The Grower Newspaper August 2012

AUGUST 2012

CELEBRATING 132 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

VOLUME 62 NUMBER 08

WORK IN PROGRESS

Seasonal workers are lifeline for horticulture… and families at home KAREN DAVIDSON Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON – It takes a village to pack the peach harvest. Between local workers, 22 Jamaican men and 14 Mexican women, it’s a well-oiled team that packs peaches in Fred Meyer’s orchard.

“They’re professionals at what they do,” says Meyers, “I take my hat off to them.”

His operation is typical in that many offshore workers return year after year under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). In some cases, they’ve been through two rotations of the orchard, replanting new stock after 15 years. Meyer’s sister manages human resources on the peach and floral greenhouse operation, organizing barbecues and social activities.

Compared to what’s happening in U.S. orchards, SAWP is considered a reliable model that pays minimum wage, offers work permits up to eight months, requires signatory countries to recruit and enrolls workers in provincial health plans. Under the auspices of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, the program is administered by the non-profit Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) with about 1,500 Ontario grower subscribers. They pay the equivalent of 2.7 per cent

INSIDE New weeder at CFVTX

Page 4

Ginseng growers host Asian tour

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Focus: Storage

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www.thegrower.org P.M. 40012319

The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program is now in its 25th year. Peach grower Fred Meyers (right) is a typical farm employer in that many of his employees return year after year. He’s shown here with Jamaican employee Donald Coley in his Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario orchard. Photos by Denis Cahill.

of their payroll to the Worker Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) each year.

In contrast, Washington state, for example, hosts a large percentage of seasonal workers who are illegal or arrive under the federal guest-worker program for $8.67 per hour. Due to tightening immigration laws, farm employers in Washington state were pleading for workers last fall and in fact, were unable to get all their apples in the bin. A pilot to use prison labourers at $22 per hour failed because they picked at half the rate of the professional seasonal pickers.

In Canada, there’s a second route for migrant workers.

Operated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, it’s called Temporary Foreign Workers Program for occupations reporting low levels of formal training.

Private recruiters are involved in identifying seasonal workers and under this program, there is no standard contract.

It was under this temporary workers’ program that the Peruvian chicken workers entered Canada, with 11 tragically killed in an off-site accident last spring.

The media glare widened to how seasonal workers live and work on Canadian farms. That focus isn’t going away with CBC National News airing a feature on July 13.

“I’ve given more than 60 interviews in the last six months,” says Ken Forth, a broccoli grower and chair of the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee (LICC), labour section chair Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and president, FARMS. “It’s been an opportunity to tell our side of the story – about a program that has checks and balances, and responsibilities for all parties. The program has been hugely successful because workers are able to educate their children back home with high school and university degrees.”

Horticulture attracts undue

“

I’ve given more than 60 interviews in the last six months.

It’s been an opportunity to tell our side of the story – about a program that has checks and balances, and responsibilities for all parties.” ~ Ken Forth

focus with its 16,000 SAWP workers compared to the estimated 95,000 in Ontario who work in many other sectors says Ken Linington, general manager, LICC. Negative press coverage aside, many seasonal workers value the opportunity to be paid more in an hour than they would in a day in their home countries. Return rates are 82 per cent for Mexicans and 80 per cent for the Caribbean, says Sue Williams, FARMS manager. They pay into the Canada Pension Plan, and as such, are eligible for pensions prorated to their contributions, at age 65.

“Those who do best have the capacity to work at the same pace as others, to complete the term and have stable family relationships back at home,” says Linington.

In the event that seasonal workers are injured on the job, WSIB has a hotline to deal specifically with those cases.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

PAGE 2 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME… First-time open house for Ontario Food Terminal The Ontario Food Terminal is inviting its neighbours to visit the wholesale produce hub for the first time with an unusual hook: create your own salad. The public event, slated for September 22, is designed with several objectives says Ian MacKenzie, president, Ontario Produce Marketing Association.

By charging $10 for adult tickets and $5 for children’s tickets, Fresh Fest will raise much-needed funds for FoodShare, a non-profit community food organization that provides healthy meals to about 141,000 Toronto students.

Besides that worthy cause, the event will raise awareness of the Ontario Food Terminal which wholesales approximately 975,000 tons of fresh produce every year. And thirdly, Fresh Fest underlines the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

The terminal, currently situated off major highways, is the sales window of many ancillary warehouses which are located nearby. The terminal farmers’ market is a key draw for more than 5,000 accredited buyers.

Fresh Fest will be held in the centre court of the terminal from 11 am to 3 pm with free parking in the farmers’ market area.

FoodShare, staff and celebrity volunteers will be available to help visitors create their own salad, along with corn-on-the cob and a beverage.

The event will be hosted by the Ontario Produce Marketing Association, the Ontario Food Terminal Board, the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association, Farmers’ Market Tenants and FoodShare.

Bet on a beer?

A new competition is brewing for Ontario’s best craft beer.

OMAFRA’s Evan Elford and Jason Deveau are the contest masterminds of The Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Brew Competition to be held February 21, 2013 at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.

“We need a forum for Ontario’s brewers and up-andcoming brewers to work with Ontario’s fledgling hop growers,” says Deveau. “We conceived a beer competition where entrants could only submit a style of beer made exclusively with Ontariogrown hops. By creating a reason for the interaction, it’s our hope the two will find an opportunity to do business in the future.”

This year’s call is for an American-style India Pale Ale. Entrants will be judged on aroma, appearance, flavour, mouthfeel and overall impression. Winners will be required to disclose their recipes. In addition, a hop rub

session will evaluate dried samples -- preferably with whole flowers -- that are labeled with the variety.

The sponsor for the inaugural event is Goal Zero, a manufacturer of solar panels and batteries.

Their mission is closely aligned with many of the growers who are organic, seeking a zero carbon footprint.

NEWSMAKERS Four seed varieties have been named finalists in the eighth annual Seed of the Year competition for eastern Canada, sponsored by the University of Guelph and SeCan. Dividend VL Orchard Grass, ExRico Beans, OAC Bayfield and DH 410 soybeans are the 2012 finalists.

Through the Seed of the Year application process, breeders are encouraged to highlight their research accomplishments in developing a new field crop, forage, fruit, vegetable or herb variety. Any publicly developed Canadian variety is eligible to compete.

4-H Canada to celebrate 100th anniversary

Interested competitors must submit their intentions by December 31. Full contest details are now posted at http://onspecialtycrops.wordpress.com/

Star Produce adds distribution centre Star Produce has expanded with a fourth Canadian distribution centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The new facility, named Vega Processing, will add to current Star Produce locations in Saskatoon, Calgary and Burnaby.

Vega’s facility, comprising 36, 000 square feet of space, warehouses multiple temperature coolers, a grading and repacking area and 12 shipping and receiving doors. Vega will handle fruit and vegetable shipments from the eastern United States, eastern Canada, Mexico, South America and South Africa that are destined for the other western provinces.

"Winnipeg’s central location and its close proximity to the U.S. border make it an ideal place to route shipments through,” notes Greg Kennedy, manager, Winnipeg division. “Vega will take some pressure off the other Star distribution centres and cut down on travel time in the region.

Sister company, Fresh Direct Foods (a fresh cut processor) will have a presence in the new facility. FDF will occupy 5,000 sq ft. consisting of a prewash/product prep space, a 3,000 sq ft production room and a 1,000 sq ft packing room. This state-ofthe-art facility will provide next day delivery of fresh cut fruit and vegetables to the surrounding areas.

Seed of the Year winner to be announced at RAWF

2013 will mark the centenary of 4-H Canada. To help build some momentum for their fundraising campaign, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show will host the launch of the 4-H Canada “$100 for 100 Years” fundraising campaign. One 4-H Canada youth from each of the 10 provinces will attend Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show slated for September 11, 12 & 13, 2012.

Alumni, volunteers, leaders and participants in 4-H are encouraged to attend Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show on Tuesday, September 11th for the official launch and make a $100 donation that will help 4-H Canada move into the next century.

Minimum wage increases in Alberta Alberta’s minimum wage moves from $9.40 to $9.75 effective September 1. It has the second lowest wage rate in the country, next to Saskatchewan.

Details are in the accompanying map.

Agriculture Canada’s deputy minister of the last three years, John Knubley, will be saying goodbyes at the federal-provincialterritorial meeting in Whitehorse in midSeptember. That’s when the Growing Forward 2 plans are expected to be signed for execution April 1, 2013. Effective September 17, he officially moves to Industry Canada as deputy minister.

His replacement is a well-known agriculSuzanne Vinet ture policy and trade official, Suzanne Vinet, who most recently has been president of the Economic Development Agency of Canada, responsible for Quebec.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has announced a new chief executive officer: Sandra G. Banks. She joins the organization just months before the 90th anniversary of the fair that brings country to the city of Toronto. Most recently, she served as vice-president, public affairs and communications for Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada. Prior to that position, she served as assistant deputy minister of the Food Industry Division, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Her deep resumé also includes stints at the Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada and the Office of the Federal Minister of State for Grains and Oilseeds.

Tom Coleman, previously with Algoma Orchards, Newcastle, Ontario has taken a position with IFCO, the manufacturers of Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs).

Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmer winners are Sue Echlin and Vance Lester, Living Sky Winery, Perdue. They grow rhubarb, apples, raspberries, haskaps and saskatoons to make a variety of beverages.

The Ontario Produce Market Association has increased its board of directors from nine to eleven to raise the level of expertise and add assistance in carrying out the association’s mandate. For the 2012/2013 year, the new chair is Frank Spagnuolo, Loblaw Inc. and vice-chair is Chris Streef, Streef Produce Ltd. The board includes: Steve Bamford, Fresh Advancements; Joe Didiano, Scotlynn Investments; Steve Dimen, Ippolito Fruit & Produce Ltd.; Frank Bondi, Sobeys Ontario; Greg Maffey, Wal-Mart Canada; Virginia Zimm, Faye Clack Communications Inc.; Julian Sarraino, Fresh Taste Produce Limited; Derrick Rayner, EarthFresh Foods and Charles Waud, WaudWare Incorporation.

The 61st Annual Niagara Grape and Wine Festival will be kicked off at the celebrity luncheon with Steve Smith, aka ‘Red Green.’

The Grape Growers of Ontario, with Meridian Credit Union, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and the festival, are sponsoring the luncheon in St. Catharines on September 19.

Ontario’s fledgling hazelnut industry is getting a boost with arrival of Alireza (Ali) Rahemi from Iran. With 16 years of research experience, he’s joining the University of Guelph’s Simcoe station to work on cultivar trials, commercial micro-propagation and pest management practices. He’ll be working with lead researcher Adam Dale.

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

Seasonal workers are lifeline for horticulture CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A recent Toronto Star story reported that WSIB is working on extending seasonal workers’ full benefits from four to 12 weeks and to potentially extend visas until active treatment is completed. A website is to be launched this summer on workers’ rights.

Recently, the prevention branch of WSIB was moved under the Ontario Ministry of Labour. As part of the exercise, the Law Commission of Ontario has been tasked to offer clearer recommendations for vulnerable workers which will impact those in agriculture as well as all other sectors. The commission’s interim report is due the first week of

August and will be posted at www.lcocdo.org according to Norine Nathanson, project head.

The long-term issue for agriculture, says Linington, is access to a range of labour skills. The industry is looking forward to leadership from Sara Mann, a professor in strategic human resource management and organization behavior.

She has just organized a first-ever conference of North American professionals at the University of Guelph to discuss agriculture’s needs. In the weeks ahead, she will be launching a study of best formats to train. Is it on-line webinars? Is it classroom-style? Is it on-the-job training?

Her pioneering research in agriculture human resources will be welcomed.

HRSDC Minister Diane Finley reassures CHC officials In a meeting on June 11, horticulture leaders were reassured by Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, that no changes to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) will take place this year and only minor changes are likely next year. In a subsequent meeting in early July with both

Finley and ag minister Gerry Ritz, the position was reiterated.

“The program has been a tremendous success for the horticulture sector and the ‘untold’ story of the program’s impact to the countries involved is indeed significant,” according to the minister’s office.

“At only eight per cent, agriculture

It takes a team of 22 Jamaican men and 14 Mexican women to help pick and pack the peach harvest at Fred Meyers’ farm. Bonuses are paid for years of service and performance. represents a small portion of the entire temporary foreign worker program.”

With respect to Employment Insurance (EI), the Minister Finley emphasized that HRSDC is simply clarifying existing rules and seeking to ensure the integrity of EI. For many years the Canadian Horticultural Council has advocated for changes to

Employment Insurance to better meet the needs of seasonal workers. Changes to EI which would in fact serve as incentive for recipients to engage in seasonal work would be very well received by horticulture.

INTERNATIONAL CROP PROTECTION

TRENDS

ASSOCIATIONS

ACQUISITIONS

TRADE

Bayer buys AgraQuest

Georgia blueberries eclipse peaches

Merger plans scuttled

Bolthouse Farms sold

Bumblebees exported to China

Bayer CropScience is investing $425 million for California-based AgraQuest Inc, the global supplier of biological pest management products.

“The growing fruits and vegetables market, which today accounts for more than 25 per cent of our sales, is of strategic importance for us,” says Sandra Peterson, CEO, Bayer CropScience. “We plan to achieve EUR 3 billion sales in this segment by 2020... We are the first in our industry to offer farmers a truly comprehensive range of integrated crop solutions based on seeds, traits and combined chemical crop protection and biological control.”

This acquisition expands Bayer’s portfolio which is centred on the Votivo biological nematicide.

Peaches, the crown of Georgia’s agricultural crops, have toppled in favour of blueberries. The University of Georgia reports that in 2010, blueberries earned $133 million compared to $47 million for peaches.

“It’s blueberry’s moment in the sun,” says Scott NeSmith, the university’s blueberry specialist, who says that in the last decade, blueberry acres have doubled to more than 19,000. Peaches have slipped from 16,000 to 12,000 in the same time.

Research on the antioxidant benefits of blueberries has pushed the berry to superfruit status.

The U.S.-based Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and the United Fresh Produce Association have ended merger talks.

The 18-month process engaged leading experts in association mergers to advance member interests across the global supply chain while reducing duplication and costs.

Negotiations stumbled over leadership of the proposed new entity.

PMA insisted on installing their CEO Bryan Silbermann as the new association’s CEO. United Fresh’s board rejected that position, suggesting that the newly merged association’s board choose a new CEO, which could have been Silbermann, United’s Tom Stenzel or a third party.

Both associations issued news releases mid-July announcing the end of talks.

Campbell Soup Co. is acquiring Bolthouse Farms from private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC. Price tag? $1.5 billion.

Bolthouse Farms is known for its carrots, salad dressings and breakfast smoothies and protein shakes. For Campbell Soup which owns the V8 brand, the prize is the retail beverages.

Campbell’s president and CEO Denise Morrison commented: “Bolthouse is a great strategic fit with Campbell. Its business platforms, capabilities and culture are well aligned with the core growth strategies we announced last year. Its strong position in the high-growth packaged fresh category complements our chilled soup business in North America, and offers exciting opportunities for expansion into adjacent packaged fresh segments that respond directly to powerful consumer trends.”

Belgian-based Biobest, a leader in biological pollination, plans to export bumblebees to China. Protocols were recently signed to allow the first-of-akind transaction.

China represents large market potential due to consumers’ increasing awareness of food safety and the growth of protected horticulture.

Bumblebees are the first entry point to the Chinese market. The next step will be biological control with various mites and beneficial insects to knock out diverse pests.

Biobest, with headquarters in Westerlo-Belgium, is a worldwide leader in biological pollination and biological control.

Established in 1987, the company has since expanded globally with facilities in Morocco, Spain, France, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Source: foodnavigator-usa.com

Source: Bayer CropScience

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Source: FreshPlaza.com

PAGE 4 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

CANADA’S FRUIT & VEG TECH X-CHANGE

CFVTX showcases products and services KAREN DAVIDSON This year’s edition of Canada’s Fruit and Vegetable Tech X-Change showcased a number of new technologies, both practical and futuristic, at St. Williams, Ontario. The July 12 – 14 event is hosted in Norfolk County, often promoted as Ontario’s garden. The location is apt as the 2011 agricultural census reported that the county is Canada’s number one producer of asparagus, cabbage, sour cherries, ginseng, peppers, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, strawberries and sweet corn. It also has the distinction of Ontario’s number one producer of blueberries and Saskatoon berries.

This Farm Stand display by NNZ packaging is a prototype for a customer who saw the concept in the U.S. It’s suitable for watermelons, squash and pumpkins for either onfarm retail use or grocers. Adrian DeJonge says the 24inch, corrugated bin sells for $16.

Underhill Farm Supply, Vienna, Ontario demonstrated oilseed radish for growers who might be looking for an alternative cover crop after cucumbers. This cover crop helps alleviate soil compaction, provides nutrient sequestration through the extensive root system and suppresses weeds. “It also helps with soil biodiversity as the farmer is introducing a totally different plant into the field,” explains Erich Remler. The plant will die at around seven degrees Celsius, without the need for a chemical burndown. Since oilseed radish is a member of the Brassica family, don’t plant cabbage the following year.

The one-acre trial plots, sponsored by Norseco and Siegers Seed Company, demonstrated a variety of crops: sweet corn, peppers, Swiss chard, kale, cauliflower, broccoli.

With 30 degree temps, crop performance was truly tested under real-life conditions.

Tazu Technology was demonstrated by Werner Zurbuchen and son-in-law Joseph Taylor, Waterford, Ontario. In this photo taken off-site, the Techno S or L harvesting-machine can be converted into a platform in about 15 minutes. All the belts with main conveyor and bin filler can be lifted in one piece with a forklift. It only requires three bolts, disconnecting a hydraulic hose and unplugging the electrical wire. “Now you have a machine that allows you to work on different levels in the front basket or rear baskets,” says Zurbuchen. “This allows you to thin or prune if the compressor is added as an option. It is also very useful for installing a new orchard with a wire system.”

An irrigation system activated by cell phone and Internet can save hundreds of dollars as some Ontario vegetable growers are learning this summer. One grower estimated it cost $200 every time he shut off 11 pumps. That’s why he turned to Vanden Bussche Irrigation for a starting price of $3,500 unit/rig which can turn on or stop water at the pumping source, as shown in this off-site photo. It also includes a security device GPS tracking. While the technology has been available for several years, the pricing is now more affordable with measurable payback. Marc Vanden Bussche, based in Delhi, Ontario, says the units are very popular in this droughty summer.

Willsie’s Equipment, Thedford, Ontario demonstrated a hydra-weeder that’s ideal for market gardeners and organic growers. Hydraulically-driven behind a tractor, it’s fully adaptable to one or two-row settings. The machine is available for different-sized heads depending on the crop to be tilled: strawberries, corn, potatoes, to name a few.

While this custom-made weeder makes easy work in sandy soils, it has also been tested for heavier and rocky soils says Tim Willsie. If the tines hit a stone, the machine pops up and moves on. Recommended speed is two to five kilometres per hour. Price is $4,100.

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

CANADA’S FRUIT & VEG TECH X-CHANGE

Market square goes digital with ontariofresh.ca KAREN DAVIDSON The Ontariofresh.ca website is graduating out of its beta phase.

While 1225 businesses have enlisted since the launch in November 2011, the website is about to become more robust and flexible says Megan Hunter, project leader for Friends of the Greenbelt. She was speaking at the Canadian Fruit and Vegetable Tech X-Change.

“We’re pushing to be live with more changes in August,” says Hunter. “It will be faster, more intuitive from a search perspective.”

The beta version was cumbersome in terms of sorting qualities of buyers and sellers. The four previous descriptors -- producer, buyer, distributor and friend – were not concrete enough for fast searches. With a new drop-down format, an advanced search will select details such as co-packing services, food safety certification or size of operation.

For food buyers, the search can now be narrowed to regions as specific as Chatham-Kent. For food sellers, the options allow you to list a diverse range of services, from greenhouse grower to co-packer to wholesaler.

Processors can detail whether they’re secondary manufacturers, peelers or choppers.

“This should open the door for more businesses actively participating in the website,” says Hunter.

“

We’re pushing to be live with more changes in August. It will be faster, more intuitive from a search perspective.” ~ Megan Hunter To date, the 1,225 businesses are 66 per cent growers and processors. Another 25 per cent are buyers and distributors, ranging from restaurateurs to major food service companies. The remaining 15 per cent are input suppliers to the industry such as packing and labeling companies or packaging firms.

“It’s premature to think about an e-commerce platform,” says Hunter. But she has her goals firmly set on becoming the go-to B-2-B resource for local food in Ontario.

It’s getting a fair trial during the first growing season.

Arranhill Farms, for example, listed garlic scapes and sold 100 pounds of scapes to a Toronto buyer.

“This is one of the better websites, for sure,” says Alan Cowan.

In a survey of users conducted between December and February

last year, 20 per cent of users had made connections and half of those reported sales resulting directly from the website. “This is a significant finding given that the beta version was launched in November 2011,” says Hunter.

A strong feature of the website is the ability to post photos and descriptions of how your product is grown, whether it’s kiln-dried garlic or organic apples.

Participants can share as little or as much information about what they deem worthy. The more information they provide, suggests Hunter, the more likely their business will pop in search results.

During July, one buyer was looking for fresh or frozen raspberries to make juice while another was seeking blueberries,

preferably in closed pints for the rest of the season.

“It’s difficult to track sales and to gauge the impact of the website without online transactions,” says Hunter. “We are surveying our membership after the growing season to gauge the website’s impact.”

The website is supported with social media outreach on Facebook and Twitter. With 2,732 followers on Twitter, Hunter is pleased with the interaction.

This coming fall, the challenge will be to write a business plan that moves ontariofresh.ca to a financially self-sufficient model.

To date, OMAFRA has provided seed money.

PAGE 6 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

INVESTMENT

Apple chips are healthy crunch in snack food category KAREN DAVIDSON Martin’s Family Fruit Farm is counting on apple chips to be a popular snack for the healthminded. They’re so confident that construction has started for a new plant near Elmira, Ontario.

And the federal government is chipping in $1.5 million towards the $3 million facility to meet an operational goal of midNovember 2012.

The loan is provided through the federal Agricultural Innovation Program which encourages growers to invest in cutting-edge science and technology. Funding is provided upon signing of a contribution agreement from the farmer.

In a year when the apple crop will be sparse in this province, the investment is in machinery that will add value to second-grade apples. The apples will be sliced into rings with the skin left on for fibre, then dehydrated and packaged without additives or preservatives. Byproduct from the processing line will be used to make apple cider. The 17,000 squarefoot plant will be an outlet for

(L - R) Todd Cowan (Woolwich Township Mayor), Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, Kevin Martin (President, Martin's Family Fruit Farm) and MP Harold Albrecht (Kitchener-Conestoga) test apple crisps at announcement. apples from their 750 acres of orchards plus an additional 30 growers. In ‘normal’ weather years, there should be no shortage of apples to support the brand.

“Not only is this a project that will help Martin’s diversify, it is also an opportunity to create a new market for Ontario growers at large,” says Kevin Martin, company president. “The facility

will enable other Ontario-based growers to process their products, encouraging new investment in the apple industry.”

Martin’s Family Fruit Farm apple crisps will be available in limited quantities in a select group of retail formats. As Peter Katona, marketing and sales manager notes, the suggested retail is $1.49-$1.99 per single serving for

A soft launch of the new, dehydrated apple crisps was held at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show earlier this year in Calgary. a 25 gram bag. A small retail trial is currently underway in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

Packaging is just as important as the product. They are exploring bio-degradable options but, to date, haven't found anything that would work economically. The chips require a foil-lined package so they aren’t exposed to air. If the seal isn't tight, or the bag is porous, the chips will take on moisture and lose their crispiness.

“In the future, we will be identifying different flavour profiles for the chips such as cinnamon

and aged cheddar,” adds Katona.

“We are also researching different fruits and vegetables such as pears, tomatoes, carrots and beets.”

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the domestic snack food category grossed more than $2.1 billion in 2009.

Traditionally, that category has been driven by potato and cornderived snacks, much of it consumed domestically. Private label products are also recording growth, an ideal niche for apple chips.

Solar panels complete environmental story At Algoma Orchards, almost everything is new – plantings, packing line, juice line, retail store. Since 2009, investments have made water recycling state-of-the-art for this Bowmanville, Ontario business. But one thing was still missing: energy efficiency.

This summer, they plugged into the Hydro One grid with one of Ontario’s largest solar panel installations ever.

“We’ll be doing a study this fall to assess the numbers, but I think if we’re not carbon neutral already, we’ll soon be a net carbon scrubber,” says Kirk Kemp. “Our solar panels are a good environmental story for customers. They also make economic sense, not in a gamechanging sense, but we’ll generate equal to what we use over the course of a year.”

An aerial view of Algoma Orchards at Newcastle, Ontario reveals the scope of this solar panel project: 1940 solar panels producing 670 MWh per year.

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

TRADE

Stable prices forecast for ginseng KAREN DAVIDSON Ever the optimist, ginseng grower Doug Bradley is predicting a strong sales season this year. The last few years have seen an upwards price trend. Less than ideal growing conditions reduced outputs, however this was counterbalanced by stability in production acres. Seed production for next year’s crop could be adversely affected by heat stress and many are trying to offset that with irrigation. He expects last year’s prices of $19 – $20 per pound can be maintained.

“Acres in production haven’t changed and the good news about the heat, if there is good news, is that there are fewer disease problems,” explains Bradley. “The crop is two to three weeks ahead of schedule so I’m predicting red berries in early August.”

Ginseng Ontario is methodically building its Asian markets.

Canadian statistics show 90 per cent is sold to Hong Kong. From there, distributors sell the gnarly root to end users throughout Asia.

What’s evolving over time is demand from Chinese companies which want to buy directly from Ontario growers.

“There’s more of a pull for direct shipments from Canada,” says Bradley.

In Hong Kong, the draw is the annual food expo at which Ginseng Ontario has a booth under the Canadian marquee.

Meetings with the federal trade commissioner’s office will offer first-hand knowledge of consumer demand and business trends.

The fact-finding trip is wellcalibrated. Bradley estimates that with an earlier harvest, the buying season may be more traditionally timed for November and December this year. Last year’s harvest didn’t get sold until March 2012, so the recent sales

cycle has been collapsed into one year. With that knowledge, 2012 sales statistics will be skewed to be more robust than normal from 6,000 acres under cultivation.

Right: Doug Bradley explains the cultural practices of growing ginseng on his Vanessa, Ontario farm to a Chinese delegation. In mid-July, the group toured his farm and a nearby ginseng retail outlet before attending the Cultivating Natural Bioactives International Conference in London.

Is your farm business a Commercial Greenhouse, Landscape Nursery or Vegetable Farm?

New environmental cost share opportunities are available for the 2012 cropping year through a special project associated with the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) • Eligible farms have an opportunity to access cost-share at either 30 per cent or 50 per cent, depending on the Best Management Practices (BMP) Category, and up to established caps • The Growing Forward maximum contribution per farm business is $30,000 • Invoices dated September 15, 2011 or later will be accepted.

The project claim submission deadline is December 15, 2012 • Funds will be allocated on a first come, first served basis • Speak to your local OSCIA Program Representative

Man Zheng is a doctor who works at a hospital in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, dispensing traditional Chinese medicine.

That’s why he and Ken Van Torre, chair Ginseng Ontario, are leaving August 11 for meetings in Shanghai, Puning and Hong Kong. Culturally, it’s imperative to have face-to-face meetings to develop trust.

“We’re there to pave the road,” says Bradley.

In Shanghai, they will meet with officials to discuss maximum residue levels (MRLs) for ginseng. Bradley explains that they want to compare the protocols and procedures with Canadian standards to make sure the same science is applied with predictable universal results.

A visit to Puning, the epicenter of ginseng grading in China, will inform the growers’ perceptions of how Canadian ginseng is measuring up to Chinese-grown root.

With Ontario’s business worth almost $100 million annually, it’s a critical assessment.

Funding support for BMPs including: • runoff control projects • buffer strip establishment in riparian areas • tile water treatment systems • improved pesticide management with support for equipment modifications to increase accuracy of applications • nutrient use efficiency projects including recycling and treatment systems • water efficiency projects including reduced wash water volumes and low volume irrigation systems For more information contact: Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Telephone: 1-800-265-9751

www.ontariosoilcrop.org

PAGE 8 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Blueberry harvester boasts efficiency edge KAREN DAVIDSON There’s no school that teaches efficiency, unless it’s the real-life classroom of Elwood Lawton.

This self-motivated, self-taught farmer is usually found in his Stratford, Prince Edward Island machinery fabricating shop.

That’s where he’s modified “graveyard” equipment into the most efficient harvester possible for wild blueberries.

In August, his larger-than-life tinkerings will be brought to bear on the Maine blueberry crop before moving to custom harvest in New Brunswick and finally to the home stretch on his own 1,800 contiguous acres in Prince Edward Island. Of that acreage, he has 700 in blueberries. The results are in the statistics: 450 pounds of wild blueberries in 45 seconds.

Wild blueberries are difficult to harvest on land that’s not naturally flat or free from trees and stumps. To harvest successfully, the machine must be flexible enough to scoop the berries a half-inch from the ground. Until recently, the most efficient operator has had two picking heads, whereas Lawton has five picking heads on his harvester. But as Lawton explains, the drive is always for more efficiency to compete against cheaper imports.

“My competition is not other blueberries,” says Lawton. “It’s cherries and plums from Chile -all the other fruits that go into desserts.”

Several years ago, he scouted for used grain combines and disassembled one that he found in St. Mary’s Ontario. All he wanted was the cab, wheels, engine and hydrostatics. The parts worked so well that he later

The yellow machine is a harvester used to "breakout" the field. It is capable of going anywhere in the field without tracking over any fruit.

It "opens the field" for the other harvesters such as the orange one in this photo. The red machine is a double forklift used to take empty boxes to the harvesters as well as taking full boxes to transport trailers. sleuthed for 10 combines, all found in an equipment “graveyard” in Saskatchewan. The salesperson was kind enough to recommend the New Holland models – “the axles never break.”

Through networking among machinery buffs and Internet research, Lawton also tracked down a Terragator lime spreader in Ohio. It was really the front axles that he coveted. He was inspired by the Terragator design, with all the weight resting on three wheels. For all his engineering prowess, Lawton figures he has invested $100,000 in used machinery parts for his five blueberry harvesters that measure 40 feet long and 22 feet wide.

Efficiency, by its nature, means having the power to measure and compare. Previous harvesters hogged time for maintenance, about 20 minutes per hour in cleaning. Lawton’s prototype has trimmed that time-waster to 20 minutes in the morning for start-up and 20 minutes for shut-

down in the afternoon.

Furthermore, the 100 gallons of fuel per day have been reduced to 55 gallons per day with his electric model. Tests in Maine have proven 25 to 30 per cent more efficiency at a picking speed of about 1.1 to 1.2 miles per hour.

These statistics prove their value in harvesting a crop at peak of maturity and transporting them to clients such as Oxford Frozen Foods in Nova Scotia. “We can pick one trailer per hour and have the berries frozen within three hours,” says Lawton.

There are 50 varieties of blueberries in nature, so designing a harvester that can accommodate the variances in their growth habits is challenging. Like a golfcourse lawnmower with rotating heads, Lawton’s blueberry picker has heads that are powered by one hydraulic cylinder.

Another innovation is a sharpener for the spring steel teeth. “It sharpens like a pencil, but can do 200 teeth per hour,” says Lawton.

The double forklift is approaching a harvester with two "stacks" of empty boxes. This process is done efficiently and enables the harvester to continue picking. The harvester has the capacity to carry four stacks and this minimizes the need for extra trips across the field.

Elwood Lawton What’s next? With a mindset of continuous improvement, Lawton ends every harvest season by asking each crew member how they would change the machine or process.

He would like to incorporate GPS steering, but the technology is not there for a ground speed of less than two miles per hour. He has a forklift in mind to carry 14

pallets at a time. An astute observer of how machinery works in other industries, he freely borrows concepts from television, the internet and wherever he goes.

Philosophically speaking, Lawton is an ardent supporter of the mantra: solve problems that you can control. He’s less enamored of the marketplace that’s at the whim of global imports from China and Brazil.

“We’re handicapped in Canada when we have to compete against imports that are under less stringent food safety regulations,” he says. “Canadian farmers must have the proper licenses and training to apply crop protection products while homeowners can use the same products by walking into a hardware store. We want to be good citizens, but at the same time, we must be competitive.”

He hopes that it isn’t too late for Canadian horticulture. “The most efficient farm is the family farm,” he concludes.

Crop profiles underway In 2003, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pest Management Centre (PMC) and the CHC began developing crop profiles. Essentially, they are a snapshot of the production of a given commodity (e.g., pest management approaches, what pesticides are available, etc.). The process helps identify gaps in pest management and issues faced by Canadian growers.

In 2011-12, crop profiles were updated for: potatoes, greenhouse vegetable crops (cucumber, lettuce, pepper and tomato) and blueberry crops (highbush and lowbush). In this fiscal year, data will be collected for asparagus, rutabaga, sweet corn, carrots, allium and crucifers. For each crop, a provincial CHC member organization will designate a representative knowledgeable

in pest management practices. Data will be collected electronically on disease, insect and weed occurrence (for each pest, information on distribution, frequency and importance) and integrated pest management practices for key pests. National pest management issues will be noted for each crop.

The pest management issues will be

compiled by the province and discussed during conference calls with the commodity groups and provincial profile updaters to reach a national consensus. Rutabaga is due in November 2012 and carrots, sweet corn and crucifers in March 2013.

Proposed amendments: Grower Requested Own Use (GROU) Program Health Canada is proposing amendments to the Pest Control Products Regulations to formalise the Grower Requested Own Use (GROU) program. The proposal was pre-published in Canada Gazette Part I on Saturday, July 7, 2012. Interested parties are encour-

aged to submit comments by Sept 21, 2012. For information on submitting comments please see www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_regulation-grou-piapda-reglement/index-eng.php

Survey: Information inventory for the hort sector The Horticulture Value Chain Roundtable (HVCRT) is surveying the industry and its needs.

The survey and follow-up report will provide valuable information on who generates, analyzes and uses data in all categories and allow the horticulture sector to meet data requirements necessary to increase competitiveness. The deadline for submission of the

survey is August 3rd, 2012. Please contact Jean Mukezangango of AAFC at jean.mukezangango@agr.gc.ca or 613-773-0261 for more information.

The survey can be completed by selecting the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6336ZNC

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

An update on financial protection The Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council Financial Protection for Produce Sellers met in Washington (DC) on July 18 for a third bilateral meeting.

Coming out of the April meeting (Toronto), four sub-working groups were struck and assigned specific tasks: Legal (CHC-led): CanadaU.S. Law Institute based out of Case Western University School of Law and Faculty of Law, Western Ontario was contracted to: a) provide a suggestion/recommendation of legislative language amendments to the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) to effectuate protection for produce traders (internal Canadian and U.S. exporters to Canada). PACA Trust is an example of the type of protection being sought. b) prepare a description of the Canadian process to amend the BIA and related regulations; both statutory and political. c) conduct a survey of provincial statutes and regulations related to fresh and frozen produce and comparison of such. Provinces to be studied are: Ontario, British Columbia, Québec, Manitoba, Alberta, and Prince Edward Island. d) provide an explanation of linkages between Canadian federal and provincial statutes and regulations regarding produce traders’ rights, responsibilities, and enforcement for bad actors.

e) prepare a description of how U.S. shippers can protect themselves with Canadian Produce Statutes in current form and what amendments are needed to effectuate such protection.

Licensing (CPMA-led): to provide input to support the development of a single delivery system approach to licensing in Canada; review the need, interest and opportunity to develop a single delivery system for licensing and arbitration in Canada. This should be inclusive of the DRC Membership framework/benefits and consider the Licensing and Arbitration Regulations currently under review.

Data (AAFC-led): develop a data package relative to losses in Canada and the U.S. and the impact of the PACA. Producer Payment Security Models (AAFC-led): consider insurance, pooling and bonding and other payment models which may have applicability to the fresh fruit and vegetable sector Reports from the working groups were tabled. Of particular interest was the report presented

by Case-Western which suggests a number of options, including (federal approach) amending the CAP Act, mandatory licensing requirements, deemed and floating trust, Notice of Trust rights, 30-day limit on payment terms, amending the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) and recognizing the CAP Act Trust.

Also, the report from the

Producer Payment Security Models group indicates that insurance, pooling and bonding have been sufficiently reviewed to delist as viable options.

(L - R): Karla Whalen (Chief, PACA Branch, USDA, Washington), Ken Forth (ViceChair, CHC Trade Committee), Robin Tilsworth (Agriculture Minister Counselor, U.S. Embassy, Ottawa), Bob Keeney (Deputy Administrator, Fruit and Vegetable Program, USDA AMS, Washington). Photo by Anne Fowlie

Canadian potato acreage increases by 3.6% Canadian potato acreage has increased by 3.6% in 2012, compared to 2011 plantings. The total area planted is estimated to be 374,000 acres.

INNOVATION

Labour-saving platform shows promise in Ontario apple orchards LILIAN SCHAER Farmers may be able to significantly reduce the number of hours workers spend tending trees in Ontario apple orchards. A study funded through the Farm Innovation Program is evaluating how well moveable platforms work for tying, thinning and pruning trees, as well as harvesting fruit.

These would be used by workers in place of ladders or working from the ground.

Labour is one of the biggest expenses apple growers face on-farm, so the sector is seeking alternatives to help farmers keep those costs under control.

“Labour costs have risen drastically in Ontario in the past few years and our farmers need tools to help reduce those costs,” says Kelly Ciceran, general manager of the Ontario Apple Growers (OAG). “With this project, we’re hoping to provide some solid information to growers using Ontario orchard systems and labour rates to help them decide whether a platform would be a cost effective labour saving device.”

Preliminary data shows labour efficiency improvement by 18 per cent for harvesting, 25 per cent for summer pruning, 46 per cent for hand thinning and 77 per cent for tying tree leaders. The platforms were tested at six orchards in 2011. During the 2012

growing season, data will be collected relating to tying tree leaders, summer pruning and harvest, as well as dormant pruning and applying mating disruption.

“Our early results show a 100-acre orchard could see a payback of a 40 per cent savings in labour hours within two years by using a platform,” says Ciceran.

“A smaller, 60-acre orchard could see that same savings, but over three years.”

Preliminary feedback from workers using the platforms indicates they like working with them as each worker has only one task and there is less worker fatigue. In addition to improving labour efficiency, the self-propelled and self-steering platforms have a consistent in-row travel speed, and allow for more uniform pruning and thinning.

Information on the project was presented at the 2012 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention and mailed to every apple grower. OAG is hoping to host an open house later this year at a grower’s orchard for a demonstration of the platform in use.

“This hands-on type of research is very valuable to our industry. We have looked at other jurisdictions and evaluated what type of equipment is available to them,” says Ciceran. ”By being able to use our orchard system and labour rates we can

Photo credit: OMAFRA/OAG show the growers the reality of using this equipment and the payback they will experience.”

The Farm Innovation Program (FIP) was funded in part through Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-

territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of several Growing Forward programs in Ontario.

PAGE 10 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

Cuts are coming to Growing Forward 2 program

MAC JAMES CHAIR, OFVGA

Considerable time and effort have been spent meeting with the various sectors of agriculture and with Ontario ag minister Ted McMeekin and staff regarding the Growing Forward 2 programs.

We know reductions in funding at the federal level are coming and how best to incorporate them into Round 2 is very controversial.

More discussions between federal agricultural minister Gerry Ritz and the provincial and territorial ministers were scheduled for July 30 with final decisions to be made by mid September.

Throughout these discussions OFVGA has emphasised that the SDRM -style of program is most beneficial to horticultural producers.

The Great Lakes Protection Act, proposed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, is scheduled for passing this fall.

It’s going to affect everyone, not only we as producers but all the residents of Ontario. I quote: “The proposed Great Lakes Protection Act is about creating opportunities for communities to make improvements in their

corner of the Great Lakes, improving water quality and protecting beaches, wetlands, and coasts.” How much is this going to cost us?

More information on the Great Lakes proposed act and draft strategy is available on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment website at www.ontario.ca/healthygreatlakes.

On a happier note, congratulations go to the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers on the opening of their new

offices in Leamington.

Congratulations also go to Canada’s Fruit & Veg Tech XChange on their second outdoor information show for horticultural producers.

Open for business, closed on common sense

ART SMITH CEO, OFVGA The term industrial sewage probably conjures up visions of bubbling sludge filled with highly toxic chemicals, heavy metals and possibly even radioactive materials, the ultimate witches’ brew….

Did you know however that according to the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA), it also includes rainwater and this means disposal of this “sewage” requires

a permit? Guess who gets to pay?

Now I do not believe for a second that the folks who drafted the regulations of the OWRA ever considered rainwater and toxic sludge as one and the same.

However, when regulations are drafted, it is impossible to identify every specific thing or situation, so there is often a catch-all phrase or category. This is why I believe rainwater is categorized as industrial sewage. Wash water used to rinse soil off crops such as carrots and potatoes is treated the same way. The Ontario Water Resources Act has been around since the early ‘90s but over the last several years the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has been coming down hard on many of these farmers and are insisting that they have Environmental Certificates of Approval which of course all cost a great deal of money when all is said and done.

After nearly two years of Open For Business consultations --

place?

Yet according to the MOE you must have an Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs).

This by the way will cost thousands of dollars for the application, thousands more for someone to review the application, thousands more for the consultants’ work and thousands more for the engineer’s stamp and all of this while the Ministry refuses to give direction on what specific information they are seeking and what it would take in terms of data that they need to satisfy the unspecified requirements. And all we get from them is “it depends.” This of course adds to the cost and to the frustration. The minimum cost to do all of this is tens of thousands of dollars and on occasion going over $100,000.

We know that 48 per cent of Ontario fruit and vegetable farmers have annual gross sales of under $100,000 and that, as you and I both know, is not profit….

consultations that were designed to get rid of ridiculous and out of date regulations -- we are still mired deep in the mud.

The real problem is that since this was raised as an issue several years ago, there has been no movement on the part of the MOE to change the regulation or its interpretation of the same. It is ironic that while the premier is saying that Ontario is open for business, the activities of the Ministry seem to have been ramped up and are threatening the very existence of many farmers.

It is time for ”common sense!”

Why should rainwater that runs off the roof of a greenhouse be considered sewage? It is no different than the water that runs off the roof of my house or yours or your barn. How is it that water used to rinse the soil off potatoes or carrots or some other vegetable can be so toxic that it is not safe to irrigate back on the land from where it came from in the first

Where is the money to come from?

I believe that we all have a responsibility to protect our environment and our natural resources but I really question the need for these ECAs. It seems to be a cost recovery program on the part of government as it serves little purpose other than to force cost upon the farmer. Surely we can figure out how clean the water should be before it is irrigated back to the land or allowed to run down a creek. Surely we can figure out how much volume of water a pond needs to hold to catch rainwater runoff without the need for costly individual ECAs and reports.

How can the government say Ontario is open for business when the actions of the same government are threatening the very existence of so many farmers?

Where’s the sense?

For what it’s worth, it’s the way I see it.

Government red tape and business risk management are top priorities

ADRIAN HUISMAN ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT PRODUCERS

Based on a spring 2012 Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) member survey, regulations and risk management were key member priorities. It revealed that 89 per cent of growers rated regulations and 75 per cent rated risk management as their most important issues.

If I were to guess, for horticultural crop producers, labour (quality and cost) and access to water would also be top of mind.

The recent 27 per cent increase in the minimum wage hit most growers where it hurts most (their

bottom line), especially since there was little or no opportunity to pass on these increases. This would be the greatest reason that horticultural producers rated business risk management tools so highly.

The next pressing issue will be (continues to be) access to water and waste water management.

Growers are very concerned with regards to the Great Lakes Protection Act and what new restrictions and red tape will be added to their already heavy regulatory burden. This gets ever

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more complicated when you add the many levels of government they must go through from municipal, regional and provincial governments and the various ministries within government.

A good example is the fact that that Ministry of Environment (MOE) is currently requiring some producers to provide Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs) for waste water management. The MOE doesn’t understand agriculture or the unique nature of agricultural operations. For this reason, the

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Chair Vice-Chair Fruit Director Veg Director Director

Mac James, Leamington Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Jason Ryder, Delhi Jason Verkaik, Bradford

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Apples Fresh Vegetable - Other Tender Fruit ON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. GGO/Fresh Grape Growers Fresh Vegetable - Muck ON. Potato Board Small Fruit/Berries ON. Ginseng Growers’ Greenhouse Greenhouse

Brian Gilroy, Meaford Mary Shabatura, Windham Centre Fred Meyers, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Ryder, Delhi Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Verkaik, Bradford Mac James, Leamington Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Ken Van Torre, Burford Jan Vander Hout, Waterdown Don Taylor, Durham

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association has recommended that the Nutrient Management Act be administered by the Ministry of Agriculture rather than MOE. They have further requested a moratorium on ECAs while this is being dealt with.

This is where our farm organizations play a very useful role and need active grower support and a government that will at least listen to producers.

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS Crop Protection Research Property Labour Safety Nets CHC

Charles Stevens, Newcastle Harold Schooley, Simcoe Brian Gilroy, Meaford Ken Forth, Lynden Mark Wales, Alymer Murray Porteous, Simcoe

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

PERSPECTIVE World Food Prize digs deep for hunger relief

OWEN ROBERTS UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Without healthy soil, any discussion about feeding the world abruptly stops. True, there are other ways to get food – from rivers, lakes and oceans, for example -- but for the most part, food comes from the soil, from the earth, from what most people call dirt. And to feed the world that dirt needs to be productive, meaning it needs to be healthy in

its own way.

That fact wasn’t lost this year on those who award the World Food Prize, which is committed to improving the global quality, quantity or availability of food.

Since its inception in 1987, the prize, announced earlier this summer, has gone to not only scientists, but presidents, former presidents and bureaucrats, all of whom play an important role in advancing the world’s food supply. For example, some have promoted school lunch programs; others, humanitarian relief. Very important indeed.

But when it comes to actually digging in the dirt that grows crops and ultimately feeds livestock, few have contributed like this year’s prize winner, Daniel Hillel. This soil physicist and author, who split his career between the University of Jerusalem, Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts, literally wrote the book on healthy soil. His 1971

text, Soil and Water: Physical Properties and Processes, has been translated into eight languages and is widely accepted as the core text worldwide in colleges and universities.

Soil physics involves fundamentals such as water uptake by plants and water retention and movement in soil. To that end, Hillel’s work outside of the classroom has been focused on helping farmers in underdeveloped nations help themselves through better soil health.

He’s done so by honing in on a process called micro irrigation, which involves getting water to crops in arid and dry land regions.

All the aid money in the world won’t make it rain. But with micro irrigation, crops that would otherwise burn up or wilt in the sun’s heat can instead use it to be productive.

The low-volume, high-frequency calibrated water systems developed by Hillel and other soil scientists provide small, continu-

ous amounts of water to the plant roots, rather than a periodic flooding in which the soil is saturated and water can be lost. The results are dramatic in terms of production and water conservation.

Water resources are scarce to begin with, and any crop irrigation initiative must be balanced and sensitive to human needs, too.

There’s an Ontario angle to all this -- Hillel knows the University of Guelph, and Guelph knows him. He received an honorary doctorate of science from the University of Guelph, 20 years ago this year. Professor emeritus David Elrick, a fellow soil physicist who’s been Hillel’s colleague for more than 40 years, wrote a letter of support for Hillel for the 2012 World Food Prize.

Said Elrick: “His research in the 1960s and 1970s was highly innovative, and lately he expanded his interests to the world stage where he has worked tirelessly on improving the world food supply

through the sustainable use of water, a critical resource.”

Prize administrators deserve praise for this selection. They’ve been very supportive of development over the years, awarding the prize to researchers who have realized such accomplishments as drought-resistant sorghum hybrids and large-scale storage of fruits and vegetables, as well as advancements in rice production.

Now, in awarding the prize to Hillel, they clearly make a case for the importance of soil.

Coincidentally, the prize announcement was followed by yet another plea to developed nations from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization and others, calling on them to redouble their efforts to fight hunger. Soil health is unquestionably an integral part of this mission.

PAGE 12 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

BOARD BRIEFS

Current initiatives Following are highlights from the OFVGA board meeting held June 14, 2012. The purpose of this brief is to keep you up-to-date on the issues that the OFVGA is working on, as well as projects and initiatives the organization is involved in.

is a considerable lack of products for horticultural use on the GROU list. All OFVGA members are encouraged to get their list of priority products submitted to Craig Hunter at OFVGA by September.

Canadian Horticultural Council

Crop protection Spotted wing drosophila and brown marmorated stinkbug: The national working group dealing with spotted wing drosophila and brown marmorated stinkbug met on June 8. They are looking into how quickly these insects are coming into Canada and how much damage they are doing. At present, there is no known damage for the marmorated stink bug, but they can affect up to 300 different crops and damage isn’t immediately visible. More details will be available for the next board meeting.

Emergency registrations: Five insecticides have received emergency use registrations to combat spotted wing drosophila, including Delegate, Entrust, Malathion, Pyganic and Ripcord.

The emergency registrations are in place for British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for berry crops and stone fruit.

Grower Requested Own Use program: The fungicide Captan is still not available to growers through the GROU program.

Charles Stevens is looking into what is causing the delay. There

A

Ontario CHC rep Adrian Huisman reported that CHC is working on enhancing its communications efforts, including increasing the frequency of news going out to members about CHC activities. CHC has engaged a consulting group to assist in the preparation of a lobbying and fundraising strategy as part of its new Legacy Fund initiative.

Syngenta, Peak of the Market and Agro-Fresh ave contributed to the fund to date. The Legacy Project will serve as a road map for the CHC to focus its lobbying activities on key areas. CHC and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association are moving ahead with privatizing its CanadaGAP food safety program into a spin-off company.

Labour PACA-like trust: Section chair Ken Forth reported that progress with the PACA-like trust is moving slowly. In the U.S., the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) licenses buyers of produce to ensure that those who sell produce receive appropriate and timely payment for their products.

The OFVGA has been lobbying for the establishment of a madein-Canada PACA -trust style program that extends the same benefits to the Canadian produce industry as in the U.S. Canadian growers selling into the U.S. are protected under PACA, but U.S. growers selling into the Canadian market do not have the same protection and there is growing concern that this benefit to Canadian growers selling into the U.S. may end should we not create a similar program on this side of the border.

meet the needs of seasonal workers.

Meeting with Diane Finley: Ken Forth, along with CHC President Murray Porteous and CHC Executive Vice President Anne Fowlie, met with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Minister Finley regarding the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and access to Employment Insurance for locally available seasonal workers. The Minister indicated no changes to the SAWP will take place this year and that only minor changes are likely next year. The Government of Canada remains committed to the program, which has been a tremendous success for both the horticulture sector and the countries involved.

Minister Finley emphasized that HRSDC is simply clarifying existing rules regarding Employment Insurance and seeking to ensure the integrity of the program. CHC has long advocated for changes to Employment Insurance to better

Great Lakes Protection Act: The Ontario government has introduced the Great Lakes Protection Act this past spring. Its purpose is to protect human health as well as protect and restore wetlands, beaches, coast areas, natural habitats and biodiversity in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, as well as to improve management and understanding of the region through scientific advancement.

The OFVGA will be providing comment on the Act in conjunction with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, which has devoted resources to examining the legislation and its

Safety Nets A request for an Agri Recovery program has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs by the Ontario Apple Growers and Ontario Tender Fruit. This is in response to the frost damage that affected these crops this past spring.

Property

potential impact on agriculture.

Inclusion of horticulture in Nutrient Management Act: The OFVGA and its members continue to push for inclusion of horticulture in the Nutrient Management Act to govern activities like waste water from washing produce or storm water runoff. The Ministry of the Environment is requiring many growers to apply for Environmental Compliance Approvals in order to regulate these activities on-farm, which is a costly and time-consuming process that no other agricultural sectors are being faced with.

Local Food Act: the provincial government is working on developing a Local Food Act. It is important that agriculture has input into the creation of the Act so that concerns and issues of commercial farmers are included.

Policy document The Board continued its work on the OFVGA policy document. The goal is to finalize and approve the document at the next board meeting.

The next OFVGA board meeting took place Thursday, July 19 at the OFVGA office.

COMING EVENTS 2012 August 4

Food Day Canada

August 7, 8 Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association Annual Orchard Tour & Automation Workshop, Annapolis Valley, NS (902-678-1093) August 9

Asparagus Disease Management and Spray Coverage Workshop, Sandy Shore Farms, Houghton Centre, ON 8:30 am

August 15

East Central Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Orchard Tour, Newcastle, ON

August 16

Ontario Potato Field Day, HJV Farm Equipment, Alliston, ON 3 pm.

August 16

U.S. Apple Outlook Conference, Fairmont Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

urface Water Services

August 19

Farmstart 3rd Annual Harvest Table Fundraiser, Brampton, ON (www.harvesttable.ca)

round Water Services

Aug 24 – 26 Winona Peach Festival, Winona, ON

program designed to help Ontario farmers with water taking permit needs

S G

Sept 8, 9

G S

eorge Shearer urface Water Specialist

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association 105-355 Elmira Road North Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 ph: 519-763-6160 ext. 219 cell: 519-222-3272 fax: 519-763-6604 email: water@ofvga.org

Stratford Garlic Festival, Stratford, ON

Sept 11 – 13 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON Sept 12 – 14 Federal, provincial, territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting, Whitehorse, Yukon Sept 18 – 22 International Plowing Match, Waterloo Region, ON Sept 19

61st Annual Niagara Grape & Wine Festival Celebrity Luncheon, Club Roma, St. Catharines, ON

Sept 22

Fresh Fest for Foodshare, Ontario Food Terminal, Toronto, ON 11 am – 3 pm

Oct 2 – 8

Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show, Simcoe, ON

October 3, 4 Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Conference Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

Friend a Farmer program helps bridge rural-urban gap LILIAN SCHAER An inspiring keynote address at a meeting two years ago has resulted in the launch of a new program to demystify farming for young people.

The idea for the Friend a Farmer program came from Montana logger Bruce Vincent, who also spoke at the OFVGA annual meeting in January 2011, and his popular U.S.-based initiative Provider Pals linking farmers, loggers and miners with classrooms to help boost understanding of those industries.

“His talk at our AGM two years ago was inspiring, leading our board to decide we should launch something similar here in Canada,” says Heather Hargrave, program co-ordinator with Farm & Food Care.

The organization teamed up with the Farmers Feed Cities campaign to launch the pilot program this year. Three schools participated – a Grade 11 biology class in Oshawa, a Grade three class in Kitchener and a Grade six class in Windsor – along with a farmer from each region.

“We left it up to each farmer to decide how to connect with

their class, and we found that to work really well,” says Hargrave, adding that although the ideal is to have the partnership last the entire school year, the program is flexible based on the needs of both the class and the farmer.

The Oshawa area farmer, for example, visited the Grade 11 biology class while they were studying genetics and brought along a beef semen catalogue to help illustrate genetic evaluation.

In Kitchener, a husband and wife team who raise livestock and grow crops connected with their class using email. They spent about an hour a month sending emails and photos covering specific subjects and answering questions from the students, ranging from what colour their barn was to why pigs don’t go outside.

A Wheatley grain farmer was paired with the Windsor class, visiting the school several times during the year and corresponding by email. In June, he invited the students to his farm, showing them crops, demonstrating equipment and talking about farm safety and typical farming activities such as spraying.

“The kids were absolutely fascinated and just peppered him

with questions. To them, he was like a rock star,” says Hargrave.

“The classroom teacher commented afterwards that his students learned as much during that one day field trip as they normally would in three years at school.”

Organizers are currently evaluating feedback from the farmers and teachers involved and are hoping to offer the program again this fall. Finding interested teachers has been a challenge, but Hargrave is hopeful they’ll be able to expand the program to six classes for the coming school year. Friend a Farmer offers curriculum connections to make it easy for teachers to integrate into their lesson plans.

“Our surveys show that 94 per cent of people know little or nothing about farming so we have a responsibility to tell them what we do and why we do it,” says Hargrave. “Friend a farmer offers one way of doing that.”

If you’re interested in participating or if you know of a classroom interested in the program, contact Farm & Food Care at 519-826-1326 or heather@farmfoodcare.org.

School children on a farm visit near Windsor learn about planting and growing crops.

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Which retailer is right for you?

PETER CHAPMAN When I have the opportunity to speak to industry associations, I like to make the comparison between retailers and children.

Siblings grow up in the same house with the same values, material possessions and opportunities. If you have children, I am sure they are just like mine -- all unique, special and challenging in their own ways. Some excel in the arts or sciences, while others are interested in sports. As a parent you try to be consistent with children, however they all respond differently and have different currency when you need to discipline them.

The retailers are no different. You need to understand

their priorities, their method of doing business and their positioning in the market. It is critical to understand the nuances for each retailer and where you fit. If you have the opportunity to sell products to more than one retailer, which one is right for your business? If they are aggressive, you need to be aggressive; if they want to invest in sustainability, you need to deliver products that reinforce those characteristics.

Suppliers who try to be everything to everybody are not always successful. You need to assess your customers and your own business to find the right fit.

Selling to everyone is not always the best strategy.

The retailers have similar priorities: sales, supply chain, food safety, sustainability and others. As a supplier you need to understand how they intend to deliver the sales. Is the strategy to drive sales with the ad, increase average orders, incremental departments, more listings, or inflation? There are many different strategies they can employ to deliver the same objective. If the strategy is to drive sales with the ad, you need to understand if they intend to be aggressive in the ads. If this is the case then you will have to

deliver big quantities at great costs. If that does not fit your business model then that is not the right retailer for you.

Business priorities are one of the key factors to consider when determining which retailer is the right fit for your business. Their method of doing business is another factor to consider. Retailers with large infrastructures that are complicated to work with can be a challenge. If your organization does not have the depth to work with a large complicated structure, they might not be right for you. You should explore different segments of the business, such as supply chain, store presentations for your items, and the pricing model. If the retailer depends on suppliers to deliver product direct to the store, do you have the ability to accomplish this? If the items in your category are all hand stacked with no packaging present, the expensive four-colour box you have might be a cost that does not deliver any benefit. It is no secret that many retailers in the U.S. and Loblaws are moving to Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) in produce. If this is not right for you, then they are not right for you.

•••

Food safety is not negotiable If you were to ask me what keeps the leaders of the big retailers up at night, I'd say it is food safety. There is a tremendous responsibility that goes with running a business that delivers food to people across the country every day. Many processes and practices must be followed every day in every store. The retailers also depend on suppliers to deliver safe food to them. It is the store that will be mentioned in every food safety issue or recall, not just the brand.

I cannot stress enough how much your credibility as a supplier is compromised if you do not meet or exceed food safety expectations. It is even worse if you challenge the necessity of the programs. In today’s world it is a must and you cannot try to get exemptions, lower audit scores or fail to comply. It is a cost of doing business and all of your competitors should have the same incremental costs you do.

There is no doubt it is a challenge to implement the programs and execute the recording necessary for some of the programs. If you do not understand your commitments make sure you ask the questions and get the help you

need. If you fail to meet the requirements in food safety it will be very serious with most retailers.

One area where the retailers have a responsibility is to ensure it is a level playing field.

It is unfair to put standards in place and not hold all producers and processors to the same level of compliance. If you see this happening, you need to find the right opportunity to put it on the table. Everyone operates in a very competitive environment and you will not be successful if you have incremental costs relative to your competitors.

Make sure you can sleep at night and this will ensure that you deliver the best and safest possible product to your retail customers.

Peter Chapman, a retail food consultant and professional speaker, is principal of GPS Business Solutions, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Peter works with producers and processors to help them navigate through the retail environment with the ultimate goal of getting more items into the shopping cart. pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca.

PAGE 14 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

FOCUS: STORAGE

Maturity and storage of new Ontario pears DR. JENNIFER DEELL, FRESH MARKET QUALITY PROGRAM LEAD, OMAFRA, AND KEN SLINGERLAND, HORTICULTURAL CONSULTANT Recent cultivar improvements have spurred Ontario pear producers to modernize the industry. New storage technologies have also revived optimism in storing and marketing pears for longer periods than in previous years.

As a result, we have been investigating pear ripening and storage disorders, as well as developing maturity and storage guidelines for new Ontario pears. The following is a summary of the results to date.

Swiss Bartlett is a strain of Bartlett that has recently become popular in Ontario. Bartlett pears are predictable and fruit firmness as a maturity index for Bartlett has been well established for many years. Bartlett pears should be harvested around 18-19 lb for long-term storage. There is a rapid loss of firmness during the harvest window, so harvest has to be completed within a short-time frame.

Bartlett harvested at proper maturity will easily store for up to four months at 0.5°C and maintain 12-13 lb.

Once removed from storage, they can quickly soften to five to seven lb after only a few days at room temperature.

The colour of the skin also quickly changes from green to yellow. SmartFresh (1-MCP, ethylene inhibitor) can improve firmness retention in Bartlett pears after being removed from storage. Skin colour also remains greener for a longer time. SmartFresh-treated Bartlett can be five lb firmer than untreated fruit.

More storage disorders develop in late harvested Bartlett pears, around 10-14 lb at harvest. Both major storage disorders, senescent scald and core breakdown, can be substantially reduced by using SmartFresh. Senescent scald has been reduced by 50-90 per cent with SmartFresh, after four months of storage at 0°C and five days at 1819°C, compared to untreated fruit. Friction marking in

Internal cavities in Harrow Crisp pears after 4 months of storage at 0-1C.

Sundown pear ready for harvest.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer DeEll, OMAFRA.

Bartlett can also be significantly reduced by SmartFresh.

AC Harrow Crisp ripens two to three days after Bartlett. However, the best maturity index still needs to be determined and it may not be firmness. Harrow Crisp pears typically begin to soften earlier in the season than Bartlett, but then tend to stay firm at 14-16 lb for a long period of time. Early picked fruit can be stored for two to three months, but storage life is reduced with later picked fruit.

Harrow Crisp harvested early can be stored for about four months, but storage life is reduced with later harvest.

If kept too long or harvested too late, Harrow Crisp will deteriorate internally without external signs. It tends to be

prone to developing internal cavities, as desiccation and browning within the flesh, especially after extended storage durations and in late harvested fruit. Harrow Crisp is also susceptible to scald, but it remains unclear whether it is senescent or storage scald (or both).

SmartFresh is very effective at delaying softening of Harrow Crisp pears. Fruit harvested at 14-15 lb and treated with SmartFresh stayed firm after two months at 0.5°C plus seven days at 21°C, while similar fruit only lost two lb after four months at 0.5°C plus seven days shelf-life.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 15 THE GROWER

FOCUS: STORAGE

Maturity and storage of new Ontario pears CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 In comparison, non-treated fruit lost five to eight lb during the same period. SmartFreshtreated pears that were harvested later (12-14 lb), tended to soften quicker than those from the earlier harvests. Colour change to yellow is also delayed by SmartFresh. In contrast to these beneficial effects, the incidence of internal cavities developing in the flesh can be increased with SmartFresh.

Harovin Sundown typically ripens two to three weeks after Bartlett. The best maturity index for this new cultivar also remains to be determined. The fruit typically begins to soften earlier than Bartlett, but then tends to remain at 10-14 lb for a long period of time, up until harvest. In some cases, the fruit starts to change from green to yellow with a pink blush while staying firm.

Sundown pears harvested early (green and around 14-15 lb) can be stored for about four months,

whereas as those harvested later (greenish-yellow and around 10 lb) have reduced storage life.

Sundown appears to be susceptible to senescent scald, as well as an internal watery breakdown of the flesh. Internal cavities and flesh browning have also been observed occasionally. There are fewer storage disorders in pears harvested around 13-15 lb pressure, suggesting that this is the appropriate harvest maturity for subsequent storage.

Treatment with SmartFresh

slows softening and ripening of early harvested Sundown, but has little effect on those harvested late. In riper pears harvested around 10 lb, SmartFresh has no significant effect on the incidence of storage disorders. Slight incidence of internal cavities in the flesh has been observed in some SmartFresh-treated fruit.

HW620 tends to ripen threeplus weeks after Bartlett. This selection needs more grower handling and experience to determine the proper maturity index. The fruit typically begins to soften earlier in the season, compared to Bartlett, but tends to remain at 12-14 lb for a long period of time, up until harvest. HW620 seems to ripen within a few days after Harovin Sundown. As these large fruit mature, they can loosen from the spur and drop prematurely. The colour tends to remain a “deep” green as it matures while maintaining the same firm pressure. Soluble solids are slow to rise as the fruit matures and the harvest date nears.

HW620 is typically very uni-

form at harvest, with little ethylene production and starch content, and a deep green skin colour. When harvested at 12-14 lb, it tends to stay firm during storage for about four months.

HW620 appears to be susceptible to scald, core breakdown and internal browning.

SmartFresh treatment prevents softening in HW620 and the skin colour changes to yellow during storage at 0.5°C for four months plus seven days at 21°C. However, SmartFresh-treated pears usually begin to soften and turn yellow after 14 days at room temperature. Treated HW620 often have no scald or internal browning, whereas the non-treated pears have significant amounts. SmartFresh can also reduce the incidence of friction marking.

Remember, rapid cooling of pears is the most important step to ensure good fruit quality!

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PAGE 16 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

FOCUS: STORAGE

Use of high CO2 levels to store highbush blueberry fruit RANDOLPH BEAUDRY DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MI 48824, USA NIHAD ALSMAIRAT DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND CROP SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF JORDAN, AMMAN 11942, JORDAN

The use of high CO2 levels to reduce the decay of blueberry fruit can be traced back to the 1920s, when it was realized that levels of CO2 of 10% or more were effective at suppressing the growth of fungal decay organisms. Early applications of high CO2 date to the 1930s and included the use of dry ice for the shipment of berry fruit in trains traversing the North American continent. One of the problems associated with CO2 use on blueberries is that it is known to cause softening and even result in browning of the fruit tissues. We believed that, like most plant responses, there would be significant variation in the degree of browning and softening between different cultivars. In that several new cultivars have recently been released from blueberry breeding programs, we set out to test our

theory and get an idea how much improvement there might be in storability if cultivar selection could be optimized for storage and shipping.

Current applications of CO2 for blueberry fruit include controlled atmosphere (CA) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The distinction between the two is that CA is monitored and maintained by machinery, whereas MAP is maintained by matching the rate of CO2 production by the fruit via respiration and the permeability of the package to CO2. MAP typically involves an initial atmosphere modification at the time of packaging. CA is applied in stationary rooms and in containers used in sea shipments. MAP is applied in pallet-sized packages in which a portion of the atmosphere is removed and then replaced with CO2. The latter technique has been found to be useful for holding fruit at or near the site of production and for cross-country and trans-oceanic shipments.

One of the peculiar features of CA (and MAP when the CO2 exchange is via perforations in the package) is that the sum of O2 and CO2 will equal approximately 21% if O2 is not directly controlled. That is, if air, rather than nitrogen is the source of O2.

In CA, after an initial addition of

CO2 to achieve a target level (e.g., 12% to 15%), the fruit in the environment continues to produce CO2 and deplete O2 until flushing is required to remove excess CO2. Flushing (with air) displaces CO2 and O2 - so O2 is removed by both respiration and by flushing. This process is repeated each time CO2 gets too high, maintaining a relatively constant CO2 level, but eroding the O2 partial pressure until the two gasses sum to 21%. In MAP,

the diffusion of O2 and CO2 molecules through package perforations is roughly equal, so as the CO2 escapes, the O2 enters at roughly the same rate. The result is that for both systems, the concentration of CO2 targeted directly affects the O2 level. If the CO2 level is 12%, the O2 level will tend toward 9%.

Using the fixed relationship between O2 and CO2, we constrained them to sum to 21% using the following combinations: 19/2; 18/3; 16.5/4.5; 15/6; 13.5/7.5; 12/9; 6/15; and 0/21 for CO2/O2, respectively, in per cent.

We evaluated nine highbush blueberry cultivars (hand-harvested at the full-blue stage from the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center near Benton Harbor, Mich.). Cultivars evaluated were Duke, Toro, Brigitta, Ozarkblue, Nelson, Liberty, Elliott, Legacy and Jersey. Fruit were held at 0 °C for eight weeks to simulate an unusually long ocean shipment and storage regimen.

We found that cultivar affected the response to CO2. Fruit from most of the cultivars softened in response to an increasing propor-

tion of CO2 while others were relatively unaffected or experienced a slight increase in firmness (Fig. 1). There was extensive browning after the long storage period, but some cultivars were significantly more affected than others (Fig. 2). As with firmness, CO2 was more damaging to some cultivars than others, in some cases doubling the extent of browning relative to air-stored fruit. It appeared that a concentration of CO2 near 12% was generally acceptable for all cultivars, but higher concentrations would be beneficial for some.

CO2 suppressed decay for all varieties as expected, but the effect of cultivar was much greater. Liberty and Legacy had the lowest decay rates (approximately 2% to 3%) under CA, and Elliot and Jersey had the greatest decay rates (approximately 15%).

Under conditions of 12% CO2 and 9% O2, we found that ‘Liberty’ and ‘Toro’ stored extremely well, ‘Duke’, ‘Brigitta’, and ‘Legacy’ stored well, ‘Elliott’ stored moderately well, and ‘Ozarkblue’, ‘Nelson’ and ‘Jersey’ stored poorly.

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 17 THE GROWER

PAGE 18 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

FOCUS: STORAGE

New recyclable, water-based coatings bring benefits to growers JERRY SCOTT MILLS While no silver bullet exists that can totally replace wax, advances in water-based emulsion coatings are delivering new moisture barrier solutions with eco-friendly recyclability. That news piques interest in coated containers in the wake of marketing initiatives from the plastic crate industry.

David Andrews, executive director of Paper Packaging Canada, is positive about developments in water-based coating products and processes. From an environmental aspect, the entire marketing chain increasingly prefers packaging that offers recyclability or repulpability.

Because used wax-coated containers are neither recyclable nor repulpable, their disposal adds to the landfill burden, with dumping charges borne by the retailer.

In a seminar for Paper Packaging Canada members and Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) affiliates, several speakers described how wax-replacement technologies are reducing wax contamination at recycling mills.

Serge Desgagnes, Kruger Paper product specialist, says that in the immediate future, containers coated with water-based emulsions will be clearly identified as “old container board” (OCC) that

is repulpable and recyclable into high-quality fibre suitable for new paper and its conversion into corrugated board.

He introduced the Recyclable Non-Wax Coating Symbol, an important cost-reduction signal to retailers who will no longer have to pay waxed-box disposal charges for containers carrying the new logo.

Tony Kadai, independent packaging consultant, presented examples of new water-based coatings that can actually outperform traditional wax-based alternatives. He emphasized the flexibility and complexity of water-based coatings that can

deliver moisture-barrier protection with transportation and marketing advantages, as well as ultimate recyclability.

In his seminar wrap-up, Tony Kadai presented specific examples of performance-proven con-

tainers using recyclable waxreplacement coatings in a variety of grower applications. Market segments included floral, greenhouse and fresh produce, with additional new applications under continuing development.

Displaying an emulsion-coated shipper with the recyclable symbol imprinted, David Andrews added, “It will be every member's task to convey this capability to our customers and promote use of the symbol where appropriate.”

He noted that applying the logo correctly and monitoring its use

will entail a “working partnership” between client and supplier.

Working in tandem with growers requiring moisture-impermeable containers, suppliers will evaluate new options using wax-replacement coatings. Where a solution proves suitable, a recyclable non-wax coating symbol will be printed on the boxes or trays. The result: proper identification and sorting of the used board with cost-savings for retailers, and problem-free recycling at the mill level.

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AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 19 THE GROWER

FROST PROTECTION CAN FAIL For most of the fruit growers of Canada and the U.S. 2012 will be remembered as a black year in agriculture history.

For me as a researcher of frost protection systems it has been a few very interesting and disturbing months.

If a designer and manufacturer of the following systems, described below, truly talk and write about his lifework, it means also that he can honestly write about his successes and failures. This article tells therefore both aspects.

The following systems are the only one that have proved they can protect orchards against frost in normal conditions. The reason why all systems failed this year at the end of April was not only because we had extreme low temperatures. Some systems just failed because of the extreme low air humidity..

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. The best results we achieved during the last 50 years have been made by sprinkler systems. A well installed overhead sprinkler system can protect you down-6°C (21°F) The limitations at lower temperatures such as -8°C or 10°C (18°F - 15°F) is not in the fact that you can’t have enough energy insertion in the flower. You just need to spray more water. But by doing this the tree can’t stand the weight of the ice anymore and branches begin to break.

In addition, 90% of the plots to be protected do not have enough water. The list with other disadvantages increased over the years, disadvantages such as the leaching of the soil, diseases and poor fruit set. Even so, I still believe it is nevertheless one of the most reliable systems.

WIND MACHINES. The Wind machines we manufacture and sell are in 10 to 15% of frost nights ineffective because there is insufficient inversion. In addition, they can never protect a lower temperature than -5C (23°F) in flowering stage. Now take into consideration that -5°C (23° F) is a common temperature during the spring, and I am sure you realize where this can be a problem. In theory, every manufacturer of wind machines assumes that protection can be reliable down to 3°C (26.6° F). To increase performance and reduce the risk when there is a poor inversion, we generally advise our clients to install additional heaters in the orchard or extra sprinklers that spray water under the trees. But these solutions are expensive and does not have much effect due to the turbulence of the air created by the wind machine.

The heat created is spread over the orchard up to 60 ft high, which makes this solution highly inefficient.

THE FROSTBUSTER. Looking to improve the level of protection available to growers, we designed the first Frostbuster in 2001.

This is a machine that over the years has been adjusted and improved but most importantly, how and where to use the machine is adaptable to your orchard size and shape, and its use is also adaptable to current weather conditions.

The Frostbuster is a tractor driven machine. Although usually most frosts periods last around 4 or 5 hours, and

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that mostly in the morning, it can happen that growers are forced to drive throughout an entire night through their orchard when there is an early frost. An additional drawback: we have a customer with 12 Frostbusters, but this also means needing 12 tractors and 12 drivers for the system to work.

they were not effective because there was too little inversion. In addition, the wind speed was too high for several hours on the second night. Even with extra heating or under irrigation it was impossible to fight this frost. And again at such a low humidity it is impossible to store energy in the air of your plantation.

Even taking this into consideration, the protection rate is very good and it is absolute the least expensive protection you can buy. The investment is approximately 1,200 $ / acre.

The FrostBuster and the FrostGuard have failed because the humidity was too low. It’s just bad luck that we didn’t sold any FrostGuards in combination with under sprinklers in Canada. But to be honest the need was not present. We checked the weather results before and such a low air humidity never appears during spring.

THE FROST GUARD. The FrostGuard’s design has evolved over the last 7 years.

It is a stationary machine that soon can be equipped with an auto start system. It is one of the easiest systems to use, it is designed to reduce noise (which is becoming a more prominent and interesting feature for neighbours in fruit growing areas), and has a very low maintenance cost.

One FrostGuard can protect up to 2.5 acres. Due to a doubling effect of the outer areas of protection, if you have more machines in one orchard the effective area can be up to 3 acres. This is a machine which I am convinced is very close to state of 'perfection' for frost protection. And to be honest beside a few exceptions we have especially in recent years excellent results even with frost to -9°C (15.8°F).. These results made by the PCF research center in Belgium you can see on the website ; www.afcotec.com or www.pcfruit.be In countries where there is a high risk to have a frost with a low air humidity, we generally advise our clients to install additional sprinklers that spray water under the trees. The combination from these two systems is an expensive investment but the results are magnificent.

PRINCIPLE The Frostbuster, as well as the FrostGuard, blow out a hot stream of air, and depending on the conditions the warm airstream travels a distance 150 to 210 ft. It’s based on the idea that to avoid frost damage, we need to insert energy into the flowers, and to do so we use beside energy (heat) water molecules , or condensation. The higher the air humidity, the better and faster the input of this energy into the flowers can happen. Let’s be clear that the Frostbuster and the FrostGuard can only be used to protect flowers which later develop into a fruit. This solution therefore is not effective to protect vegetables or nurseries.

Protection from small fruits just after flowering is limit to a -3.5°C (26°F) CONCLUSIONS (after the frost at the end of April) Sprinkler systems have failed because the amount of water could never be sufficient enough to compensate for the evaporation which occurs at such a low humidity.

Our Wind machines didn’t do their job in part because the temperatures went down below -5°C (23°F). But mainly

Sprinkler systems

Wind Machines If there is inversion

Just to make sure you understand the information bellow correct, a small overview Over head irrigation / Sprinkler systems with a capacity of 12,000 liters of water / h / acre (3170 gallons) can protect down to -6°C (21°F), under normal humidity conditions. Systems with lower water use have all failed with temperatures bellow -5°C (23°F), especially when there is wind.

Wind machines can protect an area of 12.5 acres down to a absolute maximum of -5°C (23°F). But again all is depending on having a good inversion layer.

If somebody else claims that wind machines work with such a low temperature on a bigger area, he is either unaware of extensive research results, or downright lying.

In combination with an under sprinkler system it may, in exceptional cases, protect down to -6°C (21°F). We discovered that installing under sprinkler systems get better result than putting extra heaters in the orchard. But to know which of the systems fit best into your orchard, you need professional advice The FrostGuard GC20 during normal weather conditions, may provide protection down to -5.5°C (22°F). Under normal circumstances this means that there is a relative humidity of 75% to 100% during the overnight period. If you do some research (I have), you will notice that especially during a negative temperature, the air humidity is normally above these values. Once we reach a humidity of more than 94% we can handle lower temperatures but the area that is protected will be reduced. In combination with an under sprinkler system you can be sure that a FrostGuard will protect always down to -6°C. Even to a -9°C but the protected area will be reduced to 60%.

After years of experience and especially during my recent intensive research on the weather conditions of the last 25 years, I now have the knowledge to determine what type of protection best suits your area and your orchard. And if it is necessary I can recommended to look for additional investments to add to the basic systems, and increase the amount of conditions at which your system will be effective to protect your crop.

FrostGuard

Frostbuster

Fire pots

Results with radiation frost

Max protection

Max protection

Max. protection

Max protection

Max protection

In flowering stage / humidity <85%

-6°C / 21°F

-3°C / 26.6°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-4°C / 24.8°F

In flowering stage / humidity >85%

-6°C / 21°F

-5°C / 23°F

-5.5°C / 22.1°F

-5.5°C / 22.1°F

-6°C / 21.2°F

Just after flowering / fruits <85%

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-2°C / 28.4°F

-2°C / 28.4°F

-2°C / 28.4°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

Just after flowering / fruits >85%

-5°C / 23°F

-3°C / 26.6°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-6°C / 21.2°F

In flowering stage / humidity <85%

-5°C / 23°F

No result

No result

No result

-3°C / 26.6°F

In flowering stage / humidity >85%

-5°C / 23°F

No result

-4.5°C / 23.9°F

-4.5°C / 23.9°F

-6°C / 21.2°F

Just after flowering / fruits <85%

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

No result

No result

No result

-2°C / 28.4°F

Just after flowering / fruits >85%

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

No result

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-3.5°C / 25.7°F

-5°C / 23°F

Winter frost

No

Efficient

Efficient

No

No

Results with wind frost

BASIC A few simple preventive measures you can take to reduce the temperature drop during the night : •Make sure you have a clean black strip under the trees • Cut the grass as short as possible. Just by doing this you create a difference of approximately 2.9°C (5.2°F) in an orchard.

MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.AFCOTEC.COM EMAIL: MARC@AFCOTEC.COM OR CALL BOB MC INTYRE AT 250 809 1957

PAGE 20 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER biofumigant activity. Work is being done globally to screen species/varieties for their biofumigant potential.

In Ontario, the following works best: Mustards- Cutlass Mustard Sudans/Sorghums - Sordan 79, Trudan 8 Pearl Millet – CFPM 101 Marigold – Crackerjack, Creole Oilseed radish – Adagio, Colonel

Biofumigation MARGARET APPLEBY, IPM SPECIALIST, OMAFRA, BRIGHTON Biofumigation is defined as suppression of soil-borne pests and pathogens by the use of plants that contain inhibitory chemicals. The plants can be harvested as rotation crops or ploughed back into the soil as green manure. The fumigant properties of these crops, while known for a long time, have recently had a closer look due to the phase-out of methyl bromide and other fumigants under the international Montreal Protocol.

Advances in biopesticides with fumigant properties and application technology make this an economical possibility for commercial agriculture.

The Right Time

Plants in the mustard family, such as mustards, oil seed radish and rapeseed and Sorghum species such as sudangrass and related species such as Pearl Millet have shown the potential to serve as biofumigants.

How do they work?

Plants from the mustard family produce chemicals called glucosinates in the plant tissue. The glucosinates contained in the roots and foliage are released when they are cut or chopped, then are further broken down by the enzyme myrosinase to form isothiocyanates that behave like fumigants. These are the same chemicals that are released from metam-sodium( Vapam) commonly used as a chemical fumigant. Sorghums produce a

cyanogenic glucoside compound called dhurrin that breaks down to release toxic cyanide when the plant tissue is damaged.

Mustard, oil seed radish crops and sorghums have been shown in Ontario to have good activity against soil-borne nematodes that damage horticultural crops. Work is ongoing to assess the effect these crops have on disease complexes associated with tomato vine decline and apple replant disease.

When using biofumigation, a plan is key to get the best return on your investment. You need to implement the 3 R plan: the right seed, right time and the right way.

The Right Seed Some mustards and sorghums are better than others for their

For mustards it is possible to have two crops per season. You can plant in late April to early May and then again in mid-late August in a firm seedbed using a seed drill and pack after planting.

For pearl millet it is critical to get a good stand with no weeds.

The Right Way Since most mustard and oilseed radish varieties are alternate hosts for some nematodes, the key to using them is mowing to release the fumigant-like compounds. Be prepared to mow before the plants go to seed.

Chopping and mangling is really what is needed to release the fumigant-like chemicals held within the plant tissues. Good chopping is critical for incorpora-

tion.

Incorporate the chopped plant material as soon as possible after mowing, i.e. within an hour or two at most. Two tractors in the field work best.

After cover crop chopping and incorporation, the soil may need rolling or a light packing to seal the surface and help to hold the biofumigation action. If soil conditions are dry, you may need to irrigate to seal in the fumigant.

Basically, if you can smell rotting cabbage, you are losing some of the effective materials.

For pearl millet, be prepared to mow two to three times. Mow millet when it reaches one to 1.5 metres, leaving at least 15 cm of millet stubble to ensure regrowth.

Mowing will help to encourage deeper rooting and will also keep the millet actively growing. Pearl millet will grow to more than two metres if allowed. The residue can become quite resistant to breakdown if allowed to grow to that height. Frost in the fall will kill the millet if you have not already worked the cover crop under.

Don’t forget to soil sample for nematodes and soil pathogens before using biofumigation and repeat several weeks after incorporation–you need to measure to manage!

You suspect herbicide drift - now what? applicators’.

• Collect weather records (temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall) for the date of application.

• Take photos (many). Record date and location on each photo. Repeat photos several times through the season.

• Document yield loss from the damaged area and an undamaged area. Choose a similar planting (same age, cultivar, rootstock, etc.). For perennial crops (e.g. vineyards, orchards, asparagus, berries) document the effects for several years after the damage occurred.

KRISTEN CALLOW, WEED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM LEAD (HORTICULTURE) OMAFRA, HARROW. Crop injury caused by herbicide drift is guaranteed to cause misery and confrontation, not to mention insurance claims and legal charges. No one wins when herbicides drift - the applicator loses two ways: his herbicide misses the target, giving poor weed control, plus he is liable for damage; the "receiving" grower loses yield, crop health, perhaps timely markets plus his time. Sometimes our environment loses, and in general, agriculture loses in the public eye.

5% Roundup drift on tomato leaves Diagnose the problem: • Is it really drift? Eliminate other possible causes, such as: disease, insect, nutrient deficiency, herbicide carryover, environmental stress - may be similar to herbicide drift, etc.

• Are there patterns in the field? Is the damage worse next to the spray source, with less damage occurring across the field? Is the damage patchy? If it is, you need to check your soil pH. If your pH is considered high or low, test for herbicide carryover.

• Is there evidence of a spray application?

Look for wheel tracks, weed symptoms, boom patterns and overlap on the headlands. Look for spray evidence in neighbouring fields, lawns, ditches, etc.

Contact the appropriate people: • Talk to your neighbour or sprayer operator. Ask what was sprayed, when it was applied and who did the application.

• Contact your regional Ministry of the

Roundup drift on tomato field Environment office (1-800-265-7672 Southwestern Region) - MOE officers can do a site visit, take samples of tissue and soil, and have them analyzed for the suspect herbicides. Where appropriate, the offending applicator may face charges under the Pesticide Act.

• Contact your insurance adjuster, and advise the applicator to contact theirs.

Document all details of the problem: • Collect spray records (yours - to prove it wasn't your sprays) and the offending

Every herbicide applicator needs to take all possible steps to avoid herbicide drift. So what should an applicator do?

• Work with the weather. Avoid spraying when the weather is against you, e.g. when winds are above 11 km/hr or dead calm, when temperatures are above 30ºC, and/or when relative humidity (RH) is above 80 per cent.

• Identify vulnerable crops near your fields.

Choose a spray day when winds are blowing away from these sites.

• Make your spray less prone to drift.

Choose herbicides with a low risk of volatility. Avoid products such as 2,4-D or dicamba near susceptible crops or greenhouses. Choose higher water volumes and lower pressures for larger droplets. Use the newest anti-drift nozzles. There are many air-injection (AI) nozzles that will greatly reduce risk.

• Work with your neighbours. Let them know your intentions. Maybe you can both make some buffer areas between vulnerable crops. Greenhouse growers need to be notified to close vents during early morning spray times to avoid any possibility of drift.

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 21 THE GROWER

VEGETABLE FOCUS

Evaluation of easy-to-use pocket diagnostics test kit for confirming plant diseases MICHAEL CELETTI OMAFRA PLANT PATHOLOGIST, HORTICULTURE CROPS PROGRAM LEAD, GUELPH Quick, accurate diagnosis of plant pathogens allows growers to implement management practices at an earlier stage of the disease and choose appropriate management practices and crop protection products. However, disease identification can be difficult and requires knowledge, skill and experience.

causal agents in the field. Each kit contains disposable pipettes, vials of buffer extract solution with small ball bearings to macerate tissue; and lateral flow devices with a membrane partially coated with antibodies specific to a particular organism.

To use the kits, a piece of infected plant tissue is placed into a vial containing buffer and small ball bearings that is shaken for 90 seconds to macerate the infected tissue prior to dispensing three to four drops of the buffer solution containing the macerated diseased plant tissue onto the

Figure 1. Safeguard Biosystems Phytophthora Screening Test kit includes (a) pipette, (b) vial containing buffer extract solution and ball bearings and (c) a foil pouch containing the lateral flow device.

If samples from a diseased plant need to be sent to a lab for identification or confirmation, the disease in the field may become more severe and widespread before results are received and appropriate action taken. Technology such as EnzymeLinked ImmunoSorbent Assays (ELISA) has been developed and employed over the past 20-30 years for rapid pathogen identification and confirmation. There are several test kits now on the market for quick identification and confirmation of certain pathogens.

One of the easiest test kits to use is the lateral flow test kit such as the one developed by Safeguard Biosystems (Figure 1).

These “easy-to-use” lateral flow ELISA tests have recently been developed for identifying or confirming specific disease

well of a lateral flow device. The lateral flow device is then allowed to incubate for five minutes before determining if the device detects the pathogen. Tests are considered valid if a blue line develops under the “C” for control (right portion of the device window) on the lateral flow device regardless of whether or not a blue line developed under the test “T” (Figure 2 a).

A test is determined to be valid and positive for the pathogen only when a blue line developed under both the “T” and “C” on the lateral flow device (Figure 2 b, c d). However, the line that develops under the “T” can sometimes be weak, medium or strong depending upon

Asparagus disease management and spray coverage workshop ELAINE RODDY, VEGETABLE CROPS SPECIALIST AND JASON DEVEAU, APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST Growers spend a lot of time, money and effort to apply pesticides, but are they getting the coverage they need?

Sprayer travel speed, pressure, spray volume, nozzle type and spray distribution over the boom are all under the control of the spray operator. When these parameters are not adjusted to match the crop staging, environmental conditions and the nature of the pest, spray applications can be

compromised. That can result in wasted product (such as drift or run-off), poor spray coverage and poor pest control.

Come to the Disease Management and Spray Coverage Workshop on August 9th, 2012.

Learn what good coverage looks like and explore simple methods to improve your spray application.

Date: August 9th, 2012 Time: 8:30 am Location: Sandy Shore Farms, Houghton Centre Cost: free, lunch included Register before August 3rd, by calling the OMAFRA Agricultural Contact Centre at 1877-424-1300

the test.

In 2010, several kits developed for the detection of five different pathogens were evaluated using pure cultures of the pathogens growing on artificial medium in the laboratory as well as infected plant tissue. All test kits reacted positively when tested with the cultures of the pathogen they were designed to detect.

Unfortunately the Pythium Pocket Diagnostic Test Kit also cross-reacted with cultures of a Phytophthora spp. and the grey mould pathogen Botrytis cinerea. The Botrytis Pocket Diagnostic Test Kit crossreacted with cultures of the white mold fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. However, the Botrytis Pocket Diagnostic Test Kit successfully detected Botrytis grey mould in infected geranium leaves. The Rhizoctonia Pocket Diagnostic Test Kit reacted very weakly with cultures of Rhizoctonia spp. and only after several hours after the device was allowed to incubate. Cross-reactions, delayed or weak reactions with these test kits could lead to the misdiagnosis of pathogens and diseases in the field and the recommendation of the wrong management practices or application of the wrong crop protection products to control the diseases they cause.

The only test kit that appeared to work specifically, consistently and provided a clear strong reaction was the Phytophthora Pocket Diagnostic Test Kit. It also performed well in diagnosing late blight caused by P. infestans on infected tomato leaf and fruit tissue in the field in both 2009 and 2010. Although woody tomato stem tissue with symptoms of late blight gave a weak reaction when placed in the vial containing buffer and the small ball bearings, the same test reacted better when the woody infected stem tissue was macerated more effectively with sandpaper or a

Figure 2. Valid positive tests develop a blue line under the “T” and “C” of the lateral flow device. The blue line under the “T” develops (a) no reaction and therefore negative or (b) weak, (c) medium or (d) strong reaction and therefore positive. mesh bag prior to placing into the vial.

Since root rots of many woody ornamental plants and fruit trees can be caused by various Phytophthora spp., improved techniques to macerate the woody tissue would help improve this test. Regardless, this particular Pocket Diagnostic Test could be a valuable tool for potato, tomato and fruit growers who encounter diseases caused by Phytophthora from time to time.

PAGE 22 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

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AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 25 THE GROWER

MINOR USE

Malathion formulations receive emergency use labels Two formulations of Malathion insecticide have received emergency use label registrations in support of control of Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) on sweet cherries, stone fruit and berries. The two formulations are Malathion 85E for use on stone fruit and berries and Malathion 25W, for use on sweet cherries. The labels are in effect until November 30, 2012. Provinces covered under the recently approved labels include British Columbia and Ontario, for both Malathion 85E and Malathion 25W, as well as Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for Malathion 85E. Malathion is a Group 1B insecticide that has been registered for use in different capacities in Canada since 1953.

Under the terms of the label, Malathion 85E may be used on a broad range of stone fruits including apricots, sweet and sour cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, prune plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blackberries and grapes. It should be applied using conventional ground application equipment at rates that vary between 610-1000 ml per 1000 L of water depending on the crop. Timing of applications, up to a

Spotted Wing Drosophila damage maximum of two, should be based on the presence of adult flies. The interval between applications is seven -14 days.

Malathion 25W, the wettable powder formulation, is approved for use on sweet cherries. It should be applied

using conventional ground application equipment at a rate of 2.5-3.75 kg per 1000 L of water. Timing of applications, up to a maximum of three, should be based on the presence of adult flies. The interval between applications is seven -14 days.

Janet Porchak, national marketing manager with UAP Canada Inc., distributor of Malathion 25W and Malathion 85E insecticide in Canada, says the Spotted Wing Drosophila is native to southeast Asia and prefers relatively warm temperatures (i.e. in the 20o to 30o C range).

“Unlike other fruit flies which tend to focus on overripe or decaying fruit, the female Spotted Wing Drosophila regularly lays eggs inside mature fruit prior to harvest,” Porchak says. “For best results the product should be applied when the temperature is 20o C or higher.”

Porchak also notes that Malathion insecticide should be used as part of an Integrated Pest Management program and in rotation with other insect management products as part of an effective resistance management strategy.

Source: UAP News Release

Pythium diseases of carrot added to Reason 500SC label JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR, GUELPH The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Reason 500SC fungicide (fenamidone) for control of damping-off and cavity spot caused by Pythium spp. on carrots in Canada.

Reason 500 SC fungicide was already labeled in Canada for control of leaf blights of potato and downy mildew of cucurbit vegetables as well as for suppression of downy mildew on bulb vegetables and Brassica vegetables.

The minor use submission for carrots was jointly sponsored by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFCPMC) and U. S. IR-4 program in 2003 as a result of minor use priorities established by producers in Canada and the U.S. This minor use label expansion for Reason 500SC fungicide helps to address a significant disease problem for

carrot producers across North America. The following is provided as an abbreviated, general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Reason 500 SC fungicide.

For damping-off and cavity spot caused by Pythium spp. apply 600 mL Reason per hectare in a spray volume of 300 – 750 L per ha.

Make the first application within seven days after planting. A repeat application can be made at a seven day interval. A maximum of two applications per season is permitted, however producers should not apply more than one application of Reason 500SC or other Group 11 fungicides without rotating to other fungicide groups. The pre-harvest interval for Reason fungicide on carrots is 14 days.

Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Reason 500SC label carefully.

Reason 500SC fungicide should be used in an integrated pest management program and in rotation with other management strategies.

For copies of the new supplemental label contact Marion

Paibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph 519-826-4963, Jim Chaput,

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Hops insect control The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Acramite 50WS miticide (bifenazate) for control of 2-spotted spider mite (TSSM) on hops in Canada. Acramite 50WS was already labeled for management of mites on apples, stone fruit, caneberries, tree nuts, cucurbit vegetables and grapes in Canada.

This minor use submission was sponsored by the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture in 2011 in response to minor use priorities identified by hop producers and extension personnel.

Access to new spider mite management tools is a high priority for hop producers and the label expansion of Acramite 50WS will provide producers with an effective mite manage-

ment and resistance management tool.

Acramite 50WS miticide can be applied at a rate of 851 grams product per ha (15 pouches per four ha) for TSSM in a minimum spray volume of 1,000 L per ha as soon as mites appear. A maximum of one application per season is permitted. The pre-harvest interval for hops is 14 days.

Acramite 50WS miticide should be used in an integrated pest management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Acramite 50WS label.

For copies of the new minor use label contact Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA, Simcoe (519) 4264434 or visit www.bartlett.ca , www.growercentral.com and/or www.chemturaagrosolutions.com

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PAGE 26 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

MINOR USE CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Figures don’t lie – ‘liars’ use (or abuse! figures)

CRAIG HUNTER OFVGA Statistics is a deadly subject, especially when being taught by a myopic, self-absorbed, and completely oblivious professor. Such was my lot ‘away back then.’ We did learn it though, since to fail meant to repeat it!

To spur our interest, we had some analogies made to casino betting and odds of winning.

Using statistical probability, we found we couldn’t win in the long term when betting against the house (which always has the edge). Likewise, when the stats showed a strong relationship, we could understand ‘likelihood’ of association between events.

Equally strongly, when the stats showed no such likelihood, we could understand that there was not likely such a correlation.

Above all else, when the relationship did not appear to be statistically valid, there was no middle ground for ‘sort of related’ or ‘comes close to.’ That was the suckers’ route to disaster!

There must have been a parallel course in another branch of stats intended for those whose only interest was to mis-use, abuse, and railroad statistics for nefarious purposes. It was probably a required course for journalism students who went on to write for scandal sheets, and other assorted yellow journalism media.

It was also likely required background for some current members of the less savory groups out there who seek to unbalance the status quo, promote slanted viewpoints, and to heap coals of discontent and pour on the gasoline to keep unproveable positions alive and burning brightly.

I was recently sent a link to a

website of an NGO, (Ontario College of Family Physicians) which has published a second paper of reviews of others’ papers on effects of ‘pesticides.’ The group did an extensive review of modern (post 2003) papers which report on pesticide effects, mainly on neo-nates, babies, and young children. While not exhaustive due to limitations in scope (such as only articles published in English being used) it did find a large number of studies to examine. There were even more studies disqualified and rejected from the study, and I cannot determine if they were “pro” or “anti” pesticides in nature and the exact reason for each study to be rejected.

Cherry-picking to meet an unstated objective?

The reviewers used a ‘model’ to help in their analysis- one that had been further modified from the original, so it is difficult to know how valid the revised approach is compared to the original. Nonetheless, much analysis was done.

It was in the reporting of their analyses that I felt my ‘angst’ begin to rise.

In my version of statistics, it is possible to determine within a given level of certainty (EG 95% or 99%) that action A led to result B, or that condition A is independent of activity B. We were taught that it either is, or is not “statistically significant.” The whole purpose of statistics is to help discern the validity of results when seeking cause and effect. It is the ‘proofing’ of scientific exploration.

The English language lends itself to nuance. There are often a dozen or more subtleties to express a single item. (A good thing for poets, but not so precise for scientists.) This would include such niceties included in their analysis such as: “Appears that there is an association,” “less than consistent findings,” “is linked to,” “it is possible that associations were not found due to the small sample size in most of the studies” and many such other statements. For me, the precise measure of ‘statistically significant,’ or not, provides no room for nuance, at least where I come

from!

This paper used many such phrases. I did NOT see many definitive statements such as: the presence of pesticide X likely led to condition Y with a 95 per cent level of confidence, in a defined part of the population. It did not even try to select a specific pesticide active ingredient in almost every reported “causal relationship” but rather, used the term ‘pesticide’ or referred to groups such as organo-phosphates, organo-chlorines, or synthetic pyrethroids. (That is akin to saying that all motor vehicles get poor gas mileage, since Chevrolets get poor fuel mileage

place)? Would it not be scientifically and morally correct to refrain from innuendo in the summaries, the body of the paper, and in the conclusions?

I am quite sure that a great many hours of precious scientific expertise will now be required to re-review both this ‘paper’ and all the ones it purports to represent.

(Both by publicly funded scientists, and those of private companies whose products may be involved.) Time better spent on developing and reviewing new products and new active ingredients that should not be sidetracked! In fact, some ‘conspiracy-theorists’ of my acquaintance

and then attributing it to all vehicles. It may have been based on an original study of certain GMC 70-ton trucks hauling coal in the Andes at high altitudes, but it gets reported somewhat differently!) It becomes so easy to condemn, vilify, and black-list pesticides when doing a study and reporting in such a way, yet also equally difficult to go back and clean up misconceptions thus created.

Would it not behoove the writers to simply list each individual pesticide active ingredient (since they all get registered on individual data, so too should their condemnation follow the same path) and then list each study that individually and with statistical significance shows any and each impairment attributable to each and any part of the population?

Would it not be fair that ONLY statistically significant studies be included (Since these are what are required to register in the first

may suggest it is the very purpose of such a paper--use up the resources of ‘the system’ in meaningless and useless activity.

It is enough that I went through it! A company who felt that their product or products were being unfairly maligned could sue for defamation if it had been centered out--maybe that is why things were grouped together? (They may also decide to ignore this entirely, but leave the court of public opinion to decide. It is a lose-lose situation.)

The other scary thought is -who paid these reviewers to do the work? Based on the pedigrees and institutions they work for, it looks like we the public did!

They are all from publicly funded institutions! Maybe even more importantly, who pushed to spend the time and resources to do a second review, after the first effort a few years ago was so clearly debunked in review by

competent authorities around the world?

My final thoughts on this come as a result of their quite generic recommendations. It has long been suggested that pregnant or child-bearing age females should avoid smoking and excessive alcohol due to possible side effects. To add avoidance of needless pesticide use in and around the home or workplace to that ‘list to avoid’ makes perfect sense, as does avoidance of ANY other needless chemical exposure be it from industrial, commercial, or domestic sources. Likewise, all medications should be avoided except those specifically prescribed. Excess dietary intake is also known to increase risks at this time, but there are warnings about that too! None of that is rocket science. What is difficult to accept is the cherry-picking nature of this paper on children’s ailments and narrowing the focus only to pesticides, and then, when not finding statistically significant ‘proof,’ going ahead anyway based on inherent bias.

Any of their recommendations could have been made and likely accepted, in terms of generic unnecessary exposure, without any of the analysis! It is the agenda, the implication, the improper staging and the abuse of science that makes me question their motives. With all the years of study represented by the pedigrees of the writers of the paper, surely it could be used better, such as a study on all the un-studied and unregulated products in commerce, in our homes and workplaces, rather than on the group that is the most highly studied, highly regulated, and about which the most is already known? It may have been the easiest path for them, but is it the best use of their knowledge?

There were references included in the paper from studies already discounted by reputable bodies.

There was also a reference to a insecticide they claim is ‘banned’ but that is in fact still registered in Canada and in use. If I caught such simple ‘errors of fact’ slipping through, imagine what may be found by others!

What are the odds?

AUGUST 2012 –– PAGE 27 THE GROWER

MINOR USE

Agri-mek insecticide registered for control of onion thrips JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR, GUELPH The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use registration for Agri-mek (abamectin) insecticide/miticide for control of onion thrips on the bulb onion subgroup, crop group 3-07A. The bulb onion crop subgroup includes dry bulb onions, garlic, shallots, pearl onions, fritillaria and other specialty bulb vegetables. The active ingredient abamectin was already labeled in Canada for control of mites and other insects on pome fruit, strawberries, caneberries, grapes, greenhouse ornamentals, green-

Assail 70 WP insecticide registered The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Assail 70 WP insecticide (acetamiprid) for control of aphids on succulent shelled peas and beans, crop subgroup 6B in Canada. Assail 70 WP (acetamiprid) was already labeled for management of a variety of insect pests on a range of crops in Canada.

The following is provided as a general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Assail 70 WP insecticide.

For control of aphids on succulent peas and beans, apply 56 86 g per hectare of Assail in a minimum finished spray volume of 200 L water per ha. Begin applications when insect populations reach economic threshold levels and apply at seven day intervals. Do not use more than three applications per season and do not apply less than seven days before harvest of succulent peas and beans.

Assail insecticide should be used in an integrated pest management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Assail insecticide label.

For copies of the new supplemental label contact Elaine Roddy, OMAFRA, Ridgetown (519) 674-1616, Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 8263539 or visit the DuPont Canada website at http://www2.dupont.com/Prod_A griculture/en-ca/content/cropprotection.html

Onion thrips house peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Onion thrips are one of the most common, damaging pests of

bulb vegetables in North America and have been the subject of several emergency use registrations.

Furthermore, thrips are very sus-

ceptible to the development of resistance to pest control products and all available, effective and safe materials need to be available to producers.

This minor use label expansion project was initiated in 2010 by the minor use office of OMAFRA in response to minor use priorities identified by producers. The following is provided as an abbreviated, general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Agri-mek insecticide/miticide.

Agri-mek insecticide/miticide can be used for control of onion thrips on bulb onion subgroup crops at a rate of 600 - 1,200 mL product per hectare in combination with a non-ionic surfactant at a rate of 0.25 – 0.5% v/v. Use Agri-mek in a minimum of 200 L

water per hectare with a 30 day pre-harvest interval. Apply Agrimek when thrips first appear and apply subsequent applications if monitoring indicates it is necessary at a minimum seven day interval. Do not apply more than three applications per year.

Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Agri-mek insecticide/miticide label carefully.

Agri-mek insecticide/miticide should be used in an IPM program and in rotation with other management strategies to adequately manage resistance.

For copies of the new minor use label contact Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA Vegetable Specialist, Guelph (519) 8264963, Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539

PAGE 28 –– AUGUST 2012 THE GROWER

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