The Grower March 2022

MARCH 2022

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NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

The right chemistry makes good neighbours

The relationships between farmers and neighbours are not celebrated enough in rural Canada. Proactive communication goes a long way when starting up bird bangers or spreading manure. In this case, grape grower Tom Wiley (middle) chats with neighbour beekeeper Dennis Edell (left) about the success of his summer oils to control insects and disease in his Jordan, Ontario vineyard. Ryan Brewster, (right) is the vineyard consultant who steered the crop protection program to softer chemistries to prevent bee kills. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

KAREN DAVIDSON The life expectancy of a vineyard is about 25 years, longer than your dog’s but usually shorter than your neighbour’s.

As Tom Wiley has discovered, the good will of his longtime beekeeper neighbour is priceless. The grape grower with 50 acres under cultivation near Jordan, Ontario, got into the cross hairs of this valued relationship when he used systemic insecticides with unfortunate results in the summer of 2017. The product label warned about toxicity to bees, and this information was shared with his neighbour.

Dennis Edell of D’s Bees Honey is an active hobby beekeeper with 10 to 14 hives and at the time was on the board of directors for the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, serving as chair of the issues management committee.

AgriRecovery for BC PG 4 Volume 72 Number 03

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The product was sprayed according to label directions, but sadly, Edell discovered dead bees at the doorstep to his hives. He was not amused as he was receiving reports of abnormally high bee losses from beekeepers in proximity to grape growers in the intensively farmed Niagara region.

The story was featured in the November 2018 edition of the Ontario Bee Journal. Edell and his issues management committee were deeply involved in lobbying the Ontario government to limit the widespread use of neonicotinoids. And he had personal experience to share.

Imagine the chagrin of Wiley and the immediate need to mend fences.

He turned to Ryan Brewster, a grape and tree fruit agronomist based in St. Catharines, Ontario with a crop consultancy serving about 100 clients in the Niagara peninsula. Wiley was not alone, as he realized other growers were facing similar challenges in controlling pests and diseases.

PEI surplus spuds PG 5 $3.00 CDN

@growernews

“The fall-out from pesticide re-evaluations is real,” says Brewster. “There’s a shrinking tool box and farmers have to adapt to new options such as softer chemistries and different cultural practices.”

Going back to 2005, Brewster recalls how the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) decided to ban organophosphates. In this category was Parathion and Guthion, products used to control grape berry moth among many other pests. While effective, they had environmental and human health side effects.

As challenging as it was to grow grapes without these products, growers realized that other secondary pests were not being eliminated either. Soft-scale insects and mealybugs, for example, still continued to cause damage.

Mealybugs are detested for the powdery black secretions covering their bodies. Moreover, about 2008, researchers identified mealybugs as vectors for grapevine leafroll virus.

Continued on page 3

Crop protection/potatoes

B Section

PAGE 2 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

NEWSMAKERS

Blockades threatened food supply chains at several border crossings The Ambassador Bridge, Canada’s most economically important trading route to the U.S. carrying $450 million of goods per day, was cleared of protestors after six days of shutdown during February 2022.

The question of jurisdictions was at the crux of what police force could be brought to bear on the “Freedom Convoy” that crippled downtown Ottawa, the border crossings at Surrey, British Columbia, Coutts Alberta and Emerson Manitoba.

“These trucker blockades are the most challenging issue we’ve faced during the pandemic,” says Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). “We know of examples of truckers raising fees from $1800 to $4,000 per trip, while supporting the blockade at the same time.”

During the crisis, CPMA worked with allied partners – retailers, independent grocers, the Ontario Food Terminal, for example – to urge provincial and federal governments to end the blockade as quickly as possible.

CPMA was a signatory with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, asking government authorities for legal action.

The blockades affected trade in perishable produce where truckers spent an additional six to 24 hours delivering their loads.

This situation was compounded

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association held its virtual annual meeting on February 22.

Charles Stevens, a blueberry and apple grower, Newcastle, Ontario has been elected chair. Joining him on the board are: Shawn Brenn (potatoes); Matthias Oppenlaender (grapes); Fred Meyers (tender fruit); Mike Chromczak (asparagus); Quinton Woods (muck vegetables); Joann Chechalk (other vegetables); Morris Gervais (berries); Glen Gilvesy (ginseng); Jan VanderHout (greenhouse) and George Gilvesy (greenhouse); Ron Van Damme Charles Stevens (processing vegetables).

This bleak scene shows the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor, Ontario with no traffic between Canada and the United States.

by the need for labour to regrade product. In some cases, wholesalers noted three times more waste.

For Lemaire, the long-term implications are already clear.

Will the U.S. look to Canada as a reliable trading partner? Will the U.S. repatriate some of its business activity in Canada?

For future clues, look to Ontario’s Windsor-Essex region, a powerhouse for greenhouse vegetable production.

“The greenhouse growers are at the tip of the sword in terms of exporting 70 per cent of their product to the United States,” Lemaire points out. “They are the first of the season to market in terms of Canadian produce and whether it’s the issue of access to temporary foreign workers or transportation or packaging, they feel it first. The Ontario

government needs to step in to help them.”

Lemaire warns, “These blockades must never happen again.”

Hearty congratulations to Sarah Marshall, general manager of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers. The Niagara Peninsula Fruit & Vegetable Growers' Association will be presenting the 2021 Award of Merit to her at an event on April 28, 7 pm, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The BC Produce Marketing Association (BCPMA) has honoured Margie Schurko as the first female and the first-time double winner for two awards that are bestowed annually by the association. She received the BCPMA Lifetime Achievement award as well as the BC Produce Person of the Year Award. After 27 years, as the BCPMA secretary-treasurer, Schurko stepped down at the end of December 2021. She will carry forward in the industry at ABC/PCB Customs Brokers.

Emergencies Act passes On February 21, with debris still being picked up in downtown Ottawa after three weeks of a “Freedom Convoy,” the House of Commons passed a motion to approve the extraordinary and temporary measures in the Emergencies Act. PM Justin Trudeau invoked the act for the first time since it was passed in 1988.

The motion to confirm the declaration of an emergency passed 185-151, with the New Democrats siding with the minority Liberal government.

Congratulations to five outstanding individuals nominated for the 2022 Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. They are: Paul Kelly, Patrick Lynch, Patricia Mighton, James Rickard and Dr. Patricia Shewen. Of the five, James Rickard has been involved in horticulture, specifically with the Ontario Apple Growers Marketing Board and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. The induction ceremony will be held June 12 at the Grand River Raceway, Elora, Ontario.

Farm Fresh Ontario announced three award winners at its annual meeting at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention. They are: Niemi Family Farm, Mount Albert for Farm Marketer of the Year; Thames River Melons Ltd, Innerkip for Leadership Award; and Oakridge Acres Country Meat Store, Ayr for Ambassador Award.’

This year’s UPL Golden Apple award winner is Tom Ferri, a thirdgeneration apple grower from the Georgian Bay area. He and his wife Karen operate a high-density apple orchard near Clarksburg, Ontario.

Tom and Karen Ferri

Cheers to the winners of the 9th edition of the ONHops Brew Off competition which was held virtually and announced at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention. This year’s style was American pale ale. First Place: Quayle’s Brewery & Cahiague Farms; Second Place: Elora Brewing Company & CanAussie Farms; Third Place: GoodLot Farmstead Brewing Co. A shout-out to all growers of Ontario hops and local craft brewers!

Biobest has bought a majority stake in Plant Products Inc. Biobest and the Stickles family will become joint owners of Plant Products, with Biobest holding a majority stake. Subsequently the activities of Plant Products Inc., Biobest Canada Inc., and Biobest USA Ltd. will be integrated in a new combined entity operating under the name Plant Products. Chris Stickles, current president of Plant Products, will become the president of the new entity and JF Bonal, current general manager of Biobest Canada/US will become the vice president.

The Ontario Produce Marketing Association welcomes its new president: Stephen Reid. He’s had progressively senior association executive roles as director of marketing, public affairs and member services at the Ontario Medical Association, as the executive director at the Pharmacist’s Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and most recently, as executive director at the Police Association of Ontario. His start date is February 28, 2022.

A senseless and tragic act of violence has unexpectedly taken the life of Paul Pender, 54, on February 3. He was the director of viticulture and winemaker at Tawse Winery, Vineland, Ontario. Under his leadership, Tawse was named Canadian Winery of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016. And in 2011, he was celebrated as Winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards. Condolences to his family and a wide circle of industry friends.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

COVER STORY

The right chemistry makes good neighbours Continued from page 1 Growers turned to insecticides with systemic modes of action.

They are highly effective when timed correctly. But growers need to be scouting for the “crawlers” and time two applications four weeks apart, in June and July.

Brewster put forward a holistic plan to Wiley for the next crop year, starting in late April and early May with intense monitoring for mealybug. The surveillance requires peeling back the bark of trunks to find the “expert hiders.”

Two times per week, Brewster or one of his scouts inspect. And when they find populations rising, then summer oils are recommended to mitigate virus transmission and to reduce mealybug populations.

These oil products from suppliers such as Intelligro (Pure Spray) and BioWorks (SuffOil-X) are improved from those of years ago labelled for organic use. They are refined and contain no impurities that might burn the leaves. The products are not labelled for control, but rather suppression.

SuffOil-X derives its name from the fact that it suffocates eggs, larvae, nymphs and adult soft-bodied insects and mites explains Michael Brownbridge, BioWorks Inc biological program manager.

“The product comes as a pre-emulsified formulation,” he says “making it really simple to prepare and use. When added to the spray tank, the small oil droplets remain in suspension without vigorous agitation. Those small droplets penetrate the canopy better when spraying, leading to more uniform coverage. This translates to improved efficacy and reduces risks of phytotoxicity.”

“The small oil droplets dry quickly, and once dry, have no residual activity,” he continues “and that reduces risks to non-target beneficials. The beauty of this product too, is that it’s effective against powdery mildew.”

Brewster advises the use of summer oils up to four times between bud break and bloom.

2021 was the fourth season that no systemic insecticide was used at the Wiley farm.

“This has become standard practice,” explains Wiley. “I don’t

L-R: Dennis Edell, Tom Wiley and Ryan Brewster check on the health of the beehives.

The beehives of Dennis Edell are less than 50 metres from Tom Wiley’s vineyard. want to kill the bees. If there’s a way to incorporate softer ways of doing things, then let’s do it. My winery, Arterra Wines Canada, likes the idea of what I’m doing.

Sustainability is getting bigger all the time.”

Coincidentally, the practice of cover cropping between the vineyard rows, is more attuned to biodiversity and the balance between beneficial insects and the grapes. Wiley has been planting late-flowering clovers and oilseed radish so that spraying regimes don’t interfere with foraging wild bees.

It’s all a question of timing.

“The growers were encouraged to plant white Dutch clover in the alleyways between the grapevines

and they attracted foraging bees,” says Edell, commenting on practices before Wiley made changes. “Both honeybees and wild pollinators were killed by the water-soluble systemic insecticide.”

Edell’s point is that more care is needed to understand the ecosystem. He suggests that pesticide applications could be reduced if grape rootstock was certified clean from viruses in the first place.

“Tom has always been a good neighbour,” he continues. “He’s remarkable for his curiosity and willingness to learn. He’s happy to make the cultural changes.”

A wall of majestic maple trees defines the property line between

Ryan Brewster checks underneath the bark for mealybugs.

Wiley’s vineyard and Edell’s bee hives. Some nostalgia creeps in with the recollection of Robert Frost’s famous poem, Mending Wall.

There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard.

My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’

The Grower is “Digging Deeper” with Ryan Brewster, a grape and tree fruit crop consultant based in St. Catharines, Ontario. He tracks the changes in monitoring

and management decisions in the last 15 years and how growers have attuned their crop protection programs with softer chemistries. This podcast is sponsored by Cohort Wholesale.

PAGE 4 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST BRITISH COLUMBIA

Record-breaking $228M AgriRecovery program announced for flood-impacted farmers Two months after Ministers Bibeau and Popham toured the flood-stricken area surrounding Abbotsford, British Columbia, the details of a history-making AgriRecovery program are public.

Together they have announced $228 million in four categories: clean-up and restoration of land, water and waste systems; repair of uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; animal welfare; loss of perennial plants not raised for resale.

“To see the devastating impacts of the floods and landslides in-person truly demonstrates how fragile the environment is, but also how resilient and courageous communities and people can be when faced with adversity,” said Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau on December 10, 2021 after her tour.

On February 7, 2022, she reiterated: “Farmers are on the front lines of climate change.”

Lana Popham, BC’s minister of agriculture, food and fisheries,

announced in the news conference that 15,000 hectares of land were impacted by floods and landslides and that 7,500 tons of field vegetables and berries had been lost. The program is called the Canada-BC. Flood Recovery Program for Food Security.

“Damage to fields is starting to be reassessed now that water has receded,” says Jason Smith, chair, BC Blueberry Council. “However the industry won’t know the full impact of the event for at least a season or two given some of the effects might be more apparent over time.”

In November 2021, the flooding affected at least 2,500 acres of blueberries – though approximately 700-1000 acres were more severely impacted – largely affecting the Sumas Prairie region near Abbotsford. To put these numbers into context, the province is home to more than 26,000 acres of highbush blueberries which usually produce 165 million pounds of fruit

per year.

The blueberry fields in less flooded areas where the water drained after five to six days and was only two to three feet deep may have a chance to recover, though it’s expected that all flooded blueberry fields are likely to experience varying degrees of damage or loss.

“There is a strong possibility that severely impacted growers will need to pull out their plants and replant them which could be a large financial expense,” says Harry Sidhu, whose family farms in Sumas Prairie. “Blueberries are a perennial plant and it takes years for a sizeable crop yield, so this may be a significant loss of income for many years.”

More details are expected on whether soil remediation and purchase of nursery stock are eligible for compensation.

Applicants to the program will be required to fill out eligibility forms as well as detailed records of commodity lost, number of

acres and evidence through maps or photos. Beekeepers will also be able to make claims.

The BC government is disbursing recovery funding in two categories: Farms with less than $2 million in annual revenue will be eligible to receive up to 90 per cent compensation. Larger farmers with more than $2 million will be eligible to receive up to 70% compensation.

The deadline to apply is June

1, 2022. One-on-one assistance is available in both English and Punjabi. Applicants should link here: www.gov.bc.ca/agrifloodrecovery Source: British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries February 7, 2022 news release and news conference.

NOVA SCOTIA

Portable fan may combat radiation frost Winemaking in Nova Scotia has enjoyed a rich 410-year-old history, and in the last decade, the industry has exploded to 19 wineries producing just under 1.9 million litres of wine per year and bringing an economic impact of

more than $218 million. While local wineries have grown accustomed to fluctuating weather in the Maritimes, wine grape growers have been affected by several unexpected and damaging cold-weather events in the last

few years.

In 2016, the Kentville Research and Development Centre (KRDC) planted a vineyard – a project largely spurred by a growing public interest in locally produced wines.

The frost fan is extended and ready for testing at the Kentville Research and Development Centre vineyard, Nova Scotia.

Unfortunately, the cold devastated the vineyard in two separate events, killing most crops and thwarting research efforts.

“We were happy to see the stems rapidly growing into what was going to be our first real crop, then the June 2018 frost hit.

More than 95 per cent of the primary grape buds were killed. If we had been a commercial grower, we would have had no income that year. Then, in February 2020, low temperatures wiped out the crop on all of our vinifera grape vines for the second time in three years; our hardier hybrid grapes had a good crop.

This was the last straw, and I knew we had to do something if we were going to continue to try and conduct grape research at the Kentville Centre,” says Dr. Harrison Wright, plant physiologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

To address the situation, the Centre purchased a portable frost fan that has the potential to both

combat cold temperatures and extend the growing season of Nova Scotian vineyards.

Dr. Harrison Wright, along with longtime AAFC research technician, Jeff Franklin, are monitoring winter resiliency of various wine grape plants. They are currently researching how this frost fan technology can be best used to protect Nova Scotian vineyards.

The frost fan provides a potential solution to a certain kind of frost – radiation frost.

Radiation frost typically occurs when the air near the ground is much cooler than the air directly above. This phenomenon, known as a “temperature inversion event,” is detectable by on-site temperature reading technology scientists use at KRDC. When these events are detected, the frost fan will react by pulling the warm air downwards and distributing it throughout the vineyard.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Surplus PEI potatoes must be disposed by February 28 KAREN DAVIDSON On February 14, there’s little heart for disposing PEI potatoes that have no home due to the ongoing export ban to the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the ban on November 21, 2022 after confirming potato wart in two fields.

In order for growers to qualify for federal compensation of up to 8.5 cents/lb, the surplus must be chopped by snowblowers onto frozen ground. The deadline is February 28.

“Eighty-seven per cent of the island’s potato growers have crop insurance,” explains Greg Donald, general manager, PEI Potato Board. “Crop insurance adjusters will measure bins and audit the disposal. These are public funds and there must be a paper trail.”

Growers have applied to dispose up to 300 million pounds, but growers are still weighing whether to wait on the slim chance that the U.S. mainland market might open. They are encouraged that potatoes are now allowed into Puerto Rico. The first shipload left Halifax harbour on February 14, after growers met labelling requirements that the potatoes are for local consumption. It was a huge effort to affix stickers on every three- or five-pound polybag.

Stateside, the National Potato Council is digging in on its position as the Puerto Rico market opens.

“The National Potato Council welcomes the safe resumption of trade between PEI and Puerto Rico that will allow the province’s growers to market their 2021 crop,” said NPC CEO Kam Quarles. “We trust USDA and CFIA have put plans in place to strictly prohibit the resale of fresh potatoes to the mainland in order

to prevent the potential spread of disease to U.S. potato farms.

Looking forward, the U.S. potato industry anticipates the fulfillment of CFIA’s commitment to conduct 35,000 soil tests for the disease in PEI to ensure it has identified which fields are cleared for export. That precursor will allow resumption of trade with PEI and the United States, consistent with the best available science.”

The PEI Potato Board’s Greg Donald refutes the American position, saying that the long-term potato wart management plan is working and that potato fields are not “infested’ as the CFIA originally communicated to its American counterparts. Donald authored an opinion editorial that was published in the Toronto Star on February 9. Titled “PEI potatoes in the eye of an unfair trade war with U.S., he recommended that the Canadian government consider: • Immediately rescinding the ministerial order of November 21 or at least restrict it to the regulated fields where the crop pest was discovered and contained.

Correct the original error.

• Removing all restrictions on the shipment of PEI potatoes within Canada. Leaving them in place simply gives the U.S. government something to point at.

• Holding U.S. secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack to his commitment of a determination, by early March, on the admissibility of PEI potatoes in light of scientific data. If the ban remains in force, it will be utterly clear it is nothing more than an unfair advantage for American potato producers • Retaliating As time ticks towards the spring planting season, the status of the PEI seed sector hangs in

Alex Docherty and his son Kenneth watch spuds being dumped on their PEI farm. the balance. About 16,000 acres out of PEI’s total of 86,000 acres of potatoes are devoted to seed.

Currently, seed is prohibited from leaving the island for other Canadian provinces.

“Seed is the foundation of our entire industry,” says Donald.

Source: National Potato Council February 8, 2022 news release/Interview with Greg Donald, PEI Potato Board, February 11, 2022

PAGE 6 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

MEETINGS

CPMA opens early registration for 2022 Conference and Trade Show The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has opened early bird registration for the 2022 Convention and Trade Show which is scheduled for April 5-7, 2022 at the Palais des congrès in Montreal, Quebec.

This year’s show will focus on reuniting the produce industry after almost three years. Full delegate registration offers access to educational sessions, social events, meal functions such as the Awards Brunch and the keynote speaker, Dr. Nick Bontis.

“Montreal produce industry members are excited that the first in-person CPMA trade show is coming to our vibrant hometown,” said Steve Boulianne, chair of the 2022 CPMA convention and trade show.

“We are thrilled to bring the produce industry together, in

person, since 2019,” said CPMA president Ron Lemaire. “Our annual trade show is a premier platform for industry members to meet one-on-one with key

leaders, showcase their products, expand their knowledge and professional network to support their business growth. The safety of trade show attendees is our

priority. Our team has been and is still working hard behind the scenes to design and deliver an exciting event in a safe environment.”

The deadline for early bird registration is March 4, 2022.

To register, link here: https://bit.ly/3Gk3Fkh

Don’t miss keynote speaker The “knowledge era” is here. Do you know how to survive? An internationally recognized intellectual-capital expert, Dr. Nick Bontis helps individuals and organizations navigate the new world of digital technology, industry disruption, and information bombardment. His dynamic and engaging presentations empower audiences to maximize performance and secure a sustainable competitive advantage

in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business world.

An award-winning tenured professor of strategic management at McMaster University, Bontis has won more than 12 major teaching awards and has been recognized as “faculty researcher of the year”, “one of the school’s most popular professors” by Maclean’s magazine, and “one of the top 10 lecturers in Ontario” by

TVO. He is also a 3M National Teaching Fellow, an exclusive honour for top university professors in Canada and considered the “Nobel Prize” of teaching.

As the director of the Institute for Intellectual Capital Research, a leading strategic-management consulting firm, Bontis’ services have been sought after by leading organizations, including the United Nations, Microsoft, Health Canada, Royal

Bank, Telus, and IBM. Bontis is also the author of Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught, an associate editor of the Journal of Intellectual Capital, president of Soccer Canada, and a frequent contributor on popular TV and radio shows.

COVID-19 TOOLS FOR EMPLOYERS OF TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS With the 2022 growing season upon us, there is a continued and persistent need for vigilance by employers to protect all farm workers from the risks of COVID-19.

Scan the QR code to be taken directly to the resource page:

COVID-19 Resources for Foreign Workers All resources are available in English, Spanish, Thai, in written/poster and video format.

• • • •

COVID-19 health & safety Emergency & non-emergency health care Testing Vaccines

Scan the QR code to be taken directly to the screening app page:

COVID-19 Daily Workplace Screening App (free download) COVID screening in accordance with local health unit directives is a requirement for all workplaces in Ontario.

• • • •

Eliminate paperwork, automating the process Instant notifications of failed screening Available in English, Spanish, Thai NO CHARGE for Ontario growers to use in 2022

ALL RESOURCES CAN BE ACCESSED AT: WWW.OFVGA.ORG/COVID-19

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

$33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge to focus on berries

“

If you have exciting, creative ideas on how to improve the way we grow food in Canada, we want to hear from you. ~ TAMARA REBANKS

“

The Weston Family Foundation Is launching its $33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge to spark creative solutions and encourage new ideas to boost the sustainable production of fruits and vegetables in Canada. Its first project is geared towards year-round berry production.

The Challenge centres around a competition to generate solutions that will enable domestic food producers to grow berries out of season, sustainably, competitively, and at scale.

Funding will be awarded in stages over six years to eligible teams developing tools and technologies that solve the interconnected challenges of growing produce out of season in Canada.

“There is a golden opportunity to boost innovation in the food sector by nurturing bold, gamechanging solutions for agricultural producers,” says Emma Adamo, chair, Weston Family Foundation. “By catalyzing these solutions for berries, we anticipate the creation of systems relevant to a broad array of fruit and vegetable crops, helping to position Canada as a leader in this sector.”

Like many countries, Canada is heavily reliant on imported fresh fruits and vegetables; we bring in nearly 80 per cent of our fresh produce, predominantly from climate-vulnerable areas.

This situation creates the potential for food shortages due to food-systems disruptions such as border closings, droughts, flooding, or future pandemics.

To gauge the level of public awareness of these issues, the Weston Family Foundation recently surveyed more than 1,500 Canadians via Leger. The study found that 65 per cent of Canadians underestimate the proportion of fruits and vegetables imported from foreign countries. At the same time, 73 per cent of Canadians indicated that not relying on imported

fruits and vegetables is an important measure to guard against future disruptions. So, while consumers recognize the situation, they are unclear about its severity.

The Weston Family Foundation wants to create a homegrown solution to a global problem. Thanks to its socioeconomic profile and extreme seasons — made even more extreme through the effects of climate change — Canada is an ideal testbed for innovative agricultural ideas.

Ideas, however, require funding and support to develop into functioning, scalable systems, and that is where the Homegrown Innovation Challenge comes in.

Challenge prizes are a

tried-and-tested method for incentivizing innovation, with clear goals, objective criteria, and a laser-like focus on solutions and outcomes. Developed by the Weston Family Foundation and Nesta Challenges, a world leader in challenge prizes, the Homegrown Innovation Challenge calls for entrepreneurs and innovators, food producers and farmers, researchers and scientists to tackle this challenge.

“The Challenge’s goals are grounded in our Foundation’s commitment to advancing sustainable innovation for the well-being of all Canadians for generations to come,” adds

Tamara Rebanks, project chair and director, Weston Family Foundation. “If you have exciting, creative ideas on how to improve the way we grow food in Canada, we want to hear from you.”

The ultimate winner of the Challenge could be awarded as much as $8 million, with substantial funding also available to eligible teams that progress through different stages as they develop, scale, and ready their innovations for market.

Learn more about the criteria and process for applications at www.homegrownchallenge.ca.

The program runs until 2028.

PAGE 8 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

PROFILE

Charles Stevens: stress tested and fit for office

Charles Stevens, newly-elected chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, is shown with a temporary foreign worker at Wilmot Orchards Inc., Newcastle, Ontario. He’s a grower of blueberries and apples. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

Three years ago, Charles Stevens embarked on an “outsidethe-box” trek to base camp of Mount Everest. The National Geographic tour to Nepal requires extreme preparation: a year in advance of physical training, securing outfitters’ gear and then the daunting 14-day climb to the foot of the Khumbu Glacier. Along the path, he put his trust in a pair of all-important boots, a sherpa and a food-

burdened yak.

“It was a humbling experience,” recalls Stevens, apple and blueberry grower from Newcastle, Ontario. “I found out that my legs were my strength and my lungs were my weakness.

I had to learn how to breathe.”

His tales of self-discovery at 18,200 feet above sea level are a metaphor for the task he’s undertaking as the newly elected chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). He’s been acclimatized to the thin air, but

“

Fear impedes a lot of people from doing great things. ~ CHARLES STEVENS

“

KAREN DAVIDSON

Charles Stevens reaches his personal peak at 18,200 feet above sea level, base camp of Mount Everest.

the crisis zone is not far away as the pandemic has shown.

He’s shed the daily responsibilities of Wilmot Orchards Inc, having his daughter Courtney, Ian Martin and Ian Parker take over ownership of the 156 acres of apples and 22 acres of pick-your-own blueberries.

He’s also let go of the chairmanship of the OFVGA crop protection section where he served for 15 years.

As a hobby cyclist, he knows how to travel light for perhaps the biggest endurance tour of his farming career. The most pressing issues for the OFVGA remain access to labour and crop protection products. Business risk management rounds out the top three.

The pandemic years have tested the resolve of the most experienced growers and the OFVGA itself. Like navigating the ever-shifting shale of the mountain, growers have been responding to several jurisdictions of oversight – local health authorities as well as provincial and federal governments. Stevens, himself, has stood up to inspectors who don’t know their own regulations. He’d like to advocate for a more streamlined approach to government authorities coming on to farm property.

As he moves into the chair, pandemic issues are not receding.

If anything, government rules for keeping temporary foreign workers (TFWs) safe are just as bound in paperwork as ever. The parlance that everyone has come to dread is “new guidance.” It’s a front-of-mind issue this spring for the 1,650 Ontario horticultural farmers who hire TFWs from Mexico and the Caribbean. The requirements are not consistent across Ontario as local health authorities such as

Windsor-Essex have recently demonstrated.

Layered on top of these issues are federal government policies addressing climate change. Rising carbon taxes are already impacting farms.

“These mandates don’t look at the consequences on the food chain,” says Stevens. “We are stewards of the land and we know more than most, what’s happening in our environment.”

He foresees a lobbying campaign to tell agriculture’s story on this front to prevent overreach by government which, he points out, doesn’t have the means to measure success. He recommends a book published in 2021 by the author Steven Koonin called, “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t and Why It Matters.” He’ll be relying on this book and the experience of fellow board members to oppose farm policies that will have no material effect on the environment.

“You can’t negotiate successfully without building a good relationship first,” says Stevens. He’s clocked many years of meetings with government agencies such as the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

The conversation is not one-sided about what industry wants, but what government needs as well.

So he’s learned to ask, “What do you need from us?”

It’s been a successful strategy that’s earned him respect as an honest broker.

“Fear impedes a lot of people from doing great things,” Stevens observes.

At this point, he’s stared down suspension bridges over glacial passes. He’s fit and ready to serve.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

INTERNATIONAL

American agricultural exports shattered records in 2021 The U.S. exported $177 billion of farm and food products to the world in 2021, topping the previous year’s total by 18 per cent. Canada slipped to third place, with China and Mexico representing the top two destinations.

The United States’ top 10 export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the 10 – China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia – setting new records. Worldwide exports of many U.S. products, including soybeans, corn, beef, pork, dairy, distillers grains and pet food, also reached all-time highs. China remained the top export destination, with a record $33 billion in purchases, up 25 per cent from 2020, while Mexico inched ahead of Canada to capture the number two position with a record $25.5 billion, up 39 per cent from last year.

Some key statistics include: • Exports of all food products to Canada were up 12% in 2021 compared to previous year • Value of food exports to Canada totalled $25.048 billion in 2021 compared to $22.277 billion in 2020 “It’s clear that our international trading partners are responding favourably to a return to certainty from the United

Baby iceberg lettuce

Tanimura & Antle are introducing baby iceberg lettuce in a two-count package. The company suggests that the lettuce which is the size of a softball is perfect for slicing in half for a wedge salad. The item was received well in food service before being offered to retail grocers.

The smaller portion size speaks to the need to reduce food waste. With fewer days to harvest, the lettuce spends less time in the ground, requires less water and adds to the company’s overall sustainability efforts.

Headquartered in Salinas, California, the company has earned respect for its conventional and organic fresh lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables. The family business was founded in 1982.

States,” Vilsack said. “We owe our thanks to America’s agricultural producers who always work hard to be reliable global suppliers and the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are fighting hard on their behalf to keep our home-grown products moving around the world. We’re strengthening relationships with our trading partners and holding those partners accountable for their commitments. We’re addressing transportation and

infrastructure challenges through the work of the Administration’s Supply Chain Task Force and calling out ocean carriers that are putting profits above their responsibility to serve both importers and exporters. And we’re expanding opportunities for agricultural exports by knocking down trade barriers and partnering with industry on marketing and promotion efforts worldwide.”

For a detailed summary of

2021 U.S. agricultural exports by market, click here.

For a detailed summary of 2021 U.S. agricultural exports by

product, click here.

Source: USDA February 8, 2022 news release

PAGE 10 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Proper planning requires predictability

ALISON ROBERTSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The ongoing struggle of Ontario fruit and vegetable growers for a reliable, predictable workforce isn’t new. In fact, it dates back decades and is what led to the creation of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) in the 1960s that today makes up the backbone of our on-farm horticultural labour force.

However, even with programs such as SAWP and the agricultural stream of the federal Temporary Foreign Worker program, our sector is continually plagued with unpredictability

when it comes to labour. Last fall’s unexpected provincial minimum wage increase is just the latest example of how sudden regulatory changes can wreak havoc with even the best laid farm business plans.

It’s the COVID-19 pandemic that has revealed perhaps one of the biggest sources of inconsistency and unpredictability that affects not just growers, but the very stability of our domestic food supply. And that’s the order-making authority that lies with Ontario’s 34 provincial health units and how that authority is used and interpreted in a wide range of ways across the province.

As we’ve all learned through this pandemic, the Medical Officers of Health that lead the public health units have some pretty hefty powers that range from the ability to close workplaces and schools to limiting the size of gatherings and ordering the destruction of property.

For growers in particular, this has resulted in dramatic inconsistencies from region to region in how they’re allowed to

do business, especially when it comes to managing their temporary international workforces.

Over the first two years of the pandemic, Section 22 Orders were issued in some regions forcing growers to quarantine incoming workers in hotel rooms and limiting bunkhouse capacity to three workers regardless of floor space. At the same time, growers in other regions were only subject to the federal quarantine rules which were much less restrictive.

Early in 2022, as the Omicron variant swept across Ontario, the Windsor-Essex health unit halted all temporary foreign worker arrivals into that region.

Although rapidly rescinded as a result of quick response by the provincial government and other agencies, this was an action that had the potential to create a prolonged disruption to local food production at a time when strained supply chains are already fragile.

The direct impact of a worker stoppage would have been felt most immediately by greenhouse vegetable producers in Windsor-

Essex, but many greenhouses in that region also produce seedlings for growers in other parts of Ontario. This means a local order issued by a single health unit could have had significant longer-term negative consequences for growers and the larger food supply system in Ontario and eastern Canada.

To me, this more than ever so clearly illustrates why all levels of government must prioritize and support domestic food production through sound policy that doesn’t put our ability to produce food at risk.

The provincial government had flagged issues with public health units before the pandemic and had initiated plans for reform, but these were sidelined once COVID-19 took hold. So, what have we learned from two years of pandemic upheaval?

We need better coordination between public health units, municipalities, the province and the federal government with respect to temporary foreign workers. We also need better understanding among all the groups of how the programs function, their nuances, and who

is responsible for what.

SAWP, for example is a federally administered program, but the inspection of worker housing falls to the local health unit and enforcement of labour rules is the responsibility of the provincial Ministry of Labour.

All levels of government and stakeholders such as public health units need to understand the absolutely critical role temporary foreign workers play in our domestic food production, and why foreign worker programs must function seamlessly so that we don’t further our dependence on fragile global produce supply chains.

For most Canadians, the last two years is the closest we’ve ever come to experiencing shortages and empty shelves and we all have a much better understanding now of how vital it is to be as selfsufficient as possible in the production of everything from PPE and vaccines to food.

We have a real opportunity to re-write our future as we emerge from this pandemic and an absolute priority must be protecting our ability to feed ourselves.

WEATHER VANE

Greenhouse growers are the first to feel any ill winds as they are first to market with fresh produce. This jungle of tomatoes on the vine is nothing compared to the jungle of operational crises already experienced in 2022. In southwestern Ontario, the sector faced a three-week ban on entry of foreign temporary workers in Windsor-Essex in January – a situation rectified in three days. More seriously, the Ambassador Bridge linking Windsor, Ontario to Detroit Michigan was barricaded by protestors for five days in February. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

STAFF Publisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Editor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, editor@thegrower.org Advertising: Carlie Melara 519-763-8728, advertising@thegrower.org

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue. No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad. Client signature is required before insertion.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the sole owner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressed in The Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/or contributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the association.

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

OFFICE 355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105 Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADA Tel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604 The Grower is printed 12 times a year and sent to all members of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year for the paper through their commodity group or container fees.

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P.M. 40012319

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Crop Protection Environment and Conservation Labour Safety Nets Energy, Property, Infrastructure and Food Safety

Chair Vice-chair Fruit Vegetable Director

Charles Stevens, Newcastle Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Shawn Brenn, Waterdown Mike Chromczak, Brownsville

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Apples Fresh Veg other Tender Fruit Asparagus Fresh Grape Fresh Veg muck Potato Small Fruit Ginseng Greenhouse Greenhouse Processing Vegetables

Charles Stevens, Newcastle Kenny Forth, Lynden Fred Meyers, Niagara-on-the-Lake Mike Chromczak, Brownsville Bill George Jr., Beamsville John Hambly, Bradford Shawn Brenn, Waterdown Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Glen Gilvesy, Tillsonburg Jan VanderHout, Waterdown George Gilvesy, Tillsonburg Ron Van Damme, Wallaceburg

Brian Rideout Jan VanderHout Ken Forth Mike Chromczak Brian Gilroy

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

URBAN COWBOY

Trusted trade partner? Trusted supplier? Convoy shows we’re vulnerable

OWEN ROBERTS When the risks outweigh the benefits, it’s time to make hard choices.

And so it was with the so-called 2022 Freedom Convoy, which bullied its way into the public eye in a manner not unlike the American insurrection on the U.S. nation’s capital a year ago.

The group behind the Freedom Convoy didn’t succeed in taking over Parliament. But it sure raised hell and made life miserable for a lot of people.

That is, until it threatened U.S. interests.

When President Joe Biden saw manufacturers in his country shutting down because of the convoy’s activities, he decided the risks were no longer worth taking.

The benefits of letting the movement and its members proceed unabated stopped outweighing the risks it posed to the freedom of Americans, as well as Canadians.

Indeed, it was no longer a matter of freedom. In Biden’s eyes, it was now a matter of business, on both sides of the border.

And so like the parent of quibbling siblings who can’t settle matters between themselves, Biden furrowed his brow, raised his voice ever so slightly, and said knock it off. Stop taking the risk, he said to Canada . . . and let us know how we can help you deal with the way forward.

With that offer in hand, bravery on the Canadian side of the border seemed to escalate.

On Friday, February 11 – two weeks after the escalation started in Ottawa -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency. He called the Ottawa melee “an illegal occupation . . . no longer a protest.”

And at press time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also chimed in, saying at a news conference “everything is on the table” to end the blockade. He said deploying the army would be the last resort, and that “we weren’t there yet.”

Meanwhile, though, the fear of violence was on the rise, the kind of violence that the convoy had invited in its final stages. It had gone way beyond the point of wanting freedom from vaccination rules for truckers, its

Blockade at Emerson, Manitoba. originally stated intent. It wanted a fight.

And now, as Canada prepares to start picking up the pieces, the key now is to learn from the experience.

Canada needs to get the message that this kind of sentiment will continue to percolate. It’s sad that a country like Canada must protect its border from its own people. But it looks that way . . . because what happens if it doesn’t?

First, it gets a reputation for being unable to handle its own affairs. I suspect that the Biden offer was more likely a strong suggestion to Trudeau to do something. America was fed up.

Offering to help was the public face of that suggestion.

Second, it challenges our reputation as a welcoming nation.

Canada relies hugely on tourism with the U.S. A significant portion of those visitors drive across the border. If that border is unreliable, visitors will stay home.

There are plenty of other places to visit in the U.S. Tourists have choices, especially now when the pandemic has caused trips to Canada to fall off the radar screen anyway.

And most important to growers, an unreliable border can make a country an unreliable trading partner. Here’s an irony: At the same time the blockade was reaching a crescendo, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada issued a news release announcing a $535,000 investment in Flowers Canada to support market access and promote the industry’s growth with increased sales to, in part, the U.S. That’s understandable; U.S. markets are the lifeblood of almost all agriculture-related exports. But if commodities such as flowers, fruit and vegetables are denied timely transportation across the border – and in fact are stymied by the very people who are counted on to deliver them -growth could be jeopardized.

The entire value chain is on edge.

“We’re gravely concerned,” says David MacLean, vice president for Alberta and Saskatchewan for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. “So much of the manufacturing market is U.S.-facing. Border crossings are a huge conduit for groceries in Canada. We’re just seeing chaos, and this is on top of an existing supply chain crisis.

We’re still not even close to having recovered from floods in BC and [physical] damage to the transportation corridor.”

Many Canadian farm groups, including the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, spoke out against the blockade and the convoy.

News organizations roundly criticized it for stomping on the rights of others. About the only support it received was from Fox News, which had a crew in Ottawa cheering on the protesters.

Aboriginal groups widely condemned the blockade as well, and the fact that it was allowed to proliferate.

“If this blockade had been organized by Indigenous people, we have no doubt that authorities would respond quickly to remove the blockade and utilize the law that has been created to do so,” Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said in a statement reported by Indian Country

Today news.

Prime Minister Trudeau said a lot of Canadians were “scratching their heads” about protesters who said they were speaking for truckers, but that they didn’t represent the 90 per cent of truckers who were vaccinated.

“This pandemic will end by following science.” he said. “We made a promise to have people vaxxed every step of the way . . . these blockades are not helping the pandemic end any sooner.

They are so wrong.”

Owen Roberts is a past-president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and a communications instructor at the University of Illinois.

PAGE 12 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FARM & FOOD CARE ONTARIO

Year-round 10th anniversary celebrations planned January 1, 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the creation of Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO). It officially opened its doors in January, 2012. The group was the first of its kind in Canada and came from the amalgamation of the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment (AGCare).

Both well-respected coalitions were also the first of their kind, formed in 1988 as non-profit, agricultural education coalitions representing Ontario’s livestock and crop farmers and associated

organizations. Since the formation of FFCO, similar groups have been created in Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.

FFCO will be celebrating its 10th anniversary all year long, starting with an annual conference and speakers' program planned for April 13, 2022. There will be options to attend virtually or in person at The GrandWay Events Centre in Elora from 10 am to 4 pm. This year’s theme is "Evolving in a Changing World."

Communications expert and award-winning humourist Bill Carr will address the realities of

our new remote workplaces in a presentation titled "Relating Remotely vs. Remotely Relating: The Art of Working Remotely in Healthy and Productive Ways."

Fourth generation Ontario dairy farmer Tim May, known on social media as “Farmer Tim”, will speak on “Farming the Fields of Social Media” about his passion for spreading positive messages about farming through social media. He uses humour and his genuine compassion for people and animals to both entertain and educate his more than 150K followers around the world.

Food Freedom Day was Feb 8

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has calculated that by Tuesday, February 8th, 2022, a Canadian household of average income will have earned enough to pay for their entire year’s grocery bill.

Each year, CFA examines the proportion of income that Canadians spend on food as a way to explore year-over-year expenditure changes and raise consumers’ understanding of Canada’s food system, from Farm-Gate-to-Plate.

Canadians spent 10.7% of their disposable

income on food in 2021, which is slightly lower than the 11% of disposable income spent on food in 2020. Due to this, Food Freedom Day is now one day earlier, landing on February 8th, 2022.

Food Freedom Day falling on an earlier date than the previous year will likely come as a surprise to many, especially in the light of rising food prices and overall inflation. While Canada’s food system continues to provide access to affordable food by global standards, the pandemic has affected Canadian households in drastically different ways depending on their vocation, location and a wide variety of other factors.

For some, disposable incomes have increased throughout the pandemic, particularly for those who had no disruptions to their livelihoods coupled with a lack of spending opportunities. Others have seen large drops in their disposable income due to shut-downs in their industries.

A panel discussion will feature Farm & Food Care members whose businesses depend on consumer engagement.

They’ll talk about COVID impacting their companies, strategies used to deal with change and the innovative and creative ways they have evolved.

The event will also include the presentation of the 2022 Farm &

Food Care Champion Award.

Registration is now open at farmfoodcareon.org/Conference.

Early bird discounted rates last until March 30.

Continued recognition of FFCO's 10th anniversary will continue with events and promotions throughout the year.

COMING EVENTS 2022 Mar 2

Ontario Potato Conference, Delta Hotel, Guelph, ON VIRTUAL

Mar 8 – 10 Canadian Horticultural Council 100th Annual General Meeting, Ottawa, ON VIRTUAL Mar 22-24 Pest Management Centre Priority Setting Workshop A VIRTUAL Mar 29

Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Association annual general meeting, District 3 & 4, VIRTUAL

Mar 30

Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers Annual General Meeting, Four Points by Sheraton, London, ON 8 am – 1pm HYBRID

Mar 30

Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Association annual general meeting, District 5 VIRTUAL

Mar 30-31 International Potato Technology Expo, Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, PE Mar 31

Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Association annual general meeting, Districts 1 & 2, HYBRID

April 5-7

Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention & Trade Show, Palais des congrès de Montreal, Montreal, QC

April 5-7

Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany

Source: Canadian Federation of Agriculture February 8, 2022 news release

April 6 & 7 Muck Vegetable Growers’ Conference, Bradford, ON VIRTUAL April 13

Farm & Food Care Ontario Conference

May 11

Census of Agriculture results

May 30-June 2

11th World Potato Congress, Ireland

June 12

Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Grand River Raceway, Elora, ON

July 17-21

International Cool Climate Wine Symposium, St. Catharines, ON

July ???

FPT ag ministers meeting, SK

Sept 13-15 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON Sept 29-Oct 1 Canadian Farm Writers Federation Conference, Saskatoon, SK Oct 5-6

Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Niagara Falls, ON

Oct 18-20

World Ag Robotics Forum, Fresno, CA

Nov 4-13

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, ON

Nov 15-17 Alberta Potato Conference and Trade Show, Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre, Red Deer, AB

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Will food be worth more in 2022?

The short answer is yes.

There are a number of factors impacting the value of the food we produce. It is one thing to consider costs and complexities of producing food rising, but it is another to see customers and consumers put more value on food.

There is no argument that costs of producing food are rising.

Inputs such as seed, fuel and fertilizer are increasing to new heights for many items. Labour is hard to find and costs more plus most forms of packaging are getting more expensive. As producers prepare for the 2022 growing season there are very few costs staying the same or decreasing.

All of these factors are driving up the cost, but it does not lead us to the automatic conclusion food is worth more. Ultimately our customers and consumers decide if it is worth more.

Why customers believe it is worth more To maintain a return on your investment, you need to get a higher price when your costs go up. Your customers, retailers, wholesalers and distributors will be the people you need to convince. Right now, they do put more value in the products they want.

We have been through two years of disruption for the world and the food industry. Your customers have been challenged to predict demand and find products for their stores. Sales increases are great, but when they struggle to forecast them and cannot supply the demand, it is very frustrating. A retailer’s world is best when they have strong sales that have been predicted, so they can find ample supply of good quality product. You just have to visit any store to see the inconsistent in stock position.

This is impacting the value of the food you supply.

If you can figure out how to maintain a high service level (cases delivered divided by cases ordered) they will see more value in what you do.

Consumers have been vocal in their expectation for more food produced closer to home.

Why consumers believe it is worth more The pandemic has changed consumer’s perception of food.

Most Canadian consumers would not have experienced widespread out of stocks in food stores. Prior to 2020 they were used to finding grocery stores and markets full of products. Some people really did not spend a lot of time thinking about the supply of food and food security was a term that was not common.

Since we have experienced out of stocks for a variety of reasons, they are now much more interested in finding an ample supply of food in the store or the market when they want it. They put more value in the in-stock position.

The awareness around food has also increased consumers’ desire to understand more about where it is coming from. Some of this is related to in-stock position but some of it is also related to supporting a strong viable food industry. Consumers do understand we need this and one way they can play a role is to support the products at the cash register.

It is important for suppliers to share where the products are coming from and make it easy for people to see this information.

This can be reinforced on social media, mass media and packaging.

Consumers are putting more value in food that originates close to home.

One trend that has remained stronger than I would have anticipated is sustainability.

Throughout the pandemic this has continued to influence

“

You just have to visit any store to see the inconsistent in stock position.

This is impacting the value of the food you supply.

“

PETER CHAPMAN

Retailers, the good ones, respond to changes in consumer demands.

Local grower programs have been evident for years but there is more than signage to these programs.

Retailers do want Canadian products and they will place more value in products they can count as local.

There is a lot of attention in the media on food inflation.

When it comes from many sources people believe it. Your customers are hearing from economists and they are hearing it from all of their suppliers. The message is consistent and consumers do not like it but they accept it. It seems the cost of almost everything is going up and food is no exception. When your customers hear it from every angle they begin to accept it and see the value as increasing. They do not like it because they believe if the retail price has to go up the volume will slow down. This is not always true, but it does happen and another consideration is people trade down within the category. In produce, consumers might shift from fresh fruits and vegetables to canned or frozen.

consumer behaviour. If sustainability is part of your story and you do a great job telling the story, some consumers will put more value on your products.

Consumers are reading the same media articles about food inflation that your customers are.

They might not be as close as category managers to the price of packaging or inputs, but they have been told repeatedly the price of food is going up. It is not unexpected when they get to the store to see retail prices they did not see last year. They might not like it, but they are not surprised by it. Where there is the expectation it is possible there will be less trading down within categories because people just see the price and what it will cost them to eat. They will expect

food to cost more.

What this means for suppliers Food will be worth more in 2022, because our customers and consumers will be willing to pay more. Yes, it costs more to produce it, but it is worth more because they are willing to pay more.

Producers should focus on communicating the value repeatedly to customers and consumers. They do need to be informed about cost increases, but they also need to see the value.

They will pay more when they agree in the value. is also a time to get the right price, not an inflated price.

Retailers understand costs are changing and they need viable

suppliers. They will become very difficult to work with if they get the impression some suppliers are taking advantage of the situation.

If this happens, they will push back on cost increases for all suppliers. Communicate with your customers and find the right price to ensure your business remains viable and they stay competitive.

Peter Chapman is a retail consultant, professional speaker and the author of A la Cart-a suppliers’ guide to retailer’s priorities. Peter is based in Halifax, N.S. where he is the principal at SKUFood. Peter works with producers and processors to help them get their products on the shelf and into the shopping cart.

PAGE 14 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Made from scratch: growing a successful business from a family dream

Hollis English, co-owner and creative director, Murphy’s Farm Market & Bakery, has a motto: “Don’t buy from strangers, buy local.” She shared her recipe for success at the recent Women in Agriculture Breakfast held at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.

The physical market near Alliston, Ontario is now open year-round as of February 2022.

Strawberry shortbread was offered as a limited-edition item in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. Pictured on Instagram, it was a hit with her 10,800 followers.

“

Don’t buy from strangers. Buy local. ~ HOLLIS ENGLISH

“

KAREN DAVIDSON Take me home, country roads.

That epic song by John Denver has resonated with a lot of folks wanting to escape the confines of their homes. Fortunately, an ecosystem of Ontario on-farm markets is delivering unique experiences to fulfill the demand.

Murphy’s Farm Market & Bakery is one such example based near Alliston, Ontario. It tapped into the nearby population of 20,000 which was hungry for out-of-home but close-to-home experiences. A five-minute drive from town, the fifth-generation farm had its boots on the ground with a scratch bakery, produce counter and just as importantly, a newsletter database of more than 2,900-plus users that has been built since 2010.

Their growth could have been derailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hollis English, co-owner with brother Calder Murphy, says that gross

sales were up 25 per cent in 20192020, then grew by the same amount in 2020-2021.

“Our labour costs were down due to the limitations of the pandemic, but we were grateful that sales were up in both the retail and online store,” English explains. “Despite the hardships we all faced during these times, customers still looked to us for products and experiences that would bring their families together and offer positivity and happiness in trying times.”

Standard offerings were expanded with new items such as bread mixes and long-time favourites such as chocolates and cookies from the holiday season.

These comfort foods – including pickles, preserves and pies -- were perfectly suited to those looking for nostalgia. But she has also curated locally-made items such as garlic scape salad dressing, asparagus salsa and chipotle ketchup. By reaching out to other farms and vendors for wholesale items, she has broadened the

array of specialities available in the market while showing support for other small local businesses.

Fortunately, Murphy’s Farm Market already had an established brand in the neighbourhood. But through her social media channels, she has attracted more customers who are loyal to the physical store that’s open seven days a week and now year-round as of 2022. Her Instagram account has an impressive 10.8K followers.

The farm’s mission statement, says English, is to “celebrate the small everyday moments and one-of-a-kind experiences that bring people and families together.” The winter is more challenging to drive business so her strategy has been to create limited-edition offerings. Being open for the first time in February 2022, she drove postholiday interest with the launch of much-anticipated chocolate cream pies. Limited-edition strawberry shortbread cookies were then offered in the weeks

leading up to Valentine’s Day. As a member of Farm Fresh Ontario, she tapped into resources and experiences of other members during the height of the pandemic. One example was the use of www.bookeo.com, an online event management platform that organizes ticket sales by time slots. This was perfectly attuned to the needs of the pick-your-own berries where customers could book a time slot and reserve a picking basket.

Another example of innovation was Murphy’s Made from Scratch online classes. This series of paid courses allowed participants to tap into their inner bakers from the comfort of home using ingredients found at the market and recipes from the Murphy family’s recipe book.

In 2022, the growing enterprise now requires 12 fulltime staff and up to 18 part-time assistants during the growing season to handle the market and pick-your-own crops. The company culture of recognizing

staff for their individual contributions is a strength that’s carried their business to new heights during the pandemic.

“For me, the biggest piece is recognizing individuals for their contributions to the bigger picture,” says English. “For those who package pies all day, they need to be recognized that the repetitive effort is important to the entire team.”

English has cultivated a culture of gratitude, not just with words but with actions. Staff is paid more than minimum wage and that has a ripple effect on the team. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Murphy’s Farm Market and Bakery won five 2021 Alliston Herald Reader’s Choice Diamond Awards.

“Thanks to Murphy’s Farm, I’m bringing together my love of baking, marketing and design.

It’s my passion,” says English.

OUR EXPERTS ARE HERE TO HELP! ~ Quality Seed Since 1881 ~

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MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 15 THE GROWER

MARKETING

This on-farm market has extended its family table to pets and birdlife KAREN DAVIDSON Nicholyn Farms used to be a mainstay at farmers’ markets up to four days a week with farm-raised beef, pork and vegetables.

No more. The pandemic has forced Nick, Shane and Lynda Van Casteren to refocus their labour and resources. The reward is that more consumers come directly to their Phelpston, Ontario farm market or order online.

“We’re open year-round in a 3000square-foot building focusing on partnerships and showcasing local products,” says Lynda Van Casteren.

“We’re located north of Barrie and on the way to the cottage.”

Here are some of the changes that turned out to be revenue-positive and consumer-calming.

Transform inside space for value-added items. “We transformed an indoor dining space into space for value-added items for extended family,” says Van Casteren. “Think of birdseed, bird feeders and pet food.”

Build an outdoor hut for ice cream and paninis. Consumers have craved an outdoor eating experience which was safe.

Open from May 1 to Thanksgiving, the hut has been staffed by university students.

They offer local brands of ice cream: Marble Slab Creamery in Barrie and Kawartha Dairy in Bobcaygeon.

Set up a self-guided tour with story boards. The pandemic cancelled organized

school tours but that didn’t mean walkabouts were discouraged. The opportunity was to engage families and their children.

Stops included chickens in an outdoor coop, a greenhouse, a geodesic dome, a composting building, solar panels and bee hives. “This was presented as a homesteading experience with messages about sustainability.”

Post a greeter at the market entrance.

With lockdowns coming and going over the last two years, patrons have felt nervous entering the market. “People needed reassurance,” says Van Casteren. “In many cases, we were the first outing that consumers had outside their homes. They needed to trust in the food they were buying as well as how they bought it.”

Offer curbside pick-up. In the early days of the pandemic, at-home delivery worked and then curbside pick-up became the most popular method. Curbside remains as a consumer service. Take-home meals took off such as soups, cabbage rolls and Indian-inspired dishes.

Engage consumers through Instagram.

Nicholyn Farms has 5659 followers on Instagram. “I have to admit this is a great way to showcase new products such as our pierogies.”

Build a website and support it. Unlike many other farm marketers, the Van Casterens did not opt for a template but decided to build their website from scratch.

“We have the flexibility to showcase local partners. It was a huge undertaking but we went our own way.” She points out that the

Lynda Van Casteren and her family at Nicholyn Farms has been innovative in attracting and keeping new customers during the pandemic. list of new products includes gluten-free and low-sugar offerings.

As long-time members of Farm Fresh Ontario, the Van Casterens look forward to tweaking their business with learnings

from others. But one thing is clear.

“We need to do a better job of telling our story,” she says.

PAGE 16 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

Anthracnose fruit rot management research update

Fig 1. Strawberry anthracnose fruit rot

Fig 1. Marketable and unmarketable yield of strawberries from July 27- September 7. Columns with the same letter are not significantly different at P = 0.05, Tukey’s HSD test. ns = not significant ERICA PATE & KATIE GOLDENHAR Fungicide options for strawberry anthracnose control have become more limited for Ontario strawberry growers in recent years. In 2015, OMAFRA detected resistance to pyraclostrobin (FRAC group 11), the active ingredient in Cabrio and one of the active ingredients in Pristine (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) and Merivon (pyraclostrobin + fluxapyroxad).

Additionally, a recent re-evaluation of the broadspectrum fungicide captan resulted in the restricted entry interval (REI) for captan products increasing to six days. This longer REI means growers can no longer use captan during harvest for broad-spectrum disease control and resistance management. This is particularly challenging for day-neutral growers, who need to apply regular fungicide applications throughout the long day-neutral season for anthracnose control.

A better understanding of the presence of fungicide resistance in Ontario is important, and new and lower-risk fungicides are needed for control and to help slow the development of resistance. Research in 2021 was targeted at addressing the challenges with anthracnose management and included fungicide resistance survey and fungicide efficacy screening.

A plate dilution test was used in 2015 when resistance to

pyraclostrobin, a FRAC group 11, was first confirmed in Ontario. This test is timeconsuming and expensive, so only five farms were included in the original survey. Fortunately, there is now an alternative method for detecting anthracnose resistance.

Anthracnose resistance to group 11 fungicides is associated with a known genetic mutation that confers complete resistance. This mutation is known as the G143A mutation, and has been identified in anthracnose in other regions, including the northeastern U.S. Detecting resistance using this genetic mutation is a faster and cheaper method and identifies resistance to all group 11 fungicides, not just pyraclostrobin. This method was used in the 2021 survey.

The Ontario berry team collected two samples from 10 farms across the province. The G143A mutation was confirmed in every sample we collected.

These results confirm that group 11 fungicides (as well as premixes containing a group 11) may not provide adequate control of strawberry anthracnose fruit rot, and that strawberry growers should not rely on group 11 fungicides for anthracnose control. FRAC group 11 products registered for anthracnose in strawberries includes Cabrio (11), Evito (11), Pristine (11+7), Merivon (11+7), Quadris Top (11+3) and Luna Sensation (11+7).

Some of these group 11 products provide control for other

diseases. If using a group 11 product, make sure to include another effective product against anthracnose or include a group M fungicide when possible for broad-spectrum disease control.

Growers interested in having their farm surveyed for anthracnose resistance are encouraged to reach out to erica.pate@ontario.ca Fungicide efficacy testing There are only two fungicides registered for anthracnose control that do not include a group 11: Switch (group 9+12) and Diplomat (group 19). New and lower-risk fungicides are needed for control and to help slow the development of resistance. A fungicide efficacy study was established in 2021 at the Ontario Crops Research Centre- Simcoe to screen promising fungicides and biofungicides, to understand the control options available to growers and develop management recommendations.

Day-neutral strawberries cv.

‘Albion’ were planted in May in a randomized complete block design with four replications.

Plants were inoculated with Colletotrichum nymphaeae spores on July 21 (after the first two fungicide applications). Fungicide treatments were applied on a seven- to 10-day schedule, starting at first flowering until September 7. The trial was harvested twice a week until September 7th.

Research plots at the Ontario Crops research Centre- Simcoe Treatments: 1. Control (no fungicide) 2. Serifel (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MBI 600) – FRAC BM02 3. Problad (BLAD polypeptide) – FRAC BM01 4. Diplomat (polyoxin D zinc salt) – FRAC 19 5. Switch (fludioxonil + cyprodinil) – FRAC 9 + 12 6. Cevya (mefentrifluconazole) – FRAC 3 7. Mettle (tetraconazole) – FRAC 3 8. Inspire (difenoconazole) – FRAC 3 9. Fullback (flutriafol) – FRAC 3 10. Sercadis (fluxapyroxad) – FRAC 7 This trial included non-group 11 active ingredients in two products registered for anthracnose control: difenoconazole (the other part of Quadris Top) and fluxapyroxad (the other part of Merivon).

Diplomat and Switch are also registered for anthracnose control.

The other products were promising potential products for anthracnose control.

Anthracnose pressure was low at the beginning of the season, and there were no significant differences between the fungicide treatments and the untreated control until August 10.

However, disease pressure began to increase on August 10th and for the rest of the season Switch

was consistently more effective than the other fungicide treatments and untreated control.

When disease pressure was high Switch was the only effective product at reducing disease.

Recommendations Following the results from the resistance testing and the fungicide screening, growers should follow these recommendations for disease control: 1. Do not rely on group 11 fungicides for anthracnose control.

2. As much as possible apply broad-spectrum fungicides (group M) during bloom.

3. Use Switch when conditions are favourable (maximum 3 applications).

4. Clean up diseased fruit and remove from field.

5. Sanitize between fields (equipment, tools, hands).

6. Start fields with clean plants from an accredited program.

This project was funded by the Berry Growers of Ontario and the Canadian Agriculture Partnership.

Thank you to the participating growers and OMAFRA summer students Ali Collingwood and Mathew Wake.

Erica Pate is fruit crop specialist and Katie Goldenhar is pathologisthorticulture for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE 17 THE GROWER

ONTARIO BERRY NEWS

Pest watch: Blueberry stem gall wasp ERICA PATE The blueberry stem gall wasp has traditionally been a sporadic pest in blueberry fields, and rarely warranted control. In recent years however there have been more reports of stem galls (Fig 1.) in blueberry fields in Michigan, New York and Ontario.

The blueberry stem gall wasp is a small black wasp (2-3 mm) that lays eggs into the tips of young blueberry shoots in the spring. The shoot will then swell and expand around the eggs, becoming red and kidney-shaped (Fig 2). Galls continue to grow through the season and by the end of the season mature galls will be between 6-40 mm. Each gall contains multiple eggs that develop into larvae and overwinter inside the galls. They pupate in the spring and adult wasps emerge from the galls during bloom.

Part of the reason we are seeing more galls in blueberries could be because of the increased pesticide use for spotted wing drosophila control, which could be inadvertently controlling natural enemies of the stem gall wasps. Without these natural enemies to control the stem gall wasp populations and damage could increase and become more noticeable.

Figure 1. Stem gall in a blueberry field.

Figure 2. Red kidney-shaped gall from blueberry stem gall wasp.

Management:

applied until after bloom and bee hives are removed.

Blueberry stem gall wasp can often be managed by pruning out and destroying the galls when the plants are dormant. However, in heavy infestations further management might be needed when pruning is not practical.

Chemical control: Chemical control is challenging as the adult gall

wasps are active during bloom, when insecticides are not used.

Researchers from Michigan State University found applying insecticides post-bloom to be the most effective timing. Most of the effective insecticides used in the US are not registered in Canada, however Imidan and Movento were found to be effective at controlling stem gall wasps, and should provide some control when applied for other pests. Insecticides should not be

Product update for berry growers Product (active ingredient)

Group

Crop

Cultivar resistance: There is some host resistance to blueberry stem gall wasp.

While this is a long-term solution growers could consider planting resistant varieties when re-planting or planting a new field. Completely resistant varieties to the blueberry stem gall wasp include Bluecrop, Elliot,

Draper and Blueray. Growers should also pay close attention to susceptible varieties and watch for galls. Highly susceptible varieties include: Jersey, Northland and Bluejay.

Erica Pate is fruit crop specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

New pesticides and uses have been registered for berry growers since last season.

Here is a quick look at a few of the new products berry growers can use in 2022: Pests

Comments

Fungicides Miravis Neo (pydiflumetofen+ Azoxystrobin +propiconazole) PCP#33391

7+3+ 11

Blueberry

Anthracnose, Mummy Berry

Rate: 0.75 L/ha REI: 12 hours PHI: 30 days

Zampro (Ametoctradin + Dimethomorph) PCP#30321

45+40

Blackberry

Downy Mildew (suppression only)

Rate: 0.8-1.0 L/ha REI:12 hours PHI: 14 days

11

Strawberry

Anthracnose

Rate: 146-280 mL/ha REI: 12 hours PHI: 0 days

Evito (fluoxastrobin) PCP# 30408

Insecticides Closer (sulfloxaflor) PCP# 30826

4C

Bushberry

Aphids, Leafhoppers (suppression only)

Rate: Aphids: 100-200 mL/ha Leafhoppers: 200-400 mL/ha REI: 12 hours PHI: 1 day

Entrust (spinosad) PCP# 30382

5

Blueberry

Blueberry maggot (suppression only)

Rate: 219-440 mL/ha REI: 1 day PHI: when dry

Danitol (fenpropathrin) PCP# 33817

3

Caneberry

Japanese beetle, Leafhoppers, Spotted wing drosophila

Rate: 779-1169 mL/ha REI: handset irrigation: 17 days Tying, hand harvesting: 15 days Scouting, hand weeding: 7 days All other activities: 24 hours PHI: 15 days

Herbicides Dual II Magnum (S-Metolachlor) PCP# 25729

15

Caneberry

Pre-emergent to labelled weeds

Rate: 1.15-1.75 L/ha REI: 12 hours PHI: 28 days

PAGE 18 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

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PAGE 20 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

WORKPLACES

The business case for safety

Competing priorities, such as we’ve experienced during the pandemic, can understandably pull focus in many directions. This year, more than ever, it’s critical to focus on the team.

KRISTIN HOFFMAN Workplace health and safety are about more than keeping people protected from injury: it’s an investment in your employees and your business success.

Competing priorities, such as we’ve experienced during the pandemic, can understandably pull focus in many directions.

This year, more than ever, it’s critical to focus on the team.

Your Ontario workplace may be eligible for up to $2,000 of services tailored to your needs, paid for by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Deadline for application is March 15, 2022.

A comprehensive health and safety program will help you to strengthen continuity, productivity and your relationship with your workers.

Recruiting, training, and retaining workers are no small expense and it’s already tough to bring workers into horticulture.

Dealing with a lost-time injury can have a significant impact on productivity and the ability to meet your customer obligations.

Some of the specific business benefits of a comprehensive health and safety program include: • Positive employee morale and a reduction in turnover

• Fewer sick days • Consistent customer service • Stable production • Positive impact on your business’ reputation and brand capital • A competitive advantage when recruiting new talent • Lower Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) costs At the end of the day, proactively creating a safe workplace is an ongoing commitment that can yield significant tangible and intangible benefits.

An online COVID‐19 safety plan builder can be found at Ontario.ca/COVIDSafety, along with the existing safety plan guide and other helpful resources. The interactive platform can be used to develop custom safety plans.

As Ontario moves forward in the recovery, following public health guidance and adapting protocols will continue to be a priority. Governments are providing financial support to help farmers and agri-food workplaces manage and identify transmission risks to protect their workforces.

Through Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), farmers and agri-food businesses can access professional advice and consulting services to help them with their COVID-19 recovery needs.

The following workplaces are eligible: • Employers, farm sector organizations and farm associations • Provincially licensed meat plants • Other food processors who employ 1-49 employees How Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) can assist:

• Written COVID-19 workplace safety plans • Complimentary resources available at wsps.ca, including sample Safety Plans • Assessing the workplace hazards and providing recommendations • Review of controls and protocols related to preventing transmission of COVID-19 • How to support worker mental

BITS AND BITES

Extreme heat diminished 2021 grape volumes in BC Official numbers aren’t published yet for the 2021 British Columbia grape harvest, but industry observers are expecting one of the poorest volumes in nine years.

In a recent newsletter, Miles Prodan, CEO of Wine Growers of BC (WGBC) predicted that volume would be significantly off the record of 35,537 tons in 2019. The lowest point in recent history was 26,455 tons in 2013.

“British Columbia is a vibrant industry with unique regions, climate, varieties and styles throughout,” said Miles Prodan in November 2021. “And while 2021 was a year of extreme heat

and wildfires, something wine regions around the world are facing, British Columbia has nine Geographical Indications (GIs) and five sub-GIs and every region and sub-region within will have experienced those weather events differently. What each region has in common is the abundance of hard-working visionaries who continue to innovate. We look forward to seeing how the wineries embrace their fruit and create beautifully handcrafted BC wines.”

There are 307 BC grape growers who signed up for crop insurance in 2021.

health Telephone: 1-877-494-9777 to speak with a WSPS customer service representative E-mail: agriculture@wsps.ca Kristin Hoffman is a consultant with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS).

MARCH 2022

CELEBRATING 143 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

B SECTION

WHO’S GOT SEED?

Overall supply will be tight with potato seed sales restricted to PEI

For Taber, Alberta potato grower Michel Camp, there’s nothing like starting out with optimism for a new crop year. Photo courtesy Twitter @cpfarmsltd

KAREN DAVIDSON Prince Edward Island growers are in a miserable quandary under a federal ministerial order not to sell seed potatoes to other Canadian provinces or to the U.S. Since November 21, 2021, the Islanders have been banned from exports due to the findings of potato wart in two fields.

It’s bad enough that 300,000 million pounds of potatoes are left to disintegrate on snow-covered fields, but the future hangs in the balance regarding the seed potato sector. Of the 86,000 total potato acres on PEI, 16,000 acres are devoted to seed production.

“We need clarification from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on what we can do,” says Billy

Spraying tips

PG B9

Cameron, vice-chair of the PEI Potato Board and a seed grower himself. He grows 300 acres of seed and tablestock potatoes near Hampton.

“For our farm, some seed sales have been lost to other provinces,” he says. ‘My farm is built around potatoes and no crop can replace them. While more farmers have been growing soybeans and corn in recent years, the input costs have risen sharply.’

“I don’t know where CFIA stands at this point in time,” says David Jones, Canadian Potato Council, on February 14, “ but I would think they would need to consider the progress on the two 2021 investigations as important to any decisions on the possibility of amending the Ministerial Order.”

MANITOBA Manitoba’s seed potato growers have an opportunity to expand with two processors – Simplot and McCains – looking for more volume. Whether they take the risks, remains to be seen for 2022, says Dan Sawatsky, general manager, Keystone Potato Growers.

“We’ve been in a bit of a seed potato deficit for awhile,” explains Sawatsky. “It’s common for seed to arrive from Alberta and North Dakota.”

In 2021, Manitoba growers planted 3,613 acres seed for the processing market, 2,058 acres to the fresh market and 191 acres for the chipping market.

Continued on page B2

Balancing beneficials PG B12

Peptide-based revolution

PG B16

PAGE B2 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

WHO’S GOT SEED?

Overall supply will be tight with potato seed sales restricted to PEI Continued from page B1 Overall, Manitoba had 58,612 acres of processing potatoes under cultivation last year. They were destined for frozen processing.

But with extreme hot weather, yields were down and growers were struggling to meet processor demand. In 2022, growers are in the enviable position of pencilling out profits on most alternate crops ranging from canola, corn and soybeans to oats, wheat and edible beans. All eyes will be on spring planting intentions.

SASKATCHEWAN The 2021 seed potato crop was “a 10 out of 10” says Kevin Nickel, vice-president of the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers’ Association, thanks to 16 inches of water that was applied from the Lake Diefenbaker irrigation project.

“Yield was up and so was quality,” says Nickel, adding that low aphid pressure was observed for the 1,260 acres under cultivation. He expects a slight increase to 1,300 acres in 2022.

While current acreage may be small compared to other provinces, the multi-billion

irrigation project that’s started with the existing Westside irrigation canal is expected to encourage more high-value seed potato production.

ALBERTA “Despite having planted our largest seed potato crop ever in Alberta in 2021, seed supply is tight,” reports Stacey Bajema, seed coordinator, Potato Growers of Alberta. “The 2021 growing season was extraordinarily hot and dry for most regions in Alberta and as such, yield remained average to below average depending on where growers were located and their access to irrigation. With commercial expansion in the Pacific Northwest and at home in Alberta, processing varieties are in high demand.”

The return of the Western Canadian Post Harvest Test program in Hawaii was welcomed after losing it in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. This industry-led initiative is imperative for building market confidence with both domestic and export customers.

All Alberta lots were free from visual virus symptoms during recent inspections and growers

Canadian (Seed) Potato Storage Holdings by Province February 1, 2022 Infohort: AAFC (000 cwt) Province

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

3-yr.

Average

2021-22

2022 vs.

3-yr. avg

Prince Edward Island

1,978

1,930

1,863

1,924

1,476

-23%

New Brunswick

1,645

1,657

1,081

1,461

1,711

+17%

Quebec

1,253

1,204

1,111

1,189

1,389

+17%

Ontario

105

71

69

82

160

+95%

Eastern Canada

4,981

4,862

4,124

4,656

4,736

+2%

Manitoba

1,241

1,341

1,531

1,371

1,471

+7%

Alberta

2,700

3,325

3,209

3,078

3,354

+9%

British Columbia

193

138

156

162

143

-12%

Western Canada

4,133

4,804

4,896

4,611

4,968

+8%

Total Canada

9,116

9,665

9,021

9,267

9,705

+5%

Seed Inventory on February 1, 2022 is 5% above 3-yr. average levels at 9.7 million hundred weight. The largest increases in seed stocks are in Alberta, followed by New Brunswick, and Quebec. Available seed in British Columbia is down 12% with growers getting ready to plant early potatoes by the end of this month. PEI seed stocks are down 23% as growers unsure of their future markets, shipped some crop through other channels. were once again able to send leaf samples from Hawaii to the Phyto-Diagnostics Laboratory in British Columbia for confirmatory testing.

Despite growing concerns surrounding freight rates and availability, Alberta seed potato growers are ready for the upcoming shipping season where

most inventory will leave farms within a three-week period in March.

BRITISH COLUMBIA British Columbia will have 100 acres seeded by March 1, says Bill Zylmans, president of the BC Seed Potato Growers’

Association. A more normal weather pattern is being experienced which will allow the early seeding of the Nugget variety. Seed quality is good, although 143 cwt of seed potatoes is off by 13 per cent from the previous year. Potato growers were not directly impacted by the historic flooding in BC.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B3 THE GROWER

PAGE B4 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: POTATO PRODUCTION

Impact of soil moisture stress on potato yield and physiological defects Estimated Potato Yield Losses Caused by Soil Moisture Stress Losses depend on how low the Available Soil Moisture drops below requirements Growth Stage

Available Soil Moisture Requirements

Yield Losses if Available Soil Moisture Levels are Below Required Levels

Growth Stage I Sprout Development

75-85%

Short periods of drought stress do not reduce yield

Growth Stage II Vegetative Growth

75-85%

5%

Growth Stage III Tuber Initiation

80-90%

10%

Growth Stage IV Tuber Bulking

90%

40-60%

Growth Stage V Tuber Maturation

70-75%

Water deficit causes tuber dehydration Jelly End Rot: This physiological condition is caused by moisture stress during tuber development. Affected tubers usually are pointed on the stem end. Tuber flesh from the affected area is translucent or glassy, devoid of starch, and usually high in reducing sugars.

“ Water stress during bulking usually affects total yield more than quality.

“ EUGENIA BANKS Climate change will alter temperature and rainfall patterns, which will affect potato growth as well as the diseases and pests of potatoes. Potato production must adapt to avoid reductions in crop yields and tuber quality. Because of its shallow root system, the potato crop is sensitive to drought.

High yields of high-quality potatoes can only be achieved by maintaining adequate levels of available soil moisture throughout the growing season. Without regular rainfall, frequent irrigation is necessary. The impact of drought depends on the growth stage of the crop as well as the severity and duration of the stress.

Table 1 shows the growth stages and the amount of available water required for a high yield of high-quality potatoes. Soil moisture should be above 70 per cent at all stages; stress becomes critical when the available soil water drops below 60-65 per cent.

Research in the U.S. has shown that yield losses will occur if available soil water drops below required levels for more than five days.

The first response of potatoes to water stress is the closure of leaf stomata, the small pores that control gas exchange between internal leaf cells and the environment. This is a defense

against further water loss, but it also restricts the diffusion of carbon dioxide into the leaf. This slows photosynthesis, reducing the production of the sugars needed for tuber growth, which lowers yield and quality.

Water deficits at tuber initiation reduce tuber set and can increase the proportion of rough, misshapen tubers. Early-season water stress can also reduce specific gravity and increase the amount of jelly end rot.

Water stress during bulking disrupts tuber growth by reducing or stopping tuber expansion.

When tuber growth resumes after rain or irrigation, the result is misshapen tubers with cracks, pointed ends, dumbbells, bottlenecks or knobs.

Water stress during bulking usually affects total yield more than quality. A large, healthy leaf area is necessary to maintain high tuber-bulking rates for extended periods. This requires the growth of new leaves to replace old leaves that are less efficient. Water stress accelerates leaf senescence and interrupts new leaf formation, which slows tuber bulking.

Mechanical damage at harvest is affected by soil water content.

Dehydrated tubers are more susceptible to blackspot bruising.

Climate change is expected to make weather patterns less predictable. Excess soil water at any growth stage leaches nitrate nitrogen below the root zone,

which results in nitrogendeficient plants and reduced fertilizer-use efficiency.

Soils saturated for more than eight to 12 hours can result in a lack of oxygen that damages roots. Excess soil water at planting promotes seed-piece decay and delays emergence due to low soil temperature. Wet soils during vegetative growth and tuber initiation increase the risk of tubers with brown center and hollow heart. Excess soil water during tuber bulking can also lead to tuber quality and storage problems.

There are few management strategies for dealing with water shortages other than irrigation.

Cover crops can increase organic matter in soils, and organic matter above three to four per cent mitigates moisture stress.

Other management practices that can partially mitigate water shortages and should be considered are the extent of potato acreage under irrigation, field choice, variety selection and seed condition and spacing.

Varieties that develop a large canopy rapidly shade the soil and reduce water loss.

Mother Nature is in charge, and growers should hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Eugenia Banks is a consultant to the Ontario Potato Board.

Black spot bruising: Tubers with low water content at harvest are more susceptible to blackspot bruise.

Knobs: Water deficits disrupt normal tuber growth patterns by reducing or stopping tuber expansion rate which may result in tuber malformations such as knobs.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B5 THE GROWER

PAGE B6 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: POTATO PRODUCTION

Looking for the next best thing in potatoes

Figure 1. Potatoes infected with common scab.

Figures 3, 4. Disease and yield of potatoes (Dakota Pearl) treated with a combination of fungicides/nematicides to control Potato Early Dying.

Figure 2. Marketable yield of potato (Eva) treated with chloropicrin and Stockosorb.

DENNIS VAN DYK Potato growers are used to being sold new products to use on their crop. We set out to test a few new products to answer some key questions. Does it work and will it work for me?

Since the last half of the 2021 season was wet, early dying pressure was fairly low.

We did not see any differences among the treatments and no benefit to combining products (Figures 3, 4). We will be repeating this trial to see if the results will be different in a hot/dry year.

Nitrogen fixing potatoes

Controlling common scab with fumigation and hydrogels Fumigation is not a new practice and results of fumigation against common scab have been mixed. We combined strip plot treatments of chloropicrin with Stockosorb in a dryland field planted with Eva. Stockosorb is a hydrogel product applied in-furrow which absorbs water and can increase the water holding capacity of the soil. Adequate soil moisture around tuber initiation is a critical time to prevent scab infection so more moisture available should in theory result in less scab infection.

The common scab pressure in the trial was severe (Figure 1). The chloropicrin treatments had higher total yield and nearly doubled the marketable yield (Figure 2). Chloropicrin did not eliminate scab but reduced the incidence and severity.

If you grow beans, you’ll be familiar with nitrogen fixing Rhizobium bacteria.

Envita is a bacteria that can colonize non-legumes and fix nitrogen in crops such as corn and potatoes. We tested it on irrigated ground planted with FL1867 as well as a dryland field planted with Dakota Pearl. We did not see any benefit using it on FL1867 on irrigated ground but the dryland field had some visual and yield differences (Figure 5).

It appeared the Envita-treated potatoes established quicker early in the season and by harvest, our yields were significantly higher (Figure 6). We will be continuing to look at Envita in 2022 to see if the results are a variety response or if we can increase our nitrogen efficiency on non-irrigated ground. With the cost of inputs where they are, it will be important to take advantage of any additional fertility where possible.

What to put in-furrow for potato early dying

What’s new for 2022

In hotter and drier seasons Potato Early Dying (PED) can be a huge yield robber.

There are products now registered on verticillium and root lesion nematodes, the two main causes of potato early dying. We tested Elatus, Velum Prime, Serenade SOIL and a combination of these products to see which would provide the best early dying control. The field was irrigated and planted with Dakota Pearl.

There are a few new fungicides available to potato growers for this season: Cevya (BASF) – mefentrifluconazole – controls early blight and suppresses black dot, brown spot.

Veltyma (BASF) – mefentrifluconazole/ pyraclostrobin – controls early blight, black dot and suppresses brown spot.

Serifel (BASF) – Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain MBI 600 – early

Figure 5. Envita treated potatoes in the red box on the left and untreated potatoes in the yellow box on the right.

Figure 6. Yield of potatoes (Dakota Pearl) treated with Envita applied in-furrow.

blight and suppresses Rhizoctonia if applied in-furrow.

Preach (Sharda) – pyraclostrobin (like Headline) – controls early blight, preventative control of late blight when tank-mixed.

Stargus (Marrone Bio Innovations) – Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain F727 –

suppresses pink rot.

Dennis Van Dyk is a vegetable crop specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B7 THE GROWER

FOCUS: POTATO PRODUCTION

Creating an integrated nematode/disease management program for potatoes For Canadian potato growers, the presence of nematodes and disease can reduce yield potential and marketability of their potato crops. Nematodes – especially root lesion, root knot and potato cyst – are microscopic roundworms that feed on plant roots and transmit disease, making them a key threat to a potato crop that can be difficult to control.

Although there are no metrics specific to yield losses in Canada, it is estimated that 10% of the potato crop is lost annually to nematodes in the U.S. It is reasonable to assume the rates are similar north of the border. In addition to nematodes, soilborne diseases including verticillium and black dot can also rob yield potential and decrease product quality. Selecting the right solution can help reduce crop damage from nematodes and fungal diseases for the current season, and those that follow.

A Comprehensive Field Management Program An integrated disease management program begins with soil tests to determine whether pathogenic nematodes are present within a field, what nematode species are present, and whether the nematode population densities are high enough to cause economic yield loss. Information on nematode species and population densities, along with the history of the incidence and severity of soilborne diseases and insects as well as soil moisture levels during field preparation can help guide management decision making. Farmers should use a combination of control measures since no single measure offers complete protection.

Four key nematode and disease management considerations include: Crop Rotation can help reduce nematode populations from fields, but results are dependent on the nematode species. Root lesion nematodes have a wide host range, making crop rotations challenging. Soybeans and red clover are both good hosts for root lesion nematodes, while annual ryegrass is less so. With root-knot nematodes, crop rotations are more effective since annual ryegrass, timothy and cereals are non-hosts. Potato-cyst nematodes have a limited host range (potato, tomato, eggplant, wild Solanum spp.), so crop rotations that include non-hosts, such as cereals and forages, are a practical approach to reducing population levels in the soil.

Soil fumigation is a proven broad-spectrum strategy to reduce all species of nematode populations in soil, but these chemicals are expensive.

Chemicals require a skilled and

experienced applicator.

Specialized equipment is required for application and effectiveness is highly influenced by soil, seedbed conditions, and temperatures. A spring application can also result in planting being delayed by as long as two weeks.

Nematicides provide proven chemical control to minimize the occurrence of nematodes in potatoes. A non-fumigant nematicide/fungicide, like Velum® Prime by Bayer Crop Science, presents fewer risks and restrictions for use than fumigant

nematicides, combined with a higher ‘mobility’ through soil allowing it to contact nematodes faster. In addition to broad spectrum nematicidal activity control, there is a secondary benefit of fungicidal activity on early blight and black dot diseases.

Practicing sanitation is critical to keeping nematodes from being introduced into fields. Root lesion nematode, for example, can be spread easily via contaminated soil, seed pieces, equipment, and wind-blown soil. Equipment

should be cleaned and sanitized before moving between fields. If potato cyst nematode is discovered, it is essential to follow quarantine regulations that limit or restrict soil movement, machinery and vehicles containing soil and plant material to prevent the spread of nematodes into unaffected areas.

Sources • Nematodes. Government of New Brunswick. Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.

• Grabau, Z.J., and Noling, J.W. Nematode Management in Potatoes

(Irish or White). University of Florida. IFAS. • Best management practices for preventing potato cyst nematode contamination. Government of Canada. Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

• Gorny, A. and Grode, A. 2021.

Lesion nematode in potato. North Carolina State University Extension. Vegetable Pathology Factsheets.

• Root lesion nematode. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs. Ontario Crop IPM.

PAGE B8 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B9 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SPRAYING

Using air to spray dense canopies DR. JASON DEVEAU & DR. SARAH JANDRICIC Getting spray into dense canopies is always a difficult proposition. Growers of perennial horticultural crops such as orchards and vineyards often use airblast sprayers to improve canopy penetration, but this approach is just as relevant for any horticultural crop.

For example, the aesthetic value of ornamental crops relies on a near-zero tolerance for insect pests. Controlling them with insecticides is tricky because they tend to be under leaves, on stems or down near the soil. Plus, producers of ornamentals often use “softer” chemistries such as soaps, oils and endopathogenic fungi, which require contact with the pest and therefore make coverage even more critical.

To meet the challenge, many producers employ technologies that rely on high water volumes and hydraulic pressures to “drench” targets indiscriminately.

Sometimes via hand-held guns that enable the operator to aim the nozzle in relation to the canopy on a case-by-case basis, but still rely solely on water to distribute the insecticide.

These technologies have their place, but the reliance on hydraulic pressure and carrier volume has drawbacks such as high humidity which may favour disease.

Air-assisted spraying can be a viable alternative (and an improvement) over these approaches. Stationary or mobile, many ultra-low volume sprayers already employ air to capitalize on the mechanical advantage offered by smaller and more numerous droplets. Finer droplets have very little mass, so they must be directed and carried by air currents to get them to the target.

Sufficient air energy will also displace the air within the target canopy and physically expose otherwise hidden plant surfaces to the spray.

The upshot is that air can partially replace water as a carrier and it has the potential to improve coverage uniformity throughout the target canopy.

We compared spray coverage at three depths of chrysanthemum canopy using a modified backpack mistblower spraying 133 gpa and a handgun system spraying 256 gpa (or about 2x as much volume). Coverage was quantified using dye recovery and fluorimetry. Basically, a known concentration of Rhodamine WT dye is applied to the plant and leaves are removed from key locations in the canopy and analyzed to determine how much dye was retained.

Once normalized by volume, we saw more than twice the dye in the middle of the canopy using

the mistblower compared to the handgun. We saw more than 10 times the dye deposited at the bottom of the canopy. Plus, according to water-sensitive paper, the mistblower provided a more uniform spray distribution.

Based on this study, there is compelling reason to consider air-assisted applications in ornamental production. Canopy penetration and coverage uniformity were improved in the air-assisted condition. In addition, there is potential for reduced water volumes, which

Average Dye Recovered by Canopy Depth and Application Method (Volume Normalized)

mean less contaminated run-off and lower humidity levels in closed environments.

Thanks to Schenk Farms and Greenhouses Co. for collaborating in the study. Find the full experiment at https://sprayers101 .com/air-ornamentals Learn more about using air in spraying. Download a free copy of Airblast101 at https://sprayers 101.com/

Dr. Jason Deveau is application technology specialist for OMAFRA.

Dr. Sarah Jandricic is greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist for OMAFRA.

PAGE B10 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SPRAYING

Comparing three brands of water-sensitive paper DR. JASON DEVEAU Spray coverage describes the degree of contact between spray droplets and the target surface area. This metric can be used to predict the success of an application. One of the easiest methods for visualizing coverage is to use water-sensitive paper (WSP), which is a passive, artificial collector that turns from yellow to blue when contacted by water.

WSP is often used to evaluate iterative changes to a spray program. Placed strategically throughout a target canopy, or directly on the ground, achieving uniform, threshold coverage translates into improved efficacy, reduced waste, reduced off-target contamination and reduced risk of pesticide resistance development.

Odds are if you’ve ever used water-sensitive paper, it originated from Syngenta in Switzerland. Recently, two new options have been made commercially available: Innoquest’s SpotOn Paper (United States) and WSPaper (Brazil). At the time of writing (2021), there has been no impartial comparative evaluation of these three products.

Comparing WSP brands The three commercially available brands of WSP, donated by the manufacturers, were subjected to a series of comparisons. The intention was not to rank these products, but to determine if they performed in a similar fashion and to alert users to any significant differences.

PACKAGING AND APPEARANCE The SpotOn (SO) papers had a “sell-by” date of November 2023, the Syngenta (SY) papers (provided via Spraying Systems Co.) were dated February 2021 and the WSPaper (WS) was their newest formulation (white package, not silver), received June 2021. The comparison was performed on July 5, 2021.

Each product was a foil or plasticized bag of 50, 26 x 76 mm papers. SO and WS had a re-sealing feature similar to that of a sandwich bag. SO also included a package of silica gel desiccant to capture moisture and a pair of plastic forceps to facilitate handling.

Users are encouraged to label papers to ensure they know their relative position and sprayer pass for later analysis. It was possible to write in ink on the faces of the SY and SO papers, but not WS. It was possible to write on the back of all brands.

The three papers were different shades of yellow.

Further, in the author’s

experience, the colour can be visibly different between batches of the same brand. In the case of larger experiments where more than 50 papers are required, it would be prudent to ensure papers are not only from the same manufacturer, but the same production batch. This would not be an issue when subjectively comparing papers, but when using software that employs colour thresholding to identify deposits, it could create artifacts.

Presently, only Syngenta has a batch number (found on a sticker on the back of the bag).

BLEED THROUGH WSP is often placed in foliar canopies which are subject to dew and transpiration that can cause the papers to react prematurely.

This can be particularly limiting when moisture soaks through the backs of papers. Each brand of paper was placed face-up on a drop of water to see if the water would bleed through.

WS quickly curled as the water wicked in from the edges. Within five minutes the water soaked through from the back as well.

Within five minutes SY also curled, but the colour reaction was entirely due to water soaking through and not wicking along the edges of the paper. SO did not curl and there was no colour reaction save a minor wicking reaction at one edge. It did however produce a dark yellow patch.

To see if a colour reaction was still possible, a single drop of water was placed on the face and the colour reaction was still distinct and instantaneous. We repeated this experiment with higher volumes and longer wait times and determined that ultimately, no brand of WSP is waterproof from the back.

RESPONSE TO SPRAY While there is considerable variability inherent to spraying, every effort was made to maintain consistent conditions. Papers were sprayed in a closed room with no appreciable air currents (21.5 °C and 64% RH). Papers were paired randomly, side-byside on a plastic sled. The sled was pulled at 2.5 kmh (~1.5 mph) through the centre of a spray swath produced by a TeeJet XR80015 positioned 50 cm (20 in.) above the targets. The nozzle operated at 2.75 bar (40 psi) to produce ~270 L/ha (~29 gpa) with Fine spray quality. Six passes were made, producing four sprayed papers for each brand.

All papers were dry to the touch after two minutes. They were removed to a cooler, low humidity space and were digitized and analyzed using the SprayX DropScope (v.2.3.0) within an hour of spraying. The “ground” option was selected, and each

brand of paper was processed using its specific spread factor.

DropScope has a detection threshold of 35 μm. This is appropriate as the smallest droplet diameter that can be resolved by any brand of WSP is ~30 μm (Syngenta, Innoquest, SprayX – Personal Communication).

Per cent surface covered The average per cent surface covered was calculated with standard error of the mean for each paper. WS and SO produced similar values between 30 and 35 per cent. While all three brands exhibited similar variability, SY approached saturation at approximately 80 per cent coverage. Therefore,

WSPaper exhibited a slightly higher degree of spread than SpotOn, while the Syngenta paper exhibited a significantly higher degree of spread.

For reference, it can be difficult to determine if a stain represents a single deposit or is the result of multiple overlapping deposits. This becomes a problem when the surface of the WSP exceeds 20 per cent total coverage. Further, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish a stain from the background, unstained surface when papers exceed 50 per cent total coverage.

a count of discrete objects (i.e. stains) per cm2. WS appeared to resolve the highest count, followed by SY and then SO. The process for determining what is a discrete object, and not the result of anomalies such as overlapping deposits, elliptical deposits or imperfections in the paper itself is complicated and computationally heavy. The algorithms employed by DropScope treated each paper consistently. So, while some differences are attributed to variations in spraying, they also reflect the paper’s innate ability to resolve individual deposits.

Deposit density The average deposit density is

Continued on next page

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B11 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SPRAYING

Comparing three brands of water-sensitive paper Droplet diameter It is not the intent of this article to determine if WSP should be used to extrapolate the original droplet size. The many assumptions and inconsistencies inherent to this process are well known. Nevertheless, some researchers do use WSP in this manner, so a comparison was warranted.

DropScope bins deposit diameters by size to produce histograms of deposit size by count. These stain diameters are used to extrapolate DV0.1, DV0.5 (VMD), and DV0.9, which describe the population of droplets that produced the stains.

DV0.5 is the Volume Mean Diameter (VMD), or the droplet diameter where half the volume is composed of finer droplets and the other half by coarser droplets.

Numerical Mean Diameter (NMD) is the droplet diameter where half the total droplets are finer, and half the total droplets are coarser.

Each brand of WSP permit a certain degree of spread when a droplet of water contacts the surface. This spread factor is specific to the brand of paper.

Further, the spread factor is not constant for all droplet sizes; Finer droplets will spread less than coarser droplets.

When processing data using DropScope, selecting the appropriate spread factor makes a significant difference to the output. Therefore, each brand of water sensitive paper was analyzed using its brand-specific spread factor (according to DropScope), to produce the following graph.

SY produced a VMD higher than that of WS, and both were higher than SO. There was less variability in the NMD, but this was expected given the high droplet count on the finer side of a hydraulic nozzle’s droplet size spectrum.

Conclusion Water-sensitive paper has immeasurable value in agricultural spraying. It is far more important to encourage its use than to quibble over brands.

However, when these tools are used for more rigorous evaluations of spray coverage, brand-specific variability must be addressed.

The differences in how each brand responds to moisture (i.e. discolouration and deformation) may factor into which brand is most appropriate for a given situation. Further, there appears to be significant differences in how each brand resolves coverage.

Once again, this may be irrelevant for those spray operators who occasionally use

WSP to inform their spraying practices, but for consultants and researchers it is suggested that they use a single brand for an experiment, with papers produced in the same batch run. Learn more about methods for digitizing and analyzing WSP in this series of three articles.

Find the full review at https://sprayers101.com/3_wsp/ Dr. Jason Deveau is application technology specialist for OMAFRA.

PAGE B12 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

A journey in balancing beneficials with chemicals Stage by Stage SD - Insect

Stage by Stage SD - Fungi

A video titled “Releasing beneficial mites in strawberry fields” can be found here: https://bit.ly/3rTWyLF

KAREN DAVIDSON In open fields of strawberries, where insects and fungi abound, it turns out that biology is as much a friend to growers as chemistry. Several Ontario growers have been finetuning a regime of beneficial insects and biofungicides in day-neutral strawberries that is lessening dependence on pesticides over an extended growing season.

“I call it sustainable intensification,” says Tom Heeman, field manager for

Heeman’s Strawberry Farm, Thorndale, Ontario. “Yields are increased without an adverse environmental impact and without converting nonagricultural land. And yes! We do use some synthetic chemicals.”

About three years ago, Heeman observed some major challenges in 26 acres of strawberry varieties that bloomed and fruited at different times.

First of the season is the variety of Albion followed by Wendy, Jewel, Malwina and then finishing with Albion. Throughout the growing season of May to

October, insects that threatened the crop were: western flower thrips, leafhoppers, tarnished plant bug, spider mites, spotted wing drosophila and aphids.

Diseases that needed control were: botrytis grey mould, anthracnose fruit rot, powdery mildew and angular leaf spot.

Looking at the tool box for bio-insecticides, Heeman uses products with selectivity, residual effects and those which disrupt life cycles of insects. He also uses insect growth regulators. For biofungicides, he uses probiotics, metabolites, plant extracts and minerals.

The industry narrative about biofungicides has been to use them early in the growing season and then to rotate to chemicals when needed. But Heeman cautions that while these products work well on powdery mildew, there are diseases such as anthracnose that need a multi-site, synthetic pesticide.

Understanding the biology of insect life cycles is critical to Heeman’s nuanced approach to crop protection. Chemical products are now available to control spotted wing drosophila, but he often notices a spider mite flare afterwards. That’s because the product has wiped out all the

beneficial insects that would normally take care of spider mites. So for Heeman, that was a cue to look to the experience of greenhouse growers.

Beneficial predators have been used for many years, packaged in sachets in controlled environments, but he decided to test the likes of Orius, Fallacis and Cucumeris under field conditions.

Orius is an omnivorous bug that is very good for thrips control.

Fallacis, on the other hand, favours spider mites. Cucumeris has an appetite for the first instar of thrips larvae but will also eat two-spotted spider mites.

To make the most of these beneficial predators, delivery must be carefully timed to when field growers can spray them onto the strawberry rows before the populations of bad bugs get out of control. Koppert Biological Systems have introduced Natutec, a machine that can distribute beneficials under tunnel systems.

But the Heeman’s have modified an air seeder for forages that works well in blowing beneficials onto the field. The beneficial predators are mixed with a vermiculite carrier which has been moistened for even flow. The volume is calculated for the area.

“It’s been a lot of practical

learning over the last three years to treat 26 acres,” says Heeman who sources his beneficials from Plant Products. “I order my beneficials in April, at least three weeks before I need them.”

Another insect control strategy is to plant cover crops between the strawberry rows. White Dutch clover and birdsfoot-trefoil are familiar species in pastures, but they are some of the best species for attracting bees because of their nectar flow. As Heeman points out, there are 600 species of bees in North America, but they are outnumbered by 7,000 species of wasps. Bees are herbivores, feasting on pollen and nectar, whereas wasps are carnivores favouring the eggs of caterpillars.

“It’s difficult to keep small wasps alive, but they are important in controlling the XX of spotted wing drosophila,” says Heeman. “This is a life cycle strategy.”

Pam Fisher, berry consultant, visits her client’s fields once a week during the growing season, so she’s aware of the issues for individuals such as Tom Heeman and others in the geographic area of southwestern Ontario.

Continued on next page

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B13 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

A journey in balancing beneficials with chemicals Continued from last page “Beneficials are not silver bullets for all pests,” she says.

“They are more effective against indirect pests such as aphids and mites, and less effective against pests that directly attack fruit such as tarnished plant bugs and spotted wing drosophila. But when growers use insecticides which are less toxic to beneficials, they definitely have fewer problems with pests such as cyclamen mites and spider mites.”

Day-neutral strawberry growers are planting rows of alyssum between berry rows to act as homes for beneficials such as Orius. These are some of the changes that growers are making to their ecosystems.

“Growers can purchase and release beneficial insects in the field, but they can also take advantage of naturally occurring beneficials when they choose less harmful insecticides. It can be hard to evaluate the impact of beneficials, especially when there is no check plot,” says Fisher.

“At the same time, because there has been little replicated research for growers to rely on, they are learning on their own.”

That’s why Heeman’s in-field experiences in the last three years are so intriguing. He brings a unique perspective as a former sales representative for a chemical company, his family’s garden

Near-term supplies of glyphosate tightened Bayer has published a letter communicating that its production of glyphosate will be limited in the short term.

According to RealAgriculture.ca, a raw ingredient needed to produce glyphosate and its Roundup branded herbicides will be in short supply due to equipment failure at a Luling, Lousiana plant.

Shortfalls are expected in Canada while the company rectifies the situation.

BASF Canada is assuring its customers that there is secure supply of Liberty, a broadspectrum grassy and broadleaf herbicide. Mark Shillingford, director of marketing with BASF Canada, says that the company has upgraded its Regina, Saskatchewan plant in the last two years and is well positioned to produce more supplies.

centre nursery and a beekeeper.

Above all, balance is key.

“You can’t use a heavy hand in the bio-chemical revolution,” Heeman concludes.

Photo right: Alyssum is planted between the strawberry rows as a home for beneficial insects.

PAGE B14 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

Emerging science identifies ToBRFV particles on contaminated tomato seeds Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) has been around since 2014, long enough that seed companies are using genomic strategies to breed resistance.

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, for example, announced its first commercial ToBRFV-resistant tomato variety in early 2021.

In the meantime, Canadian greenhouse growers are taking the virus seriously because it can be transmitted through plant material. The virus has been detected in Canada and other countries. No one wants this phytosanitary issue to become a trade issue. As the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) explains, the virus is easily transmitted from plant to plant through contact with contaminated tools, equipment, workers and visitors, soil and infected plants and seeds.

That’s why greenhouse growers are vigilant about the disease particularly when workers are thinning, transplanting, pruning or trellising. A recent study shows that bumblebees may also transmit the virus.

“Sanitation is important,” says Niki Bennett, innovation, adaptation and plant protection lead, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG).

“Testing has shown what sanitation products are best to use in combatting plant viruses.”

The experience of the Mexican greenhouse sector has been an eye-opener for the devastation that can be caused by ToBRFV. In 2019, losses of up to 10 per cent were recorded. Symptoms appear more readily under heat

stress. Tomato varieties are affected differently.

“ToBRFV is a very challenging disease,” says Bennett. “We’re learning from the Mexican experience where the disease is endemic.”

Researchers are learning more all the time. Seeds can transmit the virus through the seed coat.

The worry in propagation greenhouses is to prevent infection at the time of germination. The threshold for disease is zero. This emerging virus can infect not only tomatoes, but peppers too.

In a recent study, Dr. Kai-Shu Ling and his colleagues at the USDA’s Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina evaluated the experimental host range and disease resistance in tomatoes.

They compared ToBRFV to two related viruses – tomato mottle virus and tomato mosaic virus – to understand the epidemiological factors and identify host plant species that could help differentiate these three viruses.

They discovered that all three viruses are able to infect tomatoes, to varying degrees with the disease resistance gene Tm-22.

“For the first time, our results revealed that current tomato cultivars are vulnerable to the emerging ToBRFV and the other two related viruses,” explained Dr. Ling in an article published by the American Phytopathological Society.

Dr. Ling and his team have developed a molecular detection tool that helps to identify infection virus particles carried on contaminated seeds. The benefit would be to prevent disease on

The affected fruit shows crinkled brown or yellow spots. These fruit symptoms significantly reduce the market value or make the fruit non-marketable.

“

ToBRFV is a very challenging disease,” says Bennett. We’re learning from the Mexican experience where the disease is endemic.

“

KAREN DAVIDSON

newly germinated seedlings.

Such emerging science is welcomed by the greenhouse industry. A ToBRFV symposia is planned for July 2022 in Toronto, planned by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Agriculture

and Agri-Food Canada, Flowers Canada and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. The hope is to host international speakers.

OGVG is forging ahead with its own research, partnering with A & L Laboratories on

Hoskin Scientific introduces the Apogee Daily Light Integral and Photoperiod Meters Apogee’s new, rugged DLI meters make it easier than ever to make research-grade measurements of PPFD, daily light integral, and photoperiod at any location. The different meter models can take instantaneous readings of PAR or ePAR and automatically record the daily light integral (total photons in mols) and hours of light (photoperiod in 0.1 hours) for up to 99 days. This data can be viewed on the screen by toggling through the screens or downloading via USB-C. Three Models are available: • DLI-400: Lowest-cost option is accurate for measuring 400-700 nm in sunlight and under some broadband light sources.

• DLI-500: Full-spectrum is accurate for measuring 400-700 nm under all light sources.

• DLI-600: ePAR is accurate for

measuring the new ePAR 400750 nm range under all light sources.

To discuss your pressure sensor applications, contact: Oakville, ON salesb@hoskin.ca,

Burnaby, BC salesv@hoskin.ca and Montreal, QC salesm@hoskin.ca

~ NIKI BENNETT

developing a ToBRFV vaccine. A permit for trials will allow this project to proceed in 2022. The objective, says Bennett, is to achieve efficacy at the propagation stage so that transplants can be certified free of virus.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B15 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

Potato weed control without linuron in the tank DENNIS VAN DYK Linuron news will be no stranger to potato growers as the herbicide continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Linuron (trade name Lorox L) uses had been at risk of a complete phase-out by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). While the active ingredient survived the proposed phase-out in the 2020 re-evaluation decision, potato growers will see a rate reduction to be implemented by November 2022.

While it looked like we were out of the woods, the recent supply disruption issues are set to throw a wrench into the 2022 herbicide plans for many potato growers. According to the manufacturer TKI/Novasource, regulatory issues with a change in technical source will leave estimated supply short. While some product will be available, growers and retailers are unsure if they’ll be able to access what they need.

The backbone of most potato herbicide programs in Ontario rely on various combinations of linuron and - metribuzin (e.g. Sencor) - S-metolachlor (e.g. Dual II Magnum, Komodo) - metribuzin + s-metolachlor (e.g.

Boundary LQD) Growers could leave out linuron from their current program but linuron controls a broad-spectrum of weeds, hence its popularity in potatoes and usage in other vegetable crops.

Since the post-emerge herbicide options in potatoes are limited, getting surprised by a flush of weeds breaking through your pre-emerge application is not ideal. There are some recent additions to potato growers’ toolbox that might fit in the absence of linuron: Zidua (pyroxasulfone) is a group 15 herbicide which puts it in the same chemical group as s-metolachlor (e.g. Dual II Magnum) and dimethenamid-p (Frontier Max).

Research out of North Dakota and Iowa has shown good weed control and crop safety for the varieties tested. Like the other Group 15s, it has good activity on some common grass species but is also good on broadleafs such as redroot pigweed, eastern black nightshade and suppresses lambsquarters. It provided good overall weed control when tank-mixed with metribuzin or s-metolachlor. If pigweed is an issue in some of your fields, then it could be a very good option.

Sencor STZ is Sencor with the addition of sulfentrazone, the same active ingredient in Authority. A group 14 herbicide, it has a good grass and broadleaf weed spectrum similar to linuron.

Weeds in a potato field

As with most pre-emerge herbicides sulfentrazone needs water to activate so a dry spring could lead to mixed results. If pigweed, lambsquarters and eastern black nightshade are your main broadleaf weeds it could be

The Naïo Dino robotic weeder. Photo by Glenn Lowson. a good replacement.

As the world of crop protection continues to change on what seems like a weekly basis, we may need to get creative in our weed management. That may mean more cultivation for some

or reduced-till for others. Who knows, with robotic weeders being bought and delivered to growers as we speak, fleets of robotic weeders may be here faster than we think. Not a moment too soon in this crazy

re-evaluation, supply chain and inflationary environment.

Dennis Van Dyk is a vegetable crop specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

PAGE B16 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

Allegro 500F fungicide label expanded for grapes Crop(s)

Wine Grapes

Wine Grapes

JOSH MOSIONDZ The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion registration for Allegro 500F agricultural fungicide for control of dead arm (Phomopsis viticola) and suppression of anthracnose (Elsinoe ampelina) on wine grapes in Canada. Allegro 500F agricultural fungicide was already labeled for management of diseases on a wide range of crops in Canada.

These minor use proposals were submitted by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC) as a result of minor use priorities established by growers and extension personnel.

The following is provided as an abbreviated, general outline only. Users should be making disease management decisions within a robust integrated disease management program and should consult the complete label before using Allegro 500F agricultural fungicide.

TOXIC to aquatic organisms

Target

Control of Dead Arm (Phomopsis Cane and Leaf spot - Phomopsis viticola)

Suppression of Anthracnose (Elsinoe ampelina)

and non-target terrestrial plants.

Observe spray buffer zones specified under DIRECTIONS FOR USE. To reduce runoff from treated areas into aquatic habitats avoid application to areas with a moderate to steep slope, compacted soil, or clay. Avoid application when heavy rain is forecast. Contamination of aquatic areas as a result of runoff may be reduced by including a vegetative filter strip between the treated area and the edge of the water body. Fluazinam is persistent and may carry over. It

Rate (L product/ha)

Application Information

PHI (days)

1.0

Use on grape cultivars intended for wine production only as a foliar application. Maximum of 2 applications per year with a re-application interval of 7 to 14 days. If disease pressure is high, use the shortest interval.

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1.2

Use on grape cultivars intended for wine production only as a foliar application. Maximum of 4 applications per year with a re-application interval of 7 to 14 days. Use shorter intervals when disease pressure is expected to be high.

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is recommended that this product not be used in areas treated with any products containing fluazinam during the previous season.

Follow all other precautions, restrictions, and directions for use on the Allegro 500F Agricultural Fungicide label carefully.

For a copy of the new minor use label contact Wendy McFadden-Smith, Horticulture IPM Specialist, OMAFRA, Vineland (905) 932-8965, your regional supply outlet, or visit the PMRA label site www.hc-sc.gc.

ca/cps-spc/pest/registranttitulaire/tools-outils/labeletiq-eng.php Note: This article is not intended to be an endorsement or recommendation for this particular product, but rather a notice of registration activity Josh Mosiondz is OMAFRA minor use coordinator.

Spear-LEP represents novel tool for pest management Entomologists have been caught up in a web of science about spiders. They knew that spiders immobilize their prey with venom that can attack the nervous system.

Most exciting is that their knowledge about neurotoxins has been shared with Vestaron Corporation researchers. In recent years, they have isolated the bioactive venom constituent -- the peptide – to target Lepidoptera pests.

Daniel Peck, director of field development for Vestaron Corporation, explained this elegant tool for insect management in a research update to stakeholders in November 2021.

“We are leading a peptide-based revolution in crop protection,” he said.

“Our peptides overcome existing pesticide resistance issues while offering a desired safety profile for workers, beneficials and the environment.”

Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Vestaron should become better known as a life sciences company in an era when commercializing new chemical active ingredients becomes more expensive and the regulatory hurdles become higher. The challenges around pest resistance are also growing.

“Vestaron’s pipeline offers the opportunity to reset the resistance clock,” he said, “with safe and environmentallyfriendly molecules. The company is working on all six of the major proven insect nerve and muscular receptor targets.

One product is in review by the U.S. EPA.

Another is in field trials.”

What makes this new product line so exciting is their target site specificity. As Peck explained, the binding site is distinct from spinosyns and neonicotinoids.

For growers, this bio-insecticide offers some key attributes: excellent efficacy, zero-day pre-harvest interval, four-hour restricted entry interval, exemption from residues (no MRLs) and safety for nontarget insects. It disrupts the gut of target Lepidopteran insects.

Studies have shown that Spear-LEP works better with DiPel (Bt), killing faster, impacting larger larvae better and prolonging the residual protection for seven to 14 days.

The proposed Canadian label includes the control of Lepidopteran larvae (caterpillars, leafrollers, loopers, “worms”) in fruit trees, cranberries and vegetables.

This means that Spear-LEP can be tank mixed with Bt in controlling pests as varied as Colorado potato beetle, codling moth, corn earworm, grape berry moth and leek moth. Use instructions will limit the product to three consecutive applications and six applications per calendar year. It will be recommended to use the product with a surfactant.

Vestaron has conducted research to control insects such as codling moth in apples in Michigan, diamondback moth in cabbage in Georgia and corn earworm in sweet corn in Virginia. Research also exists in controlling aphids, spotted-wing

Codling moth larvae in apples. Photo by Utah State University. drosophila, thrips and whiteflies in greenhouse environments. This may be of particular interest for growers of greenhouse-raised strawberries.

In conclusion, Peck remarked on the performance of Spear-LEP. It offers broad-spectrum control of most major ‘lep’ pests and four major greenhouse pests. Its efficacy is equal to conventional pesticides.

It has a zero-day pre-harvest interval and four-hour re-entry interval. It’s MRL-

exempt for residue management. The product can be stored at room temperature.

Spear-LEP has been submitted to PMRA for registration.

Technical and sales support for SpearLEP will be provided by Cohort Wholesale.

Source: Vestaron November 24, 2021 Slide Presentation

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B17 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

Sivanto Prime insecticide label expanded for asparagus Crop(s)

JOSH MOSIONDZ The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion registration for Sivanto Prime insecticide for control of aphids on asparagus. Sivanto Prime insecticide was already labeled for management of insects on a wide range of crops in Canada. This minor use proposal was submitted by the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC) as a joint project with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) IR-4 project as a result of minor use priorities established by growers and extension personnel.

The following is provided as an abbreviated, general outline

Chlorothalonil review In a surprise announcement, Health Canada is consulting Canadians over the next 45 days on its proposed special review decision to continue registration of greenhouse ornamental uses of chlorothalonil and associated end-use products registered for sale and use in Canada. All other uses of chlorothalonil are proposed for cancellation since potential risks to human health and the environment were not shown to be acceptable.

Health Canada has evaluated the aspects of concern that prompted the special review of pest control products containing chlorothalonil. The aspects of concern for this special review are relevant to human health and the environment.

Chlorothalonil is a contact and protectant fungicide with a multi-site mode of action. It controls a broad range of fungal diseases on a large number of field and orchard crops, conifers, greenhouse celery seedbeds, greenhouse ornamentals, outdoor ornamentals, mushroom houses, and turf. Chlorothalonil is also used as a dry-film material preservative agent against bacterial and fungi contamination or spoilage of paint and is currently under re-evaluation in Canada. This use is not part of the scope of this special review.

With respect to human health, dietary risks (food alone and food plus water) were not shown to be acceptable for food uses when chlorothalonil is used according to current conditions of registration. Environmental risks to aquatic organisms were not shown to be acceptable for all outdoor uses when chlorothalonil is used according to current conditions of registration.

Asparagus

only. Users should be making insect management decisions within a robust integrated insect management program and should consult the complete label before using Sivanto Prime insecticide.

Toxic to aquatic organisms.

Observe buffer zones specified under DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Toxic to certain beneficial insects. Minimize spray drift to reduce harmful effects on beneficial insects in habitats next to the application site such as

Target

Rate (mL product/ha)

Application Information

PHI (days)

500 – 750

Apply post-harvest to ferns as a directed foliar spray ensuring thorough coverage.

Minimum interval between applications: 30 days Minimum application volumes: 100 L/ha (Ground) Maximum Sivanto Prime Insecticide allowed per crop season: 2000 mL/ha

N/A (post harvest application only)

Aphids

hedgerows and woodland.

Flupyradifurone is persistent and may carry over. It is recommended that any products containing flupyradifurone not be used in areas treated with this product during the previous season. Avoid application when heavy rain is forecast.

Contamination of aquatic areas as a result of runoff may be reduced by including a vegetative strip between the treated area and the edge of the water body.

Follow all other precautions, restrictions, and directions for use on the Sivanto Prime insecticide label carefully.

Ontario growers. For a copy of the new minor use label contact Elaine Roddy, Vegetable Crops Specialist, OMAFRA, Ridgetown (519) 401-5890, your regional supply outlet, or visit the PMRA label site www.hcsc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/registranttitulaire/tools-outils/labeletiq-eng.php

Note: This article is not intended to be an endorsement or recommendation for this particular product, but rather a notice of registration activity Josh Mosiondz is minor use coordinator, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

PAGE B18 –– MARCH 2022 THE GROWER

CROP PROTECTION

Minor use funding easily justified

CHRIS DUYVELSHOFF CROP PROTECTION ADVISOR, OFVGA

“

For every $1 in government spending on the minor use program, $42 of net benefits are accrued to society.

“

Crop protection is costly.

Growers of edible horticulture crops often have much higher crop protection needs and costs compared to field crops.

Preservation of quality is as important as yield. As growers know, access to safe and effective crop protection technology is a key part of growing the crop.

For field crops, much of the responsibility for developing and bringing new crop protection technology to market is borne by the manufacturers who will be selling the final products.

Manufacturers can recover the development and regulatory costs by product sales. However, for many edible horticulture crops, manufacturers find the sales potential is not sufficient to justify costs required to develop and register uses on these crops in Canada due to low crop acreages.

This is referred to as the “minor use problem.” It is the agricultural equivalent of an orphan drug in human medicine.

The need for public assistance to help support minor use crop protection was first recognized in the United States which developed the IR-4 project in 1963. The IR-4 project develops datasets on crop protection product efficacy, crop tolerance, and crop residues to support the registration packages for minor use crops. It has been hugely successful and has resulted in tens of thousands of new registrations for edible horticulture crops over the decades.

As Canada faced similar, if not worse, challenges with our minor use registrations due to our comparably smaller horticulture industry, we were falling behind our U.S. counterparts. Finally, in

2003, a group of growers succeeded in convincing the federal government to support a minor use program. Its goal has been to assist minor crop growers with access to crop protection technology and to reduce the technology gap with the U.S. to increase competitiveness of the Canadian minor crop sector. The responsibility of developing the science datasets went to a new organization within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) known as the Pest Management Centre (PMC) and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) was tasked with providing regulatory support and review. This joint initiative has been ongoing ever since.

The PMC has similarly been a great success in Canada and a huge boon to edible horticulture growers. Thousands of new registrations for minor use crops and pests have been supported through its work. Modern crop protection products registered through PMC have made crop protection less hazardous for human health and the

environment. It has also come with substantial financial benefits.

An economic analysis report from AAFC’s Strategic Policy Branch produced in 2016 estimated that $650 million to $1 billion in crop losses were prevented by the work of the PMC. Surely that number is well into the billions by now.

The report also concluded that for every $1 in government spending on the minor use program, $42 of net benefits are accrued to society. A strong minor use program simply makes economic sense.

But our minor use program is in trouble. A decade of flat budgets has eroded PMC’s capacity through inflationary pressures and rising costs of scientific trials. The PMC has been forced to reduce the number of projects it can take on each year and cannot fill current staffing vacancies due to budgetary pressures. As recently as 2019, PMC was able to take on 41 new projects, all determined by growers. By 2021, this had fallen to 29 new projects.

In 2022, PMC will allow just 22

new priorities to be selected.

We’re falling behind.

But the needs of edible horticulture aren’t dropping.

From a surge of PMRA re-evaluation decisions in the past few years, to new resistance development, emergence of new pests, and changing customer requirements, the demand for this program is only increasing. While PMC has focused on developing greater efficiencies through sharing workloads and datasets with international partners such as IR-4, it only goes so far. And with the IR-4 program experiencing similar budgetary challenges, we simply can’t rely on the U.S. to solve our problems. Not to mention many of their crops and pest priorities are different. The PMC needs more budget.

The ask isn’t big . . . in fact it is miniscule. The PMC operates on a budget of approximately $9 million annually. Even if the program budget was doubled, it would still represent less than 0.01 per cent of the $3 billion that AAFC spent across the

department in 2020-2021.

Minor use and edible horticulture crops may be brushed aside as “small potatoes” in the overall scheme of Canadian agriculture. But the impact of this sector is very significant when considered collectively. Edible horticulture crops produced $6.5 billion in farm cash receipts in 2020, representing more than 15 per cent of Canada’s total crop receipts. Collectively, edible horticulture is the third most valuable crop in Canada, after canola in first, and only slightly behind wheat in second place – it is more valuable than both corn and soybeans combined.

Compared to field crops, horticulture doesn’t get much attention, but it deserves recognition for the impact it has.

The PMC and the minor use program have a proven high return on investment. Funding here should be a no brainer for government.

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B19 THE GROWER

FOCUS: CROP PROTECTION

Protecting cherries brings sweet profits and maintains trade With increasing acreage and production volume, sweet cherries are now Canada’s second most significant tree fruit (behind apples) and the second top exported fruit crop (behind blueberries). In 2020, export values were $72 million, with British Columbia accounting for almost all of it. However, lack of effective pest control can threaten the production and export of this lucrative crop. This is where Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest Management Centre (PMC) steps in.

PMC studies the efficacy, crop tolerance, and residue levels of pesticides on minor crops (those high in value but grown on small acreages). This data is submitted to Health Canada’s Pest

Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for the registration of new uses of existing pesticides on these crops. This helps Canadian growers access new, effective products for a variety of minor crops including horticultural, fruit, berry, seed, forage and other specialty crops.

Over the past 18 years, the PMC’s Minor Use Pesticide Program has submitted 25 cherry projects to the PMRA for review, focusing on weeds, insects, diseases, and plant growth regulators. To date, this has led to the registration of 18 new pest control product uses for cherries.

The PMC also supported the establishment of seven new maximum residue limits for cherries (governing the maximum allowable amount of active

ingredient remaining on a crop after treatment), which facilitate trade between countries.

The registration of pesticides based on the PMC’s research helps Canadian cherry growers produce marketable, high-quality fruit, and meet quarantine and pest control standards by controlling pests and invasive alien species, which can cause significant economic damage and terminate shipments if detected on export-bound cherries. For example, successful registrations of a plant growth regulator, and products to control cherry fruit fly and a pathogen causing blossom blast, saved the sector an estimated $82M in potential losses.

AAFC’s PMC supports all minor crops to ensure pest

management needs are met for domestic and global markets.

Since its inception in 2003, the PMC has submitted 969 projects and worked on 1,589 priorities identified by Canadian growers.

Its importance grows as producers export their products to new

markets and require effective pesticides to produce high-quality crops and remain competitive on the international level.

Source: Pest Management Centre

Biobest is buying majority stake in Plant Products domestic and global markets.

Since its inception in 2003, the PMC has submitted 969 projects and worked on 1,589 priorities identified by Canadian growers.

With increasing acreage and production volume, sweet cherries are now Canada’s second most significant tree fruit (behind apples) and the second top exported fruit crop (behind blueberries). In 2020, export values were $72 million, with British Columbia accounting for almost all of it. However, lack of effective pest control can threaten the production and export of this lucrative crop. This is where Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest Management Centre (PMC) steps in.

PMC studies the efficacy, crop tolerance, and residue levels of pesticides on minor crops (those high in value but grown on small acreages). This data is submitted to Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for the registration of new uses of existing pesticides on these crops. This helps Canadian growers access new, effective products for a variety of minor crops including horticultural, fruit, berry, seed, forage and other specialty crops.

Over the past 18 years, the PMC’s Minor Use Pesticide Program has submitted 25 cherry

projects to the PMRA for review, focusing on weeds, insects, diseases, and plant growth regulators. To date, this has led to the registration of 18 new pest control product uses for cherries.

The PMC also supported the establishment of seven new maximum residue limits for cherries (governing the maximum allowable amount of active ingredient remaining on a crop after treatment), which facilitate trade between countries.

The registration of pesticides based on the PMC’s research helps Canadian cherry growers produce marketable, high-quality fruit, and meet quarantine and pest control standards by controlling pests and invasive alien species, which can cause significant economic damage and terminate shipments if detected on export-bound cherries. For example, successful registrations of a plant growth regulator, and products to control cherry fruit fly and a pathogen causing blossom blast, saved the sector an estimated $82M in potential losses.

AAFC’s PMC supports all minor crops to ensure pest management needs are met for

Its importance grows as producers export their products to new markets and require effective pesticides to produce high-quality crops and remain competitive on

the international level.

Source: Plant Products/Bopbest February 14, 2022 news release

MARCH 2022 –– PAGE B20 THE GROWER