The Grower Newspaper December 2010

DECEMBER 2010

VOLUME 60 NUMBER 12

CELEBRATING 130 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

AGRI-TOURISM

A farm with a view sells the experience

By Karen Davidson The notion that farmers should be compensated for their ecoservices to society is real for Dale Vranckx. Instead of waiting for government to institutionalize the concept, he has taken a run-of-themill farm with a “blueberries for sale” sign and extended it into South Coast Eco-Safari, an agri-tourism destination.

There is some real estate wisdom to his good fortune in being located between Turkey Point and Long Point Biosphere Reserve, a spit of land jutting into Lake Erie.

The mantra of “location, location, location” is paying off as the family operation has evolved over five years from 17 acres of pick-yourown blueberries to a retail outlet and an eco-safari trail. Whereas about 600 people walked through the farmgate in 2005, there were 21,000 attendees in 2010. From day-trippers to American tourists and locals, the old adage of “build it and they will come” is paying off.

How did Vranckx transform the operation? His perspective is surprising. It started with a succession plan for his three sons Nicholas, Wes and DJ. His original tobacco farming career was sidelined with other ventures in an ATV dealership and trucking brokerage business, but in his heart, he wanted the farming life. He spied the parcel of land and seized upon the idea of starting multiple businesses that would support his sons.

Nicolas, for one, is a graduate from Brock University with a degree in viticulture and oenology.

He has started Southcoast Crop

Inside Winner’s circle at the Royal

Page 4

Off-shore workers tell it straight

Page 6

FOCUS: Marketing

Page 11

www.thegrower.org P.M. 40012319

A farm with a view is an understatement when admiring the fall foliage at St. Williams, Ontario. Dale and Angie Vranckx have extended their blueberry season by carving an eco-safari tour out of their rare Carolinian forest on the shores of Lake Erie near the Long Point Biosphere Reserve.

The sustainable growing practices in their blueberry patch are echoed in all the details of their agri-tourism business. Photos by Denis Cahill.

Sciences, a crop consulting business for local wineries. Next year, he plans to transform 7500 litres of blueberry juice into wine.

Wes loved the 50-acre Carolinian woodlot on the property and has forged the eco-trail where visitors can spot everything from bald eagles to wild turkeys and flying squirrels. It’s taken three years to build the trail which just opened this fall to rave reviews. For $80, families can ride through 13 kilometers of forested, lakeside trails for three hours and never retrace their wheel tracks.

The uniqueness of the property’s ecosystems is revealed with

every season. In late May to early June, snapping turtles migrate from the marshes up a steep embankment to lay their eggs in the sandy soil. Where many farms might count 20 or 30 tree species, there are 80 species of trees on the property including record-sized crabapple, slippery elm and chokecherry.

The lakeside woodlot is at its peak in the fall, appreciated from the comfort of motorized eco-carts. Vranckx points out that they are equipped with rubber bumpers that will not damage the ancient trees.

All the attractions aside, this is still a commercial blueberry farm

first and foremost. Ten different varieties produce from July 1 to mid-September. While some blueberries are sold at the Ontario Food Terminal, most are sold through the pick-your-own operation or ready-picked for sale in their retail outlet. Sustainable farming practices have reduced sprays from nine to three per year and production has increased from 6,000 to 16,000 flats annually, boosted by computerized trickle irrigation.

The Vranckx family is one of the first in Ontario to experiment with controlled atmosphere to keep fresh-picked berries in mint

condition until better markets materialize. In mid-summer, they were receiving $12 per flat of blueberries at the Ontario Food Terminal but capitalized on September markets at $30 per flat, filling a demand for local. With this success under their belts, the Vranckx family wants to experiment with asparagus, strawberries, raspberries and cherries.

“Our farm is more than a farmer’s market,” says Vranckx, whose son DJ is gradually taking over management. It’s truly evolving into an agri-tourism destination with more plans for 2011.

Continued on page 3

Visit www.savvyfarmer.com to learn the secrets of saving money on pest control.

PAGE 2 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

At press time…

December 15 is deadline for Ontario Outstanding Young Farmer nominations If you are between the ages of 18 and 39, operate a farm and derive two-thirds of your income from the farm, you are eligible for the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmer program.

The 2011 regional conference is slated for March 10 – 12, 2011 in Ajax, Ontario. For more information, go to www.oyfontario.ca/nomination/html.

Mozart potatoes are a ringer at the Royal

year.

“In 2009, I saw Mozart being sold in poly bags in a grocery store in Ontario. The bags sold out in less than 24 hours, a good indication of what consumers like,” says Banks. Here are her comments.

• Mozart offers resistance to common scab and high yield to the potato grower and flavour to the consumer.

Tubers • Oval, very uniform tubers with distinctive yellow eyes and an attractive sunrise red skin. Yellow flesh colour.

• Mozart has a long dormancy and stores well.

Quality • Noted for excellent table quality, no darkening following cooking, medium dry matter content.

• The delicious flavour makes Mozart special. Eat it and you believe it!

Foliage • Late maturing with a strong foliage.

Diseases • Good resistance to common scab.

• Immune to potato wart • Resistant to potato cyst nematode

Check water-taking permit expiry dates The variety Mozart was developed in the Netherlands in 2004. Two years later, HZPC, the Dutch potato-breeding company, obtained plant breeders’ rights for Mozart in Canada. Mozart is moving slowly but steadily into the Canadian table-stock market, says Eugenia Banks, OMAFRA potato specialist. The Quebec market for this variety is increasing every

Farmers with permits to take water are being reminded to check the expiry date of their documents.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA) is encouraging growers to review their paperwork this fall to ensure that their permits remain current or can be renewed prior to the start of the next growing season.

“It’s important for growers to ensure they keep their water taking permits current,” says Brian Gilroy, Chair of the OFVGA. “For some, it may have been a while since they had to go through an application or renewal process. It has changed considerably in the last several years, so it may take a bit of time to gather all of the required documentation.”

Horticulture and crop farmers who use more than 50,000 litres per water per day on their farm operations are required to hold a permit to take water, issued by the Ministry of the Environment. This includes activities such as irrigation or using wash water to clean vegetables before they are packed.

Farmers who have no changes in crops or water usage and who renew their permits before they expire can complete a more streamlined renewal process. Anyone applying for a renewal on a permit to take water that has lapsed will be treated as a new applicant by the Ministry and may be subject to additional requirements and conditions.

Farmers with questions regarding their renewals are invited to contact George Shearer at the OFVGA office, a surface water scientist on the OFVGA staff who can assist growers with permit applications and renewals. George can be reached at 519-763-6160, ext 219 or water@ofvga.org.

For Product Details & To Order: Call 1-800-461-8475

NEWSMAKERS The Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) and United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) have together engaged Mark Drouin for a dual role. Although objectives and areas of activity are different, both organizations have members in common. He will serve as Vice President, Potatoes for CHC as well as General Manager for UPGC. Most recently, Drouin served Mark Drouin as senior market development advisor, Horticulture and Special Crops, for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) honoured several at its annual gala event. Bill Nightingale Jr, Delhi, ON won the OPMA Fresh Award. Dan Dempster, who will be retiring in the new year after 34 years with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Paul Mastronardi, featured on last April’s cover of The Grower, received the Cory Clack-Streef Produce Person of the Year Award, for innovations from Mastronardi Produce, Kingsville, ON. The Outstanding Achievement Award was received by Virginia Zimm for the Faye Clack Communications team and its animated character Miss Ava Cado on the “Avocados from Mexico” campaign.

The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers have a new board of directors. Representing District 1 is Tony Coppola, Jamie Cornies, Paul Mastronardi, Peter Quiring and Jim Slater.

Representing District 2 is Nuanihal Gill, Marco Hoogenboom, Gerard Van Baalen, Jan VanderHout and Jim Veri.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks has presented the annual Paul Mistele Memorial Award to Nature Fresh Farms, Leamington, Ontario. Peter Quiring received the honour for donating 600,000 pounds of fresh vegetables over the past two years, while recruiting other greenhouse growers to participate.

The award is named for the Rodney-area farmer who founded Ontario Pork’s Donate-A-Hog Program in 1998.

Charles Stevenson, Wilmot Orchards opened up his farm this past summer to a team of video journalists who chronicled the off-shore workers on his blueberry and apple farm.

The result is an extraordinary video and article which appeared November 1 in Durham Region’s newspaper. Go to www.durhamregion.com for the results.

Estival lettuce topped entries in the sixth annual Seed of the Year competition at a recognition event at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Sylvie Jenni, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was recognized for her public breeding efforts. For more details, see page 4.

Congratulations to horticulture competition champions at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Joanne Borcsok, Kettleby, Ontario won the Len Rush Memorial Trophy for Grand Champion Vegetable Exhibitor. Ed Valdes, Guelph, Ontario won the Ontario Potato Board Award for Champion Table Stock Potatoes. Glen Squirell, G & P Squirell Farms, Shelburne, Ontario won the Canadian Horticultural Council International Award for Champion Seed Potato.

In last month’s Ontario municipal elections, Avia Eek, a director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, won a councillor’s seat in King Township. She is a newcomer to municipal politics.

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Ben Stewart is British Columbia’s new agriculture minister.

No stranger to agriculture, he has a farming background in the fruit industry. He and his brother Tony launched Quail’s Gate winery in 1989 He has also been past-chair of Vintners Quality Alliance Canada.

Corrections: The November issue, photo on page 3, had an incorrect cutline. Greg Donald, general manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board is pictured with Rick Mercer of CBC’s Rick Mercer Report.

On page 12, the photo of the almond tree was incorrectly identified as a walnut tree.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

A farm with a view sells the experience Continued from page 1 They include a 300-car parking lot and a farmhouse that’s been transformed into a conference hall and café. Landscaping will lure customers for patio drinks. Eventually a winery tasting bar and gift shop will expand the offerings.

Sounds busy. But remember that all family members are running separate businesses from the same home base. For the Vranckx family, eco-safari also means environmental savings.

Right: South Coast Eco-Safari is just one of several businesses of the Vranckx family.

Wes, in the lead eco-cart, manages the agri-tourism business while DJ, not shown, manages the farmers’ market.

Below: A fall view of Long Point is enjoyed from the eco-safari tour.

10 best marketing tips 1. Create a website for each of the businesses to keep focus on branding.

2. Buy your own vinyl cutter to make your own signs.

3. Convert produce from wholesale to retail outlets for better margins.

4. Earn certification for Local Food Plus.

5. Leverage participation in Environmental Farm Plans in marketing literature.

6. Hire marketing student/intern to sharpen and execute marketing tactics.

7. Use leading-edge technology to take advantage of shoulder, higher-value seasons.

8. Borrow concepts from other industries, like Tim Horton’s drive-through and apply to farm situation.

9. Broaden the on-farm offerings with local produce from neighbours.

10. Add value to blueberries by offering novelty blueberry wine.

New indoor farmers’ market planned for Toronto’s eastern fringes

By Karen Davidson The Durham Farm Fresh Marketing Association is seriously investigating an indoor farmers’ market that could launch as early as spring 2013. It’s an idea that’s home baked.

A core of direct farm market producers and food processors is behind the plan focused on Ajax or Whitby, Ontario. The demographics are considered ideal within short proximity of near-urban farmlands.

“We want to create a special place where the city meets the country,” says Marlene Werry, manager, economic development, agriculture and rural, Durham Region, “Our primary target is young, two-income families who seek out quality products which are made, baked, grown or produced locally.”

Ted Eng, Zephyr Organics, speaks favourably of the idea.This is a concept that’s proven successful at a Calgary Farmers’ Market.

Behind that seven-year success is Edmonton planning consultant Gregory Wilkes, who has been hired for his credentials and experience in the Ontario process.

Some of the stakeholders traveled to Calgary this past summer to

observe how it works.

Research to date shows that Calgary shoppers spend approximately 90 minutes at the Farmers’ Market compared to 20 minutes at traditional grocers. That’s because it’s a meeting place for meals, arts

and cultural experiences.

“Part of our early thinking is how to also attract musicians, artists and food artisans,” says Werry. “This must be a destination.”

While seasonal, outdoor

farmers’ markets have grown in popularity with the local food movement, the concept for this year-round indoor market is also to make shopping an engaging experience, in the manner of displaying and selling products.

Left to right: Greg Wilkes, Edmonton consultant listens to Calgary Market produce vendor explain how business has evolved to Tim O’Connor, Durham Farm Fresh committee member.

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Entertainment, education and showmanship are key.

The Greater Toronto Agricultural Action Committee (GTAAC) supports the plan with a recent cheque of $25,000 to fund the next step, a business plan. That’s where the final number-crunching will be laid bare. At this stage, the consultant will recommend a primary and secondary site, an architectural design, key elements of the market, capital, operating and maintenance costs.

“We believe in what they’re doing,” says Janet Horner, GTAAC coordinator. “If we can replicate their market-ready model in terms of understanding how many farmers are needed to make this viable, then we can form an even stronger network with other markets.”

“I find that any jurisdiction that hires an economic development officer specifically devoted to agriculture more than gets its money’s worth,” says Horner.

“Their linkages to tourism, planning departments and other municipalities are critical.”

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PAGE 4 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Estival lettuce named 2010 Seed of the Year

Lettuce breeder Sylvie Jenni should be called three times lucky.

She has been coming to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for three years now, her Estival lettuce nominated for Seed of the Year.

This time, she won the top honours with a track record of Estival now comprising close to 30 per cent of the total crisphead lettuce sold in Canada.

“This past summer was very hot and a real test of this variety,” says Jenni, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. “Lettuce is a cool season crop which develops quality problems under hot weather conditions.”

Estival has high tolerance to premature bolting and rib discolouration, with a greater capacity than other popular

varieties to produce a high head weight on a short stem. Estival is also a Vanguard-type lettuce, similar to that produced in California.

This makes the variety suitable for both fresh and processing markets which represented $40 million in 2009.

Jenni says that seed production of 65 million seeds in 2009 has nearly doubled to 109 million seeds in 2010.

Three other finalists for the east division of Seed of the Year were also recognized. They are: Yukon Gold, a potato variety nominated

by University of Guelph professor Alan Sullivan and technician Vanessa Currie; AC Gehl, a hulless oat variety developed by Bill Collins and Vern Burrows of the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa; and AC Rigodon developed by JeanPierre Dubuc and Andre Comeau of the Soils and Crops Development Research Centre, Agriculture

Sylvie Jenni, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint-Jean-surRichelieu.

and Agri-Food Canada in Quebec City.

“As you can see with the recent Seed of the Year winner, Estival lettuce and our very first winner, Millennium asparagus, we encourage the fruit and vegetable industry to nominate any public developed Canadian varieties,” says Martin Harry, eastern marketing manager, SeCan. This competition encourages public breeders to highlight their research accomplishments in developing a new field crop, forage, fruit, vegetable or herb variety.

The annual competition is designed by University of Guelph and SeCAn, with support from OMAFRA, AAFC as well as sponsorship from the Ontario Bean Producers, Ontario Soybean Growers, Canadian Seed Growers, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and Ontario Asparagus Marketing Board.

Consumers leave ideas on tree for National Food Strategy The concept of a speaker’s corner was put on its head at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Instead, a listener’s corner was set up to tap into consumer input for a national food strategy.

Funded by the Ontario Federa-

tion of Agriculture and staffed by food and health consultant Dr. Mary Alton Mackey, the concept was a simple dialogue with the throngs of consumers visiting the popular Journey to your Good Health pavilion.

“This is a golden opportunity to talk to consumers,” says Mackey, who had dozens of conversations and encouraged consumers to write their ideas on cards which were tied to two saplings in burlap bags.

“What I found is that consumers are looking for a one-stop portal on how to buy, how to prepare and how to store food,” says Mackey.

“Many don’t know how to cook a turkey anymore, but they do like the idea of local and sustainable food.” The web is a valuable resource only for those with computer skills and access.

Some of the ideas gleaned are: • to teach more agriculture, food and nutrition in schools

www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm.com) The key platforms in the British strategy are: • enabling and encouraging people to eat a healthy, sustainable diet - ensuring a resilient, profitable and competitive food system - increasing food production sustainability - reducing food system’s greenhouse gas emissions - reducing, reusing and reprocessing waste

Mark Wales, OFVGA director, visits with Dr. Mary Alton Mackey and examines the idea tree set up to gather input for the national food strategy.

- to grow more vegetables at schools • to have government procurement policies that put local food into institutions that are paid for by taxpayer dollars • to have clearer country of origin labeling • to be able to identify Canadian products including meats (logo?)

• to have fairer trade with local suppliers rather than supporting foreign food that undercuts prices Developing a national food strategy is a Herculean task, but one that already has a role model in the United Kingdom. Published earlier this year, their 2030 Food Strategy drills down into a number of intersecting issues, examining everything from obesity to carbon footprints to third-world agricultural development. (see

- increasing the impact of skills, knowledge, research and technology As Mackey lifts the hefty printout of the British policy, she says that a good framework is there for Canada which is now thinking through its strategy. “The role of government in all this is to provide robust evidence to support people’s choices and to offer advice on food products that fit these values of sustainability,” she says.

For growers, a key part of the strategy will be how to make farming an attractive business. With the average age of farmers more than 50, the strategy should also address the sustainability of farmers with policies that support made-in-Canada products and just as importantly, a value-added processing sector.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

What apple varieties will be winners in 2020?

As the national apple competition celebrates its winners in a refrigerated showcase at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Paul Birzins is on the trail of 2020 winners. He’s the project manager for the Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO).

Through the Developing Innovative Agri-Products program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), he is helping to accelerate the pre-commercial development of new agri-products in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

“The challenge is to move quickly but we need time to develop the biological material,” explains Birzins. The three-year program focuses on new varieties that show the most potential in acclimatization, fruit production, storability and sensory-related tests. If the testing sounds like a marathon, it is.

Working with the PICO team and AAFC scientists, he is shipping varieties from the PICO budwood orchard to nurseries in each of the provinces. According to Birzins, the research of the Summerland B.C. apple breeder, Dr. Cheryl Hampson, is key in making the final selection determinations. At this point, the varieties are numbered.

At the Pacific Agricultural Research Centre (PARC) in Summerland, B.C., Dr. Peter Toivonen is researching controlled atmosphere systems for the new varieties.

Storability is an important component to determine on a varietal basis. Slight adjustments may make the difference in marketability of an apple.

After clearing all the production hurdles, new varieties must pass consumer taste tests. As recently as October, the University of British Columbia held a two-day

Cathy McKay, a director of Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO), left, and Paul Birzins, project manager, PICO, take a minute to inspect the winners of the national apple competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.

apple harvest festival in its horticultural gardens that attracted 19,000 visitors. PARC’s Dr. Margaret Cliff partnered with PICO to conduct consumer research on apple taste and appearance with approximately 1500 participants.

Sensory comments were provided on three varieties: SPA493 and two commercially available cultivars – Ambrosia and Honeycrisp.

The Vancouver market provides valuable feedback in that Asian cultural tastes may differ in preferences. In the case of cherries, for instance, opaque cherries are often favoured over red cherries. Determining these taste preferences early in the breeding process can help narrow the varietal focus or at least streamline varietals to specific market niches.

National Apple Competition results The National Apple Competition, in its third year at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, attracted 128 entries. Everyone who participated was a winner!

RANK NAME, CLUB/FARM NAME Section 820 - Commercial Apples Class 1 - Red Delicious 1st Wheelbarrow Orchards, Wheelbarrow Orchards 2nd Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 3rd Pate, Tom, Brantwood Farm 4th Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards Class 2 - McIntosh 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 2nd Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards 3rd Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms 4th Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons Class 3 - Gala 1st Karmjit & Balvir Gill, Karmjit & Balvir Gill 2nd Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 3rd Enio, Leardo 4th Sardinha Orchards, Sardinha Orchards Class 4 - Empire 1st Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs Orchard 2nd Campbell's Orchards, Campbell's Orchards 3rd Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms 4th G.H. Lambe and Son, G.H. Lambe and Son Class 5 - Jonagold 1st Scotian Gold Cooperative, Scotian Gold Cooperative Class 6 - Northern Spy 1st Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs Orchard 2nd Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards 3rd Campbell's Orchards, Campbell's Orchard 4th Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms Class 7 - Golden Delicious 1st Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 2nd Pate, Tom, Brantwood Farm 3rd Enio, Leardo 4th Dhoot, Tarse Class 8 - Crispin (Mutsu) 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 2nd Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 3rd Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards 4th Pate, Tom, Brantwood Farm Class 9 - Cortland 1st Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards 2nd Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 3rd Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 4th G.H. Lambe and Son, G.H. Lambe and Son Class 10 - Spartan 1st Enio, Leardo 2nd Brar, Harjinder 3rd Scotian Gold Cooperative, Scotian Gold Cooperative 4th Sardinha Orchards, Sardinha Orchards Class 11 - Champion and Reserve 1st Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 2nd Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs Orchard

Section 821 - Heritage Apples Class 1 - Tolman Sweet 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards Class 2 - Gravenstein 1st Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd, Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd 2nd Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms Class 3 - Snow 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 2nd G.H. Lambe and Son, G.H. Lambe and Son 3rd Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms Class 4 - Other (named) 1st Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards 2nd Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 3rd Campbell's Orchards, Campbell's Orchards 4th Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms Class 6 - Champion and Reserve 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 2nd Gilroy, Brian, Nighthawk Orchards Section 822 - New Variety Apples Class 1 - Honeycrisp 1st Wheelbarrow Orchards, Wheelbarrow Orchards 2nd Al Ferri & Sons, Al Ferri & Sons 3rd Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs Orchard 4th Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd, Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd Class 2 - Ambrosia 1st Gartrell Haritage Farms, Gartrell Haritage Farms 2nd Campbell, Jim 3rd Sardinha Orchards, Sardinha Orchards 4th Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs OrchardClass 3 - Aurora Golden Gala 1st Campbell, Jim 2nd Fred & Phyllis Nelson, Fred & Phyllis Nelson 3rd Gartrell Haritage Farms, Gartrell Haritage Farms 4th Lane Mitchell & Doug Crumback, Lane Mitchell & Doug Crumback

Class 4 - Other (Named) 1st Enio, Leardo 2nd Kidston, Jamie 3rd Roseridge Orchards, Roseridge Orchards 4th Lucich, Joseph Class 5 - Champion and Reserve 1st Gartrell Haritage Farms, Gartrell Haritage Farms 2nd Campbell, Jim Section 823 - Novelty Class Class 1 - Best collection of 5 in a basket 1st Dhoot, Tarse, 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 2nd Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd, Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd 2nd Apple Springs Orchard, Apple Springs Orchard 3rd Campbell's Orchards, Campbell's Orchards 3rd Sardinha Orchards, Sardinha Orchards 4th Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms 4th Enio, Leardo Section 824 - Heaviest Apple Class 1 - Heaviest Apple 1st Simpson, Ron 2nd Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd, Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd 3rd Mennell, Tristan, Mennell Brothers Organics (BC) 4th Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards 5th Cristan Farms, Cristan Farms Class 2 - Ontario Apple Growers Trophy - Commercial Variety 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards Class 3 - CHC Trophy - Winner of the New Variety Section 1st Campbell, Jim Class 4 - Tyrell Trophy Best collection of apples 1st Behan, Patrick J., Moore Orchards

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PAGE 6 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

‘Savvy Farmer’ software will make crop protection shopping more competitive

By Karen Davidson Warren Libby and Sam Vurrabindi, two former leaders at Syngenta Canada, have launched a web-based software tool for growers to calculate and compare costs of crop protection products.

Launched in mid-November at an annual subscription fee of $199, the Savvy Farmer software is expected to ease headaches of selecting the most cost-effective crop protection inputs for specific insects, weeds and diseases.

“We’ve been giving demonstrations to crop protection companies, farm associations, distributors, dealers and certified crop advisors for two months now,” says Libby, president, Savvy Farmer Inc. “Almost 100 per cent are enthusiastic and even the manufacturers are neutral to favourable.”

Libby’s lifetime experience in the crop protection sector, as for-

mer president of Syngenta Canada and former chair of CropLife Canada, gives him a unique perspective of what farmers need to be competitive. What makes the software tool attractive is that Libby has aggregated an avalanche of information through public access portals and then Vurrabindi has built search engines to quickly pull out the desired data. Together, they are updating data virtually every day.

Growers can go to the website, www. savvyfarmer.com, for an indepth tutorial on how the system works. Key features include more than three million treatments for more than 700 crops in Canada.

Photos are available of a thousand weeds, insects and diseases to help growers correctly identify the problems they are trying to control. Labels, Material Data Safety Sheets and safety information are available with the click of a

mouse.

“Information is power,” says Charles Stevens, chair of OFVGA’s crop protection section.

“This is another tool in our toolkit to purchase, manage and use crop protection products.”

The website works much like on-line banking. New subscribers will get a password-protected account that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. In the year ahead, it’s expected that an application will be developed for smart phones.

At launch time, greenhouse products were not included in the database, but Libby does not discount the possibility of including them in the future. A Professional version of the software is available for $399 per year, containing all data for Canada. The subscriptions run from November 1 to October 31, 2011, at which time the service can be renewed.

Here for the season: off-shore workers tell their story

By Karen Davidson A team of journalists have documented in print, photos and video what is rarely understood by consumers: off-shore workers come to Canada because they want to and many come year after year, legally. The multi-media project “Here for the Season” was just published by Metroland’s Durham Region papers in late October.

“If you’re looking for a sad story of people dragged from their home country to work under deplorable conditions, leaving a crying family behind, this isn’t it,” wrote print journalist Jennifer Stone. She wrote that many of the 17,000 workers who come to Ontario under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program become part of the community during their six-month stay.

“It’s a great story,” says videojournalist Mandi Hargrave who spent countless hours tracking seven workers on the blueberry and apple farm of Charles Stevens, Wilmot Orchards, Clarington, Ontario. “I have no farm background and did not have any

perceptions going into this project.”

Due to the proximity of the orchard to the Oshawa GM auto plant and hard feelings about layoffs, there had been some community animosity towards the migrant workers and false allegations that they were in Canada illegally. Part of the paper’s motivation to tell the story was to demystify what the workers do, how they feel about working in Canada and why they come back.

Since the end of July and until late October, Hargrave took hours of videotape, slowly gaining the trust of the workers. What she found is that, to a man, they were all wanting a better life for their families in the Caribbean or Mexico. Joseph Hackett says it’s cheaper to buy clothes in Canada, often sending drums of clothes and food back home to Barbados.

Javier Orihvela wants his 11-yearold daughter to have better education in Mexico. Tony Rice has been coming to Canada for 29 years, earning a small pension that will make retirement easier in

Barbados.

“I was surprised that Metroland papers were this interested,” says Charles Stevens, who permitted the journalists to come and go for about two months. He rejected any fear that an unflattering story

would result, knowing the temperament of his workers. The video showed not only harvest, but comfortable living conditions and harmonious worker interactions in downtime.

In the end, Hargrave witnessed

many long days in the orchard, but concluded, “I couldn’t handle their job. They never complain.”

To see the articles and video, go to: www.newsdurhamregion. com/article/164770

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

Board briefs Following are highlights from the OFVGA board meeting held November 11, 2010. The purpose of this brief is to keep you up-todate on the issues that the OFVGA is working on, as well as projects and initiatives the organization is involved in.

Safety nets Risk management programming OFVGA safety nets chair Mark Wales reported that Ontario Pork and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association have both presented their proposals for sector-specific Risk Management Programs (RMP) to provincial Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Carol Mitchell. The pork and beef proposals are both modelled after the pilot program currently in place for the grains and oilseeds sector.

The OFVGA will be presenting its proposal for a modified Self Directed Risk Management (SDRM)-style program for the horticulture sector to the Minister on December 7. OFVGA has asked for letters of support from all of its commodity members for this proposal. Groups that have not yet forwarded a letter are encouraged to do so by the end of November in advance of the meeting with the Minister.

Environmental cost share funding – Government cost share funding for on-farm environmental improvements in 2011 through the Canadian On-Farm Stewardship Program will be available as of November 15. It is expected to be fully subscribed in very short order. Government funding for onfarm environmental projects was reduced from $27 million per year to $7 million under Growing Forward.

Canadian Horticultural Council Traceability - The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) has been working on traceability initiatives for horticulture. The Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) food safety committee has been tasked with working together with CPMA to develop a joint traceability manual to ensure consistency of standards.

Check off on imported food products - Laurent Pellerin, Chair of the Farm Product Council of Canada, made a presentation to CHC regarding check off on imported products. Two decades ago, the CHC lobbied for implementation of a check off on imported product to fund research and promotion. Regulations were brought into effect in the 1990s and one federal agency – the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency – was created. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has directed Pellerin to review these regulations to make them more workable so that additional agencies governing other commodities might be created. Under

the regulations, the same check off fee that Canadian producers of a commodity pay for research and promotion can be collected on any imported product.

Research Research priorities – A meeting of edible horticulture commodity groups to set research priorities for the sector will take place November 17 at the Quality Inn in Woodstock. Commodity groups have been asked to bring three shortterm and three long -term priorities to the meeting. It is important all commodities participate in this process to ensure as accurate a picture as possible of research priorities and needs across all of edible horticulture. Staff from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (VRIC) will take all the input and distill it to determine commonalities amongst the commodities and will apply it to the Ontario Research Advisory Network system set up by OMAFRA. VRIC Stakeholder Advisory Committee - Harold Schooley is OFVGA’s representative on VRIC’s stakeholder advisory committee. VRIC’s research is very market-focused and must have benefit for producers for them to become involved in it. Discussion focused on the key issues facing Ontario’s horticulture industry; the one large issue identified was the escalation of non-recoverable costs, such as the exchange rate, water permits, labour, energy and food safety compliance.

(PACA) licenses buyers of produce to ensure that those who sell produce receive payment for their products and at the same time has established legislation that protects produce sellers when buyers fail to pay.

National food strategy Food has only recently become a topic for societal discussion. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) started the process of developing a national food strategy about a year ago. A national working group has been formed through the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) that is working on this issue in all of the provinces. Canada is the only G20 nation that does not have a national food policy.

Open for business consultations The provincial government has tasked the agri-food industry to identify the top five regulatory problems facing the sector so that they may be addressed. The OFA was chosen to lead the process, which is an effort by the Ontario government to reduce red tape.

Commodity and industry representatives have met separately with OFA to review their issues, and will meet jointly before the end of the year. To date, the common issue identified by both groups are problems associated with tax assessment and that government should be trying to strike a balance between protecting private and public interests.

Crop Protection Chair report Crop Protection chair Charles Stevens reported that several new products are being considered for approval under the Grower Request Own Use (GROU) program this year. Currently, 28 products are approved for import by growers for their own use under GROU. Each grower must obtain their own application and complete their own paperwork but a single truck can bring the product for several growers across the border at the same time. Growers must apply for permits each year; applications can be submitted to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) as of January 1 each year. More information on the GROU program can be found at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/ agri-commerce/import/_groupiapda/index-eng.php.

Labour Fair and ethical trading - Ken Forth represents OFVGA on a horticulture value chain round table sub-committee dealing with fair and ethical trading practices. Limited progress has been made on the issue of establishing a PACA-like trust provision program for the Canadian produce industry, and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture has now become involved in the process. In the U.S., the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act

Produce issues working group – This sub-committee of the horticulture value chain round table is working on the review and modernization of federal grade standards for produce. The province is also modernizing Ontario’s grade standards and adopting federal grade standards where possible.

Commodity group input into this process is essential.

Innovation and labour - the innovation/labour sub-committee of the horticulture value chain round table has released a survey in November issue of The Grower to evaluate labour-saving technologies and mechanization opportunities in horticulture. Growers are encouraged to complete the 18 questions that look at ways to minimize labour costs through mechanization and innovation.

Hort for Health – The “Horticulture for Health” sub-committee will be hosting an awareness event on Parliament Hill in March 2011 to encourage MP support for efforts to establish fruits and vegetables as one of the key solutions to the healthcare crisis in Canada.

Fruit and vegetable program in northern Canada – OFVGA is working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada towards devel-

oping a fruit and vegetable school snack program in Canada’s Arctic region. The existing snack program in northern Ontario schools is being used as a stepping stone to develop this new initiative. The goal of the new program is to provide fruits and vegetables to students in the north and raise awareness of long-term benefits of healthy eating by encouraging young people to increase their consumption of fresh produce.

Northern Ontario fruit and vegetable program The rollout of the fifth year of the popular northern Ontario school snack program will begin in January 2011. The program, a partnership between OFVGA, Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the health units of Algoma and Porcupine districts, provides two servings of fruits and vegetables to approximately 12,000 elementary school children at 61 schools in northern Ontario. The program was first launched in 2006 as a way of raising awareness of healthy eating and encouraging kids to include fruits and vegetables in their diets. OFVGA centrally co-ordinates purchasing, transport and distribution of the produce to the northern regions.

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair As in previous years, the OFVGA rented a booth on behalf of its members and encouraged organizations to select specific days for their presence at the show. This arrangement by OFVGA allows smaller groups the chance to participate in this event without having to incur significant staffing and booth costs for the entire 10day show.

OFVGA also helped co-ordinate a Harvest Market at the Royal for farmers to sell produce as a way of connecting farmers and consumers. This was the first year of this initiative and initial feedback suggests it has good future potential. Recommendations for next year include improved signage to drive additional traffic to the market. Vendors present were selling Ontario foods including apples, herbs, greenhouse vegetables, honey, garlic, organic Holland Marsh vegetables and lavender.

Bunkhouse taxation A number of organizations, including the OFVGA, have written to the provincial ministers of Finance and Agriculture regarding the bunkhouse taxation issue.

Bunkhouses have traditionally been assessed as farm buildings but are increasingly being assessed as residences, which significantly changes the tax rate applied to these structures. A request for reconsideration by an affected grower to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, which handles assessment issues, has been turned down. OFVGA will write a letter on this issue to

MPAC and the two Ministers in question, requesting that the Assessment Act be amended to remove bunkhouses from the residential category.

Duties on Dutch pepper imports The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) won an anti-dumping case against bell pepper imports from the Netherlands. As of October 20, 2010, all Dutch greenhouse peppers being sold in Canada are subject to an anti-dumping duty of 193 per cent of the export price for five years.

Annual General Meeting The OFVGA annual meeting will be held January 10 – 12, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza in Niagara Falls.

Registration information is available on the OFVGA website at www.ofvga.org.

Stakeholder survey The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is conducting a survey to gauge levels of awareness with industry stakeholders and to collect input for future communications and research initiatives.

The following link will connect you with the survey; please take a minute to assist Vineland in gathering this information: hwww.remote.vinelandontario.ca: 80/eq/r1/mhnc1.

The next OFVGA board meeting will be held December 16th, 2010 at the OFVGA office in Guelph.

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PAGE 8 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Hort for health

Brian Gilroy Chair, OFVGA

The year 2010 will soon be history.

A year ago, the OFVGA started a strategic planning process to review and refine our Mission and Vision to help us focus our activities. We also looked at succession planning for the Board of Directors and how best to provide new directors with the necessary training and information. Strategic planning processes are very challenging and for an umbrella organization like the OFVGA, diverging member goals have added another level of challenges.

Despite the challenges, we have been focused on the “Goals and

Actions” produced in November ’09. I am pleased to report that one of our highest priority action items, to improve and expand the Northern School Fruit and Vegetable Program, has received federal government support. The OFVGA will be partnering with others to get Canadian-grown fruits and vegetables to Canada’s northern schools to help them deal with the health care crisis. This is part of an overall strategy to have Canadian fruit and vegetable farmers to be seen as providers of the food that contributes to the health and wellness of Canadians.

If successful, we may need to call

our farms . . . farmacies.

The Buy Local campaign continues to grow. The Ontario Government has supported this initiative with startup funding for a Harvest Market, farmers’ market at the 2010 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The OFVGA helped turn the concept into an event that was more successful than most anticipated.

Foodland Ontario continues to be a key partner in helping to advertise Ontario-grown food to consumers and retailers. As budget cuts are discussed by government, it is important that programs that benefit farmers are not

reduced. Government policy decisions have increased our cost of production to the point where our ability to be profitable is in serious jeopardy. The recent stimulus spending did not benefit the agricultural sector in any significant way and we still require a way to offset our increased labour costs.

In other parts of The Grower you will find information regarding the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association’s 152nd Annual Meeting that will take place on January 10th, 11th and 12th in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

I hope to see you there. Together we can make a difference!

Is it innovation or is it money?

Art Smith CEO, OFVGA It’s 2015 and the government has just announced that our medical system will no longer cover cancer treatment costs. The reason cited is that we have been paying for this treatment for years and where has it gotten us? Each year more and more people come back for treatment, the costs keep escalating and we are no closer to the solution than when we started.

OR The reason cited is that we

believe that there will be a cure to all forms of cancer within five years so we won’t bother paying for any more treatment; the poor folks with cancer are on their own.

Back to reality The above two scenarios of course are ridiculous and no reasonable person would ever think along those lines. Yet this seems to be what is happening to agriculture and more specifically to our sector here in Ontario. Every one of our producers is aware of the myriad of costs that have been downloaded onto their backs by government and suppliers alike and they suffer from the inability to recover these costs from the market place. This is the Cancer; and like this dreaded disease it is only a matter of time until people succumb to the disease unless of course they receive treatment. It needs to be noted that treatment is not always the cure but even in these cases it typically provides the patient with more time.

Over the past number of years

both levels of government have shown a desire to move away from risk management programs to help farmers in distress and move toward innovation as the solution to the problem. Innovation is not only a good thing it is absolutely necessary if the sector is to grow and flourish in the future. Like people with cancer however there is both short term and long term needs and this seems to be what has been forgotten in agriculture.

Innovation is long term and it may be the cure but farmers need to survive until that innovation can lead them out of the financial destitution that so many find themselves in.

For months now the industry has tried to secure an ad hoc safety net program for Ontario farmers but the federal government has refused to come to the table and the provincial government will not commit to a program without the feds putting their money in first (committing). The provincial government has stated that the current

Business Risk Management (BRM) programs are not working for our farmers and the federal government has agreed that changes are necessary, however they are not prepared to make any changes until the new Growing Forward program starts in the spring of 2013.

Innovation may be the answer to today’s and tomorrow’s problems but can it be delivered on time ?

The question that needs to be asked is how many farmers will survive until the cure, spelled I-N-N-O-V-A-T-I-O-N is found?

The provincial government released numbers in the spring of 2009 showing the change in reference margins for Ontario agriculture. In general reference margins were increasing, yet for our sector they were off by 20 per cent on average with the tender fruit section projected to be less than half of where it was when Agriculture Policy Framework 1 was first introduced in 2003. Farmers cannot continue to absorb all the addi-

tional cost being thrown their way and remain in business if they cannot recover them. At the very heart of the matter is that there is no mechanism to claw these costs back from the consumer. Our sector is at risk and I wonder how many can survive until 2013 and then will the design of the BRM component of Growing Forward 2 be adequate to fit the needs of our farmers.

Innovation is a must but the sector needs financial help now.

I don’t think government would ever say that we are going to eliminate the treatment of cancer or some other disease today because we are expecting a cure in five or 10 years, but the lack of assistance to our sector and others is akin to doing that very thing to our farmers.

Our sector needs assistance now.

It would seem to me that short of a miracle all the innovation in the world will not enable a dead horse to get up and run again.

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

Marketing garlic

Mark Wales Garlic Growers’ Association of Ontario By the time you are reading this, the Royal Agricultural Winter

Fair will have come and gone.

This year they are trying something new: a farmers’ market vendor area. The Garlic Growers Association will have a booth for the entire 10 days of the Royal and the more than 300,000 visitors will have a chance to buy direct from growers of many different fruits and vegetables grown in Ontario.

Ontario consumers know that we have the best garlic in the world -the problem is they can not get enough of it! So if this works out, next year more of our members will have a chance to participate.

Imagine, 10 days straight of Garlic Festival with an average of 30,000 people a day possibly coming by

your stand!

My thanks go out to all who pushed to make this opportunity happen, especially the Holland Marsh Growers Association, and the Greater Toronto Agriculture Awareness Committee (hope I got the name right). This will help bring the Royal back to its roots by providing an opportunity for consumers to truly buy local.

With the crop all planted and making roots for next year’s great crop of garlic, it’s time for your association to try and look at how our members can help fill the huge demand for our product. I have a long list of disappointed customers from all over Canada who were

STAFF Publisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Editor: Karen Davidson, 416-252-7337, kdavidson@ecomente.ca Production: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, production@thegrower.org Advertising: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, hsherwood@cogeco.ca

OFFICE 355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105 Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADA Tel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue. No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad.

Client signature is required before insertion.

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

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

P.M. 40012319

The Grower is printed 12 times a year and sent to all members of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year for the paper through their commodity group or container fees.

Others may subscribe as follows by writing to the office:

$30.00 (+ G.S.T.) / year in Canada $40.00/year International Subscribers must submit a claim for missing issues within four months. If the issue is claimed within four months, but not available, The Grower will extend the subscription by one month. No refunds on subscriptions.

unable to get seed. When demand is strong it’s very difficult to tell people: “No, I cannot sell you that bulb because I need it for seed for my next crop.” With prices at historical highs we have to be very careful about how much we should grow and how much we should sell it for.

I am all in favour of getting the most I can for my crop, but, and this is very important, the price cannot go up forever. At some point people will be turned off by price they feel is too high, and then they will either find another cheaper source or worse, buy less.

We are not there yet, however we need to recognize what is best for

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Vice-Chair Fruit Director Veg Director Director

Brian Gilroy, Meaford Mac James, Leamington Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Ryder, Delhi Len Troup, Jordon Station

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

Brian Gilroy, Meaford Jason Ryder, Delhi Len Troup, Jordan Station Lonnie Duwyn, Delhi Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Verkaik, Bradford Mac James, Leamington Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Doug Bradley, Tillsonburg Jim Veri, Exeter

ourselves as well as our customers.

The association will be working with our researchers to look at the feasability of planting more of the crop from bulbuils as a way to increase the seed supply in the future. These will be some of the things that we will be discussing at the fall meeting in early December. Look for the meeting date on the website and in our next newsletter.

So in my next article I hope to have some great results from sales at the Royal. In the meantime, have a happy holiday and let’s all look forward to a great 2011 crop which will be growing away under the snow.

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Research Property Labour Safety Nets CHC AGCare/Nutrient Man.

Charles Stevens, Newcastle Harold Schooley, Simcoe David Lambert, Niagara-on-the-Lake Ken Forth, Lynden Mark Wales, Alymer Murray Porteous, Simcoe Charles Stevens, Newcastle

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

Okra: a big seller to Caucasian customers Your article “Ethnic markets: the promise and the peril” in September 2010 The Grower issue is an excellent insight into how farmers can take advantage of diverse and growing South Asian population in Canada. I am from Pakistan and I have paid over the years about $3/lbs of okra that is seven to 15 days old. Now I am farming myself, I harvest and cook

within a day of harvesting it.

Diseases are very low in okra as very few insects are after okra here in GTA. I found some what offending that you have only one line mentioning Caucasian customer, “offer samples of these new foods to Caucasians looking to expand their diets.” I am 99.99 per cent depending on my Caucasian cus-

tomers to sell okra. I do sell at three farmers’ markets and 25member CSA group. I was harvesting 150 lbs of okra a week for eight-week season. I was getting sold out every week, just two to three hours of market opening. I was amazed how many of my Caucasian customers were coming week after week to buy okra. Few of them bought extra so they can freeze it for winter months. I do sell my okra harvested few hours before market for $3 a pint about 225 grams.

This model can be increased by simply having big chain stores doing sampling. Loblaws were on my farm this summer, and were willing to buy all okra up to 35 acres of harvest. Now that is great, think about other big chain stores.

I hope some one in future do a feature story about “Adventures Caucasian Torontonians and their Culinary Adventures in Ethnic Cuisine.” If any farmer is interested to grow okra, I can share my experience and our family heirloom seeds, they produce okra in about 40 days of direct planting.

Your publication is doing great work, and I hope over the coming years this will continue.

Bob Baloch the fresh veggies Brampton, Ontario

COMING EVENTS 2010 December 3

Holland Marsh Growers Association Annual General Meeting, Bond Head Community Centre, 1 – 3:30 pm

December 7 – 9

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Market Expo, DeVos Plaza Convention Centre and Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI

December 16

Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Quality Hotel and Suites, Woodstock, ON

January 5, 6

18th Annual Southwestern Conference, Ridgetown, ON

January 10 – 12

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association 152nd Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

January 24, 25

Scotia Horticultural Congress, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, NS

January 25, 26

Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, Hilton Hotel and London Convention Centre, London, ON. For information: opvg@opvg.org

January 25 - 27

Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association Annual Convention, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, NS

January 27 – 29

Pacific Agriculture Show/Horticultural Growers’ Short Course, Tradex, Abbotsford, BC

January 27 – 31

Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph, ON

Agricultural

OFVGA 152nd Annual Meeting and Convention Silent auction contributors Below is a list of the generous contributors who have donated items to the association on behalf of the 152nd annual general meeting.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity.

Sherwood Marketing Jack & Gjan Scott Plasponics KlipKit Cindy & Steve Clay Parks Blueberries Kwazar Sprayers Ayr Farmers Mutual Sarjeant Co. Ltd Data Media Clients of The Grower Union Gas Richmond Motors, Chatham Van Kesteren Hyundai Pride Seeds Pioneer Canada McGrail Farm Equipment The Links of Kent: Golf Club Deer Run Golf Course

Janzen Equipment R J Equipment Ricter Web Printing Comfort Inn, Chatham Blenheim Chrysler Landini, McCormick Canada Delhaven Orchards Ltd. Smith & Wilson Winery Country View Golf Course Reif Estate Winery Travelodge, Chatham Comfort Inn, Chatham Red Pine Inn, Alliston Boston Pizza, Chatham Casa Bella, Chatham T-Bones Steak House, Chatham Borealis Grille & Bar, Guelph Licks Hamburgers, Guelph

Shoeless Joe’s, Guelph Kent Farm Supplies Ltd. Blenheim Community Golf Club Baldoon Golf Club Deer Run Golf Course Ridgetown Golf Club Tilbury Gulf Club Via Rail Viewpoint Estate Winery Sunnybrook Farm Estate Winery Tim Hortons Head Office Cardinal Golf Club Ayr Turf & Trac Inc. Lailey Vineyard Winery Strewn Winery Stonechurch Vineyard Swiss Chalet Boston Pizza

Turtle Jacks Aberfoyle Mill Talisman Resort Country View Golf Club Peller Estates Winery Sunnybrook Estate Winery Ontario Beekeepers Association City of Guelph, Tourism City of Niagara Falls Bank Of Nova Scotia Landini, McCormick Canada Kubota Canada John Deere, Agraturf Union Gas Red Pine Inn, Alliston Pelee Days Inn, Leamington Crown Plaza, Niagara Falls Supreme Full Service Car Wash

Diamond Detailing Farm Credit Canada Guelph City Mazda Victoria Park Golf Club, Guelph Joseph’s Estate Wine Inc. Coyote’s Run Estate Winery Bank of Nova Scotia Home Hardware, Chatham, ON Victoria Park Golf Club, Guelph Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Wine Kitz Andrews' Scenic Acres Mamma Maria's, Chatham, ON Wellington Motors Guelph City Mazda The Savvy Farmer Inc

If you are interested in donating to the silent auction, please contact Herb Sherwood at 519-380-0118

For registration form and agenda visit www.ofvga.org OFVGA Annual General Meeting and Convention Policy As the OFVGA prepares for its 152nd annual meeting, the association would like to remind its member organizations of the following policy – put in place in 2004-05 – in order to ensure proper delegate preparation and resolutions submission.

• All member organizations are entitled to one (1) delegate per 50 members within their respective organizations, maximum of five (5).

• All member organizations are to provide to the OFVGA the number of its active membership.

• All resolutions should be brought forward, in writing, by December 15 of each year.

• Any of the member organizations who are required to submit their director’s name in advance (currently seven of the 10 board affiliates) should do so by December 15 of each year.

NOTICE is hereby given that the

152nd Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting of the

Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Association will be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at The Crowne Plaza Hotel January 10, 11 and 12, 2011 Election of Directors of the Association will take place as well as dealing with resolutions and any other business that may arise.

PAGE 10 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Joint effort needed to cater to consumers

Owen Roberts University of Guelph If we all ate what we should (and exercised), we’d be healthier.

There’s no shortage of warnings

that tell us we’re digging our own graves by eating foods rich in fat and sugar. And a boatload of information is floating around about the virtues of eating healthy.

So, why don’t we eat healthier?

University of Guelph marketing and consumer studies Prof. Sunghwan Yi says it was once believed a lack of nutritional information is what kept us on a crooked road.

But that’s not an excuse anymore.

Probably the most visible and very public example is the federal government’s healthy eating guide (Canada’s Food Guide), which offers clear advice . . . including eating seven to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day.

Even on paper, that sounds like

6 ' / & !

a lot to me. And I’m not alone, says registered dietitian Lise Smedmor of Erin. “But the thing to remember is that serving sizes are small,� she says. Indeed, a “serving� is one piece of fruit, or a half-cup of vegetables.

Still, we ignore this good advice, or worse yet, scorn it.

Despite substantial promotional efforts, vegetable consumption has been stagnant or falling in the past three years in Canada. When a head count takes place, it turns out only about eight per cent of Canadians are following Canada’s Food Guide recommendations. Typical fruit and vegetable consumption is way below the recommendations, coming in at just over five serv-

ings per day.

And while the specific amounts may vary elsewhere, the same phenomenon is occurring globally, in developed and underdeveloped countries. People are avoiding what’s good for them.

As a result, farmers are missing a golden opportunity to show their true value to society – that is, they not only keep people fed, they can help keep them healthy, too.

Maybe the local food movement will help stimulate consumption. After all, a great deal of local food consists of fruit and vegetables, and accessibility is a good first step towards healthy eating.

But there’s another vital key: that is, taste.

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association 152nd Annual General Meeting and Convention January 10, 11 and 12, 2011 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6W7

Registrant Information Name

Member Organization

Mailing Address

City/Town

Province

Postal Code

Telephone

Fax

Please return completed form to The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association 355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105 Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 Tel. (519) 763-6160 x 116 Fax (519) 763-6604

Registration Fees Full Registration - 2 days + Monday Banquet

$135.00

(includes: two breakfast tickets, two lunch tickets & a Monday evening banquet ticket, convention package, attendance to meetings, and Chair’s reception)

On-site Registration

$150.00

(includes: two breakfast tickets, two lunch tickets & a Monday evening banquet ticket, convention package, attendance to meetings, and Chair’s reception)

Daily Registration

$100.00

(includes: one breakfast and one lunch ticket, convention package, and attendance to meetings. (Chair’s reception - Banquet ticket not included) Tuesday, January 11, 2011 or Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Please indicate day of attendance.

OFVGA Banquet ONLY

$50.00

Monday, January 10, 2011

Grand Total

$

(On-site registration will be charged an additional processing fee.)

13% HST (Business #10779-7821 R.T.) included in all prices.

Method of Payment

Payment to be made by cheque or credit card. Print or type clearly.

Cheque Visa

Please make cheque payable to the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association MasterCard

Cardholder’s Name Expiry Date

Card Number Signature Note: Credit card information provided here is for registration fee payments only.

Instructions • • • • • •

Complete this form and mail or fax to the OFVGA. Faxed forms MUST contain credit card information. Invoices will not be issued.

If you are faxing your form, do NOT mail a duplicate.

Only one person per form. This form may be photocopied.

Your name and organization will appear on your badge exactly as you indicate above.

Print or type all information. Please make a copy for your records.

A room block is in place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. A special overnight accommodation rate of $69.95 traditional room or $99.95 fallsview room (plus taxes) single/double occupancy until December 10, 2010, request special convention rate for OFVGA. After this date, room rate not guaranteed. Please make your reservations directly with the hotel by calling 1-800-519-9911. Check in time is 3:00 p.m., check out time is 11:00 a.m. • No AGM registration refunds after 4:30 p.m. on December 15, 2010.

Professor Yi says research is showing taste, above all, is what drives fruit and vegetable consumption. It’s not as big of a concern with fruit. But some vegetables simply don’t taste what people consider to be good – they might be bitter or, as Yi says, they might have what he calls an “unattractive� taste.

Dietitian Smedmor agrees. “Taste is a key component for children and adults, as eating is meant to be an enjoyable experience,� she says. “Taste will often win over health considerations when it comes to vegetables and fruit.�

To Yi, increasing vegetable intake means the agricultural sector needs to work hard to overcome the widespread perception that some vegetables are not tasty and are difficult to prepare. To that end, with support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, he’s assembled a team that includes a consumer psychologist, a marketing researcher and a nutritional researcher to investigate perceptions of taste and preparation difficulty among Ontario consumers.

“Taste is a key component for children and adults, as eating is meant to be an enjoyable experience.�

- Lise Smedmor The team is conducting indepth interviews with consumers and their children to better understand what are considered barriers to consuming specific vegetables - broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts.

Team members have gained some insights already. Yi says they’re finding many consumers either have little experience preparing vegetable-rich dishes, or don’t feel confident about their culinary skills when it comes to vegetables. Consumers want what he calls “delicious but simple, easy-to-follow recipes,� and they want them readily available, either while getting ready to go grocery shopping, or at the store itself.

The solution? Smart phones, for one, giving consumers easy access to recipes. Or short, twominute clips on local radio stations in late afternoon, when main food preparers are pondering what to eat for supper.

Yi and his team are scaling up the project in the spring, and hope growers’ associations will join the quest for better answers and solutions in 2011. “We’re sure that close collaboration between researchers and food producers will generate a lot of new insights about consumer perception of vegetables,� he says.

For our health’s sake, I hope he’s right.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

Horticultural research needs: a new direction

Adrian Huisman Ontario Tender Fruit Producers There has definitely been a change in how governments and universities determine research priorities for the horticultural industry. The process has already started and provides industry a greater voice in what research is conducted and where, as opposed to leaving it up to researchers to decide. Highlights: 1. Horticultural Science Cluster – Funding has been provided by AAFC under the Growing Forward initiative to develop Science Clusters. They chose the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) to address issues of a national nature for edible horticultural crops and the Vineland Research & Innovation Centre (VRIC) to deal with the landscape & nursery sector.

2. The federal government provides 75 per cent of the funding, while the industry must come up with the other 25 per cent. Grower groups take things much more seriously when they have to come up with cash.

3. This is new money! Government will continue to provide its traditional funding for the existing research work.

4. The first step for CHC was to survey the industry to determine what their needs were. This process has been completed and funding for successful project applications has been awarded and I expect the work is underway.

5. VRIC will likely do the same for ornamentals. In its case, they may determine which project they are best able to undertake and/or tender the project out to other research institutions.

6. In Ontario, there is now a new process for determining the research needs of the edible horticultural sector - Ontario Research Advisory Network (ORAN).

VRIC was asked by OMAFRA to take the lead on determining what the research priorities are for Ontario producers and determine the resources available (physical, infrastructure and human). This information is then forwarded to ORAN and they decide which ones will be funded.

7. Each commodity group was asked to provide their three top short-term research needs and

their three long-term research needs. There were some research needs that were common in nature while others were very crop specific. Interesting to note that when it comes to research, short term means three to five years, and long term more like five, 10 or 15 years.

8. For tender fruit and apples the most common issues related to: a. Cutting labour costs (need to mechanise where posssible), b. Best orchard management practices and system to reduce costs while increasing quality and production – including the need for chemical fruit thinners, harvesting aids, high density

plantings, training systems, etc. c. Quality - Post harvest handling and physiology (provide best quality to meet buyers’ needs while extending the season where possible). This also related to the need for improved/new infrastructure in order to meet the buyer needs for minimum brix, pressures and temperatures, d. Access to the best/newest varieties (imported or domestic) and the need to streamline the process, e. Marketing (including packing technology, packaging that meets consumer and buyer needs and where possible, differentiate Ontario from its competition), and

f. Crop protection needs for existing and emerging insects and disease. Examples fire blight, peach borer, brown marmorated stink bug The proof of the new process will be in the results it obtains and the satisfaction levels of governments and producers.

The inherent risk of this type of process is choosing whose priorities will be funded. Winners will be pleased while the losers will not. I suspect it will be those groups or sectors that can afford to provide significant funding that will have a better chance (time will tell).

Agriculture is life

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PAGE 12 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Face to face, marketers learn best practices Stories by Karen Davidson In the year of social media and virtual tours, members of the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association (OFFMA) took an old-fashioned bus tour to central Ontario in mid-November. It

seems some of the best learning is face to face, on the bus, and up close and personal with real-life, on-farm marketers.

As many will attest, OFFMA executive director Cathy Bartolic always organizes an intense, jam-

packed experience.

Ontario members were joined by others from Alberta, Quebec and Prince Edward Island. Those tour participants, many of whom have gone on the annual tour since 1989, are just starting to think

about how to employ some of those marketing ideas on the farm next year. Here’s a taste of what some hosts shared and what some of the 54 tour participants thought could be adapted.

Moving beyond transactions to a relationship with growers After 21 years operating an on-farm market north of Barrie, Ontario, Lynda Van Casteren refuses to call herself an expert. “I have some knowledge and some experience,” she says cannily. “But we’re always trying new things, learning from our mistakes and growing our business.”

It’s with that attitude that she and her husband Nicholas ventured for the first time on the OFFMA annual tour, as 10-year members. With an early season and gardens put to bed, they were able to learn from the host farmers and other members.

When they started their business, they were primarily swine producers and cash crop farmers, but they have evolved to pork retailers and market vegetable growers.

Their market serves as a venue for 70 local producers with an on-farm bakery driving about 30 per cent of the business. Another 20 per cent of business is derived from fruits and vegetables with a huge chunk – 50 per cent – from meat sales.

What they observed on the tour is the passion of many farmers whether it be for growing lavender, herbs or honey. “I admire producers who focus,” says Van Casteren.

“The lavender growers are exploring not only aromatic and healing uses but also culinary uses.”

As a result of the tour, she believes that the next step is to create an environment that is more than transactional for her customers.

“I want to create a destination that conveys my philosophy for bringing healthy food, easily accessible food of the highest quality, to customers in a way that invites stronger relationships with farmers.”

Not every producer has the marketing skill or venue to do this, but she’s convinced that Nicholyn Farm can aspire to creating this destination. She allows that other agritainment venues are close by, so to differentiate, she wants to create a tea garden as well as cooking classes. Imagine a course that would potentially start with harvesting beets, making the borsht and sending home the recipe.

“Our son is working with us in the business,” says Van Casteren. “I can see there is a future for him on the farm.”

Visit www.nicholyn.com.

Lynda and Nicholas Van Casteren are proud of the locally produced preserves sold at their Nicholyn Farms store.

Traditional products profit from make-overs For Earl Stanley, the annual OFFMA tour is a chance to learn from every tour destination and members on the bus. “So often,

we’re working in our business, but not on our business,” says the owner of a Metcalfe, Ontario maple sugar bush, 25 minutes

southeast of Parliament Hill.

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm is the site of nine acres of groomed gardens, sugar bush and

the site of 100 weddings each year.

He’s holding a Bridal Open House on January 22 and 23 for future couples to plan their

upcoming nuptials.

Since touring southwestern Ontario, he’s considering different viewpoints from both the management and customer perspectives.

He’s thinking more about the management side and how to delegate to more employees. From another perspective, he’s thinking about his target audience of urbanites.

“I really didn’t enjoy the lavender farm that we visited, but I did realize that folks need a place to sit and relax,” says Stanley. “Instead of looking at the forest, maybe they need to sit in the forest. I take the maple bush for granted.”

At one farm, he took note of apple fritters and wondered how that idea might translate into a pancake with a slice of apple rolled in maple sugar. He continues to look for new products that will update the traditional maple taffy or the more recent maple kettle corn.

Sample straws for honey might work as sample straws for maple syrup. “I’m realizing that our changing demographics include more southeast Asians and they aren’t familiar with maple syrup,” says Stanley. “Maybe I can share equipment with another on-farm retailer to develop this product.”

Everyone, to a person, agrees that the bus tour is a networking opportunity that generates business even before the first stop.

Visit www.stanleysfarm.com.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

MARKETING

New website creates a buzz “It’s been an un-bee-lievable year,” says Chris Hiemstra, with a nod to his staff of 24 million bees. That’s the story he shared with the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association which toured Clovermead Apiaries at Alymer, ON. The pitch starts kilometers before reaching the farm with teaser signs “You’ll bee there before you know it.”

The Hiemstra’s are third-generation beekeepers, honing their marketing skills well beyond honey. They invested in a new website, branding and signage in 2010 but usually spend their marketing dollars in capital improvements to the farm. “I’d rather invest in the destination than in advertising,” says Hiemstra.

Their adventure farm is a place for families, wildflower walks and more recently, a zip-line or bee-line for kids. They have restored antique buildings, even outhouses, for a glimpse of the past and house their gift shop in the midst.

When 55 on-farm retailers stepped off the bus, Hiemstra viewed them as potential consultants, asking them to fill out a survey on what they liked and what they would

change. So rather than just give advice, he got a 360 degree view.

Some of that feedback has already been taken to heart. An area underneath the zipline was bare from the trampling of children’s feet, so Hiemstra has sown grass seed and planted bushes before the snow flies. Some folks suggested a guardrail for his goat bridge. And others suggested additional safety measures.

His next project is to build a new bathroom with glass walls that have bees crawling inside them. “It will be a wild moment that guests won’t forget,” says Hiemstra. He still strongly believes that word-of-mouth reigns, although he has joined the Facebook era.

Clovermead’s new website includes social media such as YouTube video’s, Facebook and Twitter.

Visit www.clovermead.com

Keep on track with a theme As the name says, Apple Land Station is on track with 19 acres of pick-your-own apples. The Thorndale, Ontario farm attracts 7,000 to 8,000 students on school trips every year.

“The locomotive on wheels is one of the best things we’ve done,” says Ernie Muzylowsky, referring to a kid-sized train. Taking inspiration from that theme, Muzylowsky plans to double the track with another train.

With a majority of income earned during a tight five-week fall period, the plans are to expand to birthday parties and events around holidays. A small café has been added so that patrons can enjoy some of the homebaked pies and pastries on site.

Visit www.applelandstation.com Near right: Apple Land Station.

Far right: Lavender Blue Lavender, Sparta, ON, sells aromatic and culinary products. Photo: OFFMA

NOTICE OF MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the

FRESH VEGETABLE GROWERS OF ONTARIO will be held in the Town of Woodstock, Ontario at the QUALITY HOTEL & SUITES, Vansittart A

Thursday December 16th, 2010 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m Election of directors of the Association will take place plus discussion of financial reports and any Other business that may arise.

Registration Forms can be located on FVGO website.

REGISTRATION FORM Print this form, complete, then mail or fax to address below Personal & Company Information: Please print clearly in ink.

Name: __________________________________________________________________ First Name Middle Initial Last Name Telephone: _______________Fax: _______________E-mail_______________________ Mailing Address:_________________________________________________________ Rural Route/Street Address City/Town Postal Code FVGO Member $0 Non Member $40 Payment Information ___ Visa ___Master Card IF paying with Credit Card, please provide the following information: ___Cheque Enclosed (Please make payable to FVGO) Card #:___________________________________________Expiry Date: _____________ Participant’s Signature:______________________________________________________ Personal information contained on this form will remain confidential and will be used by the FVGO to registerparticipants for the 2010 FVGO AGM. Return Completed form with payment to: FVGO, c/o Mitton House, 120 Main Street East,Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0 or Fax (with Visa or Mastercard information) to 519-674-1512

PAGE 14 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Well-established on-farm markets re-invent themselves The Niagara escarpment provides the scenic backdrop for Milton, Ontario – one of the fastest-growing towns in Canada. With a burgeoning population of 90,000, surrounding farms have a new customer base to lure to their sites. Here’s how three farms in the vicinity are reinvigorating their marketing campaigns.

Springridge Farm On 70 picturesque acres on the Niagara Escarpment, John and Laura Hughes have a stunning view of Oakville to the south and the CN Tower to the far east in Toronto. At the foot of the escarpment lies the town of Milton. “They’re all potential customers of agriculture,� says John, looking on the positive side of urban encroachment.

Indeed, Springridge Farm has 1,500 customers who regularly buy $50 family passes for the season. That’s just one statistic in a year when they marked the 50th anniversary of the farm operation. Yes, there was new signage for the milestone and a history wall in one barn, but they spent little time resting on their laurels. Rather, they plunged into social media in a big way in 2010.

In a year’s time, they have 1,600 fans on Facebook, 870 followers on Twitter and 400 readers of their blog. That’s on top of an email newsletter list of 12,000. A trusted employee manages the new social media accounts. The power of their tweets became quickly apparent when a customer complained that she hadn’t been informed of a nearby traffic delay on a specific day. “I’ve been following you on Twitter . . . why didn’t you let me know?� she queried.

These real-life lessons in real time prove that communicating clearly and in a timely manner can make a difference to the customer experience. Quite recently, the power of their databases became apparent when they emailed invitations to a cookbook signing with Elizabeth Baird, the retired doyenne of Canadian Living Magazine. They had 220 RSVPs within 48 hours. Baird said it was one of the biggest signings she had experienced.

John Hughes, Springridge Farm, tastes one of the last dayneutral strawberries from his patch on November 17.

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In a similar experience using Twitter, targeted only to a young mom audience, they had 200 RSVPs for a themed party, Girls Night Out on the Farm, to meet Kathy Buckworth, author of “Shut Up and Eat: Tales of Chicken, Children and Chardonnay.� The ultimate hostess, Laura served a glass of wine with appetizers made from the farm’s bakery.

Imaginative events, smoothly executed, come naturally to the Hughes who are still enthused after all these years of building a business. “We are amazingly unique in that we focus on the farm,� says Laura. “We have never lost sight of the farm orientation in educating about where food comes from.�

They book 18 birthday parties most weekends, catering to a new generation of parents who want their kids to breathe fresh air and to make gingerbread men the oldfashioned way. Offering an adult menu is attractive to the parents who can also spend some time in the well-appointed giftware shop.

While Springridge Farm is noted for its 15 acres of pickyour-own strawberries and pumpkins, it’s interesting to note that their marketing program is most successful on the shoulder seasons. Most on-farm retailers would be surprised to know that Springridge’s: biggest cash flow day is Good Friday biggest bakery day is Thanksgiving Saturday biggest retail day from the gift store is third Saturday in November when they host the start of Milton’s United Way Christmas House bus tour.

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DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 15 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Well-established on-farm markets re-invent themselves Chudleigh’s Entertainment Farm In southern Ontario, the Chudleigh family name is synonymous with apples. Since 1959, they have built a reputation with 65 acres of pick-your-own apples and a hefty serving of entertainment. So it’s no surprise that they officially operate Chudleigh Entertainment Farm and a separate business for their commercial bakery, which buys apples from other growers.

For agri-marketers, the question is how to keep the loyalty of customers. Tom Chudleigh says that marketing is a combination of entertainment and education.

“How to pick an apple, how to store an apple is still important for our customers,” he says. “I want to see them with chin-dripping, juicy apples right off the trees.”

The tendency is to pick apples too early, so Chudleigh’s puts up a giant blackboard with all the apple varieties and their peak picking

season. Some customers even take a photo of the blackboard to remind themselves of what’s in season.

“We’ve never advertised the price,” says Chudleigh. “That’s a race to the bottom of the rung.”

Pricing by the pound at $1.15, for example, sounds completely different than $48 per bushel.

In recent years, Chudleigh has

learned it pays not to have lineups. “Parents today are squeezing in the apple farm trip between ballet, soccer and a dinner party,” he says. “We make sure to have enough parking space so that families can comfortably stay two hours. Be willing to add another cash register if it means no line-ups for your customers.”

Apple preferences have

evolved over the years too with Honeycrisp overtaking McIntosh for popularity. Golden Delicious, Creston and Sunrise are in the top ranks while Silken is capturing interest with its porcelain white skin against glossy leaves. The company website is particularly helpful in educating consumers about varieties with specific icons to designate whether varieties are

good for baking, eating or freezing.

With 42 years in retailing, there’s always room for a first.

Chudleigh’s launched its first Apple Piefest Baking Competition in early October with more than 20 contestants vying for bragging rights. The criteria were simple: each pie must have at least a bottom crust, must be homemade and apples must be the only fruit in the pie.

“For me, an apple pie should taste like apples,” Tom Chudleigh told the National Post, “not like a spice rack.”

Was the national coverage helpful? Chudleigh says it’s hard to say when they regularly entertain 90,000 visitors annually.

Without fail, Thanksgiving week-end is always a blockbuster.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres For 30 years, Andrews’ Scenic Acres has earned its reputation for top-quality strawberries at the Milton Farmers’ Market and been a patron sponsor of the annual strawberry fair, a fundraiser for the local hospital. In recent years, a new venture called Scotch Block Winery has become an awardwinning producer of fruit wines.

Their pick-your-own farm includes a rainbow of fruits and vegetables including fall raspberries and strawberries as well as less common gooseberries and currants.

As Bert and Lauraine Andrews know, every year brings new challenges. “I got fairly excited about cut flowers this past year,” says Bert. Rather than a few rows of flowers, he expanded to an acre of dahlias, eight plantings of sunflowers and six plantings of gladiolus. He was responding to demand from urban farmers’ markets, including the MyMarket at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

He committed to 11 farmers’ markets in 2010, two more than the previous year.

There’s something to learn in

every new venture. Some varieties of sunflowers are better for cutting than others, and now, he recommends Cutting Gold from Stokes Seeds.

Like many growers, the farm employs offshore workers.

Together with area farmers, Andrews organizes a Mexicanthemed party at season’s end complete with Mariachi band, food and dancing. The entire community is invited to celebrate the fall harvest. While the intent is to thank the workers, the event received local media coverage, in

Check water-taking permit expiry dates Farmers with permits to take water are being reminded to check the expiry date of their documents. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA) is encouraging growers to review their paperwork this fall to ensure that their permits remain current or can be renewed prior to the start of the next growing season.

Horticulture and crop farmers who use more than 50,000 litres per water per day on their farm operations are required to hold a permit to take water, issued by the Ministry of the Environment. This includes activities such as irrigation or using wash water to clean vegetables before they are packed.

Renewing your permits before they expire means you can complete a more streamlined renewal process. Applying for a renewal on a permit to take water that has lapsed will be treated as a new application by the Ministry and may be subject to additional requirements and conditions.

The OFVGA can help!

A harvest party for Mexican workers drew local media attention. and of itself useful in communicating the community spirit of the farm and how the local food system works.

Now that the Mexican workers

have gone home, it’s Bert Andrews’ turn for some field chores. He’s lifting those dahlia bulbs for the winter, planning to plant hope for next season.

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PAGE 16 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETING

The case for a national raspberry agency

By Karen Fenske There are a variety of elements which impact the market and trends that we can change with enough resources. The raspberry market is growing and so is the imported market share. The Canadian raspberry market includes approximately 78 million lbs of fresh and processed raspberries of which only 36 per cent are Canadian. From 2008 to 2009 we saw imported product take over six per cent of the total market share. There is no data available for fresh imports prior to 2008.

An equitable contribution system is needed to support industry growth. Over 60 per cent of the raspberries sold in Canada are from importers who do not pay for any of the promotion, marketing and research we do. Importers need to make equal investments in the cost of building raspberry markets as they will benefit from our

efforts.

Canadian exports have decreased by 40 per cent. As trade between countries increases with globalization, the economies of other countries are also growing.

Other countries are beginning to have the capacity to supply raspberries and, with their aggressive marketing, are making themselves

strong competitors for our markets. Although our main export market, the U.S. has seen 40 per cent of their industry come from offshore, Canada has seen a substantial decrease in its exports into that market. Canadians need to change this trend. As well, new markets could represent new opportunities, especially for processed products. Available data

Primo Red T Tomato omato o 65 day high quality, uality, extra large, very er y firm. firm.

includes raspberries, mulberries, etc, uncook, steam or boil in water, sweetened or not, frozen.

Consumers want affordable products that are good for their health. Food prices have increased due to a variety of factors including increased production costs.

Adapting to this change has put added importance on research and innovation if raspberry growers want to remain competitive with other fruits and other suppliers. At the same time consumers desire food that is good for them. Before they can be informed of the positive nutritional value of raspberries the research needs to

Researching Researching g the best for for our customers custome ers er s since 1881 at Stokes Seeds s T rrial Ev va aluation n Trial Evaluation

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be done by us. Funds are needed to do the production research and to validate raspberry health benefits.

Buyers want produce that meet food safety standards. When making purchasing decisions, buyers (wholesale, retail or consumer) expect a supply of safe food. To ensure public health and maintain confidence, food safety standards need to be met. Implementing a food safety program requires resources to educate growers in practices and paperwork, staff to perform audits, improvements to on-farm practices, standards maintenance, etc. Money spent on implementing and maintaining these programs will aid in Canadians being able to capitalize on what they have.

Buyers want new products and recyclable packaging. Developing value-added products and sound recyclable packaging are other strategies which can expand the market and gain value-chain efficiencies. Funds are needed for innovation.

Governments are nurturing self-supporting industry efforts.

However, to access government funding, organizations must have the capacity for sound governance, organized reporting systems to aid in accountability, be able to measure performance, and to demonstrate transparency with practical communication strategies. Infusing policy and structures which can provide a sustainable industry requires collaboration. We can do more with the little we have.

Karen Fenske is the project contractor, StratPoint Solutions, Vernon, BC.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 17 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Boothmanship: part display, part theatre White, paper-skinned bulbs of garlic present a marketing dilemma. They don’t have the orange allure of pumpkins or the dimpled textures of autumn squash. Allan and Norma Granlund are threetime booth winners at the Carp Garlic Festival with a few display tricks up their sleeves.

“When I go to a market, I look for attractive, clean booths that I can see from a distance,” says Granlund. “Every year, we try to do something different to create interest. This year, we added coloured tablecloths and garlic crowns.”

Everyone working at Gramma and Grampa’s Garlic booth wore garlic accessories: garlic headbands, garlic-festooned hats, garlic necklaces. The paraphernalia works. The Granlund’s sold out of one of their garlic varieties within the first hour of business. In fact, their entire annual crop of 14,000 to 20,000 bulbs is sold in two days at the Carp Garlic Festival.

Did you know?

Fifteen new farmers’ markets were organized in 2010 under the Farmers’ Market Ontario (FMO) banner raising the provincial total to 155. Aside from new growth,

sales are growing at a rate of about seven per cent per year, says Bob Chorney, FMO general manager.

Some markets increased number of market shopping days, so this, plus new markets, translates into more than 300 new shopping days available to Ontarians.

Photo courtesy of Tracy Lamb, Mopani Communications

Top ten tips for successful tradeshow marketing Many growers have just finished the fall season as exhibitors or volunteers in booths. Some are heading into the winter season, designing booths. Here are some helpful tips courtesy of Canada's Outdoor Farm Show.

Tip # 1 – Understand the purpose of your exhibit The goal of the exhibit is not to sell your product, nor to tell your prospective clients everything about your company, products and services. Your Exhibit must: • Create interest.

• Capture the attendee's attention.

• Prompt visitors to stop.

Give a favourable first impression about your company and create a lasting visual impact.

Tip # 2 – Design an exhibit that cummunicates a powerful message Your visitors have three to five seconds to formulate an opinion of your company. Let them know: • Who you are.

• What you do.

• Why you are different or better than the others.

Tip # 3 - Create an inviting pre-show promotion One of the best ways to ensure that your must-see clients visit you at the show is to invite them directly to your booth. To ensure the success of your pre-show promotion; • Use a large format invitation printed on colorful paper.

• Follow up with a reminder via email.

• Follow up again with a brief phone call to the individual you want to meet.

Tip # 4 – Train your exhibit staff or . . . it will cost you!

To improve staff performance, you will need to train your exhibit staff on how to sell in the show environment. It takes much effort to master the show selling technique, but practice makes perfect ... and profits! By modifying your strategy, your methods and your approach toward your show participation, you can TRIPLE your show results. You can even measure your results!

Tip # 5 - Adapt to the show environment What is the biggest difference between speaking with a prospect at a show or in the field?

The answer? The TIME that you have to convince them. Why? 1. Their time at the show is limited.

2. They have many exhibits to visit and many products to compare.

3. People only register 50 per cent of what they hear.

4. 90 per cent of what you say will be forgotten in a minute.

5. You (the exhibitor) need time to engage as many attendees as possible.

In fact, the average attendee attention span is just 4.4 minutes.

For these reasons and many more, you absolutely must train your exhibit sales staff to have short, convincing and memorable interactions with visitors.

Tip # 6 – Plan effective promotions and promotional activities Promotional activities such as draws, giveaways and demonstrations can be very effective tools to help you succeed at the show.

However, you must give them careful thought. Your objectives

are to: 1. Attract visitors to your booth.

2. Facilitate conversations between you and show visitors.

3. Inform about the benefits of your products or services.

4. Create a tangible reminder of their visit to your booth.

Promotional activities that achieve these four goals are considered to be effective.

Tip # 7 - Making the right decisions: follow one simple principle Here is a simple principle that will help you to make good decisions regarding your show participation: “All that contributes to creating people interactions should be employed. Conversely, anything that impedes attendee contact should be eliminated.”

Tip # 8 - Booth design: optimize your space When designing the exhibit, the trend is to simplification; simplification of the text, signage, visuals and of the booth space. Remember

that an uncluttered booth reflects a well organized and credible company. Make sure that the front of your booth is free of unnecessary clutter or obstructions.

Tip # 9 - Designing the exhibit: avoid the pitfalls Here is a list of ten common mistakes: 1. Text too small 2. More than two types of fonts used 3. Too much text 4. Bad choice of words 5. Visual conflict with the background 6. Text too low to be seen 7. Too many images 8. Images of poor quality 9. Improper or inadequate lighting 10. Damaged dog-eared graphics Tip # 10 - Ensure an effective follow-up Since 80 per cent of trade show leads are never followed up and since they are so expensive to generate, here are ten ways to help you convert them into sales.

1. Create your follow-up strategy.

2. Define the type of client you are seeking. What is your criterion?

3. Assign a lead captain who will ensure all leads are recorded legibly on lead sheets.

4. Prioritize each lead's potential using a simple weighting system A, B, C etc.

5. Keep your leads in a safe place.

Enter them into a data base at the end of every day.

6. Re-warm your leads after the show. Do a post show mailing.

7. Exhibit staff should be organized prior to the show for following up on leads one week after the show.

8. Send a very short email in the week following the show thanking the visitor for coming to your booth.

9. Resurrect dead leads (keep in contact with potential clients who are not quite ready to buy.)

10. Educate your sales force on the importance and value of qualified leads.

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PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETING

The science of food shopping looks artful

Is it a grocery store? Is it a cooking school? Is it a take-out food bar?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Longoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the newly opened flagship store at Maple Leaf Square in downtown Toronto.

Located across from the Air Canada Centre, the well-known brand in the Greater Toronto Area is banking its future on a mĂŠlange of experiences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really excited to become a part of the Maple Leaf Square community and bring our concept of a fresh tradition to the downtown core,â&#x20AC;? says Anthony Longo, CEO of Longoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The store offers customers complete

one-stop shopping from great value options to suit any budget, all the way to Kobe beef and everything in between.â&#x20AC;?

Its reputation has been for fresh produce hand-selected six days a week at the Ontario Food Terminal. That tradition remains intact with the claim of more than 100 organic varieties of produce. Some of them make their way into the 40-item salad bar.

But following the trend of other destination grocers such as McEwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the experience is part of the attraction. A hot-carving station, gourmet made-to-order stone oven pizza, made on-site hardwood smoked meats and fish, a chocolatier creating fine Belgian chocolates, an in-store tortilleria making fresh flour tortillas and chapattis are just some of the

Ontario-grown produce is featured at the new Longoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at Maple Leaf Square, downtown Toronto.

foodie spectacles.

Just as important as the food offerings are how they are laid out.

Paco Underhill, bestselling author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping and his most recent book, What Women Want, was consulted on design and flow of the store.

With a nod to local craftsmanship, the new location is also home to Corks Beer and Wine Bar featuring locally made beers and Ontario wines. No doubt the idea is to enjoy a cool one before a hockey game across the street.

With this new downtown footprint and a new state-of-the art head office in Vaughan Longoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now operates 23 stores across the Greater Toronto Area and employs more than 4,000 people.

NEWS: 11 new researchers join CCOVI network Brockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) has announced that 11 researchers will become new CCOVI Fellows and Professional Affiliates.

CCOVI Fellows: â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Lester Kwong, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Annette Nassuth, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Michael Ripmeester, Chair

and Professor, Department of Geography, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Narongsak (Tek) Thongpapanl, Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON CCOVI Professional Affiliates: â&#x20AC;˘ Carl Bogdanoff, Viticulture Biologist, PARC, Summerland, BC â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Margaret Cliff, Research Scientist, PARC, Summerland, BC â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Tom Lowery, Research Scientist, PARC, Summerland, BC

â&#x20AC;˘ Alexandra Mayeski, Lawyer, Heenan Blaikie LLP, Toronto, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Gerry Neilsen, Research Scientist, PARC, Summerland, BC â&#x20AC;˘ Daniel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Gorman, Research Biologist, PARC, Summerland, BC â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Kevin Usher, Research Scientist, PARC, Summerland, BC

We are also happy to announce the renewed affiliation of: â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Pat Bowen (Professional Affiliate), Research Scientist, PARC, Summerland, BC â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Linda Bramble (Professional Affiliate), Wine Writer, Author, Educator, St. Catharines, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Ralph Brown (Fellow), Pro-

fessor, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Ronald Jackson (Professional Affiliate), Wine Writer, Author, Le Bic, QC â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Karl Kaiser (Professional Affiliate), Co-founder of Inniskillin Wines, Winemaker, Consultant, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

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DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 19 THE GROWER

Connecting farmers and consumers virtual fruit and vegetable farm tours launched

By Lilian Schaer for AGCare The farm gates are “virtually” open on a series of new online farm tours. Online visitors can meet real Ontario farmers and tour real farms that grow field vegetables, fruit, greenhouse vegetables and grain crops - without putting their boots on. The project is part of ongoing efforts by AGCare, of which OFVGA is a member, to help connect consumers to farmers and how their food is produced.

“Less than two per cent of Canadians are involved in agriculture which means that most of us have never had the opportunity to visit a real farm or talk to a real farmer,” says Paul Wettlaufer, a crop and livestock farmer and Chair of AGCare. “The interest in where our food comes from has never been higher. These new virtual farm tours are a great way for

kids and consumers of all ages to see how their food is grown in Ontario.”

Each tour starts with an aerial photograph of a farm property and follows a series of crops through an entire growing season. Visitors can click on different parts of the aerial photograph to enter various buildings and learn about different parts of the farm through photographs, videos and panoramic images, similar to how real estate professionals market properties online.

A CD of all the tours, along with a newly developed teacher’s guide – containing curriculum connections for all grades and suggested classroom activities – was distributed to every elementary and secondary school in the province in November. The resource was also featured at the

Science Teachers Association of Ontario annual conference last month in Toronto.

“It’s important for students to have accurate information about where their food comes from and to get connected with modern food and farming, “says Wettlaufer.

“Agriculture touches all of our lives in many different ways and these tours and teacher guides will be a valuable resource to help bring that experience into Ontario classrooms.”

The tours can be found online at www.virtualfarmtours.ca, where they have joined a series of existing tours of livestock farms developed by the Ontario Farm Animal Council, including dairy, pigs, poultry, sheep, cattle, veal, deer, elk and ratites. The virtual farm tours log more than two million hits annually from visitors

who come to the site looking to learn more about food and farming.

The three horticulture virtual farm tours are hosted by vegetable and fruit grower Birkbank Farms near Orton, greenhouse vegetable grower Pyramid Farms in Leamington and peach, cherry and pear producer Cherry Lane Farms of Vineland. A fourth tour, focused on corn, wheat and soybean production, is hosted by Blythe Brae Farms of the Woodstock area.

Thanks to the farm hosts for providing this snapshot for consumers into “typical Ontario farms.”

Filming and photography for the project were completed throughout the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons.

What can you do? Promote these tours wherever you can with links on your websites, promotion-

al materials and products. Contact AGCare at 519-837-1326 or agcare@agcare.org for a copy of the web button, logo or additional creative ideas for promoting www.virtualfarmtours.ca.

The virtual tour project was funded in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council and with contributions from AGCare, Ontario Farm Animal Council, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and Syngenta.

United States fall potato production 2010 down eight per cent American potato production is down according to the USDA crop report published November 9.

The total potato production in the United States harvest 2010 is 399,231,000 cwt (20.3 million tons), down seven per cent from last year. The fall potato production is down eight per cent compared to last year.

Fall production accounts for 90.5 per cent (361,392,000 cwt) of the total potato crop.

Looking to States with a potato production of more than 15 million cwt, the largest reductions in yields occurred in Minnesota (-12 per cent), Wisconsin (-11 per cent) and Idaho (-6 per cent).

“These figures are encouraging to us because there’s a real opportunity to increase prices of potatoes in the upcoming months,” says Don Brubacher, general manager, Ontario Potato Board. “Supply is

shorter than demand.”

These production tallies are welcome news after a tough 2009 when potato supplies outstripped demand in North America, depressing prices. The Ontario crop is slightly above average in yield and excellent in quality.

In Manitoba, where excessive rainfall drowned out many crops, processing potatoes are down by several thousand acres.

“For table potatoes, it’s a mixed bag with an average crop,” says Larry McIntosh, President and CEO, Peak of the Market.

Fortunes have also changed worldwide with a poor harvest in Russia, a shortage that is switching up traditional trade patterns. Holland is now exporting to Russia.

Prince Edward Island potatoes are now being shipped to export markets in the Caribbean and Central America.

The G Great rea e Lakes eat Lakes Fruit, F itt, Vegetable Frui Veeget Ve etta table and nd Farm FFaarm Market Market e EXPO EXPO December 7-9, 2010 DeVos Place Convention Center Grand Rapids, Michigan

www.glexpo.com ww w ww.gle expo.c .com

The PREMIER SHOW for fruit and vegetable growers and farm marketers!

• 4,000 people from 41 states and 10 Canadian provinces attended in 2009 • Informative education program for fruit and vegetable growers and farm marketers – 48 education sessions and workshops over three days • Large trade show – last year’s show had 394 exhibitors covering four acres of exhibit space • Pre-conference bus tour for farm marketers on Monday, December 6

s u l P

The Michiga Michigan an G Greenhouse reenho ouse G Growers ro owe wers ers Ex Expo • 450 greenhouse growers from 26 states and 3 Canadian provinces attended in 2009 • Three days of education sessions and workshops for greenhouse growers • Many greenhouse vendors in the trade show • Greenhouse growers bus tour on Thursday, December 9

One registration fee covers both conferences and the trade show!

(Specified workshops and tours require an additional fee)

On-line registration starts September 27. Register by November 12 to save on registration fees.

Visit GLEXPO.co GLEXPO.com om for registration registration, n, program and ot other her information.

Call 734-677-0503 734-677-050 03 for fo registration questions or to re receive eceive registration and program information info formation by mail.

Call 616-794-04 616-794-0492 492 ffor or informatio information n on exhibiting in n the trade show.

PAGE 20 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Want to know The ‘Real’ Dirt on Canadian Farming?

What questions do Canadians ask about our food supply and farming practices?

• How are farm animals raised on today’s farms?

• Are there hormones or antibiotics in our food?

• How does food production impact our environment?

• What does organically-grown food really mean?

• What effects do farming practices have on our health?

The answers to all these questions – and many more – about food and farming in Canada can be found in the new booklet, ”The ‘Real’ Dirt on Farming II – The People in Canadian Agriculture Answer your Questions”.

The national publication has been published by the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) with input and involvement from farmers and farm groups, educators and agribusinesses across Canada, including the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

“In our fast-paced, 24/7, 140character news environment, sensation dominates the headlines,” says John Maaskant, chicken farmer and Chairman of the Ontario Farm Animal Council.

“This makes it difficult for proven information and solid food facts to

be heard.” For example: • Did you know that 98 per cent of Canada’s farms are still family owned and operated?

• A Canadian farmer could only feed 10 people a century ago, but can now feed more than 120 today.

• Farming productivity has jumped by 300 per cent since the 1950s while using fewer resources, less land and newer, better technologies to produce more food.

Anyone who wants to know more about farming and issues such as farm animal care or food safety will find this 44 page fullcolour booklet to be a helpful resource - perfect for students, educators, politicians and the media. This booklet is an update to an older version published in 2006. The new version contains all new facts and statistics as well as much new content on topics that have emerged over the last four years.

“This resource has taken more than a year to produce but has actually been in the making since the last edition’s release,” says Maaskant. “It provides statistics and perspective on a variety of topics ranging from agricultural demographics to biotechnology to organic agriculture to environmental issues. It’s designed to provide the basic facts on some common

various funding partners which include national, provincial and local agricultural organizations .

New with this edition, a secondary-school level teacher’s guide has been published with funding from Farm Credit Canada and will be distributed to high schools across Canada with the help of the Agriculture in the Classroom organizations in each province.

The resource is also available for viewing on OFAC’s website at www.ofac.org. Additional copies will be sold through the OFAC office.

May the best booth win

but complex topics in farming, with lots of references for people who would like to find further information.”

Over the next few weeks,

100,000 copies of the resource, in both English and French, will be distributed nationally to politicians, media, libraries, school boards and through the project’s

Farmers’ Markets Ontario is sponsoring a Best Booth Contest. Send digital photos of market stalls to fmo@ farmersmarketsontario.com by December 15 2010. Include the name of the vendor and his/her contact information, the market name, the market manager and the product featured. Details on prizes and categories can be found on the website.

Leassons learned from National Farm to School Network

By Alison Robertson, Special Projects, OFVGA The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) held their 14th annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, from October 16th to the 19th. It was entitled “Food, Culture, Justice: The

Gumbo that Unites Us All.” This was CFSC’s largest conference ever with nearly 1,000 delegates from across North America. There were also delegates from South America, Africa, and Europe.

In New Orleans, food is used to make a cultural connection uniting

farmers, food banks, fishers, faithbased organizations, and others as they work towards social justice.

At Food, Culture, & Justice: The Gumbo That Unites Us All, attendees had the opportunity to see first-hand the unique regional and multi-cultural approach to

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food organizing taking place in New Orleans. The event was infused with the unique flavour and culture of the area, through field trips to innovative local projects, special lunchtime events, a regional workshop track.

Plenary highlights included personal stories from New Orleanians about their food culture and rebuilding after the storm, an energizing presentation by the leader of a West African peasant farmers’ association, and closing reflections from diverse leaders on how to build power for the food security movement. There were also 68 workshops and networking sessions on a wide range of topics, including rebuilding local food economies, ending poverty and increasing food access, outcomes of the U.S. Social Forum, environmental justice, public health links, food policy councils, urban agriculture and more. There were also numerous opportunities for networking through topic-specific networking sessions, forums and CFSC committee meetings.

Because of my involvement in the fruit and vegetable program in Northern Ontario and work with the federal government on future fruit and vegetable programs in the far north I was especially interested in the sessions regarding the National Farm to School Network, the Development of State-wide Food Systems, Child Nutrition: Successes and Implementation, and Food Policy and Planning.

One of the core areas of discussion throughout the conference was the need to push for local, state/

provincial, and national policies and practices that would support healthy food retail, healthier institutions, national nutrition programs and sustainable food systems. The development of these food security policies at both the provincial and federal level would strengthen our advocacy efforts to increase access to healthy local fruits and vegetables for Canadians.

The conference was hosted by the Community Food Security Coalition, www.foodsecurity.org, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, and the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee.

Upcoming Events: National Conference on State and Municipal Food Policy, Portland, Oregon, May 19-21, 2011. This will be the most comprehensive national conference on local and state food policy in the U.S. This conference will bring people from across North America who are working to influence local and state food, agriculture, and nutrition policy.

15th Annual Community Food Security Coalition, Oakland, California, November 4-8, 2011 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Burlington, Vermont, spring 2012. The 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference will showcase innovative and effective strategies for connecting schools and colleges with local farms.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 21 THE GROWER

Fig. 2 Magnesium deficiency, broccoli

Sorting out all those yellowing leaves

By Christoph Kessel, Nutrition (Horticulture) – Program Lead, OMAFRA Many vegetable crops had their share of yellowing leaves this past growing season. During the drier, hotter summer days, these yellowing leaves displayed symptoms similar to several nutrient deficiencies. Sorting out the visual symptoms and their possible causes can present a real challenge.

Five common nutrient deficiency symptoms expressed as yellowing leaves include nitrogen, magnesium, manganese, iron and zinc. Nitrogen is typically easy to

diagnose. But the other four can be easily confused. Their similarity in symptoms makes them a challenge to diagnose. While a soil report can indicate an adequate supply of these nutrients, visual deficiency symptoms can occur because plant nutrient uptake is compromised.

Adverse soil temperatures and moisture levels, either too cold and wet or hot and dry, can induce symptoms.

When sorting out the symptoms a good place to start is the leaf’s location on the plant. Nitrogen and magnesium usually appears on older leaves. The other three typi-

Fig. 1 Nitrogen deficiency, corn. All photos by: International Plant Nutrition Institute

Nitrogen (fig 1) Leaves affected Overall leaf appearance

Older or basal leaves

cally occur on younger leaves.

The table below compares the nutrients’ visual deficiency symptoms.

These symptoms can indicate acute or chronic problems. What action to take to manage the nutrient depends on confirming the deficiency and finding its cause. Use soil and leaf analyses to confirm the deficiency. If the soil analyses do not indicate any nutrient deficiencies for the crop, the next step is to determine why the symptoms occurred. Carefully check soil conditions, moisture, or damage from insects, diseases or other animals. As well, review past weather conditions and spray records. All these factors can influence the plants’ root’s ability to take up nutrients.

For more information on trouble-shooting nutrient deficiency symptoms and soil diagnostics, visit the OntarioCrop IPM website at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/ english/index.html.

Magnesium (fig 2)

Fig. 3 Manganese deficiency, celery

Fig. 4 Iron deficiency, tomato

Fig. 5 Zinc deficiency, corn

Manganese (fig 3)

Older leaves

Younger leaves; middle leaves may be affected Light green or yellowing generally Individual lower, older leaves Diffuse chlorosis between the appears uniformly over the leaf and turn yellow (chlorotic); in veins gives a mosaic-like or whole plant; older leaves begin to early stages, older leaves chequered-like appearance on yellow first starting at leaf tips; if fade and yellow at tips giving young expanded leaves; severe, may turn brown and fall off a mottled or herring-bone necrotic (dead) spots usually look; dead (necrotic) areas present and scattered over between veins appear late in leaf surface; these may the season eventually tear

Leaf veins

Leaf veins remain green often with broad green margins

Leaf margins

May remain green; can curl up or downward giving the leaf a puckered appearance

The darker green colour next to veins and along the main veins gives a “Christmastree” like pattern on younger and moderately old leaves; smallest veins remain green; no sharp distinctions between veins and interveinal areas as in an iron deficiency

Iron (fig 4)

Zinc (fig 5)

Younger leaves; middle leaves may be affected Youngest leaves become yellowish-green, turning lemon-yellow or yellowishwhite; lower, older leaves remain a darker green; necrotic (dead) spots are usually absent

Younger and/or older leaves

Network fine green veins with yellowing in between gives a net-like appearance; sharply contrasting narrow green main veins; larger veins remain green

Green margins at both sides

In extreme cases, margins and tips become necrotic; necrosis may extend inwards, developing into a large area, spreading over the whole leaf blade

Irregular chlorotic mottling, developing rapidly into necrotic blotches; yellowivory to white in colour younger leaves at growing tips are much smaller, often narrow in appearance and in a rosette-like whorl; symptoms may occasionally appear on older leaves

PAGE 22 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Controlled droplet application systems

By Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau, Application Technology Specialist Have you ever seen a controlled droplet application (CDA) sprayer? Don’t feel badly if you haven’t, because most horticultural ground sprayers in Ontario use conventional hydraulic nozzles like flat-fans or disc-cores. Nevertheless, CDA systems have been used world-wide in a multitude of crops since the early seventies. So why not in Ontario?

Let’s start by illustrating the biggest difference between the two systems: how they make droplets.

Figure 1 shows a conventional hydraulic tip using pressure to force spray through a small orifice. Notice how the spray starts as a perforated sheet before it disintegrates into droplets. With this method, even the best tips produce a range of droplet sizes and use relatively diluted volumes.

Figure 2 shows the edge of a spinning disk on a centrifugalenergy nozzle (also called a rotary atomizer). Liquid is fed to the

Fig. 1: Photo by Silsoe Spray Applications Unit, Cambridge, UK centre of the disk, where it spreads and is flung from tiny teeth to become threads and then droplets.

With this method, a very narrow range of droplet sizes is created without having to use pressure.

Companies that manufacture CDAs make some very appealing claims about these systems. Here are a few of the most intriguing: • By changing the disks on the sprayer, you can create droplets of an optimal size range for the pest target (e.g. smaller for disease, larger for mobile insects).

• Where hydraulic nozzles produce a range of droplet sizes including large droplets that bounce, and small droplets that are

prone to drift, CDAs create a more uniform droplet size.

• Very low volume applications (5-50 L/ha) can be made with water-based formulations, reducing the number of refills needed.

In some cases, ultra low volume applications (<5 L/ha) can be made without a carrier – just straight pesticide.

• Ground-based systems can be

Fig. 2: Photo by Micron Sprayers Ltd., Herefordshire, UK

mounted on booms, in front of or behind small vehicles, or even on hand-held systems (see Figure 3).

On the other side of the coin, there are potential negatives too, as noted by institutions such as Virginia Tech: • Very small droplets represent drift hazards.

• Coverage and penetration may not be thorough.

• Highly concentrated droplets can present safety hazards.

• Use of concentrated pesticides may increase dosage errors.

• Few pesticides are labelled or formulated for very low volume or ultra low volume application.

But, pros and cons aside, perhaps the biggest reason these systems aren’t more prevalent in Ontario is the limited amount of literature describing their use with insecticides or fungicides in horticultural crops. There has been some data on using these systems to apply glyphosate products, but not typically in vegetables, fruits or berries.

So, if you are considering CDA

Fig. 3: The Mankar Mantra portable herbicide sprayer as an alternate means of pesticide application, be sure to prioritize your goals just as you would before purchasing any new sprayer. Consider work rate, the size of your planting, pesticide compatibility, the potential for drift and the ease of use and maintenance for the unit. Above all, never hesitate to ask questions and approach dealers for on-site demonstrations to ensure that the system is appropriate for your crop before you try something new.

Systemic acquired resistance – what is it?

By Janice LeBoeuf, Vegetable Crop Specialist, OMAFRA - Ridgetown You may be hearing more and more about plant protection products known as SAR inducers or plant activators. What does this mean?

SAR, or systemic acquired resistance, products actually trigger or enhance the plant’s natural defenses against infection.

Although they may be labeled for control of plant disease, they do not have any direct activity on the fungus, bacteria, or other pathogen.

Plants have a natural resistance mechanism that is activated once an infection is initiated. You could think of it as an immune response like humans would have to an infection. This response can also be initiated by certain chemicals – by treating a plant with a SAR inducer, we are able to initiate the resistance response prior to an infection. Think of the response

we have to a vaccination. We build up immunity without being exposed to the live pathogen. Of course, vaccinations are specific to a particular virus, while SAR is a broad-spectrum response. These chemicals use the plant’s own biological pathways to prepare it for a stronger response against disease.

SAR products are used differently than fungicides or bactericides. They need to be applied before an infection occurs, as it takes time after treatment for the plant response to be activated to the point of effectiveness. They do not act directly on the pathogen, so they are used as part of a disease control program. Cultural practices (and fungicides or bactericides where possible) are still needed to prevent the pathogen population from building up.

SAR products do not offer control of all plant diseases. Research continues to uncover their most effective uses and how to use them in a pest management system. As

these products come into use, it will be important to read and understand the labels and follow recommendations for optimizing their effectiveness.

Stay up-to-date To help you stay up-to-date on vegetable production issues, including new registrations and pest management recommendations, keep these resources in mind: OMAFRA Vegetable Crop Updates These updates are issued by the OMAFRA vegetable team when-

ever there is information of interest to the commercial vegetable production business. There are several ways to access them. You can find them on the OMAFRA website at www.omafra.gov.on. ca/english/crops/hort/vegetable. html, where there is also an e-mail subscription feature available.

They are found in blog format at ONvegetables.com – here you can subscribe by e-mail or RSS and post comments and questions.

You can also request to receive the pdf versions by e-mail, or get them by fax or mail by contacting

janice.leboeuf@ontario.ca.

Twitter If you’re a Twitter user, or plan to be, you can follow ontariotomato.

Visit www.twitter.com/ ontariotomato. You’ll get quick updates and news of interest to the tomato and pepper industry. You can also send short messages and questions back.

And, as always, the OMAFRA vegetable pages are a rich source of resources and tools. Bookmark the main vegetable page at www. omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/ hort/vegetable.html.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 23 THE GROWER

PAGE 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE

To advertise phone: 519-380-0118 â&#x20AC;˘ 866-898-8488 x 218 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 519-380-0011 NURSERY AND ROOTSTOCK

SCOTT-WHALEY NURSERIES LTD.

The best producing orchards start with exceptional trees.

RR2 Ruthven, ON. N0P 2G0

Specializing in Service to Commercial Fruit Growers Apple & Peach Trees

Apples Apricots Cherries Nectarines Peaches Plums

Phone: 519-326-9330 Fax: 519-326-3083 gwfarm@wavedirect.net

Quality Fruit Trees for 60 years.

Mori Nurseries

1695 Niagara Stone Rd., RR#2 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S1J0 T: 905-468-3217 F: 905-468-7271 Email: fruittrees@morinurseries.com

www.morinurseries.com

Alpine Nurseries

(Niagara) Limited

Producers of Quality stock for 46 years. Grown under the Nova Scotia Certification Program. Shipping across North America.

Contact us for more information and a free brochure

G.W. ALLEN NURSERY LTD.

4HE

TREES & GRAPE VINES & ELDERBERRIES. VARIETY AND PRICE LIST

STRAWBERRY PLANTS ***CERTIFIED*** RASPBERRY CANES

Since 1932

SPECIALIZING IN FRUIT

AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

Howard A. Colcuc Nursery Manager R.R. #4 Creek Road Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. L0S 1J0 Tel: (905) 262-4971 Fax: (905) 262-4404 howardcolcuc@rogers.com

7295 Hwy 221 Centreville, N.S. B0P 1J0 ph. 902-678-7519 fax: 902-678-5924

Email: sales@gwallennursery.com

C.O.

www.gwallennursery.com

KEDDY

â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Strawberry Plants & Raspberry Canes â&#x20AC;˘ All popular varieties available â&#x20AC;˘ Grown under the Nova Scotia Certification program.

Plants shipped across North America.

Contact us for a FREE brochure!

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www.noursefarms.com 413.665.2658

GLADIOLUS BULBS Wide variety selection for retail sales and commercial cut flower production Catalogue available upon request or visit our website at www.lmbolle.com

L.M.Bolle & Sons

OFVGA 152nd AGM Registration forms and agenda available at www.ofvga.org

Â&#x201E;

41 River Road South Deerfield Massachusetts 01373

982 North Bishop Road, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4N 3V7 Ph: (902) 678-4497 Fax: (902) 678-0067 Email: keddynursery@xcountry.tv

298 Burford - Delhi Townline RR 1, Norwich, ON N0J 1P0 (519) 468-2090 Fax 468-2099 email: lmbolle@execulink.com

"EST "ERRY 0LANTS

YEARS

ASPARAGUS ROOTS Jersey Giant

Wrightland Farm RR 1 â&#x20AC;˘ 1000 Ridge Rd. Harrow, ON N0R 1G0 Keith: 519-738-6120 Fax: 519-738-3358

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 25 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE To advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011 EQUIPMENT

NURSERY AND ROOTSTOCK EQUIPMENT & BUNK HOUSES FOR SALE! • Seppi 55” orchard mower/ shredder like new - $3000 • 3 PT Round bale shredder-$1000 • Holland pocket planters • 3 pt tree/cane planter - $500 • 2”, 3” and 4” aluminum irrigation pipe • 20 HP 600 volt Irrigation pump $1000 • Quantity of used drip tubing Gas powered Clubcar Carryall $2500 • IH Super A with cultivator-$2500 • New Holland TN65V 700 Hrs $15000 • 2 – 7 man approved bunk houses - $5000 each • Quantity of T-Bar fence posts $3 each

TREE NUTS

Phone 519-401-6786

Exclusive grower of select grafted nut trees and minor fruits.

Cultivars are tested in our own experimental orchards.

NEW SPRAYERS HAVE ARRIVED . . . . . . MORE ON THE WAY

ALL STAINLESS STEEL Made in Canada

Fall is the best time of year to buy, lease, or trade for best pre-season pricing and more time to recondition, advertise, and sell your trade.

New stainless steel LOW DRIFT SPRAY TOWERS to fit any TURBO-MIST SPECIAL: Turbo-Mist 600 gal. Narrow, centrifugal pump, hydraulic controls, 14.5L tires, ceramic nozzles, warranty - reduced by $3,000 Turbo-Mist 500 gal Narrow, short turn hitch, nice, clean . . . . . . $14,900 Turbo-Mist 400 gal, Low hrs, spotless cond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coming John Deere H.D. 10 ft rotary mower, hydraulic sideshift centre pull to wide offset, new blades, paint, low profile tires . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,500 Seppi 200 flail mower/mulcher, almost new . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,900 Perfect KV220 7ft. HD flail mower/mulcher - all new hammers.Coming Perfect KG220 7ft. HD flail mower/mulcher - only 2 yrs . . . . . Coming NEW FEATURE: Instant photos by e-mail to you - any of these items listed Wanted: For Cash, Trade, or Consignment Clean Sprayers, Mowers, Bin Carriers, Narrow Orchard Tractors

D O N A RT H U R O R C H A R D E Q U I P M E N T (519) 599-3058 donarthur@georgian.net Clarksburg, ON

Choose from Persian and black walnut, heartnut, butternut, chestnut, hazel, pecan, hickory, gingko, pine nut, mulberry, persimmon, pawpaw, fig & more.

Proprietor Ernie Grimo 979 Lakeshore Rd, RR 3, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Canada L0S 1J0 Tel.: (905) YEH-NUTS (934-6887) E-mail: nuttrees@grimonut.com Fax: (905) YEL-NUTS (935-6887) Catalogue Site: www.grimonut.com

ECO CLEANING

Illness Forces Sale

REAL ESTATE Gerry Loeters for Royal LePage, RCR Realty.

PH. 519-765-4217 Cell. 519-773-6460

ORCHARD FOR SALE. 42 acre orchard with very good mix of popular varieties of apples. Super location for home sales on busy highway 3 miles north of Aylmer, Ontario.

Asking $660,000.00 including equipment.

40 Minutes to Toronto Airport 60 Minutes to Ontario Food Terminal Birkbank Farms is a fruit and vegetable operation, with a packing, wholesale and retail store.

• 99 acres freehold • 125 additional acres rented. (Total of 224 acres of land for production) • deep well irrigation with holding pond Permit to take water in effect • next door to a gravel operation with expansion potential • 2000 sq.ft. House, mostly renovated with 1700 sq.ft. Full open basement • 1050sq.ft. Luxury apartment currently rented • 1000 sq.ft. Seasonal mobile home – mostly renovated and inspected annually by the Board of Health • 15000 sq.ft storage and packing and retail store (1500 sq .ft.) common, refrigerated and air- to – air storages This operation can be purchased as turn-key with all necessary equipment for a multitude of small fruit and vegetable crops.

Crops grown currently Asparagus, Strawberries, Raspberries, Beans, Peas, Sweet Corn, Winter Cabbage, and Potatoes.

There is 3 acres of certified organic land.

Retail Store capable of bakery, fresh produce, jam making, ice cream / yogurt machine, frozen products and catering / food service. Regularly inspected and passed by Board of Health.

UV Water Treatment as back-up for main house and market / pack barn and quarters on separate high capacity UV System.

3 phase service for well 3 phase service for market, storage / pack barn 1 phase service for main house and seasonal quarters Located north of the Town of Hillsburgh on busy paved road (ex provincial highway) this is an excellent investment opportunity north west of Toronto, north of Georgetown in a growing area of southern Ontario Owner is quite ill and as a result is looking at a Turn-key or will consider offers.

There is a family held 1 acre lot that could be available separately for an interested buyer.

Jeff Wilson / Birkbank Farms

519-855-6519

PAGE 26 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE To advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011 CONTAINERS

PRUNING

LLOYD BAG CO.

FRUIT & VEGETABLE PACKAGING

(www.lloydbag.com)

Established in 1939

Wellington Wood Products (1972) Ltd. Manufacturers and Suppliers of:

• Corrugated Baskets & Masters • Wooden Baskets • Plastic Containers & Bags • Cider Supplies • Waxed Cartons • Custom Corrugated Cartons * Triple Wall Bulk Bins

• Wooden Hampers • Apple Packaging & Cartons • Berry Containers & Masters

BURLAP (JUTE) TREE WRAP / LINERS / SHEETS WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE

A large INVENTORY of all types of packaging.

We can deliver your order DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR. For current, competitive pricing call

1-800-265-2397

PAPER LENO MESH

www.wwp.on.ca

Wellington Wood Products 410 Sligo Road West Mount Forest, ON N0G 2L0 519-323-1060 wwp@wightman.ca

Wellington Wood Products 1587 "B" County Road 34 Ruthven, ON N0P 2G0 519-326-2394

COTTON AND CANVAS FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

MARK ALLOTT

BEV ADDEMAN

General Manager

LOUTH & NIAGARA ORCHARDS P.O. Box 43 • Virgil, Ontario • L0S 1T0 • 905-468-3297 4000 Jordan Road • Jordan Station, ON • 905-562-8825

• Berry Boxes • Waxed Cartons • Crop Protection Material

30TH ANNUAL GUELPH ORGANIC CONFERENCE & EXPO Jan. 27-30, Guelph Univ. Centre - full details: www.guelphorganicconf.ca

• Experienced crew • Exact costing • Free estimates • Job completion on time • No additional costs associated with general labour • Improved quality • reduced harvesting and maintenance costs

Available anywhere in Ontario!

Simply the best approach to this important factor of fruit production

Call Dave (519) 372-0604

114 St. Clair Street • P.O. Box 208, Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K3

Telephone (519) 352-9300 • Fax (519) 352-3413 E-Mail: info@lloydbag.com

IRRIGATION TRACEABILITY www.ScoringAg.com

ORGANIC CONFERENCE

Sales

1-800-549-2247

Supplying Fruit and Vegetable Growers with: • Baskets • Masters • Fertilizer • Vineyard Trellis Supplies

JASON LONG

Sales

Good Reasons to Contract Your Pruning:

SEE home page OPEN Search CHOOSE SSI-EID INPUT SSI_43E955278F SEE the Traceback record

Free Expo/Tasting Fair, 154 booths, Jan. 29-30 only.

Meet suppliers, certifiers, samplers.

An intensive, leading-edge 35 workshop program for growers, by paid admission.

Brochure, info & prices: (519) 824-4120 ext.56205.

Worldwide, Simple, Secure and Inexpensive.

Watch for our special OMIF-funded promotion 'A Local Organic HomeComing' as part of this Generation Organic event.

Be there in January!

CONTACT lenhardt@thot.net 705 324 2709

INTERESTED?

Pipe & Fittings for Water Systems • PVC, ABS, Poly, Copper • Stainless, Brass, Steel Product Lines • Drip & Micro Irrigation • Septic & Sewer • Drainage & Culverts • Berkeley Water Pumps

Winona Concrete & Pipe Products Ltd. 489 Main St. W., Grimsby, ON. L3M 1T4

Phone (905) 945-8515 Fax: (905) 945-1149 or call toll-free

1-800-361-8515

IRRIGATION

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 27 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE

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

CROP TUNNELS

ORIENTAL VEGETABLE SEEDS

Oriental Vegetable Seeds

EQUIPMENT

Hot PepperSuper Banana

FREIGHT SERVICE

Hot PepperLong Hot H

Hot PepperDalong D11

FOR SALE Pik Rite Harvester 2007 Loaded Contact 519-796-2903

Customs Brokerage Warehousing & Distribution Transborder Freight Services.

For additional information please contact us directly or visit our website shown below

Baby White Pak ChoyNabai Queen

Kabocha-Litian

AgroHaitai Ltd.

PHONE: 905-672-6255 FAX: 905-672-6322 website: www.cole.ca email: info@cole.ca Servicing your import and export requirements since 1958

Ph: 519-647-2280 • Fax: 519-647-3188 seed@agrohaitai.com• www.AgroHaitai.com

REFRIGERATION

OFVGA 152nd AGM Registration forms and agenda available at www.ofvga.org

KOOL JET

®

Reliable Refrigeration Systems

1-866-748-7786

www.kooljet.com

Visit our website to view our complete line

One-Piece and Portable Skid-Mount Systems, HydroCoolers, Medical and Process Chillers, Blast Freezers, Vacuum Coolers, Refrigerated Dehumidifiers.

Custom Built Designs • Domestic and International Markets

PAGE 28 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Growers get access to new tool to combat grapevine winter injury VineAlert has arrived. It’s a new database that compares levels of grapevine bud hardiness for different varieties and locations throughout the dormant season.

The data will help grape growers determine when protective actions such as the use of wind machines or other methods are warranted to protect grapevines.

It’s led by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) together with the Grape Growers of Ontario, with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Winter injury is a major threat to the sustainability of the grape and wine industry. Throughout the season, low temperatures cause damage and in some cases even affect the viability of grapevine buds. Therefore, monitoring of grapevine bud hardiness throughout the dormant period is an effec-

tive tool to assist grape growers in managing winter injury.

CCOVI researchers say this information will also allow growers to understand when bud injury occurred and to determine when maximal grapevine hardiness is

achieved to protect their vines.

The degree of grapevine bud cold hardiness varies, depending on the plant’s genetic makeup and its environmental conditions. As a result, VineAlert sampling will take place during the entire dor-

mant season including the acclimation (fall), maximum hardiness (winter) and deacclimation (spring) periods.

Differences in geographical areas such as climate, soil and viticultural practices can also impact cold hardiness of grapevine buds during the various periods of the dormant season. Extensive regional sampling will be done to better understand these factors and depict the variability within designated Ontario viticultural areas.

“The VineAlert project is the most exciting new initiative in recent years,” says Matthew Speck, Viticulturist at Henry of Pelham Family Estate. “Understanding the elements of bud hardiness and bud survival rates in a given year, is the foundation of good viticultural management in Ontario. The real-time website service being provided and the

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database being compiled, are at the leading-edge of their kind globally.”

Samples of Chardonnay and Cabernet franc, the two most widely planted white and red vinifera grape varieties, will be taken within the 10 designated sub-appellations of the Niagara Peninsula. Data specific to each location will be updated from late October until Mid-April depending on the growing season.

Research trials for monitoring hardiness on these two varieties in outlying designated viticultural areas of Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore will also be initiated this year.

“VineAlert is an invaluable tool for growers to manage efficiently their vineyard winter protection strategies,” says CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis. “As the project evolves, sampling will also include additional grape cultivars in the Niagara Peninsula appellation as well as other designated viticultural areas of Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County.”

VineAlert will be posted on the CCOVI website at www.brocku.ca/ccovi. The database can be accessed by clicking “Research” followed by “Research Updates” and “VineAlert.” Growers and researchers who sign up on “My Alerts” can obtain data based on location, time and cultivar and receive up-to-date notices on new winter injury data.

The interactive website will help growers make informed management decisions based on cold hardiness and injury data specific to their conditions as well as through research findings and other relevant information.

ffax: a ax:: 1-888-834-3334

Bo Box x 10, 1 Thorold, Thorold, ON

L L2V 5E9

This initiative is part of the $1.4 million in funding under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Developing Innovative Agri-Products initiative, which supports industry-led research and innovation. This outreach project is a collaboration between AAFC, the Grape Growers of Ontario, Ontario Grape & Wine Research Inc., Weather Innovations Incorporated, KCMS Applied Research and Consulting and Brock’s CCOVI and is part of CCOVI’s heightened emphasis on outreach to the grape and wine industry.

DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 29 THE GROWER

Consider insuring 2011 fruit crops Did you experience severe loss due to frost or tornados? Agricorp’s Production Insurance for tender fruit, apples and grapes provides protection against not only frost and wind but hail, freeze, excessive moisture, drought, wildlife, pollination failure and some crops’ specific disease and insect infestation, provided good farm management practices are followed.

If this is your first time applying, contact Agricorp at 1-888247-4999 by December 20, 2010.

An Agricorp representative will visit to review your coverage, determine your deposit amount and help complete your application.

For each fruit crop you are insuring, you must insure 100 per cent of your acres. For more information on eligibility for 2011 Production Insurance coverage, refer to the Plan Overview for Tree Fruit and Grape Production on agricorp.com.

Are you renewing Production Insurance for fruit crops?

It’s renewal time again for your tree fruit and grape crops. You will be receiving your renewal package outlining your coverage options and deposit amount for 2011 shortly. Be sure to review your responsibilities and coverage shown on your renewal notice.

Your coverage will reflect the coverage you chose last year, unless you contact us by December 20, 2010 to change your coverage options.

2010 AgriStability fees due December 31 If you have not paid your 2010 AgriStability fee yet, you have until December 31. If we do not receive your fee by the deadline, you will not be eligible for a benefit.

AgriStability interim payments available If you are in financial distress, you can receive half of your estimated

2011 PRODUCTION INSURANCE DEADLINES FOR FRUIT CROPS Action required Last day to cancel your 2011 insurance contract

Deadline

Apply for coverage or change your coverage selection December 20, 2010

Pay your premium deposit (non-refundable) Declare assignment of indemnity Pay balance of your premium

May 1, 2011 AGRISTABILITY DEADLINES

Action required Last day to cancel your 2011 insurance contract

Deadline

Apply for coverage or change your coverage selection

December 20, 2010

Pay your premium deposit (non-refundable) Declare assignment of indemnity May 1, 2011

Pay balance of your premium AgriStability benefit on a priority basis before your year-end. You can get applications on our website or by contacting us.

Are you new to AgriStability?

To sign up for 2011 AgriStability, send your completed 2011 New Participant Form to Agricorp by April 30, 2011. New Participant Forms are available on the website

or by contacting Agricorp.

For more information contact Agricorp at 1-888-247-4999, by email at contact@agricorp.com or visit agricorp.com

Farm Credit Canada celebrates exceptional women in agriculture Nominations for the 2011 FCC Rosemary Davis Award are officially open as Farm Credit Canada (FCC) seeks to recognize and honour women from coast to coast for their leadership and commitment to agriculture.

Women involved in agriculture positively impact the industry and their communities. FCC is looking for five women who deserve recognition for their achievements.

Past nominees have ranged from producers and educators to agrologists and veterinarians, to name a few.

Since 2006, FCC has honoured 20 outstanding women with the Rosemary Davis Award. Individuals are encouraged to take the time to recognize a woman they see

making a difference in the agriculture industry. Selfnominations are also encouraged.

“The agriculture and agri-food industry in Canada has benefited from the valuable contributions of women,” says Kellie Garrett, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Knowledge and Reputation at FCC. “This award allows FCC to honour remarkable women who make a difference to their communities and to the industry at large.”

Candidates are selected based on their demonstration of leadership - through giving back to their community and the agriculture industry - as well as their vision and passion for the industry.

Created and named after a successful Canadian agribusiness owner and operator - and the first female chair of the FCC Board of Directors - the FCC Rosemary Davis Award is testament to the growing number of women who are choosing to make a career in agriculture.

Winners will be announced in spring 2011 and will have the opportunity to attend the Simmons School of Management Leadership Conference in Boston on April 26, 2011.

Entries will only be received online at www.fccrosemarydavisaward.ca. The deadline to apply is midnight on January 17, 2011.

PAGE 30 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Minor Use Craig’s Comments

Craig Hunter OFVGA It’s that time of year again where Santa gets to make his list of who’s been naughty or nice, or in this case, who has been a help or an obstructionist to the betterment of our lives. If you see yourself on these lists, remember this on Christmas morning and then make a resolution at New Year’s to either continue the (good) behaviour or improve on the (bad) activity reported here!

To the hard working field staff of OMAFRA dealing with our myriad problems- a BIG thankyou. I am sure you will get something under your tree- even if it does not have the appropriate dollar value you deserve for your efforts. May the year ahead present more support for your efforts, including appropriate travel funds to improve your ability to serve our members.

For the staff at the Pest Management Centre- thanks for ‘catching-up’ on so many old projects.

Most of our members will benefit from these new uses even though they were asked for years ago. We also thank you for taking on an ever increasing number of joint projects with IR-4 - our future is dependent upon the most modern

Santa’s list and new registered products involved in those projects. I am sure your own ‘in-house’ Jolly Saint Nick will see to your needs this year!

I cannot miss the chance to thank each and every chemical company out there for the huge numbers of new active ingredients being registered each year. We may have lost almost 100 actives since FQPA in the USA and ReEvaluation occurred here, but most of them have been replaced with new actives. All that said, keep the flow going, and keep up to date on our new pest challenges and resistance issues. We must be a TEAM that works together for the betterment of both. I am sure you will see a little something under your tree this year, like an even faster registration process!

I have a sack of coal for the management staff of MPAC who determine property assessments in Ontario. Their lack of understanding of agricultural enterprise issues like bunkhouses is only exceeded by their unwillingness to have meaningful discussions. I am not sure how they sleep at night knowing the hurt they continue to provide, but may they feel the stones of coal inserted in their mattress while they sleep on Christmas Eve, and for the whole of next year!

The policy folks at PMRA have out-done themselves this year. The final touches went into the new rules to allow generic pesticide registration here, and to increase direct price competition. Thank you all for that. In addition, they have prepared the regulations to codify the GROU Pesticide Import Program as well! This has and will continue to insert price discipline (not exactly where some would

like it inserted, but at least into the system!) The value will increase as more products are added as warranted by the price differential, and by the change in pricing here that precludes the need to import any product. I know how tough it must have been to attend so many meetings with gov’t lawyers, so thanks from Santa for your hard work! You will be duly rewardedmaybe an extra smoke break for one, and a ‘just a bit of grey’ treatment for another! Actually, you all deserve the recognition others got last year for a whole lot less work!

“I have a sack of coal for the staff of Municipal Property Assessment Corporation who determine property assessments in Ontario.”

May the ‘Big Boss’ share a part of the mythical $25M with you!

To the selfish anglers and the MNR staff who cater to them, may the fish never bite again, and may the public in Port Dover rise up and smite you! Santa is looking for a giftable piranha to follow you in the many miles of the OTHER 17 streams that you are free to fish in (and trespass on farmers’ land) while you plot and scheme to remove the 150 year old dam that creates Silver Lake- home to one of the most successful rowing clubs in Ontario. The fact that you were previously successful? in eliminating the Sutton dam in Simcoe in no way should be taken to mean that everyone is or was happy, nor that the other two dams between Port Dover and Simcoe should be eliminated either. How disingenuous are you to think that you have the ‘right’ to selectively return a stream to “original” statewhatever that is? Maybe your pre-

sent from Santa should be to have a year where everything returns to the ‘original state,’ including: no stocking of streams with fish courtesy of MNR, no licensing or enforcement so anyone can poach your favourite site at will. Perhaps no nylon lines or stainless steel hooks either since they came in after the 150 year limit. May a dead fish inhabit your bunk for a year!

To research management everywhere- Santa wishes you the same erosion of support staff, operational funds and travel as you have foisted upon the research programs and staff that could have helped this industry even more than they have with the meager support they get. Perhaps a year of wearing your shoes on the wrong feet will teach you to walk in our shoes while making these decisions. Perhaps atonement can be had if the next new positions funded are dedicated to meet OUR stated needs and not those you just think are important (to the minister!??) For those who have already seen the light and are helping farmers with their stated needs leave a night-lite on at Christmas and hope for a suitable reward!

To my curling club icemakersome valium to deal with (other) intractable members who all know how to make better ice. May you continue to at least have my ice as fast as last week, if a little less swingy! Santa will be watching closely and find a suitable reward if all games work out like last week!

For my mechanic who can always figure out car problems that really have no reasonable explanation, my undying gratitude for peace of mind driving. Santa may drop in with the sled for an

overhaul, and we can share a libation for the cold nights ahead!

For the Environment Canada staff who insist on protecting Canada Geese under the Migratory Birds Convention Act (you mean they get to go to meetings too?), may you have the dubious pleasure of cleaning up our park, in shorts, no gloves, and on a hot day to really understand why these vermin need to go! Any bird here after Nov 1 or before March 1 is NOT migratory! They are a danger to me in the sled at Christmas when they should be in Mexico for the winter! Maybe if your tree is bereft of presents this year- blame it on those geese. Now, if you declare that the Act does indeed not apply to the ‘permanent’ birds and allow open season now from Nov 1 to Feb 28, you may see something on the day. Otherwise, may you enjoy goose-grease dressing with your turkey this year!

For my co-workers who can always ground boundless anger or bolster depressing moments- many thanks for keeping this office the best place to have a job-anywhere anytime! Your treats will be there – count on it!

Lastly, to my family who have endured me, such as I am, for so long, a big hug and heartfelt thanks for understanding (most of the time) and never complaining (some of the time) and for inspiration (all of the time!). You know I couldn’t keep at this without knowing you understand what motivates me. May you enjoy the creative?? presents you get this year.

And Santa wishes all the growers out there who support him all year, a very Merry Christmas, and a prosperous and safe New Year!

Seeking control of downy mildew through disease forecasting A new research project launched by the Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario (FVGO) is hoping to find some answers to downy mildew, an infection that can destroy entire crops of onions, lettuce and cucumbers. Success will translate into more income for farmers and more homegrown vegetables for Ontario consumers.

“The fresh vegetable sectors need new, effective and economical solutions for managing vegetable diseases so that we can provide consumers with a healthy, safe and plentiful supply of produce,” says Jeff Wilson, a vegetable farmer and chair of Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario.

Downy mildews can be controlled through the use of

fungicides, but these must be applied before infection takes place in order to be effective. This project, funded in part through a $24,573 grant from the Farm Innovation Program (FIP), will test an improved system of disease forecasting using rotorod spore traps to help farmers identify if their crops are at risk. Trials using onions, lettuce and cucumbers will be conducted in muck soil at the Muck Crops Research Station in the Holland Marsh, and at the Simcoe Research Station, where vegetables are grown in mineral soils.

Researchers will also be testing some newly available fungicides to determine whether they can be effectively used to prevent outbreaks of downy mildews. As well, two

The Source...

onion varieties resistant to downy mildews are newly available on the market and will be evaluated for their resistance, quality and yield levels when compared to other commonly grown onion cultivars.

“This project will increase awareness and access to new on-farm technologies that will be important tools for vegetable growers to increase their productivity and competitiveness in the marketplace,” says Jim Rickard, chair of the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC), which administers FIP on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

for Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural Crops

| www.valent.ca | 519-822-7043 Read and follow the label instructions before using.

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DECEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 31 THE GROWER

Suppression of Brassica downy mildew added to the Reason 500SC fungicide label

By 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 suppression of downy mildew on crop group 5, Brassica vegetables 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.

This minor use label expansion for Reason 500SC Fungicide helps to address a significant disease problem for Brassica crop producers across Canada.

For suppression of downy mildew on Brassica vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, bok choy, collards, mustard greens, etc.) apply 400 – 600 mL Reason 500SC per hectare. Begin applications as soon as crop and/or environmental conditions become favourable for disease. Applications can be made on a five-to -10 day interval depending upon conditions. A maximum of three

A sciencebased perspective, please The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) in the U.S. has reviewed the so-called "dirty dozen" fruits and vegetables and released a report recently. It is supported by a web site and a smart phone app where consumers can calculate the amount of a certain fruit or vegetable that they would have to eat per day for pesticides to affect them.

For example: • A woman could consume 529 servings of apple in one day without any effect even IF the apples have the HIGHEST pesticide residue recorded for apples by USDA. • A man could consume 4,013 servings of peaches in one day without any effect even IF the peaches have the HIGHEST pesticide residue recorded for peaches

by USDA. • A teen could consume 1,140 servings of pears in one day without any effect...

• A child could consume 1,508 servings of strawberries in one day without any effect....

Further information can be found in The Packer newspaper online at www.the-packer.com The web site for the calculator is www.safefruitsandveggies. com/calculator/. The report can be found at www.safefruitsandveggies.com.

Follow all other precautions and use directions 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 Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph, 519-826-3539, Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph 519-826-4963 or visit the Bayer CropScience website at www.bayercropscience.ca

Downey mildew on broccoli applications per season is permitted however producers should not apply more than one sequential application of Reason 500SC or other Group 11 fungicides without rotating to other fungicide groups. The pre-harvest interval for Reason fungicide on Brassica vegetables is two days.

PAGE 32 –– DECEMBER 2010 THE GROWER