receive paymentfor their products and at the sametime has established legislationthat protects produce sellers whenbuyers fail to pay. A meeting con-cerning PACA is to be held by theend of October.
Bunkhouse taxationOn-farm bunkhouses, used tohouse seasonal farm workers, havetraditionally been assessed as farmbuildings. In some cases, theMunicipal Property AssessmentCorporation (MPAC) is nowassessing them as residentialbuildings, resulting in significanttax increases for affected farmers.
Bunkhouses are seasonal on-farmaccommodation for workers whoare employed during the fruit andvegetable growing season and assuch, are a very crucial componentof the agriculture sector’s need toensure an adequate supply of farmemployees to meet the seasonalrequirements of farm businesses.These buildings are only used forpart of the year, yet residentialassessment and taxation are beingapplied on a year-round basis, sub-
jecting farmers to unfair andunnecessary additional expenses.
The OFVGA, Ontario AgriculturalCommodity Council and OntarioFederation of Agriculture have allwritten to Finance MinisterDwight Duncan, the ministerresponsible for MPAC, asking fora review of this policy and todevelop a formal definition ofthese structures so they can beincluded in farm class for assess-ment purposes. OFVGA has alsoencouraged all of its members tocontact Minister Duncan, as wellas Agriculture Minister CarolMitchell, on this issue.
Evaluating the need for assistancewith food safety program compli-anceIt has been suggested that theOFVGA offer a service to helpfarmers meet the requirements ofthe CanadaGAP food safety pro-gram and provide assistance to getthrough the audit process withouthiring a QMI auditor. Programuptake has been slow and there isconcern that small growers maynot be able to get this donebecause the forms and/or the auditare so complicated. The OFVGAwill assess the need for such a ser-vice.
Next OFVGA board meeting –Thursday, November 11, 2010
CANADACUBA
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The Essex County Associated Growers are pleased to announce the60th Annual Bounty of the County convention & trade show
Tuesday, November 23 & Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Kinsmen Recreation Complex
249 Sherk St., Leamington, Ontario
View the newest agricultural technology/ equipment, and attendinformative speaker programs. Visit our trade show for your chanceto win grand prizes. Cooking demonstrations will be held duringthe convention – don’t miss them!
Proudly serving the fruitand vegetable growers ofEssex County for 60years!
For more information,contact
Mary Jane Dalrympleat (519) 326-4481 or
[email protected], or visitwww.bountyofthecounty.ca
THE GROWERPAGE 10 –– NOVEMBER 2010
Fall is the perfect time for soup,be it homemade or otherwise.Soup has a special folksy place inour lives -- it may, in fact, be theultimate local food. After all, whatother single food can potentiallycontain more local ingredients?What other food do we turn towhen the chips are down becauseit’s so affordable, or in the case ofchicken soup, when we’re sick?It’s a true part of our culture.
So is the Campbell Company ofCanada, one of the country’sbiggest packaged food companiesand a major user of vegetables andfruit. Campbell’s has been inCanada for 80 years and hascarved out a niche in most Canadi-an kitchens. Despite the compa-ny’s mega size, its products andour relationship with them havekept the connection with Canadi-ans extremely personal. The com-pany recognizes the value in that,especially the trust factor, and hasbeen repositioning itself to be ahealthy choice.
Campbell president PhilipDonne told 150 or so guests gath-ered for a recent VinelandResearch and Innovation Centreopen house that local food is nolonger a trend, it’s a shift. Statis-tics are starting to back up thatnotion -- a recent Environics studyshows 80 per cent of Ontarians sayensuring a local food source isvery important to them. If youtrust polls, that means about 10million or so Ontarians are on the
prowl for local food.And in her Agriculture Week
address, Hon. Carol Mitchell,Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs, said morethan half of all grocery shoppers inthe province are buying moreOntario food than ever. Thatequates to nearly seven millionpeople.
Campbell’s knows consumersare increasingly taking a localfood view. They want to knowwhere their food came from, howit was grown and what it contains.Closer is better, less is more andnatural is in.
So if you’re a food giant suchas Campbell’s, you need tobecome part of the shift, eventhough you sell millions of cans ofsoup a day. You must innovate,take a different tact, and get peopleto see whatever local-food quali-ties you possess.
To do so means addressingconsumer hot buttons, such assodium content. One reason con-sumers gravitate towards local
food, or at least the concept of it, isthat they believe it’s healthier thanits processed counterpart. Andwhen society started recognizingthe dangers of too much salt, pack-aged soup surfaced as a big prob-lem.
Reasons exist as to why compa-nies use salt – some amount isneeded for taste and preservation.But in many cases, it was way overthe top, and sodium reduction hasbecome a major focus for Camp-bell’s (in fact, it has been for sevenyears).
This approach underlines thecorporate shift to perhaps not com-pete with local food, but rather tosupport its feel-good principles. Infact, Donne even goes one stepfurther, and urges consumers tolook favourably on local food andthe farmers who grow it.
“As a packaged food company,we say buy fresh whenever youcan,” he says. “But when that’s notpossible because of convenienceor the season, we hope you’ll pickus.”
Donne's not under the illusionthat consumers will considerCampbell’s local. But he says thecompany can heighten the attribut-es its products possess that con-sumers associate with local food,especially health benefits. “Wehave to make sure our food is asfull of active ingredients as possi-ble,” he says.
As well, there’s a sense of com-munity and social responsibilityaround local food. In response,Campbell’s has embarked on ahunger alleviation program, team-ing up with Food Banks Canadaon programs that raise awareness,and others that actually put thecompany’s products on food bankshelves.
Donne thinks the local foodmovement has still not reached itscrescendo, though, and won’t untilconsumers truly recognize thevalue of Canadian farmers. “In thenext 10 years, farmers should getrock star status for what they do,”he says. “Food’s not amusement . .. food is sacred.”
Soup king salutes local food movement
Owen RobertsUniversity of Guelph
Flooding our food supply
Besides the well-known longterm and cyclical problems facedby the large grains and livestock
industries, farmers who havediversified to try and stabilizeincome still face crop failuresfrom flooding. Many fruit grow-ers have lost plants and productiondue to flooding says Mel Annand,president of the SaskatchewanFruit Growers Association(SFGA). Yields are average in thesouth west and lessen drasticallyto the north east.
Lack of data is hamperingefforts by fruit producers to pro-tect themselves from productionlosses in programs like crop insur-ance. When data collection by fed-eral and provincial governments isless than optimal, producer organi-zations are left trying to assess sit-uations. Recent cuts to Stats Cana-da are aggravating the problems.
Stats Canada may not be popularwith a lot of people but it is all wehave. Governments, federally andprovincially, seem very good atcutting budgets instead of fixingthe problem.
Plant damage and loss due toflooding in 2010 is serious. It takesseveral years to get a new fruitplant into production. Plant lossesmay not be as widespread asfeared because the University ofSaskatchewan fruit plants seemvery tolerant and hardy, but pro-duction was lost. How soon dam-aged plants will recover to fullproduction is anyone's guess. Thisis especially severe with emergingindustries such as fruits.
Vegetable production has alsotaken a hit. The wet conditions
combined with diseases like blighthave taken their toll. The Canadi-an Cherry Producers and SFGAare talking with other organiza-tions and attempting to assessdamage. The SFGA has taken alead role by initiating concern atboth the federal and provinciallevel. The Canadian HorticulturalCouncil is monitoring problemsacross the country.
The hundreds of thousands ofdollars from the “Excess MoistureProgram” which provided$30/acre for flooded annual cropsmay have helped grain farmers butdid not address the issues faced bylivestock, fruit, and vegetablegrowers. An orchard of 10 acrescan have relatively huge economicreturns but if that orchard sustains
a plant loss, that program providesno real assistance for the loss onthose 10 acres Plant loss isexpected to be significant, but isundetermined as yet.
The Growing Forward pro-grams fall very short except forgrain (cereals, oilseeds, and pulse)production. And even within thatsector the programs will have lim-ited impact. Producers need busi-ness risk management tools thatwork for them. Programs shouldnot sustain bad agronomic prac-tices but at the same time theyshould address record-setting dis-asters.
Bruce Hill is president ofCanadian Cherry Producers Inc.based at Imperial, Saskatchewan.
Bruce HillCanadian Cherry Producers
When global forces crunch local applesBy Karen Davidson
Make no mistake. British Columbia’spride and joy, Sun-Rype Products Inc, is apublicly traded juice and snack companythat operates in a global economy. It used tobe owned by the apple industry and the B.C.Fruit Growers’ Association before it wentpublic on the Toronto Stock Exchange toraise capital for expansion and automation.Some growers still own shares. But whenSun-Rype announced its acquisition of ajuice plant in Washington state, 800 Okanagan growers get twitchy. (Sun Rype’sU.S. move worries Okanagan orchardists,October 11, Globe and Mail)
The Kelowna plant, modernized withinnovative technology, produces Sun-Rypeapple juices, differentiating its line with theassurance of using only fresh-pressedapples, no concentrate. The company alsoproduces fresh fruit snacks. It’s ideallylocated to market to its western Canadianbase. Sometimes it imports Washington
apples to fill its orders. But the news that the“local son” has acquired Yakama Juice inSelah, Washington has signaled a new era.
Joe Sardinha, president of the B.C. FruitGrowers’ Association, worries that lowertaxes and labour costs south of the bordermay eventually force the closure of the plantthat takes cull fruit.
“If we don’t have a home for that cullfruit, then the full overhead would stillapply…and that cull fruit, having no home,would end up in a landfill, and you pay forevery ton of material you take to a landfill,”Sardinha told the Globe.
On October 20, Sardinha had the opportunity to take some of his concernsdirectly to Dave McAnerney, chief executive officer, who hosted a tour of theKelowna plant. Sardinha’s message is thathigher prices for cull fruit – either haileddiversion fruit or packing line culls - wouldresult in more fruit for juices and less applesourcing from Washington State. For
instance, the current rate of 3.5 cents perpound paid for diversion fruit barely coversthe cost of picking, transportation and bins.He also reminded McAnerney that anybrand promise of “locally” sourced applesshould only apply to B.C fruit. Dwindlinglocal supply due to low prices will alsoerode the brand claim if more Washingtonapples become a mainstay raw ingredient atthe Kelowna plant.
On the processor’s side of the equation,cull apple prices are ultimately dictated byglobal concentrate prices and the lowerpriced process fruit available in WashingtonState. Sun-Rype competes with largerprocessors which use cheaper inputs (applejuice concentrate) and despite best efforts tobrand with “fresh-pressed juices” anddemand a premium, economic reality dominates. Sun-Rype’s move to expandbusiness stateside also takes advantage ofthe current weakened U.S. dollar, andallows the company to expand operations
and marketing opportunities.“We can’t bash Sun-Rype too much,”
says Sardinha. Sun-Rype continues to pay apremium for B.C. apples but it’s simply notenough to capture all the available fruit.“Even increasing the diversion rate to fivecents a pound net to growers, would make ahuge difference for us.”
All things considered, Sun-Rype’sMcAnerney has reassured the local appleindustry that the company will maintain itsoperations and company headquarters inKelowna. A recent five-year deal with theunion backs that pledge. But Sardinhaknows it would be wise for the B.C. appleindustry to explore alternative value-addedopportunities such as fruit wines and ciders.
“We’ve witnessed individual growerscreate lucrative businesses using low gradefruit. Perhaps it’s time the mainstreamindustry collectively did the same,” he says.
Nothing personal. It’s just business.
Stories by Karen DavidsonThe search for the perfect
tomato has gone on for centurieswith a past – and present – socompelling that a book was pub-lished this year with the title“Ripe.” Little known is thatChatham, Ontario breeder JimDick is referenced in this book, apioneer in his own right and onewho continues to meticulouslylook for tomatoes to suit changingtrends.
Eighty-five per cent of hisbreeding efforts are targetedtowards processing tomatoes. Oneof his largest customers is RedGold, a stateside company thatproduces 500,000 tons of toma-toes – almost the annual output ofCanada. In Indiana, Ohio andPennsylvania, growers are lookingfor whole-pack, peeling varietieswith emphasis on good colour andfirmness. No one is looking to putfour or five whole tomatoes in acan anymore. The objective isconsumer-friendly, diced orstewed tomatoes like the Tex-Mex, spiced tomatoes so popularsouth of the border. Jim, alongwith his wife Judy and son Adam,operates Tomato SolutionsHybrids to service these growers.
“We develop hybrid tomatoseeds,” says Dick “which require achecklist of 30 traits to be success-ful. One of the key traits is goodcolour combined with very firmfruit.”
The Dick family tested 48 dif-ferent hybrids this year using astrict set of quantitative measure-ments. Sugar content data, forexample, is measured with arefractometer. While Ontariotomatoes average about 4.5 percent in total soluble solids, Cali-fornia tomatoes average 5.1 percent.
To develop the hybrids, morethan 800 parent lines were grownand evaluated on six acres.“We’re happy to find just onevariety that’s better than the last,”says Dick. “It’s not easy to make asmall improvement in a hybridcombining traits such as large fruitsize and a small stem scar formachine harvesting.”
After this summer’s harvest ofthe parent lines, the seed will beshipped to Hyderabad, India andcontracted to growers for hybridseed production. The seed willcome back in drums. Adam Dickthen cleans the seed by soaking itfor one hour in 5000 ppm chlo-rine, carefully controlling temper-ature and pH levels. Once driedand stored under refrigeration insealed plastic pails, the seed isassigned a lot number for the salesseason.
While Canadian and U.S.processors purchase most of thehybrid seeds, private fresh marketgrowers also like them for theircustomers. The Dick family hasrarely sprayed their breeding plotswith fungicides, so their hybridseeds are in high demand in theorganic market. They sell bothpelletized and raw seed. Pelletiz-
ing puts on five times the weightof the seed, a desired featurewhich makes seeding faster andmore efficient.
Theirs is a highly specializedbusiness, one that serves as a bell-wether of trends to come. Tanger-ine tomatoes, for example, maybecome more popular for their
cancer-fighting lycopene. RecentU.S. research has shown thatlycopene content of orange toma-toes is more bioavailable than theform in red varieties.
“Tomatoes are a recession-proof food,” points out Judy Dick.“If we took tomatoes off themenu, we’d be lost.”
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 11
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKTomato breeder tracks consumer trends
Adam (L) and Jim Dick tested 48 tomato hybrids this year on six acresnear Chatham, ON.
Ripe: The search for the perfect tomato
“A breeder uses science to systemati-cally impose his or her will on anorganism, yet the unpredictable andunexplained for which there is noresort other than intuition and resignation, are an undeniable part ofthe professional experience. Becauseevolution is an accidental, nonrationalprocess, there’s no purely scientificbasis for breeding. A breeder’s line isa free-flowing, adulterated stream thatcan end in a cul-de-sac (like the fossilized creatures of the BurgessShale) or produce some happy exception to the disorder that rulesgenetic chance.”
- Arthur Allen
THE GROWERPAGE 12 –– NOVEMBER 2010
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Nuts are not so far-fetched fortender fruit farmers. After all, thealmond and peach tree come fromthe same genus.
But almonds - along with wal-nuts, hazelnuts and northernpecans – are locally grown andhighly prized by a European clien-tele. That’s what Torrie Warner,Beamsville, Ontario has discov-ered from his farmers’ marketclients. He’s a regular at severalGreater Toronto Area markets aswell as Ottawa.
“My family has a long historyof growing nuts, right back to mygrandfather in the 1930s,” saysWarner. “One large English wal-nut tree now yields 10 bushelsannually.”
Along with his peach and peartrees, Warner has invested in 60walnut trees of the Metcalfe andLake varieties. Return on invest-ment isn’t expected for almost adecade, but he’s convinced thatthere is huge demand with his nutsselling directly to customers for $4to $7 per quart. It’s not unusual fora restaurant to buy a bushel at atime.
Don’t expect to find Ontario-grown nuts in grocery stores. Theycan’t compete with the lower-priced California crop which usu-ally starts arriving in November.
Rather, Warner caters to cus-tomers who want their nuts for dif-ferent end uses. His first market isin June when the immature nutsare used for pickling. The nextmarketing window is late July,first of August when the milkysubstance inside the nut is valuedfor making tinctures or liquers. InSeptember, the heart of his crop ismarketed fresh, just as the skin
starts to crack. “That’s the sign my customers
look for in a fresh nut,” saysWarner. “They can’t tell the age ofa dry nut, something that doesn’tappeal to them at all.”
Now is the time to order seedsor pre-order nut trees for thespring of 2011. “Bare root treesare best to plant in the warmingspring earth,” says Linda Grimo,
Grimo Nut Nursery, Niagara-on-the-Lake. "Keep seeds in a plasticbag over the winter, moist andcovered with peat moss. Plantthem in spring and water well forthe first year. Mulch around boththe freshly planted trees or newlyplanted seeds to avoid competingwith weeds.” Warner bought histrees from Grimo Nut Nursery forabout $25 to $30 per tree. Thatcompares with $7 to $10 for apeach tree.
“Nut trees are so forgiving,”says Grimo. Grown wild for thou-sands of years, they have relied onwildlife to spread their seeds forpropagation. With little care, mostof these trees grow to heights ofabout 50 feet.
In spring, their flowering habitsare interesting to observe. Forheartnuts, the catkins look quitetropical, dangling at eight or nineinches in length. For walnuts, theflowers are difficult to find, butreward the breeder with two petal-like flowers. Northern pecans havevelvet-like, bright-coloured flow-ers. Hazelnuts bloom before theleaves emerge with flowers thatlook like red eyelashes.
A hazelnut breeding program isunderway with two acres at theSimcoe Research Station andanother acre at Vineland. The
2010 harvest was modest forhazelnut trees in their secondgrowing season, says Dr. AdamDale, however about 30 per centof expected mature harvest isanticipated in 2011. The Genevavariety survives winter with noproblems.
Warner also grows hazelnutsand a few almonds too, harvestinga few handfuls in 2010. His exper-iments will be closely watched bybreeders and researchers alike.
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKNuts are in the mix for tender fruit farmer
These almonds look like green peaches.
Walnut tree
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 13
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKPlan your orchard
By Ken Slingerland, TenderFruit and Grape Specialist
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs
With most of the tender fruitand apples harvested, growers arelooking at removing old orchardsand outdated varieties. So now isthe time to start preparing forplanting trees for spring 2011 (oractually should it be 2012?) Anyway, the most asked questionthat I get from growers at this timeof year is “What is a good varietyto plant?”
Convention plans are underwayand this year a one hour long paneldiscussion is planned on some ofthe new cultivars from Michigan,New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Iwill also give my best picks for thenew and interesting cultivars that Ievaluated this summer.
But there is more than just varieties at stake. Varieties are stillat the top of my priorities butgrowers have a long “to do” list totake care of first.
Things to consider when planting tender fruits and apples:• Plan ahead, way ahead – talk toyour buyer about the future direction, supply and demand,analyse the 2009 Tender FruitTree Survey and other tree censusto determine where the gaps are inthe industry• Take a look at the Cost of Production for Tender Fruit inOntario – 2010 (to be published inthe 2011 year). Make sure whatyou plant has good profitability.• Investigate the proper site basedon soils, air flow blocks such aslarge woodlots, slope, surfacedrainage, etc• Decide what crop to grow –peaches, plums, flat peaches,Harovin Sundown pear, pluots,etc.• Decide if you need a second andthird cultivar for pollination• Order ahead - it takes 2 ½ yearsto produce a tree from scratch
- 2010 fall, Bailey peach root-stock is planted in the field or sixinch seedlings are planted in thespring of 2011
- 2011 August – budding- 2012 early Spring - cutting
back the rootstock to the singlecultivar bud
- 2012 summer - the nurserytree grows into a five to eight foothigh tree
- 2012 fall - the tree is harvest-ed and stored in cold storage forthe winter
- 2013 spring - finally, the treeis planted in the grower’s orchard• Decide if you want to mechanize to reduce labour in thefuture by using mechanical blossom thinners, mechanical harvesting aids and perhaps visionrobotics – this will help determinewhat orchard system you decide touse• Decide on an orchard systemfor peach for example;
- old standard system at 201trees per acre,
- central leader at 242 – 302trees per acre,
- spindle trees on a two dimen-sional trellis at 458 trees per acreor
- high density “V” system at778 trees per acre• Investigate all “Best Manage-ment Practices” for pre-plantingthe orchard – subsoil, drainage,land levelling, potential for irrigation, insect and disease resistant cultivars, use a pre-plantcover crop to build organic matter,and use a soil test to determine anysoil fertility and soil pH requirements• Investigate changes in labourneeds, food safety requirementsand packing house requirements• Attend the February 23, 24,2011 Ontario Fruit and VegetableConvention (OFVC) and learnfrom several speakers on cultivars,training systems, robotics, etc. or
attend any one of the conferencesin near by
- Michigan – December 2010, - Tri-State Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Maryland in Hershey,Pa., in January 2011 and NewYork - March 2011 Resources:Check the OMAFRA Website andview the fact sheets for each cropwww.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/tender_fruit.html#fact-sheets
Check each crop for the cultivar fact sheet information.
Read the latest Ontario TenderFruit Producers’ MarketingBoard Newsletter Recommenda-tions – March 2010 OMAFRA Infosheet on each of the tender fruits.Also keep up to date with the Ontario Apple Growers’newsletters.This cultivar is “New Jersey Flat Peach 18”. Photo by OMAFRA
THE GROWER
PAGE 14 –– NOVEMBER 2010
The Canadian HorticulturalCouncil’s (CHC) proposal for anAgri-Science Cluster for Horticul-ture is being funded in the amountof $3.6 million for the period ofApril 1, 2010 to March 31, 2013.Under the terms and conditions ofthe program, industry is requiredto provide $976,000 in matchingfunds. This represents a significantcontribution to the sector.
Ag Minister Gerry Ritz madethe announcement in Morristown,Nova Scotia on August 31, 2010.“This targeted investment willbring together the best and bright-est minds in the business to turninnovative ideas into dollars forthe growers’ pocket,” he said.
CHC President Andy Ver-meulen participated in theannouncement and in thanking theMinister he noted, “Our familyfarm produces 300 acres of fresh
fruit and vegetables that are handharvested and sold throughoutAtlantic Canada. Research, innovation and being open to continuous fresh thinking are thefoundation to the success of notonly our own operation, but to theentirety of Canada’s vibrant anddiverse horticulture sector. Theresults of our cluster work willhave a real impact on our farms.”
Innovation is critically important to producers in order tomaintain the competitiveness ofCanada’s horticultural sector. The
potential benefits and synergieswhich will be accrued through thecluster by improving the coordina-tion of applied research initiativesamong various Canadian researchorganizations are of great value tothe industry.
The following projects form thesuite of initiatives to be conductedthrough the Agri-Science Clusterfor Horticulture.
“It is important to recognizeand thank everyone who wasinvolved in the development of thecluster proposal: the cluster com-
modity working groups, CHCcommittee chairs and of course theresearch professionals from acrossCanada who contributed tremen-dous resources to planning propos-als, rationalizing and addressingindustry priorities and the manyothers who have spent so muchtime on this initiative over the past
year,” noted CHC Research andTechnology Committee ChairBruce Hill. “We have learnedmuch from the exercise and arenow well positioned to workthrough these projects and, as asector, plan for the future.”
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK$3.6 million earmarked for research
and innovation in Canada’s horticultural sector
Siegers...more than seed
SERVICE • SELECTION • SOLUTIONS
1-800-962-4999 • www.siegers.com
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Cell: (814) 460-4102Office: (888) 586-2110
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Patricia Coulombe Canadian Customer Service
Cell: (226) 231-0121Email: [email protected]
CommodityGroup
Project TitleProject Lead
Tree Fruit Advanced postharvest handlingand storage technology for Cana-dian apples
Dr. Jennifer DeEll,OMAFRA
Small Fruit Wild blueberry environmentaland production risk mitigationsystem
Dr. David Percival,Nova Scotia Agricultural College
Development of day neutralstrawberries adapted to ourchanging climate and sustainableproduction
Dr. Yves Desjardins,University of Laval
Tunnel-growing systems forraspberries
Adam Dale, University of Guelph
Potato Late Blight - Part 2: Assessingthe efficacy of new fungicidesand fungicide combinations forcontrol of late blight (Phytophthora infestans)
Dr. Zenaida Ganga,Cavendish Farms
Late Blight - Part 3: Function of phosphorous acid related compounds on suppression oflate blight in potatoes
Dr. Gefu Wang-Pruski, Nova Scotia Agricultural College
Water Impact of liquid hog manure andirrigation management on broccoli safety: field experiment
Dr. Caroline Côté,IRDA, QC
Impact of irrigation on leaf lettuce and green onion safety:combining the irrigation-harvestdelay and the content ofEscherichia coli in water
Dr. Caroline Côté,IRDA, QC
Left to right, Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, Member of Parliament (West Nova) Greg Kerr, Andy Kuyvenhoevn (Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council), Dr. Michael Brownbridge (Vineland Research andInnovation), and CHC President Andy Vermeulen.
The bioenergy market is in itsinfancy in Ontario, but is attracting interest from growersdue to the potential demand forbiomass fuels derived from agricultural crops and residues,says Jim Todd, OMAFRA transition crop specialist. One ofthe most frequently asked questions is whether to plant anannual or perennial grass. The enduse usually determines the answer.
“The cheapest system to
generate biomass is to plant aperennial,” advises Todd. “Planting is a one-time expense,with stands generally lasting up to15 years.”
The disadvantage is that perennial crops such as switchgrass, big blue stem, prairiecordgrass, Indian grass and miscanthus, take three or fouryears to ramp up to full biomassproduction. While miscanthus isnot native, varieties have been
identified that are cold-tolerant.For all of these grasses, the first
harvest can be taken in year two ofestablishment. “Generally, theharvested grass is finely chopped,and then densified into either briquettes or pellets if the end useis to burn it.
These crops have additionalbenefits in carbon sequestrationand soil tilth.
Annuals are a different story.They are typically more expensiveto establish and must be kept in afield rotation. Hemp, for example,is one opportunity for biomass.
Others include pearl millet,sorghum, forages and kenaf.
Many seed companies oftencarry grass seed. Look to theOMAFRA website for updates onseed sources.
Todd concludes:• feedstock choice is important• understanding what end productthe market demands is important • a blend of feedstocks and conversion technologies will likely be used • a reduction in production, trans-portation and energy costs will becritical
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 15
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKWhat to plant for biomass: annuals or perennials?
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By Charles Emblee andJohn Cline
In the early 1900s researchersat the East Malling (EM) researchstation in England were the first tocollect and classify apple treetypes that possessed a wide rangeof vigour control. They wereknown as the dwarf rootstocks.
One of the original selections,EM.9, is still widely used in nurs-eries and orchards around theworld. Soon these unique genetictypes were being used in breedingprograms to improve orchard per-formance through the root system.The first improvement was theestablishment of orchards withcompletely uniform root systems.Researchers were seeking othertraits as well as vigour control andnew types that had consistent highyields like MM.106 were devel-oped and introduced.
Breeding programs that usedthis original material also com-bined winter hardiness and diseaseresistance with vigour control andproductivity. In the mid 1970s Dr.Jim Cummins at the New YorkState Agricultural Experiment Sta-tion at Geneva began an extensiveapple rootstock breeding programto improve resistance to fire blight,collar rot, as well as to providesize control. He also selected forrooting capacity in the stool bed.Today there are active tree fruitrootstock breeding rootstock pro-grams in a number of countriessuch as Germany, Poland, China,Russia and Japan.
Testing new rootstock intro-ductions from world breeding pro-grams is the goal of a USDA root-
stock research coordinating com-mittee, called “NC-140.” Thiscommittee has been testing root-stocks in coordinated field trialssince the late 1970s. In 2010 thecommittee established apple, cher-ry and peach rootstock plantings atnumerous cooperating sites in theU.S., Canada and Mexico. The lat-ter two countries were invited tojoin the committee as non-votingmembers to add climatic diversityto the tests. Historically, NC-140trials have been conducted in allapple growing provinces of Cana-da and they are usually run for 10years.
In 2010. two NC-140 trialswere established at Kentville,Nova Scotia. They were the SweetCherry rootstock and pruning sys-
tems trial (Fig. 2) and the Honey-crisp dwarf rootstock trial. In theSweet Cherry trial the new Ger-man, Gisela rootstocks Gi3, Gi5,and Gi6 were included in the test.The pruning systems are TSA,KGB and UFO. For the apple root-stock trial the following 31 root-stocks are being tested at 15 loca-tions: B.9, Bud 10 (Bud 62-396),Bud 64-194, Bud 67-5-32, Bud70-6-8, Bud 70-20-20, Bud 70-20-21, Bud 71-7-22, Bud 7-3-150,CG.2034, CG.3001, CG.4003,CG.4004, CG.4013, CG.4214,CG.4814, CG.5087, CG.5202(222), G.11, G.41 Normal, G.41TC, G.935 Normal, G.935 TC,G.202 Normal, G.202 TC, PiAu51-11, PiAu 9-90, Supporter 3,M.9T337, M.9Pajam2, M.26
EMLA. The research coordinatorfor the cherry planting is Dr. GregLang1 at Michigan State Universi-ty and the apple trial is coordinat-ed by Dr. Terence Robinson2 andGennaro Fazio3. NC-140 peachand pear rootstocks have been andare being tested in collaborative tri-als as well. Outlines of these trialscan be found on the NC-140 web-site (www.nc140.org).
In 1999 a cooperative Canadianrootstock research trial was estab-lished in Nova Scotia, NewBrunswick and Ontario using thescion cultivars ‘Jonagold,’‘McIn-tosh’ and ‘Novaspy.’ The objec-tive of this experiment was tomeasure the performance of recentEast Malling (AR86-1-20) andCornell-Geneva (CG.008, G.30)rootstocks in comparison with theindustry standard, M.26 EMLA.The trees were propagated in thenursery at the Atlantic Food andHorticulture Research Centre inKentville, and grown for eightyears in Nova Scotia, NewBrunswick, and Ontario. Resultsindicate that the East Malling and
Cornell-Geneva rootstocks testedcan all be categorized in a classlarger than M.26EMLA. The G.30and CG.008 were significantlymore yield-efficient in four of thesix experiments and show promiseas replacements for rootstocks inthis size category especially inareas with high fireblight pressure.
While the HRI introduction ismore vigorous and less efficient, itperformed well and should becompared with MM.106.
Not all rootstocks performedthe same at each site, thereforemore research on the influence ofrootstock or cultivar and its poten-tial dependence on the apple-growing conditions in which it isgrown is warranted. The experi-ment concluded that CG.008 couldbe an ideal choice for a productive,well-anchored semi-dwarf root-stock marginally larger thanM.26EMLA. G.30 is likely a goodreplacement for M.7 as it is veryproductive and significantly morevigorous than M.26EMLA.
Continued on next page
THE GROWER
PAGE 16 –– NOVEMBER 2010
2914, Cure-Labelle Blvd, Laval (Québec) Canada H7P 5R9Tel: 514-332-2275 Toll free: 800-561-9693 Fax: 450-682-4959 Toll free: 800-567-4594
Visit us at www.norseco.com
SUPERIOR SEEDS, SUPERIOR SERVICEMichel Grat ton
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Tel: 514-332-2275Fax: 450-682-4959
Yvon RiendeauMontreal Area, Quebec
Tel: 450-454-9997Fax: 450-454-5015
Yves Thibault, agr.Central and Eastern
Quebec and Atlantic Provinces
Tel: 418-660-1498Fax: 418-666-8947
Warren PeacockOntario
Tel: 519-426-1131Fax: 519-426-6156
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKTesting rootstocks for the new orchard
Figure 1. Harvesting M.26 rootstocks from propagation bed (stool bed).
RootstockSurvival
(%)
TrunkCross-Sectional
Area (cm2)
CumulativeNo. rootSuckers
(1999-2003)
Cumulativeyield efficiency(kg/cm2 TCA
(2001-2003)
AverageFruit weight
(g)(2001-2003)
CG.4814 95 a1 23.9 c 5.4 ab 1.37 a 157 b
CG.7707 73 b 29.0 bc 1.5 bc 0.98 b 172 a
G.30N2 94 a 33.8 ab 2.3 bc 1.17 ab 160 ab
M.7 EMLA 95 a 35.5 a 8.0 a 0.61 c 157 b
M.26 EMLA 95 a 23.4 c 0.4 c 0.93 b 162 ab
Supporter 4 86 ab 35.2 a 1.5 bc 0.89 b 166 ab
Table 1. Survival, tree size, yield and fruit size of ‘McIntosh’ apple trees on various rootstocks through thefirst five growing seasons (1999-2003) as part of the 1999 NC-140 Semi-dwarf Rootstock Trial. “McIntosh’data were derived only from Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nova Scotia, New York (Williamson),Ontario, Vermont and Wisconsin locations. 1 Means sharing the same letter are not statistically significant.2 G.30N was originally propagated from stool beds.
Rootstock Survival(%)
TrunkCross-
SectionalArea (cm2,
1999)
Cumula-tive
Yield pertree
(kg, 1997-99)
Cumula-tive
Yieldefficiency(kg/cm2
TCA,1997-99)
AverageFruit
Weight(g, 1997-
99)
B.146 74 c 5.0 de 5 e 1.09 d 137 d
B.469 97 ab 7.1 d 9 d 1.27 cd 157 abc
B.491 88 b 5.5 de 8 de 1.49 bc 153 bc
M.9 100 a 10.6 c 16 b 1.46 bc 165 ab
M.9NAKBT337
98 ab 10.1 c 13 c 1.32 bcd 161 abc
Mark 99 a 18.8 a 23 a 1.20 d 159 abc
P.2 99 a 9.8 c 14 bc 1.49 bc 154 bc
P.16 93 ab 4.1 e 8 de 1.98 a 152 c
V.1 100 a 15.4 b 17 b 1.10 d 167 a
V.3 100 a 10.3 c 16 b 1.58 b 163 abc
Table 2. Effects of dwarf rootstocks on apple tree performance at fiveyears.z Means sharing the same letters are not significantly different.
More detailed results will be pub-lished in the November issues ofthe Canadian Journal of Plant Sci-ence.
Tree fruit studies are by theirnature, long term. There are threephases: One: the production phase(7-10 years) two: collecting andmultiplication of the plant material(three to five years), three: grow-ing the nursery trees (a three-yearperiod). Remember, rootstocks areclones propagated in layering bedsso that is why establishment timeis needed.
Results from earlier NC-140trials such as the 1999 dwarf andsemi-dwarf planting have beenfinalized and will soon be pub-lished. A five-year summary waspublished, for McIntosh (Table1).
Survival across all sites wasbest for Cornell Geneva (CG)4814, M.7 and M.26 EMLA, andG.30N. The most vigorous root-stock overall was M.7 and theleast were M.26 EMLA andCG.4814. The smallest trees wereon rootstocks M.26 EMLA,CG.4814, and CG.7707. ‘McIn-tosh’ on Supporter 4 (Pi80) pro-duced trees smaller than M.7 butlarger than M.26. Rootstocks M.7EMLA and CG.4814 produced thegreatest number of root suckers.Cumulative yield efficiency wasthe highest for trees on CG.4814and G.30N rootstocks and the low-est for M.7 EMLA. Fruit size waslargest on CG.7707, Supporter 4,M.26 EMLA, and G.30N root-stocks.
Early results for a trial estab-lished in 1995 at Maine, Massa-chusetts, and Nova Scotia show(Table 2) field performance afterfive years across the cultivarsCortland, Macoun, Pioneer Mac,and McIntosh.
B.146, B. 469, and B. 491 arenew dwarf Russian rootstocks.M.9 is a traditional East Mallingdwarf rootstock. M.9 NAKBT337is a Malling 9 rootstock selection.Mark is an introduction fromMichigan. P.2 and P.16 are Polishintroductions in the dwarf size cat-egory. V.1 and V.3 are Canadianintroductions from the VinelandResearch Station in Ontario.Across all varieties and sites sur-vival was poorest for B. 146.Stocks with 100% survival wereV. 1, V.3, and M.9. These werealso good producers and promotedgood fruit size. The smallest treeswere on the rootstocks P.16,B.146, and B.491. The largestyield was on the largest trees withMark as the rootstock. The poorestyield was on B.146, B.491, andP.16. When yield is adjusted fortree size (yield efficiency) thehighest yield was on P.16 and thelowest was on B.146. Fruit sizewas largest on V.1, M.9, V.3, M.9NAKBT337, Mark, and B.469.The smallest fruit were on treeswith the B.146 rootstock.
For rootstock recommendationsin each production area contactyour local research and extensionpersonnel or websites such asAgrapoint (www.agrapoint.ca) or
University of Guelph(www.uoguelph.ca).
This article is co-authored byDr. Charles Embree, ResearchScientist, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Kentville, NS andDr. John Cline, Associate Profes-sor Tree Fruit Physiology, Univer-sity of Guelph1 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 17
Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
Canada-OntarioFarm Stewardship Program (COFSP)
is the cost-share program associated with the Canada-Ontario EnvironmentalFarm Plan (EFP) and can help you boost economic, production andenvironmental performance on your farm. COFSP and EFP are supported byAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs through the Growing Forward Best Practices suite.
What to expect for the 2011 cropping year:
• Project Proposal Applications (PPA) will be available through the Ontario Soil andCrop Improvement Association (OSCIA) on November 15, 2010;
• Projects started on or after September 15, 2010 may be eligible for cost-share;
• All farm businesses with either livestock or poultry as a primary commodity musthave a Premises Identification (PID) Number for the parcel of land where theproject is proposed, and submit a copy of the PID certificate, issued by OnTrace,with the PPA. To register, contact OnTrace at www.ontraceagrifood.com or bycalling toll-free 1-888-388-7223. This is a new requirement for the program;
• The funding cap for BMP category 14 - Improved Cropping Systems has beenadjusted to $5,000 per farm business;
• BMP category 26 - Energy Conservation Measures for Agricultural Purposes hasbeen expanded to accommodate renewable energy production for on-farm use;
• BMP category 27 - Renewable Energy Production is no longer available.
Speak to your local OSCIA Program Representative for details, or consult theOSCIA web site at www.ontariosoilcrop.org, or contact the OSCIA Guelph officeat 1-800-265-9751.
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCKTesting rootstocks for the new orchard
Figure 2. NC-140 Skeena SweetCherry rootstock/training trial2010, Kentville NS site, pho-tographed in early October. Gi3is the most dwarfing rootstock.The training system is Tall Spin-dle Axe (TSA). The other systemsnot shown are Kym Green Bush(KGB) and Upright Fruiting Off-shoots (UFO). This trial is alsoreplicated in BC, IL and Mexico.
Rootstock Gi3 Rootstock Gi5 Rootstock Gi6
The ‘buy local’ trend hasaffected the entire value chain,right to the seed companies.According to Jim Inksetter, Canadian sales manager, StokesSeeds, growers are looking forflavour and texture to satisfy thatconsumer need at roadside stands,farmers’ markets and green grocers.
“Consumer trends have beenmore nebulous in the past,” saysInksetter. “But the local trend –however you define local – hasmeant vegetables are picked closerto maturity.”
Sweet corn is one of the bestexamples. The Florida productthat consumers eat in May can’tcompare with the flavour fromlocal sweet corn in August. ForCanadian growers, it’s very tempt-ing to go early to market for sevendollars per dozen corn but forsome varieties, an extra three tofive days for the sugars to developare a better guarantee of consumersatisfaction.
Stokes’ sweet corn varieties –Awesome, Stellar and Fantastic –have become reliable choices formany growers. While bicolouredcorn may be the most popular inthe marketplace, growers and con-sumers will shift if it means a better taste experience. Vision yellow corn is one of Stokes’ besteating, says Inksetter and hasresulted in a new local favouriteand colour. From a productionperspective, two new corn vari-eties in the Gourmet Sweet line-up– 7143 and 2873 – will be offeredin 2011 that offer improved rusttolerance. That can translate intofewer fungicide applications andmore predictable yield.
Tomatoes are another vegetablethat must satisfy taste buds.“Primo Red delivered in 2010 withgood yields, large fruit and goodflavour,” says Inksetter. Itmatured very early this season, asearly as July 15 in southernOntario. It’s a variety that is moreresistant to “grey wall,” a problemin many earlier-maturing varieties.
Despite recent media coverage
of ethnic vegetables, Inksetter isnot seeing a dramatic change indemand at the seed level.
However, there are more incre-mental shifts in some categoriessuch as red bell peppers. This past
year, there were more Sheppard-style peppers grown as well asniche varieties such as Kapellopeppers, a smaller, personal-sizedSheppard.
When it comes to carrots, largecarrot growers are fussy abouttaste and texture. Honeysnax is abrand new variety in the cut-and-peel category developed for itsflavour as a fresh product. Cana-dian growers compete with Cali-fornia in this niche so flavour, tex-ture and yield are all important.
For those using high tunnels,seed selection shifts again forlonger-season varieties. In redpeppers, for instance, growerslook for a more indeterminatevariety for the longer harvestingperiod. The fruit characteristics
become very important becausegrowers are competing againstboth field-grown and greenhousevarieties.
When it comes to seeds, thestrong Canadian dollar is in favourof the grower. Seed companies, atleast Stokes Seeds, are bringing inseed for 2011 from the U.S,Europe and New Zealand at pricesthat are often equal to or in somecases lower than last year.
FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK How to pick a peck of seeds
Sales reps Paul Banks (L) and Jim Robinson examine carrot trials for Stokes Seeds.
THE GROWER
PAGE 18 –– NOVEMBER 2010
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“The local trend – however you define local– has meant vegetables
are picked closer tomaturity.”
-Jim Inksetter
Baby White Pak Choy-Nabai Queen
Hot Pepper-Dalong D11
Hot Pepper-Long Hot H
Hot Pepper-Super Banana
Kabocha-Litian
At the recent Canadian OutdoorFarm Show, AULARI Industry, aplanter/seeder/applicator manu-facturer in Quebec, launched theALR 2103AM, a multipurposetool to meet the needs of small andmedium size veggie, turf and cashcrop farm operators.
This piece of equipment canapply fertilizer with high preci-sion, plant small and mediumsized seeds and plant corn or soy-beans. The pneumatic fertilizerapplicator can side dress fertilizerusing patented disks that insureconsistency of application alongwith planting or later in the grow-ing season. The ALR 2103AM canalso blow fertilizer into an applica-tion boom ensuring high accuracyacross the working width. Boomsize ranges from 30 to 40 feetwide. The nozzles on the applica-
tion boom are positioned at 30 or36 inches apart to meet most croprequirements but can be movedeasily for any other crop needs.
Planters or seeders are attachedon a three-point hitch behind theALR 2103AM which can supportcorn planters ranging from four toeight rows, single or dual. The fer-tilizer hopper size is smaller com-pared to AULARI Industry’s mostpopular models and also needsonly one axel. The ALR 2103AMuses a simplified lifting devicesupported by only two small cylin-ders. The philosophy behind thisnew concept is to have a very ver-satile machine to save costs tosmall farm operators but saves 30minutes up to one hour to modifythe machine for each use. A lighterconstruction involving less manu-facturing time allows AULARI
Industry to offer a very competi-tive price. This planter/seeder/applicator targets the needs of veg-etable growers and turf producerswith tractors ranging from 50 to100 hp.
AULARI Industry designs andmanufactures farm equipmenthelping farm operators to increasecrop output and returns on invest-ments. It answers the needs ofcorn, cereals, soybeans as well asvegetables and turf producers,whatever their operation size is.The strengths of AULARI Indus-try are to innovate, adapt to itsmarket needs and give an excellentafter-sale service. AULARI prod-ucts are high quality and reliable.
For information 1-877-892-2126 or email [email protected] orvisit www.aulari.com.
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 19
Flexibility offered in three-in-one vegetable planter
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QMI-SAI Global, CertificationBody for the CanadaGAP Pro-gram, will be holding its nextCanadaGAP Auditor TrainingSession, November 2 - 4, 2010 atthe QMI-SAI Global Office inToronto.
The course entails three daysof classroom training including afinal exam and is designed to trainpotential auditors specifically forthe CHC CanadaGAP Program. Itincludes an intensive review ofthe OFFS manual requirements,with the incorporation of practicalexamples specific to commodityor region.
Who should consider takingthis course? This session may beof interest if:• You wish to train to become aCanadaGAP auditor• You are responsible for the foodsafety program within your com-pany, and/or you are conductinginternal audits in preparation forCanadaGAP certification.
Participants must first pre-qualify by familiarizing them-selves with a CHC OFFS Manualin advance of the training andsuccessfully completing a pre-course assignment. It is theresponsibility of those wishing tobecome CanadaGAP auditors toreview and ensure they can meetthe CHC auditor qualificationsand requirements. Before register-ing, please ensure you review thefull list of requirements at:www.canadagap.ca/en/canadagap-program/auditors.aspx#training
The cost of the workshop is$899.
Participants will need a copyof the Combined Vegetable OFFSManual and Appendices in orderto complete the assignment. Forfurther information contact:Maryana Glavan, QMI-SAI Glob-al at (416) 401-8708 or email m a r y a n a . g l a v a n @ q m i -saiglobal.com.
THE GROWER
PAGE 20 –– NOVEMBER 2010
By Maryam Sultan and Pam Fisher, OMAFRA
The raspberry crown borer is aclearwing moth, similar in appear-ance to a yellow jacket wasp. Itmeasures approximately 25mm inlength and has a wingspan ofabout 30mm. The adult can beseen basking on raspberry foliageduring the day (Figure 1).
Crown borer larvae are whitewith a light brown head. They pos-sess three pairs of very small truelegs and four pairs of prolegs (Fig-ure 2). They range in size from afew mm to 30mm when fullygrown. They are found in the rasp-berry crown where they feed andtunnel into crown tissue. As they
feed, they deposit reddish brown,granular frass behind them. Theirburrowing severely damages thecrown and eventually affectsabove-ground tissue. The canesbecome weak and spindly andfruiting canes often collapse whilethe fruit is still immature. Foliagemay wilt and die on affectedcanes. Eventually, primocanesbecome so few in number that theplanting dies out.
Damage from this pest canoften go unnoticed for some time.Symptoms are sometimes con-fused with winter injury, or Phy-tophthora root rot. To diagnose theproblem accurately, use a spade todig up crowns of weak plants.Shake away the soil and examinethe crown for reddish-brown frassand tunnels. Use hand-pruners tocut the crowns carefully to lookfor crown borer larvae in andaround the damaged area (Figure3). In late fall and early spring, tugon affected canes. If crown boreris the culprit, the affected cane willusually break off at the base,revealing larvae and frass below.
BiologyThe raspberry crown borer has
a two-year life cycle. In late July,August and September females laysingle, reddish-brown eggs on theunderside of young leaves. Theadult is active for about one week.Females can lay around 140 eggs
in this time. The larvae emerge about one to
two months after egg-laying andmigrate down to the base of thecane. Each larva overwinters in ahibernaculum below the soil sur-face. In the spring, they begin bor-ing tunnels and cavities into thecrown tissue. The larvae also feed
on and girdle roots and other canesbelonging to the same crown.They spend their second winterwithin the roots of the plant. Dur-ing July of the second summer,pupation occurs inside the crownand mature adult crown borers
emerge between late July and September.
Management and Control Researchers are working on the
development of a pheromone lureto attract adult insects but these arenot yet available.
Field sanitation, clean pruningand habitat management will helpto reduce pressure from this pest.Remove nearby wild brambles toreduce the likelihood of infesta-tions. Prune out and destroy oldcanes each spring, cutting them asclose to the ground as possible, todestroy larvae overwintering at thebase of the cane. Keep grassmowed short and weeds undercontrol to reduce the shelter theyprovide to adults during the egg-laying period.
Several insecticides are regis-tered for control of raspberrycrown borer.
Diazinon 50W and Diazinon500 EC: These products provideexcellent control of raspberrycrown borer. Spray in early spring,to control young larvae beforethey tunnel into the crown. Applyin a high volume of water perhectare as a drench to crowns andbase of plants. Apply when newprimocanes are less than 10 cmabove ground. Because this pest
has a two-year life cycle, twoapplications, one year apart, arenecessary for control. Althoughmany uses of diazinon are beingphased out, a few limited uses,including control of raspberrycrown borer, remain for now.
Guthion 50 WSB and Sniper:These products are also very effec-tive for crown borer larvae, butthey are very toxic to the applica-tor and have long re-entry periods.The spray is targeted to young lar-vae before they tunnel into thecrown. Apply in late September orearly October in a high volume ofwater per hectare as a drench tocrowns and base of plants. Theseproducts are being phased out andcan be used on raspberries forcrown borer control no later thanDecember 31, 2012.
Altacor: This product was reg-istered in August 2010 through theminor use registration programand will require more careful tim-ing for control. It is effective onearly instar larvae, which mustingest the product to be affected.The product must be present onfoliage and eggs, to control hatch-ing larvae in mid-late summer.We need more field experiencewith this product in order to devel-op the best strategy for raspberrycrown borer control.
Pest profile: raspberry crown borer
Figure 1: Raspberry crown boreradult on raspberry leaf measuringabout 25 mm in length.
Figure 2: Raspberry crown borerlarva from the side showing itsthree sets of true legs close to thelight brown head. Only two offour pairs of prolegs are shown.
Figure 3: Raspberry crown borer larvae tunnelling into crown tissue.The arrow points at frass associated with larval feeding.
Observations on day-neutral strawberry varieties By Pam Fisher, OMAFRA
Five day-neutral strawberry varieties were set out at fourgrower sites this summer. Here are some background notesand preliminary observations made by OMAFRA summerstudents. Thanks to the Ontario Berry Growers Associationfor funding these and other variety trials through the FarmInnovation Program in 2010. Thanks also to OMAFRA students Kara Pate and Patrick Clendinning and to thegrowers who hosted these trials.
SeascapeSeascape is a cross between the cultivars Selva and
Douglas, and was developed by the University of California1991. Seascape is the standard variety for Ontario and iswidely grown due to its high yields. Fruit is firm, mediumto long conic in shape, bright red in colour and good quality. Fruit are flavourful with an intense, sometimesunpleasant aroma in summer. Seascape produces highyields in August and early September. It is susceptible totwo-spotted spider mite and extremely susceptible to powdery mildew, which causes small, seedy fruit as wellred blotching on the foliage. Ripe fruit is easily damaged byrain. In Ontario, Seascape is the most winter hardy of theseday neutral varieties.
AlbionAlbion is a cross between Diamante and a numbered
advanced selection from California. Albion produces orange-red firm tasty fruit, with lower
yields than Seascape. Fruit is conical in shape and ripensfrom the tip towards the top. The fruit has excellent quality
and excellent flavour. It is less winter hardy and fruits laterin the season than Seascape. Although the patent informa-tion for Albion suggests it is apparently resistant to Phytophthora crown rot, anthracnose crown rot, and verti-cillium wilt, we have seen all of these diseases on Albion inOntario. When treated properly Albion has a resistance totwo-spotted spider mites. Albion is becoming a favourite inOntario due to its excellent flavour and quality.
MontereyMonterey is a cross between Albion and a numbered
advanced selection from California. Monterey is similar to Albion in some respects. The fruit
itself is very sweet and slightly larger than Albion. However, it is easier to damage because the skin is softer. Monterey has good disease resistance qualities, although itis susceptible to powdery mildew. It has a similar produc-tion period as Albion with slightly stronger flowering. Theplant is very vigorous so it requires slightly more space thanAlbion. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario sofar.
PortolaPortola is a cross between two advanced selections from
California. The fruit are produced on long petioles, are orange-red
colour and very shiny, almost plastic looking. The berriesare the same to larger in size compared to Albion. Portolahas a vigorous plant and may require lower plant densitythan Albion. The cultivar is slightly resistant to powderymildew, but it is susceptible to leaf blight and botrytis fruit
rot. We have observed consistently earlier and greater yieldsfrom Portola compared to other day-neutral varieties forfirst year pickings. However, Portola is not as flavourful noras sweet as Albion, and had the poorest flavour of all fivevarieties tested. It had a lower percentage of marketableberries, mostly due to botrytis and fruit rots. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario, but testing is inprogress.
San AndreasSan Andreas is a cross between Albion and a numbered
advanced selection. San Andreas was very late to come into production in our
2010 trial plantings, although reports from other regionsindicate it has a similar production period to Albion. In ourtrials, yield was very low until early September. Fruit wasvery attractive, large, very firm, bright red and attractive. Ithas a lighter colour than Albion and a fairly sweet taste.Plants were noticeably healthier and had less leaf diseasethan the other varieties in the trial. The plant is resistant topowdery mildew and leaf blight. However, it is reported tobe susceptible to botrytis and viral infections. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario.
Making a decision Each year I review variety recommendations with a
committee of researchers, growers, and plant propagators.Currently, Seascape and Albion are recommended for limit-ed or regional planting in Ontario. For the most up-to-datevariety recommendations, see “Recommended Berry Varieties for Ontario” at www.omafra.gov.on.ca.
By Pam Fisher and Kristen Callow, OMAFRA and Rob
Nurse, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Late fall is an important win-dow for weed control in mattedrow strawberries. The time-frameis before the ground is frozen andbefore mulch is applied in Novem-ber or December, but after plantsare dormant. Herbicides applied atthis timing will prevent weed-seedgermination next spring. The her-bicide you choose depends on thespectrum of weed control, soiltype, previous applications andherbicide tolerance of the varietiesin your fields. Traditionally, Sin-bar or Devrinol were used at thispre-mulch timing. Growers nowhave two more choices for this latefall application: Chateau and Goal.If you choose one of these newerherbicides before mulching, youcan use Devrinol and Sinbar atother timings, when they can betargeted for specific weed prob-lems.
Remember that each of theseherbicides has residual soil activi-ty that will affect germination of
cover crops for some months afterapplication. If next year will be thelast harvesting year for your plant-ing, see the product label for plant-back restrictions.
Frequently asked questionsabout pre-mulch herbicideapplication: Can I tank-mix these herbicides?
Herbicides can be legally tank-
mixed as long as all products areregistered for use in strawberries.
However, if the tank-mix is notlisted on the herbicide label, thegrower must accept the risks ofincreased crop injury and/orreduced weed control which couldresult from the mixing. Whentank-mixing herbicides it is impor-tant to make sure that there is nooverlapping of mode of action;
that the spectrum of weeds con-trolled by each product is comple-mentary and that all products arestill being applied at their regis-tered timings and rates. For exam-ple, a grower might tank-mix Sin-bar and Devrinol if both fieldpansy and common groundsel areproblems. However, tank-mixingtwo “hot” herbicides, such as Sin-bar and Chateau, would be consid-ered risky. How do I know when strawberriesare dormant?
Dormancy in strawberries is amoving target. It is affected by thevariety, as well as changingdaylength and temperatures. Anold rule of thumb for when toapply mulch is after several hardfrosty nights but before snowfall.
As plants become dormant, straw-berry growth slows down andfoliage flattens out. Colour is notalways an indication of strawberryplant dormancy, but some vari-eties will turn red in the fall whenthey are dormant. When plants aredormant, there should be no newgrowth coming from the crown. Arule of thumb for safe Chateauapplication is to apply it afterAmerican Thanksgiving, in lateNovember. Can I apply Chateau in spring?
Do not apply Chateau or Goalto matted row plantings in spring.Strawberry plants are not dormantin the spring. Root growth beginsagain when soil temperatures are5-10 C.
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 21
Pre-mulch weed control options for strawberries
Figure 1: Injury to strawberry foliage from drift of Chateau herbicide.
Product information
Weeds controlled
Strengths Weaknesses Comments Max#/yr
Re-entry
intervalDevrinol 50 DF(napropamide)PCP# 25231
Group 15
Annual grassesand some annu-al broad-leavedweeds includ-ing chickweed,groundsel,purslane, pig-weed, commonragweed,lamb’s-quar-ters.
Strawberriesare very toler-ant to Devrinol,phytotoxicity isminor whenregistered ratesare used.
Breaks down in sun-light. Weed controlcan be sporadic andis improved byimmediate incorpo-ration with irriga-tion or rainfall.
Provides no activityon emerged weeds.This herbicide canalso be safely appliedafter mulch isremoved in spring,when it is most effec-tive for groundselsuppression.
1 12 hours
Sinbar(terbacil)PCP# 10628Group 5
Annual grassesand some annu-al broad-leavedweeds includ-ing chickweed,mustards,prickly lettuce,henbit,purslane, pig-weed, commonragweed,lamb’s-quarters
Economical,providing con-trol of manywinter annualsand mustards(especiallywhen low ratesare used atLabour Daytiming)
Can cause severeinjury to strawberryplants, especially onlighter soil types.Varieties such asAnnapolis, Mira,Kent are especiallysusceptible, butmany more varietiescan be injured. Does not provideeffective control ofmost annual grasses.
Higher rates maydamage strawberryroots and foliage.Apply in at least 300L of water /ha andensure the product iswashed off leaveswith a light rain orirrigation after appli-cation. On lighter soiltypes, Sinbar damagefrom the fall applica-tion frequently showsup in the spring whennew strawberry rootsgrow into Sinbarresidues in treatedsoils.
3 12 hours
Chateau Herbi-cide WG (flumioxazin)PCP# 29231
Group 14
Annualbroadleavedweeds such aspigweed, rag-weed lamb’s-quarters, night-shade, dande-lion, plus sev-eral other hardto controlweeds.
Provides resid-ual activity forseveral monthsagainst manyhard to controlweeds in straw-berries.
Causes spotting anddamage to strawber-ry foliage on non-dormant plants.
Requires soil mois-ture for activation.Binds tightly to soilparticles and can bemoved on blowingsoil or flooded soils.Do not use on fine-textured soils.
1 12 hours
Goal 2XL(oxyflourfen)PCP # 24913
Group 14
Purslane, night-shade, pig-weed, buck-wheat, lamb’s-quarters, fieldpansy, andoxalis (com-mon wood sor-rel).
Provides excel-lent control ofseveral difficultstrawberryweeds andseems to have abroader spec-trum than issuggested onthe label.
Does not provideeffective control ofmost annual grasses.Causes spotting anddamage to strawber-ry foliage on non-dormant plants.
Days to harvest inter-val is 150 days. Prevents weed seedgermination but willalso control smallweed seedlings (2-4leaf stage)Do not apply to sandysoil.
1 24 hours
Food safety tip: hand sanitizers
By Sandra Jones, Crops On-Farm Food Safety Program LeadWhile both alcohol-based and alcohol-free hand sanitizers are
effective, current studies show the “downside” of alcohol-based handsanitizers and the “upside” of safer, more environmentally friendly ofalcohol-free products. Alcohol-based products are more flammable,tend to be very drying on skin, and there have been instances of inges-tion and alcohol-poisoning. The alcohol-free products often use theorganic compound benzalkonium chloride as the active ingredientwhich has been known as an effective antibacterial agent. Benzalko-nium chloride has little effect on skin and is commonly used in handand face washes. While the alcohol-based sanitizers are still slightlyless expensive, the alcohol-free products are said to be more costeffective.
Remember that washing with soap and water is still the firstchoice. However, when that is not an option, try an alcohol-free prod-uct rather than one with alcohol.
THE GROWER
PAGE 22 –– NOVEMBER 2010
The Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA)has operated a recognized Plant Propagation Programfor many years. The program is based on plant grow-ers purchasing clean planting stock from our tissueculture lab in New Liskeard. Upon receiving theseclean plants propagators must then follow a strict setof guidelines developed by the Achene committee ofthe OBGA in consultation with experts at OMAFRA,University of Guelph and the Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency.
As part of the requirements plant growers fumi-gate the land being utilized to grow plants at allstages of the program prior to planting. Nematodetesting must be done in the fall to ensure the soilmeets the requirements set out in the guidelines.Field inspections are done twice each growing seasonon both strawberries and raspberries. The inspectormonitors for signs of insect, disease and virus andalso makes sure that the plantings are being grown tothe specifications of the propagation guidelines.
In 2009 and 2010 only one plant propagator inOntario was inspected and met the plant propagation
guidelines. That farm is Strawberry Tyme Farms inSimcoe Ontario. The OBGA strongly recommendsthat you only purchase plants from a grower that produces plants under a recognized provincial orstate program.
Many of our berry varieties are grown underlicence agreements and growers who purchase thoseplants are required to pay royalties. These royaltiesare very important as they are returned to the inven-tor of the variety so that further breeding and researchcan be funded. In addition to royalties, Ontario propagators have to collect a $5/1000 check-off feethat goes to the OBGA to fund research and promo-tion activities. Again the only farm in Ontario to sub-mit royalty and check-off fees for the past two yearsis Strawberry Tyme Farms. To protect yourself frompurchasing illegal plants you can ask your propagatorto include a statement that the plants were producedwithin the terms of their license agreement.
If you have any questions about the Ontario PlantPropagation Program feel free to contact the OBGAoffice at 613-258-4587 or [email protected]
Buying Ontario berry plants
•
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OMAFRA resources fornew farmers:
Visit this website for a collection of resources on theOMAFRA website to help newfarmers meet the challenges ofstarting a new farm.www.Ontario.ca/NewFarmerThe new farmer collection offerslinks to:• skill development, • business planning,
• marketing and various other subjects.Who is new farmer?• the next generation intending totake over the family farm, • a recent university graduate, • someone new to our country or • an individual embarking on anentirely new career.
Pam FisherBerry Crop Specialist,OMAFRA, Box 587, Simcoe,ON N3Y [email protected]
Margaret ApplebyIPM Systems Specialist,OMAFRA95 Dundas St., R.R.#3Brighton, ON K0K [email protected]
The Ontario Berry Grower is edited by:
30th North American Strawberry Growers Association Annual Meeting
in conjunction with the7th North American Strawberry Symposium
February 8-11, 2011 Tampa, Florida “Sustaining Strawberry Production
through Science”
Speakers from 14 countries as well as 12 States and Provinces.Plus! Special Guest Speaker and Marketing Expert “Bill McCurry”This very special, combined meeting will be held at the Doubletree
Hotel, Tampa Westshore in Tampa, Florida on February 8–11,2011. There will be a complimentary Post-Conference tour of the
Plant City growing area, and the University of Florida BalmResearch Center.
February 8th will lead into the conference with four afternoonworkshops that will focus on Water and Nutritional Management,Nursery propagation and production physiology, Molecular biologyand biotechnology (Diploid strawberry sequencing workshop) andOrganic Production. These will be casual workshops with lots ofopen discussion. The evening will feature a welcome reception witha special guest speaker.
On February 9th a general session will feature talks that will be ofinterest to both growers and researchers and end with Bill McCurrydiscussing marketing.
Concurrent sessions on February 10th will feature NASS scientificpresentations and NASGA grower profiles and marketing sessions.The conference will conclude with our field tour on Friday February 11th.
For more information or to register visit www.nasga.org or contactKevin Schooley at 613-258-4587 [email protected]
By Lilian SchaerA new charitable foundation that will support outreach
programs pertaining to farmers, farms and food wasunveiled in Guelph last month. The Farm Care Foundation,launched by AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council(OFAC), will support activities focused on the core objective of the two organizations: ensuring public trust andconfidence in food and farming.
More than 95 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Ipsos-Reid in 2009 indicated they knew little or nothingabout farming, yet almost two thirds said they would like toknow more. Studies also show that the credibility of farmers and third party experts, such as veterinarians anduniversity scientists, continues to be high.
“The interest in food and farming has never been greaterand the opportunities for farmers and the entire agri-foodsector to tell their stories continue to grow,” says CrystalMackay, Executive Director of AGCare and OFAC. “Thesuccess of the Farm Care Foundation will be instrumental inbroadening the reach of agriculture’s voice and worktowards ensuring public confidence in food and farming.”
The new foundation, a registered charity that is a separate entity from both OFAC and AGCare, will focus onseveral key objectives, including building relationships withnew donors and developing an effective and professionalfundraising program to support OFAC and AGCare initia-tives, such as regional and national agri-food awareness andissue-specific work related to the environment and farm animal care.
The concept for the foundation was originally identifiedat a strategy session of the Ontario Farm Animal Councilboard of directors in 2008. Both AGCare and OFAC are
increasingly challenged to expand their communicationsefforts, while at the same time dealing with a narrowingfunding base due to amalgamation and other structuralchanges in the industry. An aging farm population, transi-tion of wealth between generations and support fromthroughout the supply chain beyond the farm gate were allidentified as opportunities for increased funding supportand helped move the search for a new, sustainable fundingmodel forward.
“We’re building this foundation with the future inmind,” says Mackay. “This new charity will provide avenue and an opportunity for individuals, organizations andcompanies from across Canada to contribute to the future of
farming and a dedicated communications program.” One member of each of the OFAC and AGCare board
executives have been appointed as trustees in order to helpmaintain a common sense of purpose between the Founda-tion and the two organizations. Currently, trustees representthe farm, animal health, processing, feed, banking, innova-tion and crop protection sectors.
Bruce Christie, a past OFAC chair, was elected as chairof the Farm Care Foundation board at its inaugural meetingin September. Ian McKillop, a beef, cash crop and eggfarmer and former President of the Ontario Cattlemen’sAssociation, was elected vice chair; John Geurtjens of FarmCredit Canada was elected chair of the Finance Committeeand Paul Wettlaufer, AGCare Chair, and John Maaskant,OFAC Chair, will co-chair the very important FundraisingCommittee. OFAC / AGCare staff will serve as Secretary tothe Board in a non-voting capacity.
Early goals of the new foundation are to develop afundraising strategy and plan, says Mackay, as well asimplement policies around raising and managing funds.
AGCare and OFAC have recently signed a memorandumof understanding as part of an ongoing amalgamationprocess that will see a new organization with a single voicefor public outreach activities. Technical working groupsfocused on environment and animal welfare will be main-tained. The amalgamated organization is expected to be inplace by 2012.
More information on the new Farm Care Foundation andhow to donate to its new efforts can be found at www.farm-carefoundation.ca or by contacting the AGCare office at519.837.1326.
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 23
New charity to focus on public trust and confidence in Canadian food and farming
OFVGA 152nd Annual Meeting and ConventionSilent auction contributors
OFVGA Annual General Meeting and Convention Policy
As the OFVGA prepares for its 152nd annual meeting, the association would like to remindits member organizations of the following policy – put in place in 2004-05 – in order
to ensure proper delegate preparation and resolutions submission.
• All member organizations are entitled to one (1) delegate per 50 members within theirrespective organizations, maximum of five (5).• All member organizations are to provide to the OFVGA the number of its active membership.• All resolutions should be brought forward, in writing, by December 15 of each year.• Any of the member organizations who are required to submit their director’s name inadvance (currently seven of the 10 board affiliates) should do so by December 15 of eachyear.
If you are interested in donating to the silent auction, please contact Herb Sherwood at 519-380-0118
Sherwood MarketingJack & Gjan ScottPlasponics KlipKitCindy & Steve ClayParks BlueberriesKwazar SprayersAyr Farmers MutualSarjeant Co. LtdData MediaClients of The GrowerUnion GasRichmond Motors, ChathamVan Kesteren HyundaiPride SeedsPioneer CanadaMcGrail Farm Equipment
The Links of Kent: Golf ClubDeer Run Golf CourseJanzen EquipmentR J EquipmentRicter Web Printing Comfort Inn, ChathamBlenheim ChryslerLandini, McCormick CanadaDelhaven Orchards Ltd.Smith & Wilson WineryCountry View Golf CourseReif Estate WineryTravelodge, ChathamComfort Inn, ChathamRed Pine Inn, AllistonBoston Pizza, Chatham
Casa Bella, ChathamT-Bones Steak House, ChathamBorealis Grille & Bar, GuelphLicks Hamburgers, GuelphShoeless Joe’s, GuelphKent Farm Supplies Ltd.Blenheim Community Golf ClubBaldoon Golf ClubDeer Run Golf CourseRidgetown Golf ClubTilbury Gulf ClubVia RailViewpoint Estate WinerySunnybrook Farm Estate WineryTim Hortons Head Office Cardinal Golf Club
Ayr Turf & Trac Inc. Lailey Vineyard Winery Strewn Winery Stonechurch VineyardData MediaSwiss ChaletBoston Pizza Turtle Jacks Aberfoyle Mill Talisman ResortCountry View Golf ClubPeller Estates WinerySunnybrook Estate WineryOntario Beekeepers AssociationCity of Guelph, Tourism City of Niagara Falls
Bank Of Nova Scotia Landini, McCormick CanadaKubota CanadaJohn Deere, Agraturf Union Gas Red Pine Inn, AllistonPelee Days Inn, LeamingtonCrown Plaza, Niagara Falls Supreme Full Service Car Wash Diamond DetailingFarm Credit CanadaGuelph City MazdaVictoria Park Golf Club, Guelph
Below is a list of the generous contributors who have donated items to the association on behalf of the 152nd annual general meeting. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity.
NOTICEis hereby given that the
152nd Annual Members and Directors’ Meetingof the
Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Association
will be held in
Niagara Falls, Ontario at The Crowne Plaza HotelJanuary 10, 11 and 12, 2011
Election of Directors of the Association will take place as well as dealingwith resolutions and any other business that may arise.
Vision: Farm Care Foundation - Public Trust andConfidence in Canadian Food and Farming
Mission: To raise and manage funds to enhancepublic trust and confidence in Canadian food
and farming
The Horticulture Value ChainRoundtable is one of several feder-ally-sponsored industry round-tables. It is composed of growers,retailers, associations, and otherrepresentatives along with govern-ment policy staff. Labour is one ofthe areas identified as critical tothe competitiveness of the horti-culture sector. The following areasneed the greatest attention.1. Innovation 2. Promotion of the Sector andCareer Awareness3. Management and TechnicalSkills Capacity 4. Government Policy and Regulations
Many firms along the entirevalue chain face issues such ashaving very labour-intensive oper-ations and the associated costswhile also not having enoughaccess to an adequate supply ofemployees, among other issues.
Our ‘Labour Innovation sub-committee’ is developing ways toaddress concerns from across theentire horticulture sector. Ourobjectives include: a status checkof labour-related innovation in thesector, which innovations weshould target for action, identifica-tion of gaps in government andprivate-sector activities, and shar-ing knowledge along the entirehorticulture value chain.
The most important part of thisprocess is getting your valuableinput, says Brian Gilroy, a mem-ber of the Roundtable
Innovation and Labour IssuesSurvey for the Horticulture
SectorQuestions:
1) a) Which province(s)/territoryis your operation(s) located?
British Columbia___Alberta___ Saskatchewan___Manitoba___Ontario___Quebec___New Brunswick___Nova Scotia___Prince Edward Island (PEI)___Newfoundland and Labrador___
b) Which sub-sector(s) of horticul-ture is your operation(s) involvedwith?
Asparagus, Sweet Corn, &Legumes___Bulb and Root Vegetables___Fruiting Vegetables___Greenhouse Production___Potatoes___Leafy Vegetable & Cruciferae___Small Fruit___Tree and Vine Fruit___Landscape, Trees, Non-Green-house Ornamentals____
c) Which commodity (ies) do yougrow, handle, process, etc. (ex.carrots, apples, flowers, etc.)?
d) If you are not a primary produc-er, briefly describe your operation
and its position within the horti-culture value chain? (Pleasechoose all that apply)
Input Supplier___Packer___Processor___Distributor___Wholesaler___Retailer___Other______________________
e) Would you consider your oper-ation to be small, average, or largerelative to others in your sub-sector?
f) Approximately what percentage(%) of your expenses is composedof labour related costs?
0-20 %___21-40 %___41-60 %___>60%___
2) When compared to other opera-tions in your sub-sector, in regardsto the introduction of labour sav-ing technologies, would you con-sider yourself to be:
An innovator (the first 2.5% totake up a new technology)___An early adopter (the next12.5%)___A majority adopter (after the first15%)___Other_______________________
3) How automated (mechanized)would you consider your operationto be?:
Very automated___Somewhat automated___Not automated___Unknown___
4) a) Please describe any specificinnovative measures that you haveundertaken recently to reduce yourlabour related costs.
b) Please describe any specificinnovative measures that youwould like to undertake in thefuture to reduce your labour relat-ed costs:
c) If you have not yet or are notplanning to implement any innov-ative or labour saving technologiesin your operation but would liketo, what would you say are yourbiggest challenges to doing so:(Choose all that apply)
Capital investment required is toohigh___Unable to get financing___Estimated return on investment(ROI) too low___ Lack of training/know-howrequired to implement___Difficulty in sourcing technology(e.g. need to import from over-seas)___No appropriate technology available___Other (please describe)___________________________
5) What specific areas within your
operation would benefit most fromadditional innovation/automation?(Choose all that apply):
Planting___Pruning___Pest Management___Harvesting___Packing___Storage___Distribution___Display___Other (please describe) ___________________________
6) What type of gains in competi-tive advantage could be realizedthrough types of innovation/automation chosen in question#6?: (Choose all that apply)
Reduced labour costs___Higher level of employee safety___Higher productivity___Enhanced product quality___Enhanced food safety___ Other (please describe)___________________________
7) a) Do you think that there iscurrently adequate training avail-able to you to assist in the transferof innovative technology to youroperation?
Yes___No___
Unknown___
b) Please identify the source of thetechnology transfer assistanceavailable to you: (Choose all thatapply)
University/Colleges___Industry Association___Provincial Government___Federal Government___Equipment Supplier___Trade Shows___Other (please describe) ___________________________
8) a) Is there capital funding avail-able to assist with the financing ofinnovative technologies for youroperations?
Yes___No___Unknown___
b) If yes, what are sources of fund-ing available to you? (Pleasechoose more than one if applica-ble):
Financial institutions (banks,credit unions, Farm Credit Canada, etc.)___Provincial Government___Federal Government___Private Funding (venture capital,family, etc.)___Equipment Suppliers___
Self-financing___Other (please describe)___________________________
9) What would you consider to bea reasonable return on investment(ROI) (capital payback) in yearsfor an investment in innovativetechnology?:
1-2 years___3-5 years___6-10 years___10 or more years___
10) What other ideas do you have,related to innovative technology orautomation (mechanization), thatwill help improve labour produc-tivity in your sector? (Note: thiscould include ideas from othercountries, other sectors, academia,etc.)
Go to the website to fill outthis survey at www.agsurvey.hostedincanadasurveys.ca/index.php?sid=49198&lang=en.Or tear out this page and forward to:OVFGA, c/o Brian Gilroy105-355 Elmira Road NorthGuelph, ON N1K 1S5
Deadline for survey isNovember 30, 2010.
THE GROWER
PAGE 24 –– NOVEMBER 2010
Survey on innovation and labour issuesDeadline: November 30
THE GROWER
MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 25
EQUIPMENT
DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT(519) 599-3058 Clarksburg, ON.
Several Models: 5-Bin or 6-Bin, Tandem Axles or Single Axle WithSoft-Ride Flotation Tires, Narrow, Low Profile Model With AdjustableWidth Axles For Plastic or Wood BinsApple Bin Dumpers (Rotator) - Fit Forklift or Tractor LoaderFlail Mulchers in Stock: Grind Up Old Leaves, Prunings, Grass &Debris After Harvest
- Seppi 6 1/2 Ft. Flail - Almost New $5,900- Seppi 8 Ft Flail - Low Hours, Like New - Coming- Perfect 7 Ft H.D. Flail - New - At Last Year Pricing
Turbo-Mist: New Orchard/Vineyard Sprayers and Stainless Steel Low-Drift Spray Towers Arriving in October. Plan Early For Next Year.
Best Wishes for a Prosperous Harvest
Wanted: For Cash, Trade, or ConsignmentClean Sprayers, Mowers, Bin Carriers, Narrow Orchard Tractors
BIN CARRIERSNEW AND USED
REAL ESTATE
TUNNELS
ECO CLEANING
FREIGHT SERVICE
Warehousing & Distribution Transborder Freight Services.
For additional information please contact us directly or visit our website shown belowPHONE: 905-672-6255 FAX: 905-672-6322website: www.cole.ca email: [email protected]
Servicing your import and export requirements since 1958
IRRIGATION
Pipe& Fittings
for Water Systems
• PVC, ABS, Poly, Copper• Stainless, Brass, Steel
Product Lines• Drip & Micro Irrigation• Septic & Sewer• Drainage & Culverts• Berkeley Water Pumps
Winona Concrete & Pipe Products Ltd.
489 Main St. W., Grimsby, ON. L3M 1T4
Phone (905) 945-8515
Fax: (905) 945-1149or call toll-free
1-800-361-8515
CLASSIFIEDS
For Sale: One used Swanson 300Gallon orchard sprayer. Stainlesssteel tank and stainless steeladjustable tunnels with Myerscentrifugal pump. Call 905-584-2584
For Sale: 80 HP Hydro Chiller.Complete. Shower pumps. Every-thing complete. Good workingcondition. Contact Fred at 519-521-3636
To place your classified in The Grower,
call 519-763-8728 ext221 or email
www.thegrower.org
THE GROWER
MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011
CONTAINERS
LLOYD BAG CO.(www.lloydbag.com)
Established in 1939
BURLAP (JUTE)TREE WRAP / LINERS / SHEETS
WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE
PAPERLENO MESH
COTTON AND CANVASFOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
MARK ALLOTT BEV ADDEMAN JASON LONGGeneral Manager Sales Sales
1-800-549-2247114 St. Clair Street • P.O. Box 208, Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K3
Telephone (519) 352-9300 • Fax (519) 352-3413E-Mail: [email protected]
www.ScoringAg.com
SEE home page
OPEN Search
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TRACEABILITY
PAGE 26 –– NOVEMBER 2010
PRUNING
Good Reasons to Contract Your Pruning:
• Experienced crew• Exact costing• Free estimates• Job completion on time• No additional costs
associated with general labour• Improved quality• reduced harvesting and
maintenance costsAvailable anywhere
in Ontario!Simply the best approach tothis important factor of fruit
productionCall Dave (519) 372-0604
FRUIT & VEGETABLE PACKAGINGWellington Wood Products (1972) Ltd.
Manufacturers and Suppliers of:
• Corrugated Baskets & Masters • Wooden Baskets • Wooden Hampers
• Plastic Containers & Bags • Cider Supplies • Apple Packaging & Cartons
• Waxed Cartons • Custom Corrugated Cartons • Berry Containers & Masters
* Triple Wall Bulk Bins
A large INVENTORY of all types of packaging.We can deliver your order DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR.
For current, competitive pricing call
1-800-265-2397 www.wwp.on.ca
Wellington Wood Products410 Sligo Road WestMount Forest, ON N0G 2L0519-323-1060 [email protected]
Wellington Wood Products1587 "B" County Road 34Ruthven, ON N0P 2G0519-326-2394
LOUTH & NIAGARA ORCHARDSP.O. Box 43 • Virgil, Ontario • L0S 1T0 • 905-468-3297
Supplying Fruit and Vegetable Growers with:• Baskets • Berry Boxes• Masters • Waxed Cartons• Fertilizer • Crop Protection Material
Mesh Plastic Berry Quarts Distributor for Baskpac Plastic Baskets
VISITwww.thegrower.orgwww.ofvga.org
THE GROWER
MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011
haygrove.com l 1-866-HAYGROVE l tunnelbuzz.com
Haygrove Owners Conference (others welcome) December 3, 2010 - Lancaster, PA
Learn from the experts! in BritainSept. 26-29, call to register (deadline Aug 13)
CROP TUNNELS
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 27
IRRIGATION
One-Piece and Portable Skid-Mount Systems, Hydro-Coolers, Medical and Process Chillers, Blast Freezers,
Vacuum Coolers, Refrigerated Dehumidifiers.KOOLJET®
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1-866-748-7786 www.kooljet.com Visit our website to view our complete line
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Trioplus Stretch Wrap The new generation of balewrap.
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21831 Cooks Road,
Mt. Brydges, Ontario
Office: 519-264-2708 John Pol: 519-868-4330
CHANGE OFADDRESS?
1-866-898-8488 ext. 221
or online atwww.thegrower.org
THE GROWER
PAGE 28 –– NOVEMBER 2010
OMAFRA has created a newuser-friendly CD to make foodsafety practices easier for you.The interactive iGAP CD con-tains the entire Advantage GoodAgricultural Practices manualplus tools to help you implementfood safety on any farm.
As a producer, the iGAP CDwalks you through how to getstarted in food safety, evaluatefood safety risks and what prac-tices apply on your farm. Advan-tage iGAP explains on farm foodsafety in a simple straight forwardmanner.• Advantage Good AgriculturalPractices to help you managerisks on your farm• 3-2-1 Assessment to compareyour current food safety practicesagainst best practices• Can be tailored to any farm, andsupports all food safety programs• Customizable procedure andrecord templates provide proof ofyour ongoing commitment tofood safety • Videos on water sanitation todemonstrate proper pre and postharvest water use• Traceability success stories fea-turing crop farmers who talkabout how traceability hasimpacted profitability• Factsheets on irrigation waterquality and manureNew Workshops
OMAFRA has a number ofnew workshops beginning earlyin 2011, including Food Safetyfor Multi-Commodity Farms andGetting Started in Food Safety.
Please check our website atwww.ontario.ca/foodsafety fordates and locations.Other Resources
The Advantage ProducerChecklist is a tool that can helpyou conduct self-audits. It allowsyou to demonstrate to buyerswhat food safety practices are inplace on your farm.
For more information, contact1-877-424-1300 to get your freecopy of the Advantage iGAP CD.
Food safetyCD available
Sticky traps help in greenhouse pest monitoring New sticky traps were on display at the
recent Canadian Greenhouse Conference.Growers and scouts are not able to be in allplaces at once, unlike the greenhouse pests. Sticky traps can be your extra eyes,says Stacey Hickman, Natural Insect Control. Often overlooked as early detec-tion and a management tool of greenhousepests, these Swedish-manufactured traps arean easy way to monitor your crop aroundthe clock.
Sticky traps will trap pest insects such aswinged aphids, whiteflies, thrips, leaf miners, fungus gnats and shore flies. Thesetraps may catch the odd beneficial insect,Hickman says, but that is a sure indicatorbeneficial insects are flying in the crop. Thenumber of traps depends on your target pestand your plant spacing. For example, monitoring for thrips may require one trapper 929m2 (10,000 ft2), while whiteflymonitoring may need one trap per 92 m2(1,000 ft2). In propagation areas, trapsshould be placed one trap per 185 m2 (2000
ft2), however in growing areas a trap can beplaced every 371 m2 (4000 ft2). Maximize
trap effectiveness by hanging your trapsslightly above the tops of your crop espe-
cially for thrips. However some pests, suchas fungus gnats and shore flies may becaught with horizontal traps at bench or potting surface.
Silvandersson Sticky Traps are availablein yellow for whiteflies, fungus gnats andaphids, and blue for thrip. The cards arereproduced on a grid for easy counting andon polyethylene coated cardboard that iswater resistant and bio-degradable. The for-mulation of the glue on these traps allowsthe pests to become trapped without yourfingers becoming covered in sticky glue.Silvandersson sticky traps have been thoroughly researched resulting in an effective glue and correct pattern to attractand trap insects.
While sticky traps are a valuable tool forany greenhouse, they do not replace regularplant inspections. For more information,contact: Natural Insect Control, 905-382-2904 or [email protected].
Sticky traps.
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 29
Changes announced to environmental cost-share funding program for farm businesses
Adjustments have been made tocost-share funding available underyear three of the Canada-OntarioFarm Stewardship Program(COFSP) that will alter projecteligibility in some categories. Thechanges are intended to broadenthe availability of funds and comeas a result of a review of the fund-ing program completed earlier thisyear following a high demand forcost-share funds under COFSPyear two.
“We are supportive of changesthat will help more farm business-es access cost-share funding underthis program, “says Barry Hill, afarmer and President of theOntario Soil and Crop Improve-
ment Association (OSCIA). “ Thewillingness of farmers to utilizethis program has been demonstrat-ed over and over again.”
For the 2011 cropping year,projects in Best ManagementPractice (BMP) category 14 –Improved Cropping Systems –will be capped at a funding levelof $5,000 per farm business tofocus on first-time adopters of newtechnologies. BMP category 26 –Energy Conservation Measures forAgricultural Purposes – has beenexpanded to support implementa-tion of selected projects involvingrenewable energy production thatare intended for on-farm use only.
Funding for BMP category 27 –
Renewable Energy Production forAgricultural Purposes – has beendiscontinued as support in thisarea is now available through theOntario Power Authority’s (OPA)microFIT program. Funding previ-ously allocated to this categorywill be re-distributed across theremaining BMP categories forother priority projects that may nototherwise be completed if cost-share was not provided.
As well, farm businesses withlivestock or poultry as their prima-ry commodity must have a Premis-es Identification (PID) Numberfrom OnTrace for the parcel ofland where the project is proposed.
"We have long been advocating
for continued support of on-farmenvironmental activities,” saysBette Jean Crews, President of theOntario Federation of Agriculture(OFA). “Farmers are responsibleenvironmental stewards and theirinterest and commitment will ben-efit all Ontarians. We are pleasedwith the changes and look forwardto continued government invest-ment in on-farm environmentalprograms."
Project applications for the2011 cropping year will be avail-able as of November 15, 2010from OSCIA, which deliversCOFSP under an agreement withthe OFA on behalf of the OntarioFarm Environmental Coalition.
For more specific details, contactlocal OSCIA Program Representa-tives or visit www.ontariosoil-crop.org. COFSP is fundedthrough Growing Forward, sup-ported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and theOntario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA) under the Best Prac-tices suite.
OSCIA is a not-for-profit farmorganization dedicated to workingwith farmers to facilitate responsi-ble economic management of soil,water, air and crops through devel-opment and communication ofinnovative farming practices.
By Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Minor Use Coordinator, Guelph
The Pest Management RegulatoryAgency (PMRA) recently announced theapproval of a minor use label expansion forGF-120 Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait (spinosad)for control of walnut husk fly on walnuttrees in Canada. GF-120 Naturalyte FruitFly Bait was already labeled for control ofcherry fruit flies in cherries, blueberry mag-got on blueberries and apple maggot onapples.
The walnut husk fly (Rhagoletis comple-ta) is a common pest in Canadian walnutorchards. Husk maggot will infest nut husksof Carpathian (English) walnuts, Japanese(heartnut) walnuts and native black walnuts.Husk maggot is most common infestingnuts of wild black walnut trees that growalong fencerows, in forests and in managedforest plantations. It causes fruit damage
and significant economic losses. This registration will provide both
organic and conventional walnut producers
with a much needed pest management toolto manage one of their most important pestproblems. This project was sponsored in2008 by the British Columbia Ministry ofAgriculture and Lands (BCMAL) as a resultof minor use priorities put forward by pro-ducers, researchers and extension personnel.
The following is provided as a generaloutline only. Users should consult the complete label before using GF-120:
For control of walnut husk fly, mix onepart GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Baitwith four parts of water as described on themain label. For orchards, apply 7.5 litres ofthe mixture per hectare to the tree canopy.For individual trees, apply 200 – 300 mL ofthe mixture throughout the tree canopy.Begin applications as soon as monitoringtraps indicate flies are present in the orchardand continue coverage until flights stop.Repeat applications every seven days,
reapplying if rain washes off the deposit.Do not apply more than 10 applications perseason. Proper application techniques helpensure adequate coverage and correctdosage necessary to obtain optimum controlof walnut husk fly. A large spray dropletsize of 4000 to 6000 µ (4-6 mm) is recom-mended to optimize length of bait attraction.
Follow all other directions for use andprecautions on the GF-120 Fruit Fly Baitlabel carefully.
GF-120 Fruit Fly Bait should be used inan IPM program and in rotation with othermanagement strategies to adequately manage resistance.
For copies of the new supplemental labelcontact Hannah Fraser, OMAFRA,Vineland (905) 562-1674, Melanie Filotas,OMAFRA, Simcoe (519) 426-4434 or visitwww.dowagro.com/ca
New control for walnut husk fly on walnut trees
Walnut husk fly
NOTICE OF MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting
of the
FRESH VEGETABLE GROWERS OF ONTARIO
will be held in the Town of Woodstock, Ontario at the
QUALITY HOTEL & SUITES, Vansittart A
Thursday December 16th, 20118:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m
Election of directors of the Association will take place
plus discussion of financial reports and any
Other business that may arise.
Registration Forms can be located on FVGO website.
REGISTRATION FORM Print this form, complete, then mail or fax to address belowPersonal & Company Information: Please print clearly in ink.Name: __________________________________________________________________
First Name Middle Initial Last NameTelephone: _______________Fax: _______________E-mail_______________________Mailing Address:________________________________________________________ _
Rural Route/Street Address City/Town Postal CodeFVGO Member $0 Non Member $40
Payment Information___ Visa ___Master Card IF paying with Credit Card, please provide the following information:
___Cheque Enclosed (Please make payable to FVGO)Card #:___________________________________________Expiry Date: _____________Participant’s Signature:______________________________________________________
Personal information contained on this form will remain confidential and will be used by the FVGO to registerparticipants for the 2010 FVGO AGM.
Return Completed form with payment to: FVGO, c/o Mitton House, 120 Main Street East,Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0
or Fax (with Visa or Mastercard information) to 519-674-1512
THE GROWER
PAGE 30 –– NOVEMBER 2010
In the course of a year I get toattend several meetings. Not all ofthem are fun. In fact only a few ofthem are truly enjoyable as well asrewarding. I want to share a few ofthe good ones with you, and skipthe boring or downright awfulones. (For fear that you might stopreading right here!!)
In September I attended theannual IR-4 Food Use Workshop.That is the U.S. equivalent of ourMinor Use Priority Setting Workshop held each March inOttawa. The U.S. program picksthe projects they will work on in2011, leading to minor use registrations. As a result of theirdeliberations there were possibly30-plus projects where Canadacould benefit by offering to dothem as joint projects. The
resources in the Canadian MinorUse program will only allow themto undertake a fraction of those,which is a real shame. The choiceswill be made at the IR-4 workplanning meeting in late October.Hopefully we will pick up as manyas possible.
The other benefit of the meet-ings is to hear of new chemistryannouncements by the registrants.This year once again there wereseveral new products unveiled. Itmeans that we will be able to havenew and sometimes uniquechemistries that, if used wisely,will provide crop protectionoptions far into the future. Another benefit is to meet and talkwith the U.S. registrants and to re-impress upon them the messagethat Shirley Archambault of theAAFC Minor Use Program hasbeen giving them: Canada is in theminor use business and we wanttheir products registered here! Itruly believe that message hasbeen getting through over the past10 years and is bearing resultstoday.
The Canadian contingent wasdown this year in numbers becausesome provincial governments areprecluding staff travel. How short-sighted this is! Nothing supportsour position and underlines ourneeds better than numbers. Thoseof us there, including several
registrants from Canada, did ourbest to hold our flag aloft!
The next meeting I went to wasquite frankly a surprise. I wentwith a whole set of argumentsabout why the Canadian FoodInspection Agency (CFIA) couldn’t do what they were planning to do. It was therefore areal eye-opener to hear their pro-posals to level the Food Safetyplaying field. For the past years,growers in Canada have, at theirown expense, been asked by theirbuyers to meet stringent on-farmfood safety protocols. In fact, wehad to develop them as well!Nonetheless, when those samebuyers buy from off-shore, thatproduce did not have to (by anylaw) meet the same standards. Allthat is on the books is a nebulousrequirement that what they in turnsold was ‘safe.’ Now there will be(as proposed) a licensing of allimporters of food, food ingredients, and anything notalready covered under the CAPS(Canadian Agricultural ProductsStandards) Act. The importers willhave to secure documentationfrom their foreign sources that outlines things like pesticiderecords, and food safety measurestaken on the imported products.As you can imagine, the 100-per-son strong contingent from themulti-national buyers were there
to ask questions and to see whatthey could continue to ‘get awaywith.’ There will be many morethousands of importers who willneed to take notice as this requirement comes into force.
Maybe the cost of meetingthese new requirements will forcehigher prices out of the importersand maybe they will look closer atwhat products they can sourcehere, and at similarly increasedreturns for our producers. Onlytime will tell.
The third meeting I wish toshare was a Rotary District Conference. Interestingly, half ofthe organizing committee has agricultural roots. The lieutenantgovernor for Ontario, The Honourable David Onley attendedand gave a keynote address. So toodid Jay Bradshaw, the President ofSyngenta Canada. It was gratify-ing to hear how much they bothpromoted Canada, and agriculture,for the betterment of the world.Mr. Onley promoted how muchRotary could do to overcome mis-conceptions about the disabled, and likened it to theRotary push to eradicate the worldof polio. Jay Bradshaw impressedupon the group about the need tobetter nourish the one billion people who are hungry in theworld today, and the expectedextra three billion more coming in
the next 50 years! He enthralledthe group with information on thekinds of scientific gains alreadymade, but not available to much ofthe world due to political interven-tion, such as golden rice.
The results of these presenta-tions will ripple out from thismeeting in Rotary clubs acrossOntario and upstate New York.People were still talking about itlong after these gentlemen had leftthe meeting! It makes one proud tobe a part of agriculture that canhelp facilitate such a meeting. Mythanks go out to Tom O’Neill ofNorfolk Fruit Growers’ Associa-tion who spearheaded the meeting.
It is no accident that Ontario horticulture could foster two suchspeakers. (It didn’t hurt that theL.G.’s wife came from an applefarm in Simcoe, and Jay has a softheart for Rotary for family reasons.)
These examples just go to showthat not all meetings are deadly.(Just most of them!) It is messageslike these that show how muchthere is to gain in agriculture bybeing proactive. It is not alwaysdoom and gloom! There are positive developments out there.We just have to seize them anduse them to advantage.
Craig’s CommentsMeeting-ed out!
Craig HunterOFVGA
for Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural Cropsfor Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural CropsThe Source...The Source...Call us at
1-866-613-3336 or visitwww.engageagro.com
| www.valent.ca | 519-822-7043Read and follow the label instructions before using.All products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Valent U.S.A. Corporation.© Valent U.S.A. Corporation, 2009. All rights reserved.
Minor Use
Will science prevail? That’s the question in defeating Bill C-474 By Karen Davidson
CropLife Canada, the trade association representing cropprotection developers and manufacturers, has hired a newgun. He’s Dennis Prouse, vice-president of governmentaffairs. Formerly with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, hewas named by The Hill Times as one of the top 100 lobbyists in Ottawa for 2010. Well-respected for his experience on the Hill, he comes to the role with a rolodexand a reputation.
“I didn’t have a lot of perceptions about agriculture,” hetold The Grower. “But I’ve since come to learn how excit-ing the innovations are in broadening the economy.”
His first job has been to study private member’s bill C-474 which passed second reading last April. In his opin-ion, it’s an anti-innovation, anti-trade bill. For horticulturalgrowers, here’s a brief summary. The bill demands regula-tory oversight of the market acceptance of a crop, a conceptthat is beyond the realm of science. What’s driving the billis anti-biotech sentiment, especially biotech wheat.
Put on the shelf in the early 2000s, biotech wheat is nowon the wish list of many farmers who realize that the bigresearch dollars have boosted the fortunes of row crops and
left wheat behind. They might not wish for glyphosate tolerance but in hindsight, they can see that drought tolerance and disease resistance are worthy traits. Prousewarns that the benefits of innovative technologies – heart-healthy canola oils for instance -- might be grounded forideological reasons alone.
At first blush, this specific bill might not seem to haveanything to do with apples or asparagus. And yet defeatingthis bill is central to the rule of science in registering newproducts. It’s worth knowing that CropLife Canada will bein the room when the standing committee starts hearing witnesses again in early November.
For Prouse, the upcoming Grow Canada conference willbe a first to mix and mingle with growers and stakeholders.It’s scheduled for November 30 to December 2 in Ottawa.
Left: CropLife Canada is launching “We Stand for Sustainability,” a resource for stakeholders and a theme forthe Grow Canada Conference.
S u s t a i n a b i l i t y
We stand for
sustainability
The Pest Management Regula-tory Agency (PMRA) recentlyannounced the approval of a minoruse label expansion for Nova 40Wfungicide for control of scab onpears in Canada. Nova 40W fungcide was already labeled inCanada for management of a num-ber of diseases on apples, grapes,cherries, peaches, Saskatoonberries, strawberries, greenhousetomatoes, peppers and cucumbers,asparagus and ornamentals.
This minor use project spon-sored by Agriculture & Agri-FoodCanada, Pest Management Centre(AAFC-PMC) was submitted in2003 in response to minor use priorities identified by producersand extension personnel in Canada.
This long-awaited registrationwill provide pear growers with amuch needed pest managementtool to control one of their mostcommon disease problems.
The following is provided as ageneral outline only. Users shouldconsult the complete label before
using the fungicide. Nova fungicide can be applied
as a foliar spray at 340 g perhectare for control of pear scab.Apply Nova fungicide starting atgreentip or when conditions arefavourable for scab infection in500 – 1000 litres of water per ha.Use a maximum of six applica-tions per growing season andapply at a seven to 10-day interval. Do not apply within 14days of harvest of pears.
Nova 40W fungicide should beused in an integrated pest manage-ment program and in rotation withother management strategies. Follow all other precautions anddirections for use on the Nova40W Fungicide label.
For copies of the new supple-mental label contact WendyMcFadden-Smith, OMAFRA,Vineland (905) 562-3833, JimChaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519)826-3539 or visit the Dow Agrosciences website atwww.dowagro.com/ca/
THE GROWER
NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 31
Minor use label expansiongranted for Nova 40W
fungicide
By Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Minor Use Coordinator, Guelph
The Pest Management RegulatoryAgency (PMRA) recently announced theapproval of several minor use label expan-sions for Pristine WG Fungicide (boscalid +pyraclostrobin) for suppression of downymildew and control of Botrytis grey moldon crop group 5, Brassica vegetables, suppression of powdery mildew on green-house peppers and control of powderymildew on greenhouse-grown beddingplants in Canada. Brassica vegetablesinclude broccoli, Chinese broccoli, Brusselssprouts, cabbage, Nappa cabbage, cauli-flower, kohlrabi, bok choy, collards, kale,mustard greens and rape greens. PristineWG Fungicide was already labeled for useon a range of Canadian specialty and minorcrops in the field and greenhouse and has aproven record of efficacy and safety.
Disease management has been a high pri-ority for vegetable and ornamental produc-ers and the registration of Pristine fungicidewill provide producers with an effective anduseful disease management and resistance
management tool.The following is provided as a general
outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Pristine WGFungicide.Brassica, crop group 5 vegetables; Botry-tis control, downy mildew suppression:
Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rateof 1.0 kg product per ha on a seven – 14 dayinterval. A maximum of four applicationsper season are permitted depending uponthe crop and target disease. The pre-harvestinterval for Brassica vegetables is four days.
Note also that the re-entry interval for Brassica vegetable crops is also four days. GH peppers; powdery mildew suppres-sion:
Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rateof 1.2 kg product per ha prior to diseasedevelopment. Only one application is per-mitted per crop cycle and the pre-harvestinterval for GH peppers is one day. Notethat the re-entry interval for GH peppers is12 hours.GH-grown bedding plants; control ofpowdery mildew:
Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rateof 73.5 – 120 g per 100 L (based on 1000L/ha spray to runoff) prior to disease devel-opment. Only one application is permittedper crop cycle and the re-entry interval forGH-grown bedding plants is 12 hours. Donot use on cut flowers and consult the labelfor more detailed precautions for GH orna-mentals.
Pristine fungicide should be used in anintegrated disease management programand in rotation with other managementstrategies. Follow all other precautions anddirections for use on the Pristine fungicidelabel.
For copies of the new minor use label forBrassica vegetables contact Marion Pai-bomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-4963, for GH peppers contact Gillian Fergu-son, OMAFRA, Harrow (519) 738-1258,for GH ornamentals, contact Graeme Mur-phy, OMAFRA, Vineland (905) 562-4141ext. 106 or Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph(519) 826-3539 or visit www.agro.basf.ca/basf/agsolutions/SelectRegion.htm
Pristine fungicide registered for suppression and control of severaldiseases in Brassica vegetables, greenhouse peppers
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)recently announced the approval of a minor use label expan-sion for Poast Ultra herbicide (sethoxydim) for control oflabeled weeds on direct seeded and transplanted lettuce(head, leaf, romaine) in Canada. Poast Ultra herbicide wasalready labeled for use on a wide range of Canadian spe-cialty and minor crops including Brassica vegetables,spinach, carrots, dry bulb onions, beets, potatoes, chicoryand many other fruit crops and field crops.
Weed management has been a high priority for produc-ers of lettuce and the registration of Poast Ultra herbicidewill provide lettuce producers with an effective and usefulweed management tool.
Poast Ultra herbicide can be applied at a rate of 0.32 to1.1 L product per ha in one or two post emergent applica-tions in a water volume that ensures thorough coverage as
per the current label directions. For transplanted lettuce useonly one application per year and apply between the one-to-six-leaf stage. For direct seeded lettuce, apply the firstapplication between one-to-six- leaf stage and the secondapplication 14 – 21 days after thinning. Do not exceed themaximum rate of 1.1 L per ha per season. The pre-harvestinterval for lettuce is 30 days.
Poast Ultra herbicide should be used in an integratedweed management program and in rotation with other man-agement strategies. Follow all other precautions and direc-tions for use on the Poast Ultra herbicide label.
For copies of the new minor use label contact MarionPaibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-4963, KristenCallow, OMAFRA, Ridgetown (519) 674-1335 or visitwww.gro.basf.ca/basf/agsolutions/SelectRegion.htm
Look for new weed control on direct-seeded and transplanted lettuce
OnTrace Traceability Workshops 2010Processors Workshop:
Tuesday, November 1, 2010 – Mississauga
Producers Workshops:
Enroll Now. Space is limited. Register today.Workshop cost: $125, includes all day workshop, lunch
and Traceability Workbook
To register and for complete information:
www.ontrace.ca or Toll Free 1-888-38-TRACE (8-7223)
With the generous support of OMAFRA
Traceability is good for Business.
Find out how it can improve yours. Enroll now!
Our workshops will show you how to:
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Jim Ranahan
