The Grower December 2014

DECEMBER 2014

CELEBRATING 135 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

VOLUME 64 NUMBER 12

MARKETING

Spend your silver on Canadian sparklers

Ontario’s VQA sparkling wine sales have increased by 60 per cent in the last fiscal year, reflecting two trends. First, consumers crave unique, locally-produced wines. But secondly, the quality of Canadian sparkling wines is appreciated by wine connoisseurs. Winemaker Mary McDermott (L) and wine scientist Belinda Kemp anticipate a taste test of the 2012 batch of sparkling wine at Trius Winery at Hillebrand, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Photos by Denis Cahill.

INSIDE Fruit and vegetables shine at the Royal Page 6

Windsor-Essex showcases business opportunities to Americans Page 8 FOCUS: Grapes, vineyards and wineries Page 16

www.thegrower.org P.M. 40012319 $3.00 CDN

KAREN DAVIDSON Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Shun the French Champagne.

Ditch the Spanish cava. Go for the Canuck sparkler. Two years in the making, a flute of bubbles is well priced at $25 per bottle.

Winemakers from British Columbia’s Blue Mountain winery, for example, to Nova Scotia’s Benjamin Bridge are now sprucing up their portfolios with sparklers. As they clink their glasses, they are toasting the very essence of Canada’s cool climate and soils. Sparkling wines, they realize, shine with early-ripening, high-acid, low-pH grapes.

“It’s hard to compete in the world, but our winemakers are experimenting to bring a product to market that reflects our specific terroir,” says Laurie Macdonald, executive director, VQA program.

She confirms that Ontario’s liquor board sales of domestic sparkling wines have doubled in the last five years.

To support the category, research is underway to strengthen the value chain from the vineyard to the consumer. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph have pledged $240,000 to the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI). The team comprises University of Guelph’s George van der Merwe and Brock University researchers of Debbie Inglis, Tek Thongpapani, Jim Willwerth and Belinda Kemp.

Together, they are working with Chateau des Charmes and Trius Winery at Hillebrand in the Niagara peninsula.

Their quest is to find a signature Ontario sparkling wine derived from different clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes that are planted on different soil types. During the winemaking process, they’ll be looking at the foaming ability of each variety. They will also investigate how different yeast strains affect quality and sensory

characteristics. Since the aging time for sparkling wine is so long, they hope to finetune methods to bring the end product to market sooner after the second fermentation.

Mary McDermott, formerly winemaker at Trius, has recently moved to British Columbia.

Now stationed at Naramata, she plans to use her Ontario experience to expand the sparkling wine program at Township 7 winery. As she explains, it’s a laborious process starting with disease-free fruit of about 18° to 20° brix in the vineyard. Clusters are handpicked and put through a gentle press. Fractioning the juice results in the best base wine possible.

Primary ferment occurs in either stainless steel or oak, depending upon the producer’s desired style. Once the base wine is prepared, yeast is added in a process called tirage. The wine is bottled and placed into cellars for a minimum of nine months where a secondary fermentation occurs

resulting in the bubbles that make sparkling wine unique.

Once the wine has aged on its lees – deposits of dead yeast -the bottles are riddled. This means turning and tilting the bottles either manually or mechanically in an upright rack.

This allows the sediment to collect in the neck of the bottle before disgorgement.

At this point, the bottles are ready for dosage (pronounced doh-zahzh), topping up with a mixture of wine and sugar. The dosage recipe is tweaked by each sparkling wine producer. The winemaker checks for pressure, residual sugar levels and sulfur dioxide.

“Understanding the scientific process is crucial, but it’s also important to have balance between creativity and that theoretical knowledge,” says McDermott.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

PAGE 2 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

NEWSMAKERS

AT PRESS TIME… OPMA award winners

Don Mastronardi Congratulations to all winners at the recent Ontario Produce Marketing Association Gala. Don Mastronardi received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his visionary thinking and execution, building a 40-acre greenhouse in Kingsville, Ontario in 1994. At the time it was the largest in the industry and a first of its kind in North America. Today the Sunset brand and the Campari tomato are both well-known.

The Cory Clack-Streef Produce Person of the Year was won by Sam Silvestro, currently produce manager for Walmart Canada. His industry involvement includes committee work on import/export of food products and food safety. He’s currently chair of the CPMA’s marketing committee and helped drive the launch of the Half Your Plate program.

The recipient of the Fresh Award is Adam Donikian, category manager at Sobeys. He shines in product knowledge, seasonality, ethnic offerings and seasonal opportunities.

Anticipating market trends, he’s developed a pre-ripened avocado program and direct offshore imports.

Ocean’s Fresh Food Market won the nod for Outstanding Achievement Award. Its Brampton store is praised for its multi-ethnic fresh food shopping experience.

The look of the stores are North American in style, yet ethnic in offerings with grocery aisles named for countries such as India, Jamaica and Vietnam. This food emporium is a destination for consumers looking for unique ingredients.

OFVC award honours innovation The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OFVC) is once again offering a trade innovation award to its 2015 exhibitors. Early applications are encouraged by January 9 for mention in the Show Guide.

January 30 is the ultimate deadline for judging. The winner will be announced opening day, February 18.

“Our goal is to recognize businesses that offer new products and services that have the potential to positively impact the horticultural industry,” says Matt Peters, OFVC president. “We wish to provide attendees an easy way to identify innovations within our OFVC trade show.

Most of all, we wish to honour exhibitors in a celebratory forum for bringing these products to market.

This year, all participants’ products will be showcased in a new Innovative Product Booth near the food court at the

ScotiaBank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls. Participants will have their product description featured in the official OFVC Show Guide and on the innovation award tab of the website.

Applicants can find entry guidelines at www.ofvc.ca/ innovation. Applications should be sent to Adrian Huisman, chair of the OFVC Trade Innovations Award Committee at huismanadrian@gmail.com.

GF2 applications due Dec 11 Growing Forward 2 Ontario funding for project implementation program will be closing their final intake on December 11, 2014. This is the last intake to allow retroactive expenses from April 1, 2014 onward.

Here is an outline of the program and its uses: • Amount: Max $350K nonrepayable contribution at up to 35% cost share of projects and 50% for innovative projects.

Total amount on Capital Assets funding capped at $100K. • Eligible Activities: Adopting and adapting best practices around six focus areas. Includes consulting, contractors, incremental hires, incremental materials, supplies, marketing design, print, translation, software projects, trainers and $100,000 towards new capital assets or alternation/modification to existing assets.

• Timelines: All projects must end on, or before January 31, 2018 and cannot span across more than 24 months.

Farm and Food Care Ontario has launched its 2015 calendar, promoting the hard work of farm families. Nearly 4,000 politicians, grocery stores, butcher shops and media contacts will be mailed copies of the calendar and the 2014 edition of the Real Dirt on Farming booklet. Broccoli farmer Kenny Forth, Lynden, Ontario is featured in front of his race car in the November 2015 slot. For calendars, fill out the online order form at www.farmfoodcare.org or call 519-837-1326.

Congratulations to Peter VanderZaag who has been awarded China’s prestigious Friendship Award by Premier Li Keqiang. The award is the nation’s highest honour for achievement by a foreign expert who has made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social progress. VanderZaag has spent 29 years on collaborative research on behalf of the International Potato Center.

Gary Cooper, owner of Strawberry Tyme Farms, near Simcoe, Ontario, has received Jamaica’s Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service, an award akin to Canada’s Order of Canada. The Jamaican prime minister cited his sterling contribution to Jamaica through the employment of thousands of Jamaicans in the farm labour program for more than three decades. He was president of Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) from 1995 to 2006.

Jamie Reaume, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association for the last six years, has resigned. Effective December 1, he will be managing Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario.

The complex houses several agricultural organizations including Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc and Ontario Beekeepers’ Association.

Alison Robertson, program manager, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, has been appointed to the Ontario Food Terminal Board for a three-year term. The directorship is upon the recommendation of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Niki Bennett has joined the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers as science coordinator. She will be responsible for research, pest management and education initiatives.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association welcomed two new board members for 2014-2015. Wendy Bennett, executive director of British Columbia’s Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA), and David Powers, director of health, safety and environment of Oxford Frozen Foods Limited from Nova Scotia, join the board for a three-year term. Dean Anderson, agriculture program manager with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, assumes the position of chair of the board.

At the recent Produce Marketing Association trade show in California, Mucci Farms won the Impact Award. The Leamington, Ontario-based company was recognized for its innovative packaging namely a naturally-brown tomato custom lidded tray, a standup resealable bag for Cutecumbers and their New Pint, a top-seal, resealable package which uses less plastic.

Congratulations to Owen Roberts who was re-elected to the position of secretary to the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. As the only Canadian sitting on the executive, he is playing a key role in broadening membership from developing countries.

Roberts is a monthly columnist with The Grower and is director of research communications at the University of Guelph.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Spend your silver on Canadian sparklers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Meanwhile, Trius is experimenting with different types of wine used to top up the sparkling wine bottles. In these dosage trials, the winemakers want to know how these liquids affect aroma, taste and foaming.

Their observations will be shared in early December when the Fizz Club meets in Niagara.

Organized by CCOVI, it’s a gathering of 40 or so Ontario winemakers devoted to sparkling wines.

Keith Bown, vice-president of winemaking and viticulture at Constellation Brands, plans to attend. He brings a global perspective, given his career in his homeland of Australia, then New Zealand, the United States and United Kingdom.

“In whatever country I’ve worked, all the winemakers and viticulturists have been very collaborative,” he says. “It’s no different in Canada.”

Jackson Triggs, under the

Close-planted Pinot Noir grapes are protected under nets in a Constellation vineyard on the Jordan bench. It’s one of the classic varieties used for sparkling wine around the world.

This Trius worker is washing the bottles after they have been disgorged and corked.

Constellation Brand, has a sparkling wine team dedicated to growing the category. Currently, less than 10 per cent of their portfolio is sparkling, but they think that can change.

Chardonnay Musque, for instance, is an Italian-style sparkler, full of aromatic flavour.

The 2014 vintage, about 1500

cases, is being bottled for sale during December. At an entry level of about $15 per bottle, it has become so popular that it was sold out by Christmas last year.

Other top-end sparklers are made using the traditional method, sitting on their lees for up to 2.5 years. These retail at $25 to $30 per bottle.

The holiday season represents a crossroads of cultural traditions.

While it’s a sweet spot for marketing new products, the challenge is to extend sparkling wines beyond celebratory occasions of births, graduations and job promotions. Bown says the next step is to convince consumers that Canadian

UNITED STATES

BRAZIL

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

Blueberry demand continues to grow

Sliced melon capitalizes on convenience

Organic sales grow by 15%

Berry sector is booming

California water bond wins passage

American sales of organic fruits and vegetables in 2013 were up 15 per cent from the previous year, a trend that’s expected to hold true for 2014 and 2015. That’s $11.6 billion in sales. Overall, organic food comprises four per cent of the $760 billion annual food sales, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Apples are a good barometer of the trend. Rather than offer one or two varieties of organic apples, retailers are now showcasing two to four varieties in bulk displays. That commitment is due to volumes available through such companies as Stemilt Growers in Washington state.

The Mexican states of Jalisco and Michoacan are anticipating rapid growth in berry acres due to last month’s agreements to ship blackberries and raspberries to China. According to the National Association of Berry Exporters (Aneberries), there were 4,236 hectares planted with berries across Mexico in 2009 and by 2013 the country had 22,345 hectares.

“Entering China is a great opportunity to increase our acreage to 6,000 hectares in the coming years and then to 10,000 hectares,” says Rene Lopez Ruelas, director of commercialization, Seder. More than Chinese prospects are stimulating the boom. Some U.S. theatres are now selling berries rather than popcorn and berries are replacing bananas at breakfast.

California voters have approved a $7.5 billion bond to fund water projects in the drought-ridden state. The proposition was part of the mid-term elections which saw Governor Jerry Brown re-elected for a fourth term.

The proposition was supported by rare unanimity between environmental and agricultural groups as well as organized labour.

The success of the campaign was due, in part, to details on how the money would be spent.

One-third of the funds are earmarked for more storage facilities. The remainder is for regional water infrastructure, drinking water and wastewater treatment, restoration of contaminated groundwater, recycling and reusing existing water or desalination, flood protection and environmental projects.

sparkling wine is affordable on a regular basis.

The category seems ripe for growth and creativity. Consider, for example, Jackson Triggs’ sparkling red wine made from Merlot grapes. “You love it or hate it,” says Bown. “But I personally think it’s a great start to Christmas Day.”

INTERNATIONAL

American per capita consumption of blueberries is estimated at 43.3 ounces this year, according to Mark Villata, executive director, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. That’s up from 38 ounces last year and considerably above 27.8 ounces just five years ago.

Those demand trends are encouraging growers to increase acreage and production, particularly in the states of Washington and Georgia. With newer cultivars and production practices come better yields. The U.S. 2014 crop is predicted at 703.4 million pounds, smashing last year’s production of 666.5 million pounds.

Despite these records, the U.S. continues to import blueberries to maintain consistent supplies year-round. Health-related blueberry research is expected to sustain consumption.

Brazilian company Itaueira Melon showcased a new freshcut format at the recent Produce Marketing Association show, prior to official launch in the United States. Sales rep Rodrigo Lima says the positioning is towards high-end customers and away from commodity melons.

“We remove the seeds and offer slices that are ready to eat, without the need for spoons, forks or knives -- you just bite it,” says Lima.

He explains that the company’s melons are distinguished from regular yellow honeydews by the colour of the skin, yellow instead of white.

This new sliced format keeps the skin and allows consumers to see the difference.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Source: ThePacker.com

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Source: FoodNavigator.com Source: Sacramento Bee

Palais des congrès de Montréal April 15-17, 2015

convention.cpma..ca

PAGE 4 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST QUEBEC

Second toolkit launched for early childhood educators The Quebec Produce Marketing Association (QPMA) is distributing the “Mandoline invites you to discover fruits and vegetables using the five colour groups!” toolkit free of charge to more than 2600 early childcare providers in Quebec. Intended for teachers, the educational toolkit is designed to encourage children to discover and savour the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables.

According to the Enquête de nutrition auprès des enfants québécois de 4 ans (Nutritional Survey of Quebec 4-Year-Olds) carried out by the Quebec Statistics Institute, 80 per cent of four-year-olds do not eat the daily minimum of five servings of produce as recommended by Canada’s Food Guide (CFG).

Given that children five years of

age and under eat more than 50 per cent of their meals and snacks in daycare and that most of the food preferences set at age two last until age 20, it is important to introduce kids to a wide range of flavours. This significant fact is what motivated the QPMA, after launching the “I love 5 to 10 servings a day” campaign 10 years ago in an effort to raise consumer awareness on the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Fruits and vegetables are divided into five colour groups: red, yellow-orange, blue-purple, white and green. The bright colours that give produce its visual appeal come from pigments chock-full of nutrients.

Mandoline invites kids to

discover fruits and vegetables using the five colour groups The kit includes a large poster and an educational brochure filled with fun activities. Games and riddles introduce each colour group such as The Blueberry Magician, an artistic activity painting with red cabbage and a cute story about the stylish banana.

Educators have praised the initiative’s relevance and usefulness. In fact, the first edition of “Mandoline” won two Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques (SQPRP – Quebec Association of Public Relations Professionals) Excellence Awards in 2013: “Tactical Excellence – Communications Tool” and the “People’s Choice Award.”

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PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Up to $50,000 reward in potato tampering case Gary Linkletter, the chair of PEI’s Potato Board is disturbed that someone has intentionally

placed sewing needles into potatoes at his Summerside farm.

The food tampering case first

came to light October 3 when the RCMP were called to investigate tampered French fries at a

Cavendish Farms processing plant in New Annan.

In total, needles have been found in seven potatoes throughout Atlantic Canada. In all cases, the metal objects were found before the potatoes were consumed.

As a result, Cavendish has disposed of 14 truckloads of potatoes. About 800,000 pounds have been destroyed or are in quarantine under the RCMP’s watch.

Without any solid leads after a month-long investigation, the PEI Potato Board issued a news release November 10 announcing a reward for tips.

“To encourage anyone with knowledge concerning this attack

on food safety to come forward, the Prince Edward Island potato industry has established a fund to cover a reward of up to $50,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for inserting sewing needles into potatoes of Linkletter Farms Ltd. which were destined for human consumption,” said Greg Donald, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board.

Individual growers and service industries have pledged the money to help police find the culprit. After a conviction has been obtained, an independent panel will determine eligibility for payment from the reward fund. Information provided anonymously is not eligible for the reward established by the PEI potato industry. This reward is in effect for tips received up until January 31, 2015.

Anyone knowing the individual or individuals involved, or who has information that would assist police in this investigation, is asked to contact the Prince Edward Island RCMP at (902) 436-9300. Alternatively, an email can be sent to craig.eveleigh@rcmp-grc.gc.ca and an investigator will respond.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

New board elected BC Tree Fruits Cooperative has elected its new board of directors to be led by Malcolm Mitchell. Gordon Hahn is vice-president.

Directors include Karmjit Gill, Jeet Dukhia, Talwinder Bassi, Joginder Khosa, Gurjinder Sandher, Jora Dhaliwal, Robert

Dawson and Nirmal Dhaliwal.

BC Tree Fruits Cooperative, based in Kelowna, is owned by 500 local grower families. The organization markets and distributes a variety of BC-grown fruit including apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots, prune plums and blueberries.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

CONSUMER OUTREACH

Ontario school boards sell fruits and vegetables as fundraiser Fresh from the Farm vegetable and fruit deliveries are well underway this fall – with more than 165,000 pounds on delivery to school communities in northern and southwestern Ontario.

Students raised funds by selling bundles of fresh Ontario root vegetables, which include potatoes, carrots, onions and beets, and gift-boxes of fresh Ontario apples. The innovative Fresh from the Farm school fundraising campaign serves to promote healthy eating to families while supporting provincial farmers through the sale of Ontario produce. Nineteen school boards were invited to participate in this year’s project, resulting in a 35 per cent increase in sales over year one. The top selling school in Sault Ste. Marie sold more than 800 bundles – representing almost 10,000 pounds of vegetable and fruit!

Fresh from the Farm is a collaborative initiative between Dietitians of Canada, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), the Ontario Ministry of Education, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

Fresh from the Farm is in year two of a

pilot project, modeled after Manitoba’s successful Farm to School, Healthy Choice Fundraiser, launched in 2010.

“It’s a win-win for students, schools and farmers, as 40 per cent of the revenue goes back to schools and our farmers receive market price for top quality produce,” says Alison Robertson, program manager, OFVGA. “Fresh from the Farm is a great way to build the domestic market for Ontario grown produce while helping to instill healthy eating habits in the next generation of consumers.”

“Fresh from the Farm not only puts healthy foods into the hands of families, it provides opportunities for introducing the related topics of agriculture, food and healthy eating into the classroom,” says Cathy O’Connor, project coordinator with Dietitians of Canada, one of the program’s partners. “The program raises the awareness of the importance of good nutrition in the development and well-being of our children.”

Plans are underway for expansion in 2015 with the ultimate goal to serve all public schools in the province, based on

These samples of root vegetables and apples are part of the Fresh From The Farm fundraising pilot for 19 Ontario school boards. the development of a sustainable business model.

To find out more about the program visit www.FreshfromFarm.ca

or contact Cathy O’Connor cathy.oconnor@dietitians.ca

Half your Plate campaign boosted by Walmart

Walmart Canada has joined the new healthy eating campaign, Half Your Plate. An initiative of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), Half Your Plate empowers Canadians of all ages to eat more fruits and veggies to improve their health while providing simple and practical ways to add a variety of produce to every meal and snack. After a successful launch on social media this summer, Half Your Plate is now making its way onto produce packaging and into retail stores across Canada.

“We are excited to be the first major retailer to promote Half Your Plate in our stores and flyers,” said Sam Silvestro, senior director, fresh foods, Walmart Canada. “We believe that healthy eating starts with getting enough servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and Half Your Plate

provides an easy message for consumers to understand and keep in mind when doing their grocery shopping.”

“Rather than having people count servings or worry about serving size, our messaging is that at every meal, make half your plate fruit and vegetables. By the end of the day, you’ll have your recommended number of servings,” said Ron Lemaire, president, CPMA. “That also translates when you’re at the grocery store. Half your cart should be fruit and veggies, and having retailers promote the campaign re-emphasizes the importance of making healthier choices at the store.”

Half Your Plate offers a simple, consistent way to help consumers navigate the many different messages they hear each day about healthy eating. “It can be a bit confusing for some consumers to know what makes up a healthy meal,” added Lemaire. “What we hear most from consumers is that they’re struggling with what a serving is in a lot of instances and are looking for ways to make healthy choices fast, easy and affordable.”

The Half Your Plate campaign was developed in collaboration with health partners the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian

Public Health Association, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

More information can be found at

www.halfyourplate.ca or by following @halfyourplate on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Other Canadian retailers will also be using the campaign in store in the coming months.

PAGE 6 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR HIGHLIGHTS

Fruits and vegetables get their moment in the sun

You can't 'beet' it! In the always popular Giant Vegetable Competition, Joanne Borcsok of King, Ontario set a new Royal record with a giant 62.6 lb beet. By 10 pounds, she beat the previous world record holder for largest beetroot, Cannington, Ontario farmer Norm Craven. She also won the Len Rush Memorial Trophy for most points accumulated in the overall vegetable competition. The inside scoop?

Her seeds are sourced from Rob’s Rare and Giant Seeds.

This display of winter squash begs the question: How many varieties can you name? Cucurbita, the Latin name for gourd, continue to fascinate with multi-coloured, smooth and warty specimens.

The Amaze-ing Food Journey entrance, decorated with oversized carrots, parsnips and beets, welcomed visitors, old and young alike. Thousands of school children were captivated with interactive games and displays. One simple game invited kids to match the farm product to the grocery store item. For urban kids, this was more challenging than you might think!

Northern Ontario grower wins rave reviews with strawberry-jalapeno jam

The National Apple Competition attracted more than 150 entries from British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. British Columbia certified organic grower Peter Simonsen, Northern Lights Orchard, Naramata won first place for his Golden Delicious apples (see above).

Congratulations are also extended to grand champion commercial apple winners: Patrick Behan, Moore Orchards, Cobourg, Ontario for his Courtland apples. Reserve Champion was awarded to Stephanie Levaseur, Couer de la Pomme Senc, Frelichsburg, Quebec for her McIntosh apples.

Morley is now back in northern Ontario, doing accounting by day and saving up vacation time to farm during the critical June/July period.

With 10 acres of irrigated strawberries, he’s one of only a handful within a hundred kilometers offering the u-pick experience. This past summer, he negotiated an agreement with a local company that flash freezes

KAREN DAVIDSON Entrepreneurship may have skipped a generation admits Brad Morley. He’s a strawberry grower who’s forging an ambitious makeover of his maternal grandfather’s farm near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Armed with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Windsor,

Brad Morley, Thomson Strawberry Farm, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario was a first-time exhibitor at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. His strawberry-jalapeno jam was a hit with consumers.

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perogies, pasta, soup and meatballs. Because summer is downtime for this company, it’s an ideal time to flash freeze strawberries.

Morley has one kilogram bags of frozen strawberries that are now available for local grocers as well as institutions. About 15 per cent of Thomson Strawberry Farms’ income is now derived from frozen product while 45 per cent comes from u-pick. The remainder is from “we-pick” fresh strawberries for local independent grocers. This has proven to be a good business plan since the farm was taken over in 2009.

The fledgling business caught the eye of government officials who encouraged Morley to exhibit at last month’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair under the umbrella of Northern Ontario.

He and his partner Mike Maguire brought their A-game to the bright lights of Toronto.

Their sampling offered several combinations but strawberryjalapeno jam proved a big hit with consumers. It was the surprise of sweet and spicy that gathered rave reviews.

While preserves are a valueadded commodity, distribution is the rub. That’s where the new Mill Market is filling a critical role in Sault Ste. Marie. An old municipal fish hatchery building has been converted to a farmers’ market that’s attracting a loyal clientele. It’s a hub for local farmers and artisans alike.

For Thomson Strawberry Farm, the “buy local” mantra is working well in both businessto-business and business-toconsumer markets.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

PREMIER’S INNOVATION AWARDS

Look for value-added niches Regional winners of the Ontario Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence awards have one thing in common: add value to commodities and look for niches.

In total, 50 winners will be announced.

Harwood Estate Vineyards Inc., Hillier What’s good for the environment and the community can also be great for business. Just ask Harwood Estate Vineyards. The vineyard is 100 per cent solarpowered, eliminating monthly energy bills that previously were up to $2,000. Nor do the green practices stop here. In partnership with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the progressive vineyard introduced experimental pest control strategies such as pheromone disruptors and cover crops. To conserve water supplies and ensure irrigation during dry periods, Harwood Estate also installed a catchment system that harvests 85,000 litres of rainwater each year. Finally, the company only hires locally, supporting the local community and economy.

Thanks to these measures, Harwood Estate has cut its costs, helped the planet and generated a whole lot of good will.

are required. Only cabbage, beets and other locally grown veggies go into their products. The result?

Handcrafted products that the LCBO Food and Drink magazine calls “winter must-haves.” Currie and Empey have doubled their income between 2012 and 2013.

To keep up with booming demand, they are now planning new fermentation tanks to expand their production capacity eight fold.

Rainbow Heritage Garden Cobden When Zach Loeks and Kylah Dobson wanted a better way to store the fruits and vegetables that they produce, they set their sights low. Inspired by European wine and cheese caves, they carved a

600-square-foot root cellar into a nearby hillside. Excavated 16 feet below grade, the cellar takes advantage of cooler underground temperatures to keep their harvest fresh. To add a little extra refrigeration power, Loeks and Dobson harvest a hundred cubic feet of ice each February. The cellar can hold 20,000 pounds of produce, as well as 15 customers hungry for fresh veggies. Completed in 2011, their investment has already paid for itself. Today, spoilage rates at Rainbow Heritage Garden have dropped 90 per cent, while the farm's "Root Cellar Days" draw big crowds.

Barrie Hill Farms – Barrie Frozen vegetables are heating up the local economy in Simcoe

County. A few years ago, Morris Gervais discovered the value of having a local processor freeze his blueberry surplus. Spurred by that success, he has now turned his sights to asparagus. Using a variety that maintains a tight tip at longer lengths, Gervais started a trial of frozen 8.5-inch asparagus spears — a big jump from the industry standard of 5.5 inches.

Longer spears mean less trimmed waste and more tips in every package. Freezing surplus asparagus allows Gervais to sell it throughout the year, rather than fighting for a share of fresh sales when the market is swamped.

Meanwhile, the product itself has received an enthusiastic thumbs-up from on-farm customers and local retailers.

Carron Farms Ltd. – Bradford

Customers love the beautiful red, purple, black, white, yellow and orange heirloom carrots grown at Carron Farms. But hand-sorting those veggies so each bag contained the full range of colours and the right sized carrots was becoming a real headache. To remedy those bagging blues, Carron Farms tracked down equipment in Europe that could be adapted to meet their needs.

The first of its kind in Canada, the stainless steel system uses advanced computerized scales and sensors to ensure each retailready bag contains the right weight and colour combinations.

Thanks to the efficient set-up, the farm’s multicoloured carrots have made inroads into larger markets — a big win for heirloom food grown close to home

Kaley’s Acres, Castleton These days, more and more nutrition-conscious consumers are reaching for kale. And what tastier way to enjoy it than in the form of chips? In 2009, Draupadi and Adrian Quinn converted 10 acres of former tobacco fields into kale production. The hardy crop has an exceptionally long growing season that extends right until December. The real magic however happens in the 5,000square-foot on-farm processing facility. Here, the nutrient-packed leaves are transformed into five different flavours of raw, guiltfree snacks. Annual sales have sky rocketed, and the operation employs 15 seasonal and yearround workers. With demand strong and growing, the Quinns are now planning to open a 20,000-square-foot processing plant down the road that will process 20 tonnes of kale a week.

Pyramid Farm and Ferments, Picton There's lots of innovation fermenting - quite literally - in Prince Edward County these days. At Pyramid Farm and Ferments, Alex Currie and Jenna Empey have revived the lost art of making sauerkraut, sauerruben and other fermented vegetables.

Drawing on traditional Ukrainian recipes from the 1900s, the pair has successfully commercialized a lactobacillus-based fermentation process. No vinegar or chemicals

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PAGE 8 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

BUILDING TRADE RELATIONSHIPS

Windsor-Essex tour showcases business opportunities

Windsor’s former mayor Eddie Francis has been named to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority that will oversee the construction of the new bridge. Construction is expected to be finished by 2020.

KAREN DAVIDSON Windsor, Ontario -- One quarter of all Canada’s trade – worth about $120 billion annually flows to the United States at the Windsor-Detroit border. With frequent bottlenecks at the Ambassador Bridge, it’s no small wonder that the summer 2015 deadline looms large to complete the $1.4 billion construction of arterial roads to the New International Trade Crossing.

The bridge is an apt metaphor for how business is expected to evolve in the years ahead. With the Canadian dollar at four-year lows (88 cents) vis-à-vis the American dollar, expect more agricultural trade.

It’s precisely this juncture that

motivated the WindsorEssex Development Corporation to host a tour of Americans on October 1 and 2. Headed by Sandra Pupatello, the group invited processors and produce buyers to explore business opportunities with growers in Essex County.

They came mostly from Michigan and Ohio, but also from Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York states.

Altogether 135 people participated says tour organizer Tom Quinn. Co-packing opportunities were identified and businesses will conduct further capacity assessments. Perhaps of a more enduring nature are the relationships that were renewed.

Bill Hirzel is one example. As a member of the third-generation of the fourth-generation Hirzel

Canning Company and Farms, Northwood Ohio, he’s quite familiar with the Ontario side of the border.

“Our side of the lake is a mirror image to yours,” says Hirzel, describing soils, climate and small family businesses. “We’ve always had a close relationship with the canning industry.”

He’s heartened by the plans of Thomas Canning and Company to expand their own tomato processing facility at Maidstone, Ontario.

However, he underlines some stark statistics from a cross-border perspective. The mid-west supplies only 10 per cent of the requirements of the U.S. tomato industry. Most of the tomatoes grown in California are grown for considerably less in price over a 100-day harvesting period, double

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the season in Ohio. The California growers have always enjoyed the luxury of irrigation and produced outstanding yields of 55 to 60 tons per acre. In the U.S. mid-west, tomato yields are in the range of 30 tons per acre.

The competitive landscape hinges on water . . . and innovation The Great Lakes growers and canners suddenly feel more kinship as they eye the strengths and weaknesses of California competitors. Ohio may have more in common with Ontario than most realize. Hirzel speculates California will face a harder time at the turn of the year when new tomato contracts are signed in the face of dwindling water supplies.

Dozens of wells are being drilled in California, however if contractors pull too hard on the aquifers, the water will be slightly saline.

Going forward, the Hirzel family continues to innovate in ways that could inspire others. With 38 growers on contract, they process under the Dei Fratelli brand. One new product is rustic-cut tomatoes in a light puree, packaged in an aseptic container. It’s the equivalent of a 28-ounce can of tomatoes. The concept of tomatoes in an aseptic package is still in its infancy in the U.S., but Hirzel thinks that the environmental packaging will take off with millennials.

More importantly, he sees an important trend for family-sized businesses looking to compete against multi-national corporations. In addition to selling retail and wholesale, Hirzel sees an opportunity in institutional or industrial settings. It’s efficient to sell in bulk packages to meet the needs of a chef. Furthermore, there’s more opportunity to custom-make tomato products for specific needs of end users.

“You can provide many variations on a theme,” Hirzel says.

“With basil, without basil, whatever chunk size the client wants.”

This is providing a solution to

of the “lakeOuris side a mirror image to yours.

We’ve always had a close relationship with the canning industry.” ~ Bill Hirzel foodservice and the growing takeout service of grocery chains.

As chair of the Centre for Innovative Food Technology in Toledo, Ohio, Hirzel gains inspiration from other food leaders. His point is that breaking down walls between sectors and travelling across national borders should create synergies.

Food processing sector faces challenges Roy Zahnleuter is a good example of an American food processor experiencing WindsorEssex from a fresh perspective.

He’s in charge of produce procurement and supporting food quality standards for Nestle Infant Nutrition’s Gerber division in Fremont, Michigan. It’s a position that puts him in daily contact with contracted vegetable growers across the United States and the nitty-gritty – literally – of food safety.

Zahnleuter’s needs are a window into the specifications required for buying a long list of vegetables: sweet corn, onions, peas, peppers carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini and squash.

“A lot of areas can’t supply to us if the land has grown cotton, potatoes or corn,” says Zahnleuter. “The pesticide residues or heavy metals and nitrates, even in small quantities, preclude sourcing crops from these soils.”

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

BUILDING TRADE RELATIONSHIPS

Windsor-Essex tour showcases business opportunities

Steve Peters, executive director of Food and Beverage Ontario, was one of the speakers who kicked off the sessions for the American tour of growers and processors in Essex County.

CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE

There aren’t many growers of processing vegetables from “clean” regions so he’s always interested in suppliers. However, that said, he warns that Nestle’s business model is extremely strict in accepting new suppliers.

He was very positive about the EssexWindsor tour in terms of introducing a like-minded group to the business infrastructure of the region. Were there

Louis Chibante, Red Sun Farms, explains the complexities of growing cucumbers hydroponically at Kingsville, Ontario.

surprises? He didn’t realize that the area was a powerhouse in greenhouse vegetable production. And he didn’t realize that parsnips were grown not far across the border.

Produce buyer looks for the right packaging Scott Calandra, produce buyer for 213 Meijer stores in five states -- soon to be six -- is already familiar with the Canadian landscape. Based in Lansing, Michigan, he

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regularly sources broccoli and cauliflower from the Montreal area because they are packaged to specification for freight savings. These two mainstay vegetables are shrink wrapped in breathable material, labeled with country of origin and with PLU/ UPC information for front-end efficiencies at their stores.

Doing more business in Canada is a challenge because growing seasons are typically the same for Michigan and Ontario. He’s not looking for any produce that may overlap their own growing

seasons, for example. But he is interested in visiting the Ontario Food Terminal, and that might spark some introductions to fresh vegetable suppliers who can fulfill the needs of a large grocery chain.

“Completion of the new bridge will be important in freeing up the flow from Canada to the United States,” Calandra says. “That would be a great benefit to moving produce.”

The bridge is a concrete symbol of what can be forged. The relationships are the living testament to trade.

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PAGE 10 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

Canadian produce industry meets MPs on Parliament Hill On November 18 and 19, industry leaders representing the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) met with more than 40 parliamentarians and civil servants in Ottawa to discuss the key issues currently affecting the Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable sector.

Some of the key issues addressed included financial protection for produce sellers and a national fruit and vegetable nutrition policy. These meetings were essential for the industry to address key areas that impact the health of the industry and of Canadian consumers.

“All Canadians benefit from a strong and vibrant produce sector, which ensures the health and variety of our fruits and vegetables. Members of Parliament understood this and were very committed to continuing their work with both industry associations and those growers or shippers who operate within their ridings,” stated Bernadette

Hamel, chair, Canadian Produce Marketing Association.

“Many key officials were keen to discuss our issues, which shows the importance of our industry at the national level.

We re-emphasized at every meeting that the federal government needs to implement a PACA-like trust in response to the United States’ removal of PACA preferential Canadian access in order to protect the wellbeing of the industry,” Keith Kuhl, president, Canadian Horticultural Council.

“We also discussed the need for a national fruit and vegetable nutrition policy to drive Canadians to eat more fruits and vegetables. Most Canadians aren’t eating enough produce and we need the federal government to take leadership in establishing a policy to improve the health of our population.”

In addition to providing a diverse supply of healthy food for Canadian consumers, Canada’s fresh fruit and vegetable sector

A cross-section of industry horticultural leaders pose for their picture on Parliament Hill as part of their annual meetings with MPs. Photo by Anne Fowlie. makes an important contribution to national economic output and employment. In 2013, the fresh fruit and vegetable sector

supported 147,900 jobs and created $11.4 billion in real GDP.

Financial protection for Canada’s fruit and vegetable industry Issue The lack of payment protection for fruit and vegetable sellers during bankruptcies in Canada results in disproportionate financial risk for produce companies and has cost Canadian companies selling in the United States our longstanding preferential access to the protections under their Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

Action Needed • The creation, as soon as possible, of a limited statutory deemed trust that provides financial protection for produce sellers in Canada in the event of bankruptcies. Assets available to trust creditors would be limited specifically to produce accounts receivable, and any cash and inventory from the sale of the produce.

• A trust does not require any government funding or administration. This solution would also meet the U.S. requirements for a comparable Canadian system in order to reinstate our preferential access to PACA. Background • According to data from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian and US firms operating in Canada lose on average $19 million per year through Canadian buyer insolvency. Fresh produce is highly perishable and, unlike with other products, cannot be reclaimed. This makes the sector particularly vulnerable to payment disruption.

• Canada had been the only country granted the same access as U.S. entities to the protections offered by PACA to recover payments both during bankruptcies and to recover unpaid bills out side of bankruptcy.

• In order to address the gaps in protections between the two countries, the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) mandate agreed to by President Obama and Prime

Minister Harper in 2011 included a commitment to establishing a comparable Canadian approach for protecting Canadian and U.S. fruit and vegetable suppliers from buyers that default on their payment obligations.

• Due to a lack of progress in fulfilling this commitment, on October 1st 2014, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) revoked Canada’s preferential access to the PACA. • This will have significant consequences for the fresh produce industry in Canada, putting jobs, Canadian farms and other parts of the supply chain at risk. Unpaid bills will increase for Canadian companies exporting to the U.S., who will have lost their previously strong leverage over their buyers.

• With preferential PACA access, Canadian companies could threaten the licence to operate of any buyer who was delinquent with their bills. This big stick resulted in a prosperous and mostly

smooth trading relationship.

• Now, Canadian companies trying to recover unpaid bills will have to post a bond of double the value of their claim. For example, a small producer owed $50,000 would have to post $100,000 cash, effectively removing $150,000 from their cash flow/operating line for up to a year or longer.

• Seventy-five percent of Canada’s 10,000 fruit and vegetable producers are small businesses with average sales of less than $85,000 per year.

• Many cannot afford this and will simply have to walk away.

Situations like this can devastate not only the producer, but all the businesses connected to them and hits rural communities particularly hard.

• Integrated supply chains with the United States are key to ensuring a year-round supply of affordable fresh produce for Canadian consumers. Canada sells about 40% of its fruit and

vegetable production to the U.S. Approximately 50% of the produce imported into Canada comes from the U.S. • The biggest loser from a lack of government action will be

Canadian consumers, who will face increased prices, decreased quality, and reduced selection and variety in the produce aisle.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION

Board briefs Following are highlights from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) board meeting held November 13, 2014. The purpose of this brief is to keep you up-to-date on the issues that the OFVGA is working on, as well as projects and initiatives the organization is involved in.

Crop protection The product nominations for Codex and the Grower Requested Own Use (GROU) program have been finalized and submitted. Codex addresses Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and the ability to export produce into international markets.

Charles Stevens and Craig Hunter participated in NAFTA crop protection meetings held recently in Mexico. Main topics of discussion included pollinators, joint product reviews, minor use, and Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs).

Mexico does not currently have a minor use program; Mexican growers were encouraged to work with their government to get this type of program in place.

Representatives from Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil were in attendance at the meeting as observers.

Farm Action Now The OFVGA has joined with Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Bean Growers, Ontario Canola Growers Association and Ontario Pork to form Farm Action Now.

This new coalition has been formed to develop a farmer-driven blueprint for the future of Ontario agriculture and to ensure regulations are made with a clear understanding of the practicality of onfarm implementation and down-stream implications. Farm Action Now is positioned to expand with numerous agricultural organizations expressing similar concerns at this time.The group has announced that a balanced plan is in development to reasonably evaluate the challenges with government agricultural policy and process. Priority areas include the responsible regulation of agricultural practices, access to science and technology such as pesticides and seed treatments, and on-farm implementation of regulatory changes. The coalition strongly urges the appointment of an agricultural commissioner to advise the government on the implications of existing and new regulations and to help grow the agricultural sector.

Guelph. The conference will feature presentations from various commodity leaders, and an experienced panel of Ontario farmers, highlighting their challenges and barriers surrounding water security, water efficiency, waste water and nutrient use, and finish the day with a facilitated session to determine what can be done to reduce these barriers. It is hoped that this industry meeting will identify a variety of: applied research projects, academic work and education programs that will address the issues identified. The event is being hosted by Farm & Food Care; Brian Gilroy is the OFVGA representative to Farm & Food Care.

Section chair Brian Gilroy reported that three kestrel nesting boxes that are part of the wildlife damage mitigation project are being moved into open areas. Fruit damage assessments are currently being done; bird counts in the vineyards were half this year of previous years; the kestrels are making a difference in keeping predatory birds out.

Canadian Horticultural Council

Safety Nets

The CHC’s Fall Harvest event is currently underway. It’s an annual lobbying and awareness event held in Ottawa; this year’s two main issues are health and financial protection for growers.

A letter has been sent to Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, requesting that the requirement to be enrolled in AgriStability as a pre-requisite to participation in the Self-Directed Risk Management (SDRM) program be removed. Finding a system that is both fair and simple will take some work on behalf of the SDRM reference committee over the coming months.

Property section The Ag Water Use Symposium will be held November 27 at the Holiday Inn

Research A research priority setting workshop will be held in Woodstock on November 17, co-hosted by OFVGA and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland). Participants are to provide their top five priorities, after which an expert panel narrows the list down and submits it to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)/ University Guelph research partnership.

OFVGA research chair Harold Schooley is currently involved in reviewing Letters of Intent that have been submitted for research funding through OMAFRA/UG. Alternate Funding Mechanism Work continues on the development of an alternate funding mechanism for the OFVGA. The organization is currently funded through a container toll, which results in fees being collected inequitably from the sector. A motion was passed at the 2013 OFVGA annual meeting directing the organization to find a fair and equitable mechanism to fund the OFVGA. The next OFVGA board meeting will be held December 11, 2014 at the OFVGA office in Guelph.

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PAGE 12 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

To be thankful and appreciative…

JOHN KELLY EXECUTIVE VP, OFVGA Throughout the year there seems to be hardly any time to reflect on what we have done, what we plan to achieve and what results have come because of our efforts. At this time of year, people are rushing to be ready for the holiday season, trying to manage all of their social commitments and still be productive in what we do. It seems that we are juggling so many different things at once that it is a wonder that projects can get done on a

timely and effective manner. But we do!

There are a number of programs that the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) has taken on over the past few years which have helped so many people, yet take so much effort to put forward and really make a difference. The Northern School Program, managed by the OFVGA, makes a big impact.

Fresh produce is delivered to these areas in northern Ontario which, at first blush to people in southern Ontario, would not be such a big deal.

But when you don’t normally have access to fresh broccoli or produce greens, fresh fruit and Ontario product, it does make a difference. This program has been running in the background now for seven years, growing year by year, and really making a difference in people’s lives. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care deserves a lot of credit for their vision in partnering with the OFVGA to make this a

reality.

This is a true example of a terrific public-private partnership and is a story of trains, planes and automobiles. Communities in the north are isolated, and in many cases are very difficult to even get to the town or village. Some are not connected by roads or rail, and the only way to get fresh produce there is to fly it in. This takes an incredible amount of logistical coordination and support, provided by the OFVGA and many partners. And the people who receive the benefits of this program are very thankful.

The Fresh from the Farm program, which the OFVGA has supported on behalf of its members for the past several years, is an excellent example of where school groups and industry partner up to raise funds. But instead of selling chocolate bars, students can fund raise using fresh fruit and vegetables.

There are so many benefits resulting from this program.

Instead of selling “junk” food as a fund raiser, students and schools

can really be proud that they are making a healthy choice and difference by selling fresh produce. The purchasers of these products also have the advantage of choosing a healthy option, but also support the definitive local production of these products. The schools teach their students the value of understanding the importance of local production.

Teachers become further exposed to local agricultural production, and can pass this on to their students. The school, in turn, also gains a better appreciation of new and different ways of fund raising. This is a win-win-win program for students and schools, consumers and farmers.

Finally, this past month the OFVGA has again had a booth at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and has made it available to members of the OFVGA. From apples to processed vegetables, consumers and thousands of children were provided the opportunity to see what comes from Ontario horticultural farms.

Potato growers handed out 3,500

potatoes! Recipes, calendars with Ontario produce, and fun projects for students were provided. But there was also information on the operation of the industry, the importance of the Canadian Horticultural Council and importantly the opportunity to answer consumers’ questions.

These programs run in the background in the operations of the OFVGA. They provide a tremendous positive positioning of the fruit and vegetable producers in Ontario, and directly connect consumers to farmers and growers. They also provide an opportunity for growers to talk directly to consumers which is very important in understanding market changes and dynamics.

We all have much to be thankful for over the past year. I am very thankful and appreciative for the support from the OFVGA Board of Directors and its staff.

I wish you all the best for the holiday season, health and happiness, and hope you take time to reflect on the events and happenings over the past year.

Feliz Navidad!

These Mexican workers are happy to be in the photographer’s limelight as they harvest cabbage at Procyk Farms near Wilsonville, Ontario. With the 2014 season fading into the past and plans underway for 2015, one thing is common for all growers. And that’s gratitude for the untiring efforts of the good men and women who come to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services and the entire produce industry extend holiday greetings to all of them and their families. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

STAFF Publisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Editor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, kdavidson@ecomente.ca Production: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, production@thegrower.org Advertising: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, advertising@thegrower.org The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue.

No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad.

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

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

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

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ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Crop Protection Research Property Labour Safety Nets CHC

Chair Vice-Chair Fruit Director Veg Director Director

Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Verkaik, Bradford Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Jan Vander Hout, Waterdown Charles Stevens, Newcastle

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

Charles Stevens, Newcastle Mary Shabatura, Windham Centre John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Ryder, Delhi Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Verkaik, Bradford Mac James, Leamington Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Ken Van Torre, Burford Jan Vander Hout, Waterdown Don Taylor, Durham

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

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

PERSPECTIVE Can science be as fun as farming?

OWEN ROBERTS U OF GUELPH Was science “cool” to you when you were growing up? It wasn’t for me. I thought it was interesting, but not particularly fun. Things have changed, though – and quickly -- especially among young people.

A new report from a science education and outreach organization called Let’s Talk Science (which has a very active chapter at the University of Guelph) says there’s been a huge increase in young people who think science is “fun.”

In just three years, the percentage of those who believe there’s fun in science skyrocketed by almost 40 per cent, to 72 per cent.

That’s not only amazing, it’s encouraging. If you appreciate science at a young age, perhaps you’ll mature into an adult who understands the value of sciencebased polices and decisions.

You’ll be someone who doesn’t throw rocks at progress just because doing so is fashionable.

You won’t follow every fad diet, thinking it’s scientifically sound.

You won’t lap up every corporate message you’re fed, thinking it’s gospel.

You’ll try to reach accord between evidence and emotions, which can be really challenging,

but necessary as problems and solutions get more complex.

This has everything to do with agriculture. Recently I spoke about communications in one of my favourite professor’s classes, a fourth-year human health and nutritional science class full of students preparing for either a research or business career in nutrition.

She’s working with plant scientists at the University of Guelph to develop crops that can provide unique flour for baked goods such as bagels, which would help your body cut the speed at which it absorbs glucose.

This could be a huge breakthrough for diabetics.

How cool is that? Who wouldn’t want to help hundreds of thousands of people, simply by growing, then processing a special kind of grain or oilseed?

But unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t getting past the itsounds-cool level. The Let’s Talk Science report also noted that although interest is high in science, there’s a huge gap between those who say they think science is cool, and those who take the plunge and become a scientist as a career.

In fact, less than half of Grade 12 students complete a science course. And just a little more than one in 10 say they’d consider a science-based career.

I think they need exposure to what makes science not only fascinating, but useful. And again, agriculture comes to the fore. One of my most enthusiastic agricultural communication students has her eye on a master’s program in agricultural science, because she’s focused on a career as a plant breeder.

She’s working as the student coordinator for a program called Seed of the Year, which we started at Guelph nearly 10 years ago to annually award excellence

in publicly funded plant variety development. Agricultural plant varieties developed at the University of Guelph, with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organizations such as SeCan, contribute more than $650 million a year to the province’s economy and help farmers in all parts of Ontario prosper.

It seems to me the challenge to science is to do what farming has done, which is capitalize on its good standing (and prices) to attract some more or new blood.

Science is trying. Campaigns are underway now such as Research Matters to show how Canadian researchers are making meaningful contributions to society by addressing the challenges and opportunities before them.

Science really should take advantage of its “fun” status among young people. They’re destined to become our next leaders. It’s so fortunate that they see science in a positive way.

Alicia McFarland-Sebastian, a Wilfrid Laurier University third year-student majoring in biology, is counting onion maggot flies on a sticky trap. It's part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program operated at the Muck Vegetable Research Station in Bradford, Ontario. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Counting viable hives or counting empty houses?

Re: No shortage of beehives to pollinate our crops I agree that there are a lot of confusing facts and figures out there regarding neonics.

One thing that should be clarified in your article is that while the number of managed bee colonies has increased since 2003, Statistics Canada data show that

colony production (i.e. the amount of honey produced) has declined significantly then, especially in Ontario. Evaluating the health of the bee industry by counting the number of hives is like estimating the population of a city by counting the houses. A lot of them could be empty.

John Hotchkiss Alymer, Ontario

Palais des congrès de Montréal April 15-17, 2015

convention.cpma.ca

PAGE 14 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

Farm & Food Care year in review 2014

BRUCE KELLY It’s been a busy year for the environmental team at Farm & Food Care (FFC). Here are some highlights from the key files that staff has been working on in 2014.

Environment Advisory Council Farm & Food Care staff work under the direction of its Environment Advisory Council which provides an open forum for input, ideas, dialogue and proactive discussion of on-farm environmental issues. The Council discusses current agricultural environmental issues in Canada and provides insight into how Farm & Food Care can be part of the discussion and develop practical solutions. The goal is to keep ahead of the curve of these issues wherever possible, and react as necessary. Topics discussed by the council at its quarterly meetings in 2014 have been varied and have included Honey Bees and Neonics, Soil Erosion, Nutrient Leaching and Tillage Practices, Source Water Protection and Wash and Wastewater. At each meeting, subject-area experts are invited to join the meeting to provide insight on agenda items.

Water Adaptation Management and Quality Initiative The Water Adaptation Management and Quality Initiative (WAMQI) is Farm & Food Care’s biggest

environmental initiative with $1.5 Million in funding to support 30 demonstration and applied research projects. The projects showcase innovative technologies and solutions for agricultural water use efficiency activities related to adapting to climate change and land-based projects such as fertilizer trials on new crops and innovative wastewater treatment systems. The WAMQI project is scheduled to conclude in March of 2015.

Uncontrolled Electricity Agriculture Working Group The Uncontrolled Electricity Agriculture Working Group consists of a coalition of participants from Farm & Food Care, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, interested farmers, electrical experts, and consultants.

The working group intends to address uncontrolled electricity issues in the province of Ontario by bringing together stakeholders, academia, Hydro One and policy makers to direct research into the scope and causes of uncontrolled electricity in order to develop solutions for electrical distribution systems.

As the demands for electricity have grown and the load placed on the capacity of the wires has increased, the amount of electricity that uses the ground as its return path back to its source (rather than the primary neutral) has increased, causing unintended and often unpredictable consequences. This working group is working with Hydro One and

Waterloo North Hydro to address the issues of using the earth as a return path and mitigating the unintended consequences this can cause, particularly on livestock operations. This group has coordinated several on farm visits with the partners and is working on some case studies to see how the impacts can be reduced.

Natural Resources and Ministry of Environment staff to get out to working farms. They also provide a platform for discussion between policy makers and farmers on a wide range of issues. The most recent tour featured Niagara Region flower greenhouses and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

Ontario Pesticide Survey

Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

Farm & Food Care continues to manage the Ontario Pesticide Survey on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. All Ontario field crop, vegetable, fruit and specialty crop farmers are asked to fill out a confidential, anonymous survey of pesticide use. Surveys have been conducted every five years since 1973 and are used to track trends in pesticide use. Government, commodity boards and researchers use the information to help improve minor use pesticide registration lists, work toward safer use of pesticides and to understand trends in use and the types of pesticides used. The survey is totally anonymous; all you record is your county and the crop.

The survey will track all field and horticulture crops and the pesticides used, acres applied and also acres where no pesticides are used. All farmers and custom spray applicators are encouraged to help fill out the survey of products they used during 2013 and 2014. To participate in the survey, visit www.ontariopesticidesurvey.ca by February 15, 2015.

Bee Health As is the case with all major issues that Farm & Food Care focuses on, the issue of bee health or neonicotinoids has been one where Farm & Food Care has played a supporting role to the efforts of its commodity partners.

In response to requests from its members, a new fact sheet on bee health was produced and distributed widely through FFC communications channels. FFC also partnered with Grain Farmers of Ontario on two media tours in 2014 for Toronto and Ottawa food writers and addressed the issue with the 125 influential guests at both events.

Bee farmers, commodity members and researchers have been guests at two of the Environmental Council meetings in the last year to share opinions and perspectives on the issue.

Farm Innovation Tours Farm & Food Care has coordinated five bus tours this year profiling innovation in animal welfare and the environment on farms and at agribusinesses across the province. These tours have proven a great way for Agricorp, OMAFRA, Ministry of

Through CoCoRaHS, individuals can upload rain gauge data to a central website for recording rainfall, snow, hail and other storm events (and drought reporting). The data is then accessible for printing customizable reports for your farm and to the public and meteorological professionals.

CoCoRaHS is now the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the United States.

CoCoRaHS has more than 1,000 volunteers across Canada and

hasjust signed up 50 schools in the Northwest Territories. We are looking for more Ontario farmers and weather watchers to sign up and submit data to this national project.

Find out more: To learn more about all of Farm & Food Care’s environmental initiatives on behalf of Ontario agriculture, visit www.farmfoodcare.org and click on the Environment Button. Comments and questions can always be directed to Farm & Food Care’s Environmental Program Manager Bruce Kelly – bruce@farmfoodcare.org or 519-837-1326, extension 292. Anyone interested in keeping current on Farm & Food Care initiatives can subscribe to its monthly e-newsletter by emailing info@farmfoodcare.org.

Bruce Kelly is environmental program manager for Farm & Food Care Ontario.

COMING EVENTS 2014 Dec 3

Ontario Potato Board Annual General Meeting, Cambridge Holiday Inn, Hall C, Cambridge, ON 10 am

Dec 5

CanadaGAP Annual General Meeting, Canadian Federation of Agriculture Boardroom, Ottawa, ON

Dec 9 - 11

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Devos Place Convention Centre, Grand Rapids, MI

2015 Jan 7 - 9

Potato Expo 2015, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL

Jan 13

Ontario Apple Growers’ Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Jan 13

Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON 8:30 am to 10 am.

Jan 13 - 14 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON Jan 20-21

Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, Four Points by Sheraton, London, ON

Jan 20 – 22 Empire State Producers’ Expo, Oncenter, Syracuse, NY Jan 22-25

U.S. Lavender Association Conference, San Antonio, TX

Jan 26-27

Scotia Horticultural Congress 2015, Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 27-28

Manitoba Potato Production Days, Brandon, MB

Jan 27-28

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

Jan 29-Feb 1 Guelph Organic Conference & Expo, Guelph University Centre, Guelph, ON Feb 3-4

The Greenbelt Fund Local Food Symposium, Queen’s Landing, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Feb 3 – 6

8th North American Strawberry Symposium, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ventura, CA

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 15 THE GROWER

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Set up profiles of category managers Recently we have reviewed the different retailers in the marketplace. This month we will shift our focus to building your

relationship with category managers and others in the retailer’s organization. This is a challenge for many suppliers and

there is no one solution. You need to have different strategies for different people and from one retailer to another. Over the next

several months we will explore the important task of developing a strong relationship with your customer.

Understand the individual and they are all different A category manager’s role is similar from one retailer to another. They are responsible for the listing base, sales and profitability in their categories.

There are different tools and strategies available for them to accomplish their goals but in the end they have to manage the number of SKUs and deliver PETER CHAPMAN results associated with sales and profit. One of the biggest challenges for suppliers is to understand that each category manager, even within the same retailer, will have their own style and preferred method of achieving the results.

Some want to get to know you and your business whereas others really don’t care, as long as you deliver your end of the bargain. You need to really understand the individual before you can develop your strategy for working with them. I suggest you develop a profile of your category managers to help you deal with them effectively. There are a number of different personality traits that you should consider when building the profile.

Overall understanding of the industry Learning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good Overall understanding of the category Learning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good Familiarity with your company It’s all new 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good Familiarity with your items It’s all new 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good Perception of your business Poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very good Progressive Do it like last year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Eager to try Top priority _____________________________________ (sales, margin, category growth, private label, new items, local etc.)

Second priority _____________________________________ (sales, margin, category

growth, private label, new items, local etc.)

Short-term vs. long-term Short-term 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Long-term Do the work as an individual vs. team approach Individual 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Team Preferred method of communication ________________ (phone, email, meeting etc.)

Where they are in their career On the way up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Reached their peak Sympathy to smaller producers or preference for big national companies Sympathy to small 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Favour big Commitment to build new items or depend on the tried and true Try new items 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tried and true Willing to take risks or play it safe Take risks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Play it safe Interested in health & wellness Yes Maybe No Understanding of global foods Yes Maybe No Understanding of food safety in the category Yes Maybe No Participate in industry initiatives Yes Maybe No Interests away from work ___________________________________ You will build your profiles over time and there might be other pieces of information you want to collect as you meet with them and build your relationship. Some category managers want to share their interests outside of work and others don’t. I can still remember the phone calls or small packages that arrived when our kids were born.

You will see significant differences from one category manager to another when you go through these questions. This will be the base you can use to develop a strategy for building the relationship. I suggest you keep a file in your drawer or on your computer for each category manager. Use the file to develop the profile, add notes on small or significant events that you might use later and always make notes for your file after a face-to-face meeting.

China is exporting frozen organic vegetables organic as well. FreshPlaza.com is a source of information distributed to the produce industry.

They claim that China produces more than 50 per cent of all the

vegetables and 30 per cent of the fruit sold commercially in the world. Obviously there is a huge population to feed but the exports of Chinese fruits and vegetables

are growing rapidly.

Where does this fit in the product mix of your customers?

Do they have them or will they have them?

THINKING OF SEED, THINKING OF SEMINO OVA VA Frozen vegetables have been part of the mix for many years.

Recently I was in a store in Toronto where there was an entire end dedicated to frozen organic vegetables. This is to be expected with the growing demand for

organics in fresh and packaged products.

It was interesting for me to see they were all product of . . .

China. I was aware that many conventional frozen vegetables were coming from China but now

OUR TEAM IS I PA ABOUT AGR DEDICATED TO W VEGETA ABLE

Loblaw converts Save Easy Loblaw announced to Save Easy retailers in Atlantic Canada that they would be converting the stores to the Your Independent Grocer (YIG) format. One of the challenges for Loblaw is that they have many formats, which makes their business complex. There is history with a format but the internal challenges of more ads, pricing zones and seasonal programs add costs.

These are changes that have to happen. I do admit I feel some nostalgia, as Save Easy is the format I started working in when I was in high school. We enjoyed working at Tingley’s Save Easy and we did a lot of volume in 14,000 square feet. The industry has changed and I predict Loblaw will have to consolidate more banners to eliminate some costs and simplify the business.

TEL.:

Alloy Thompson, CCA A, Ontario Representative 70 05-434-7292 TOLLL FREE: 1-877-337-8 8423

PAGE 16 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

Optical sorter saves labour, improves wine quality

This optical sorter discards unripe berries, petioles and other vegetal debris so that the cleanest fruit possible is destined for wine.

The optical sorter can also recognize underripe berries.

Whereas 12 workers would be assigned to a sorting table to process two to 2.5 tons/hour, the new optical sorter can process seven to eight tons per hour.

“This machinery offers flexibility in a tough season,” says Schmidt. With 130 acres of grapes to harvest, after a cooler

KAREN DAVIDSON Any year is a good year for optical sorting equipment.

However this was a perfect year for installing a Pellenc Vision 2 optical sorter along with a destemmer and petiole remover.

This year’s Ontario grape harvest extended into November, resulting in frost-bitten grapes with shattering petioles that are best removed from the mix.

“I have zero tolerance for petioles,” says Brian Schmidt, winemaker at Vineland Estates Winery near Vineland, Ontario.

Petioles, the stalks that join leaves to the stems, add an undesirable vegetal character to the wine.

Hand harvesting after a frost is expensive, so if the grapes can be machine harvested and the debris can be mechanically separated, that’s a better situation for managing costs.

than normal season, he was anxious to leave the grapes on the vine as long as possible. Schmidt was happy to have other farmers bring grapes on a custom-cleaning basis.

“The Pellenc Vision 2 optical sorter is a game-changer in terms of its ability to clean fruit and reduce manual labour costs for wine producers,” says Joe

Pillitteri, sales manager, Lakeview Vineyard Equipment.

“This is the first of its kind in Canada and only a few in North America.”

The equipment’s features are clearly demonstrated in the YouTube video: Pellenc Selectiv Process Vision 2

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 17 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

VineAlert program yields savings for Ontario grape growers KAITLYN LITTLE As snow and sub-zero temperatures return to Ontario vineyards, researchers at Brock University are launching their annual cold hardiness program – VineAlert.

Operated by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), VineAlert tracks a grape bud’s ability to survive cold temperatures over the dormant season from October to April. The alert system indicates at what temperature different varieties would see damage when cold weather events occur. This helps growers know when wind machines or other freeze avoid-

ance methods are needed to protect buds and vines from winter injury.

For Ontario grape growers, this knowledge is translating into significant savings. An economic impact analysis performed by the Goodman School of Business Consulting Group shows that the VineAlert program along with the use of wind machines can potentially help growers avoid $13.8 million in lost sales from a single damaging cold weather event, $11.7 million in lost sales for subsequent years while damaged vines recover and $29.1 million in vine renewal and replacement costs.

“Winter injury prevention con-

tinues to be a priority for the Canadian industry,” said CCOVI director Debbie Inglis. “The impact analysis shows that the investment by growers in wind machines coupled with the use of VineAlert’s data is yielding substantial savings for growers.”

Last winter alone, using VineAlert to determine when wind machines were needed resulted in fuel savings for Ontario growers between $1 million and $2.3 million according to the analysis.

Beyond the economic savings, there are also social and environmental benefits from knowing when wind machine use is not needed. Noise reduction during

the night and early morning hours is important in areas where vineyards border urban developments and a reduction of running time for wind machine engines leaves a smaller environmental footprint.

Grape grower Trevor Falk says using VineAlert to know when wind machines don’t need to be run helps growers be good neighbours and good community stewards. But the data goes beyond that for him; the program provides critical temperature and bud hardiness information for the different micro-climates across the province.

“To have research done on representative vineyards is invaluable when making business deci-

sions in the vineyard regarding wind machine use,” Falk said.

To complement VineAlert, CCOVI researchers in partnership with the Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc. (OGWRI) are also launching a best practices manual for managing winter injury in vineyards. Developed by CCOVI’s Jim Willwerth, Kevin Ker and Inglis, the manual is based on five years of cold-hardiness research and provides guidance to growers on preventing and responding to winter injury.

The economic impact analysis, best practices guide and VineAlert can all be accessed on CCOVI’s website at brocku.ca/ccovi

Netherlands report successful test of bird repellent robot The system is noiseless and the birds do not seem to get used to the laser beam. The installation was easy and it requires no maintenance.”

The developers of the Agrilaser, Bird Control Group has started production of the system.

“These results provide scope for testing the system on a larger scale,” says Joost Lommen, CLM researcher.

The operating principle

A test conducted by CLM Research and Advice confirms that laser beams are an effective method to scare away birds from orchards. The innovative Agrilaser bird repellent robot provides an automated solution and does not cause nuisance to nearby residents.

CLM tested the Agrilaser Autonomic in an apple and pear orchard last summer. Before the

test, the farmer experienced major damage from crows. After the deployment of the automated laser, the birds disappeared from the property, significantly reducing damage to the fruit.

Fruit grower Arnold Bosgoed is positive: “After the deployment of the laser, the orchard became a lot quieter. The large groups of crows disappeared. I am very satisfied with the automated laser.

Birds perceive the laser beam as an imminent physical danger to which, unlike conventional techniques, birds do not get accustomed. A trajectory is programmed via a laptop or tablet, resulting in random sweeps in the designated area. Depending on weather conditions, an area of 100 hectares to 1,200 hectares can be kept bird-free. Thanks to the features, the robot can be configured to the dimensions of multiple areas and the desired operating periods throughout the day.

Steinar Henskes, CEO of Bird Control Group: “We are very

Drones in the wings

Researchers at UC Davis have been testing an unmanned helicopter’s usefulness in a test vineyard in California’s Napa Valley.

Drones may be the next big thing in agricultural technology, as researchers find labour-saving applications for these unmanned aircraft systems. In the United States, a University of CaliforniaDavis researcher is experimenting

with a fixed-wing model in grape vineyard applications. At Washington State University, another researcher is working on whether drones can deter birds effectively.

Integrating these devices into a

regulatory environment will be a challenge, but the potential benefits for increased yields are encouraging. Good Fruit Magazine reports that drones could look for hot spots of disease or insects. Or they could be deployed to monitor irrigation equipment or harvest progress in vineyard blocks.

One important feature is that drones can be programmed to fly in patterns, repeatedly. That means ongoing seasonal data could be used in many ways to manage blocks.

In the future, the cameras on drones could focus on whatever is relevant – monitoring traps, irrigation systems -- and send closeup photos through a wireless transmitter back to the office computer or your smartphone.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

pleased with the positive results of this test. Our team have worked for three years on the development of our laser technology, resulting in the Agrilaser Autonomic. We see many opportunities to deploy this

system on agricultural land, large buildings and industrial sites.”

Source: Bird Control Group news release

PAGE 18 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

‘Kid-friendly’ green and red table grapes are in the future

The Sovereign Coronation grape thrives in a dense canopy.

Photos by Glenn Lowson.

KAREN DAVIDSON If the colour blue could be tasted, it would taste like the Sovereign Coronation grape.

Dusky, rich and tending towards tart, this seedless table grape is a harbinger of the wine grapes yet to come. It’s harvested in late August and early September in Ontario, a bit later in British Columbia.

While John Thwaites is best known for his peaches and pears at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, he also sets aside 10 acres for table grapes. Pruning and spraying are the same as wine grapes, but they do require a heavier application of fertilizer.

The robust growth habit of these grapevines require several hedgings during the summer.

Even so, workers must carefully trim the clusters from a heavy canopy and place them into containers for direct shipment to grocers. Because Sovereign Coronation grapes are so labourintensive, he’s happy to be selling to Costco which requires larger containers of three-litre and two-litre clamshells.

“It’s one of our smaller crops,” says Thwaites, “but it’s important because customer demand is there to support this local fruit. A large percentage of my crop goes to Quebec.”

In fact, 65 per cent of

Ontario’s Coronation grapes go to Quebec, confirms Sarah Marshall, general manager of the Ontario Fresh Grape Growers’ Marketing Board. About 2000 tons are grown depending on the season with a farmgate value of $4 to $5 million.

The future is in seedless green and red varieties, says Marshall, and to that point Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced $63,000 in research funding to introduce new Ontario-grown fresh grape varieties. Some test varieties from Arkansas were planted last year and more will be planted under the guidance of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

“I personally love the flavour of Coronation grapes but the taste profile is unique and not ideal for a kid’s lunch box, ” says Marshall. “There’s an opening for later-ripening green and red seedless varieties timed for back to school.”

Interestingly, the Sovereign Coronation grape was developed in British Columbia back in the 1970s by Agriculture Canada’s Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland. Lyall Denby, the plant breeder developed the Coronation grape from two North American varieties: the black Patricia and the Himrod.

To this day, Okanagan Valley growers cultivate more than 90

These hand-harvested table grapes are going directly into Costco cartons for shipment to Ontario and Quebec markets. acres of these table grapes. This past season’s huge crop was shipped to B.C. metropolitan areas as well as Alberta and as far east as Ontario says Pete Straume, field person for the B.C. Fresh Grape Growers. He moni-

tors sugar levels and maturity in each vineyard before the grapes are field-picked for direct shipment to grocers.

Two minor varieties may pose opportunities in the future: Einset, a pink seedless grape and

Venus, a blue grape.

Summerland’s researchers are not delving into research, but Ontario-based Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is taking up the challenge.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 19 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

Haskap fruit wine is making a name in northern Ontario Greg and Mira Melien call haskaps the grape of the north.

Situated 45 minutes east of Sudbury, they are carving out a livelihood with Boreal Berry Farm and Winery. Three and a half years ago, they planted Berry Blue, Indigo Yum, Borealis, Tundra and Svetlana haskap varieties – all suited to withstanding freezing temperatures during flowering to as low as 7°C. The wine is derived from these five haskap varieties: Indigo Yum. The berries on this variety are more stretched than the others. Since this variety was the hardest of all to propagate only a few nurseries have it. The University of Saskatchewan has ceased propagating this variety.

Borealis. According to the University of Saskatchewan, this variety is noted for having very large fruit with excellent flavour.

Berry Blue. This pollenizer variety is necessary for cross-

April Neault offered samples of haskap products at the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. pollinating Indigo Yum and Borealis. It’s planted at the rate of one for every five to 10 plants of the other varieties. The fruit is tube-shaped, ripening in mid to late June.

Tundra. Fruit have a firm

texture, making them best-suited for commercial production and mechanical harvest. Berry size is large, 1.49 g, and flavour is very good.

Svetlana. Similar to the Berry Blue in its vigour and size, it’s

More about Canada’s fruit wines According to Wines of Canada, there are more than 160 fruit wineries across the country. Wines may be produced strictly with fruit, while some variations are blended with grapes. Processing methods vary, enabling producers to offer several product variations, even if only one kind of berry is available.

The definition of fruit wine varies, but generally fruit wine is made from the juice of sound, ripe fruit, fruit juices or concentrate, without containing any grape products. The alcohol content in wine can vary, according to certain regulations, fruit wine has to be greater than a minimum of 7.1 per cent alcohol. If greater than 14.9 per cent alcohol by volume, it can be labelled as a 'dessert' wine or 'aperitif.' Light wine is considered that of 9 per cent alcohol by volume or less.

There are three basic kinds of wine variations that can be produced on top of a classic variety.

• Iced fruit wine - This is any fruit wine that has been fermented from juice through cyro-extraction. At this stage, there is no measurement of what fruits should yield in the must.

• Fortified fruit wine - This is the wine product obtained by adding alcohol, derived from the alcoholic fermentation of a food source and distilled to not less than 80 per cent alcohol by volume. In addition, a fortified fruit wine shall have an actual content no less than 14 per cent alcohol by volume.

• Sparkling fruit wine - This wine is impregnated with carbon dioxide to a minimum of 200 kPa at 10 degrees Celsius and has an actual a lcoholic strength of not less than 8.5 per cent by volume. As well, sparkling wine has to be, or derive its effervescence exclusively, from primary or secondary alcoholic fermentation in a closed vessel.

Bog to bottle experience Bala, Ontario is known as a cranberry destination.

Now, it’s a fruit wine destination too, marketed innovatively as a “Bog to Bottle” tour. Until recently, the folks at Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery were forced to compost 20,000 pounds of perfectly good fruit each year. Because consumers prefer bright red cranberries, the growers were discarding white, pink and light-coloured berries. They had already produced a successful red cranberry wine. Why not put their wasted fruit to equally good use?

After a lot of experimentation the first-ever white cranberry wine was born. Those 20,000 pounds of would-be compost are transformed into 6,000 litres of award-winning fruit wine that’s sold at the farm, online and through the LCBO. The business was recently recognized as a Premier’s Innovation Award winner.

the pollinator of choice from the University of Saskatchewan.

Disease and pest resistant, it does very well in northern climates.

Harvest one week earlier than the Berry Blue.

Surprisingly, their haskap wine is not sweet but dry says April

Neault who was demonstrating the wares at the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The combination of raspberry/ blueberry flavour permeates the wine made by Dominic Rivard and Greg Melien.

e

PAGE 20 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

Selecting rootstocks for blended wines at heart of new winery

John McLarty and Lisa Law opened Planters Ridge Winery earlier this year, near Port Williams, Nova Scotia.

KAREN DAVIDSON Nova Scotia’s newest winery is Planters Ridge, a lovingly restored 150-year old barn on property that dates back to the 1760s. The name is a nod to the New England Planter families who put down roots after the expulsion of the Acadians.

Transplanted Ontarians John McLarty and Lisa Law have earned respect with their devotion to history, but the future rests on six and a quarter acres of Annapolis Valley vineyard near Port Williams.

“Great wine is grown in the vineyard,” says McLarty, as he rushed to finish the 2014 Riesling harvest in early November. The sandy-clay soils which used to support potatoes, rhubarb, and a fruit orchard are, for the second season, producing wine grapes.

“Other than Riesling as a single varietal, we intend to only

make single varietals of the grape varieties that in any individual year, are capable of standing on their own,” says McLarty. “We plan to focus on both red and white blends.”

To reach that goal, they have invested in top-quality rootstock.

Mindful of the cool microclimate, McLarty started with cold-hardy L’Acadie Blanc, Nova Scotia’s answer to Chardonnay. And then he added Frontenac Gris, New York Muscat, Marquette, Lucie Kuhlmann and Castel. If these sound like new characters in a stage play, they are.

Here are the program notes.

L'Acadie blanc was created in 1953 by Ollie Bradt at the Vineland Research Centre in Ontario. The grape is a crossing of the Seibel grape Cascade and the Villard grape Sey SeyveVillard 14-287. Cuttings of the new grape variety were sent to the Kentville research station in Nova Scotia, now known as the

Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre. Here the grape was given the name L'Acadie blanc after Acadia, the former New France colony.

Frontenac gris, developed at the University of Minnesota, is the white wine version of Frontenac. It was started as a single bud mutation yielding gray (thus named gris) fruit and amber-coloured juice. It ripens in late mid-season, producing sugars up to 24-25° Brix.

New York Muscat produces reddish black fruit with fine muscat flavour that ripens midseason. It is hardy to 0°F and needs good soil fertility. It is also excellent as a table and juice grape.

Marquette, introduced by the University of Minnesota in 2006, is a cousin of Frontenac and a grandson of Pinot noir.

According to the university website, it originated from a cross of MN 1094, a complex

hybrid of V. riparia, V. vinifera, and other Vitis species, with Ravat 262. While cold-hardy, Marquette also has a reputation for resistance to downy mildew, powdery mildew and black rot.

Lucie Kuhlmann is a red, French-American hybrid grape intended for the cooler climates.

The variety is named after its creator, Eugene Kuhlmann, who also crossed the better-known Leon Millot and Marechal. This variety tends to have a firmer tannic profile than the aforementioned varietals.

Castel is a French American hybrid (specifically a V. riparia X Gamay cross), which was bred to take severe winters, ripen early with high Brix (fermentable sugar) and produce big crops.

This is a prominent red varietal in Nova Scotia.

While their rootstock research adheres to the script, Mother Nature has had a role in the performance. Their second growing season was beset with a cold, late spring, a killing frost in June and

the tail end of hurricane Arthur.

Despite their combination of life experiences including science, engineering, manufacturing management, financial management and agricultural background, McLarty and Law must still contend with the elements.

This fall, the winemaking begins in earnest with handharvested grapes and equipment that minimizes degradation of the fruit throughout processing.

“We do not use a must pump,” says McLarty. “We move fruit and must only by gravity or elevators. We only pump juice or wine. All fermentation and aging processes are temperature controlled and in aging of red wines we use a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels from six different coopers.”

Let the art and science begin on the 2014 vintage of two thousand cases of Planters Ridge wine. Next comes the marketing, potentially to the Halifax Farmers’ Market one hour away.

Nova Scotia creates new wine development board With 750 acres under vine and 18 wineries in the province, Nova Scotia’s government has recognized the stimulative value of the industry. Last year, nearly $16.7 million worth of Nova Scotia wine was sold. The farm-gate value of the grapes topped $2 million. This past August, the government announced a Nova Scotia Wine Development Board that embraces the value chain from growers to restaurant leaders and tourism agencies.

“The wine industry in Nova Scotia is growing at a fast pace and there is a huge potential for that to increase,” said agriculture minister Keith Colwell. He is chairing the board to help highlight opportunities, identify barriers and provide advice on government legislation, regulation and policy development.

The agriculture ministry is expected to announce the appointment of a full-time grape specialist to be posted at Kentville, Nova Scotia. This extension position will help growers with day-to-day grape and vineyard issues says Gillian Mainguy, acting director, Atlantic Wine Institute.

Led by ag minister Colwell, the board will include representatives of Nova Scotia's

Niagara on the Lake, ON

Phone: (905) 468-5016

farm wineries, grape growers and support services. Members are: • Stewart Creaser, president, Winery Association of Nova Scotia and owner, Avondale Sky Winery • Carl Sparkes, owner, Devonian Coast Wines • Gerry McConnell, owner, Benjamin Bridge Winery • Gerry Chute, president, Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia and a Bear River grape grower • Jim Warner, grape grower and past president, Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia • Michael Lightfoot, grape grower • Luc Erjavec, vice-president, Atlantic Canada, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association • Bret Mitchell, president, chief executive officer, Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation

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DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 21 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

Quality driven by research in B.C.’s wine industry PAM BOWEN While the British Columbia wine industry has experienced steady and impressive growth over the last two decades, it has maintained strong investment in research with priorities focused on disease and pest management, grape and wine quality improvement, and environmental sustainability. The British Columbia Wine Grape Council (BCWGC) manages the industry’s research levy and was approved for $2.5 million in AAFC-AIP research funding to address priority projects.

There are six viticulture projects led by scientists at AAFC’s Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC) in Summerland with collaborators at Brock University, UBC Okanagan, and the CFIA. The projects are focused on: selecting groundcovers to enhance natural pest control; diagnosing and managing trunk diseases; characterizing the severity of virus disease infections in B.C. vineyards; elucidating factors that increase bud winter hardiness; refining irrigation regimes for selected rootstocks to conserve water and enhance fruit quality; and improving leaf removal and shoot and cluster positioning practices to increase fruit and wine quality.

Initiated last winter, the projects are already bearing fruit.

The researchers have mapped the incidence of different leaf roll viruses and their insect vectors in B.C. vineyards and are determining their impacts on fruit yield and wine quality. They have also identified the environmental conditions that enhance the spread and severity of trunk diseases and are developing control strategies.

Several trials have been established to monitor the effects of groundcover species on pest and pest predator populations and vineyard microclimates. Large plantings of Merlot and Chardonnay vines on several rootstocks have been established at two industry sites. Leaf removal experiments have been conducted in commercial vineyards and wines have been produced for sensory analysis.

Measurement and reporting of bud winter hardiness of several varieties grown at different locations were initiated last winter and are underway again for this year. Experiments to determine the impacts on winter hardiness of crop load and water stress have been established at several industry sites.

Dr. Pat Bowen is a research scientist, viticulture and plant physiology, with the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre based in Summerland, British Columbia.

PAGE 22 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

Fungicide resistance management – know the numbers!

WENDY McFADDEN-SMITH In the past few years, grape growers have gained access to many new fungicide chemistries, allowing greater choice in product. However, this has also made the selection of fungicides much more challenging.

In the “good old days” we had broad spectrum products such as captan, folpan, mancozeb, Polyram, Dikar, sulphur and copper formulations, which protected vines from fungal infections by inhibiting spore germination. The new fungicides that have been introduced in the last 15 years affect very specific processes in fungi and are therefore more prone to the development of resistance.

In order to prolong the effective life of these new fungicides, it’s important to practise rotation among fungicide groups and also minimize the annual exposure of the pathogen population to any specific fungicide group by limiting the number of applications per season. Each fungicide has been classified according to its mode of action. This classification is shown on the fungicide label as well as in the Publication 360 spray calendar for grapes. In most cases, if a pathogen population is resistant to one fungicide in a group, it is

resistant to all of them. This is called “cross resistance.”

We have adopted a conservative approach to rotation of these products in viticulture, recommending against using fungicides from the same group in back-to-back sprays and trying to keep the use of any one fungicide group to a maximum of two applications per season. This is much more restrictive than what may be on the label, but it has paid off so far, and many North American grapegrowing regions are now following a similar approach.

The game has become more complicated in recent years as companies seem to be moving toward co-formulations of different fungicide groups. Sometimes this is for resistance management, as exposing a pathogen to two modes of action reduces the chance that resistance will be selected for either. For others, the partners in the co-formulation target different pathogens. This means growers must be doubly aware of what fungicide groups they have used and make sure to rotate among all of them. For example, in the chart shown, an excerpt from the grape calendar of Publication 360, the fungicide groups are shown in italics.

Products on the top are registered for powdery mildew while those on the

bottom are registered for bunch rot.

Note that Luna Tranquility contains compounds from groups 7 and 9.

Pristine contains groups 7 and 11.

Group 7 fungicides are active against powdery mildew. Group 9 fungicides are active against bunch rot. Group 11 fungicides are active against powdery mildew and provide suppression of bunch rot at labelled rates. However, if you use one of these co-formulation products for one pathogen, you are exposing the other pathogen as well so you’ve used up two fungicide groups at once. Throw downy mildew into the mix, and it becomes even more challenging!

Growers must be very strategic in their fungicide selections and plan ahead for their fungicide use strategy.

The bottom line is that, as we gain access to new fungicides and as co-formulations become more common, growers will have to familiarize themselves with the fungicide families and make educated and responsible choices that will not only be economically sustainable but also sustain the tool box we have.

Wendy McFadden-Smith is tender fruit and grape IPM specialist for OMAFRA.

Ontario Legislative Assembly announces official VQA 2015 wines In early November, Hon. David Levac, the speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly hosted the 36th annual wine tasting, appropriately on the first anniversary of the Local Food Act. Attendees had no easy task choosing between the wines of six Ontario wineries for the honour of best red and best white to serve at legislative functions for 2015. All wines were made from 100 per cent Ontario-grown grapes.

Samplers voted for Burning Kiln Winery 2013 Strip Room in the red category and Fielding Above: Curtis Fielding, grape grower for Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville, Ontario.

Estate Winery 2013 Pinot Grigio in the white category.

“2013 was a bit of a challenging year,” recalls Richie Roberts, winemaker at Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville, Ontario.

“The weather was cooler, the polar opposite of 2012.”

“The pinot gris is a varietal that’s not widespread but we are focusing on it in our vineyard,” says Roberts. “The results are a fresh, fruit-driven wine that’s been fermented in stainless steel tanks.” The grapes came from their own vineyard as well as several growers across the Niagara peninsula.

At Burning Kiln Winery, St.

Frank DeLeebeeck, vineyard manager for Burning Kiln Winery, St. Williams, Ontario.

Williams, Ontario, winemaker Patti Fixter says that the Strip Room red is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

While some of the grapes came from the Niagara peninsula, all were kiln-dried under the supervision of vineyard manager Frank DeLeebeeck.

“The result is a ruby-coloured wine with dark fruit and hints of coffee,” says Fixter. “The wine was aged in American-French and Eastern European oak barrels.”

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 23 THE GROWER

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Pest of the month – bean leaf beetle Scientific Name: Certoma trifurcata Identification Bean leaf beetle adults are five mm in length with four black spots on the wing covers. A small, black triangle is visible at the base of the head (Figure 1, adult bean leaf beetle). The colour varies from yellow-to-tan or red. Bean leaf beetle larvae complete their development in the soil, feeding on roots. The black spots are not always apparent.

The margins of the wing cover have a black border.

Damage starts as large holes in the leaves (Figure 2, bean leaf beetle feeding damage). As feeding continues, they consume the entire leaf except for the veins, leaving a skeletonized appearance. Bean leaf beetle adults feed on leaves, blossoms and pods.

Biology Bean leaf beetles overwinter as adults in grassy fencerows, leaf litter and wooded areas. They emerge in late April and may be found feeding in alfalfa fields.

Early snap bean fields planted close to alfalfa are at the greatest risk of bean leaf beetle damage.

The overwintering female beetles lay clusters of lemon-shaped, bright orange eggs at the base of the bean plant. Egg-laying continues until late June. Larvae feed on roots and soil debris for approximately 30 days prior to pupating. First generation adults emerge in mid-to-late-July. This generation lives for approximately one month. A second generation of adults emerges mid-to-late August and feeds until it runs out of a food source, either due to harvest activities, crop senescence or cold fall temperatures, and the adults migrate to their over-wintering sites.

ters. Examine one metre of row at each of 10 locations across the field. Select a wide range of field locations, including border areas.

Thresholds Apply a control if beetles exceed one beetle per foot of row or if defoliation exceeds 25 per cent. Defoliation prior to bloom does not have as strong an impact on yield. Early-season bean leaf beetle populations may be adequately controlled by systemic insecticide seed treatments used to control potato leafhopper.

Tolerances in snap beans will be significantly lower after podset if the beetles are feeding on the pods or where they may become potential contaminants for the processor.

Period of Activity Management Notes Generational peaks occur from crop emergence to late-June (overwintering), mid-to-late July (first generation) and late-August (second generation).

Scouting Notes These pests often feed in clus-

• Consider using border sprays to control the beetles as they move out of the fencerow.

• Consult the Ontario Vegetable Crop Protection Guide (OMAFRA publication 838) for a list of registered foliar and seed treatments.

Next generation of IPM – the time has come ELAINE RODDY Recently, a colleague of mine loaned me a book, IPM in Practice – Principles and Methods of Integrated Pest Management,

by Mary Louise Flint (University of California Publication 3418). It was an inspiring read. Instead of focusing on the specific details surrounding individual pathology and entomology problems, IPM in Practice, looks at IPM as a discipline within its own right.

Strangely enough, reading it brought me back in time. I did my schooling in the era of Food Systems 2002. That meant decent

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summer job opportunities, some excellent hands-on IPM experience and the beginnings of a strong dedication to sustainable crop production systems.

When I entered the work force, one of my first jobs was to develop an IPM program for the processing vegetable operations in Northumberland and Prince Edward County. My first summer, one processor was actually removing corn borer from the process line with a pool skimmer!

Two years later, I had a careerdefining moment when the straight-faced owner told me “you done good.” Sadly, those operations are long gone, but the expe-

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riences I gained from the growers and local agri-business stick with me.

As Food Systems 2002 came to a close, we eagerly awaited the announcement of a replacement funding program. That announcement never came. But the good research never stopped. It continues today. When I compare today’s pest management “tool box” across the gamut of vegetable crops, it reflects a vast amount of work from all levels of government, industry and growers.

But IPM is a continuum, an evolution. The outcomes of Food Systems 2002 and the early IPM

initiatives were a better understanding of pest biology, thresholds and product timing.

Advances in the chemical industry have given us more targeted, lower-risk products. As vegetable producers, agri-business and advisors we must constantly strive to look not only at the cause and effect of pest + product = control, but to look at the relationship in terms of the whole management system.

Technology and the scale of our operations might point us towards the easy solution. But good stewardship requires us to always be looking for sustainability within our own set of pest

management practices. These are the small, incremental changes, that when applied across the horticultural landscape can make a resounding difference to our production systems, our agri-ecosystem, our bottom line and our own communities.

This winter the OMAFRA vegetable team will be holding a series of webinars, with the goal of re-invigorating the conversation around IPM. We hope to find ways to inspire ourselves and our growers to take on the next generation of IPM, whatever that may be.

Elaine Roddy is vegetable crops specialist for OMAFRA.

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VEG FOCUS

The placebo effect JANICE LeBOEUF There’s an interesting thing in pharmaceutical research about the placebo effect.

For certain classes of drugs, more than 80 per cent of the response to the drug is due to a placebo effect. It makes me wonder if we in agriculture are susceptible to the placebo effect when it comes to crop inputs. If you heard that your neighbours were boosting their yields by 15 per cent by applying Product X – and you tried it – would you tend to believe you got a benefit?

If you have something in mind you want to try next season, but you don’t want to fall for the placebo effect, you’re probably thinking of doing a simple trial in your fields. While you’re making your 2015 plans, why not plan to get the most out of your on-farm trials by following a few guidelines to ensure you get reliable, meaningful results from your extra effort?

Three of the most important aspects of on-farm research are replication, replication, and replication. The more replications you have the more likely you can pick out real differences, and avoid being fooled by field variability. It doesn’t

have to be complicated. Try to figure out a simple, practical way to set up several test strips in the field.

Don’t forget to take a few minutes for recordkeeping when you set up the plots – and throughout the season, too.

And as busy as you are during harvest, commit the time to take yield measurements. The value of this data is helping you decide if the treatment has made you money or cost you money is worth it.

Many times, we justify the use of new treatments as “cheap insurance,” but “cheap insurance” can add up to a lot of time and money. Some treatments may

even reduce yield (I’ve seen it happen) – but you’ll never know unless you measure.

There are some excellent online resources on on-farm research. The University of Illinois has an On-Farm Research Guidebook (pdf) that is very practical and helpful. At AGSTATS02 (http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/agstatsweb/), there is an online calculator where you can enter your data and get all the math and stats done for you with a click of a mouse.

You can find more by searching “on-farm research” online.

Janice LeBoef is vegetable crop specialist for OMAFRA.

Looking for information on cover crops?

ANNE VERHALLEN Cover crops have a lot of places where they can fit in horticultural crop rotations: before late planted crops such as pumpkins to provide weed suppression; after early harvested crops such as peas or snap beans to cover and protect the soil while enhancing soil structure; after winter wheat to suppress resistant weeds in the rotation or as a part of the overall crop rotation to suppress nematodes in preparation for planting strawberries.

Looking for more details on how a cover crop can fit herbicide concerns or the basics on a particular cover crop species?

There is an improved version of the Purdue Midwest Cover Crop Field Guide available now. The pocket guide, released September 22 is produced by Purdue University and the Midwest Cover Crops Council. The first cover crops guide was released in February 2012. The updated guide is in response to the increasing interest in cover crops in the Midwest and to requests for additional information.

All this new information will help farmers better choose appropriate cover crops for their situation and better manage the cover crops they grow - all for greater potential benefit for their soils and cash crop growth, said Eileen Kladivko, Purdue professor of agronomy.

The updated guide features seven new topics: • Getting started in cover crops • Rationale for fitting cover crops into different cropping systems • Suggested cover crops for common rotations • Cover crop effects on cash crop

yields • Climate considerations including winter hardiness and water use • Adapting seeding rates and spring management based on weather • “Up and coming” cover crops There is also more information about herbicide carryover, manure and biosolids applications, and crop insurance issues (note: US crop insurance issues).

There has been a significant contribution from Ontario research to the new material, particularly in the area of herbicide carryover

(Dr. Darren Robinson, University of Guelph- Ridgetown campus) The guide's second edition is available at Purdue Extension's The Education Store at www.theeducation-store.com. Search by the name of the publication or product code ID-433.

A link to a video clip of Purdue University agronomy professor Eileen Kladivko explaining the benefits of cover crops is available at http://youtu.be/2NIyQeZ8jxQ Anne Verhallen is soil management specialist, horticulture, OMAFRA

Congratulations Helmut!

Helmut Spieser has recently retired from OMAFRA. Helmut’s expertise on sprayer and spray application has been highly valued by Ontario’s vegetable industry. He is a dynamic presenter and his written materials are valued as being informative, practical, to-thepoint and (often) comedic. Congratulations Helmut! We will miss you.

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ASPARAGUS

ASPARAGUS CROWNS Millennium Mary Washington

Sandy Shore Farms Ltd. (519) 875­3382 www.sandyshorefarms.ca info@sandyshore.ca

PAGE 30 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER

MINOR USE CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Remembering how to make it better

CRAIG HUNTER OFVGA As I prepare this, my 179th column for The Grower on Remembrance Day, I think back on all those who have helped make the business of horticulture ‘work’ for the many growers across Ontario and indeed, across Canada. The issues have come and gone, some of them in a perpetual cycle that never seem to yield to reason and hard work.

(Like stones or rocks in a field.)

Others have been put to bed, only to get other new ones cropping up. (Like new weeds in a once-clean field.) There continues to be changes in the ranks of those who help us, those who we appeal to for good judgments, and those who assail us with ‘blarney’ or worse.

There are some even within the ranks of growers who feel it unseemly to criticize government, to place the needs of our members first, and to fight with whatever tools we have at hand when we know we are correct in our assessment of a situation.

Seventy-five years ago we also had those who would appease a

dictator even while watching the horrors he unleashed on innocent people. If it hadn’t been for fighters like Churchill, Roosevelt and others like them, history would have turned out very differently.

Nowadays, it seems lessons learned are forgotten or ignored.

Those who seek to appease or to toady up for their own or only their commodity’s particular benefit, in spite of potential for loss to other sectors, should think long and hard about how they and their commodity would have got to the good place they enjoy today without the solidarity and support of other sectors! Yes, there are times when tough stances are needed to be taken, and timidity never wins in those circumstances.

There have been accusations made that ‘we’ have been too hard on government at times. I choose to think that has been a two way street! I have also been personally accused of getting the government angry with our sector! Nonsense is my reply. Those who matter know and understand that I write about or speak my piece with only the best interests of our growers -- full stop. There is nothing in this for me, and never has been. What I have heard more than once is that maybe my passion for an issue overtakes me at times. I agree! I wouldn’t want it any other way.

The best solution to problems is by creating excellent lines of communications with those who seem out of step with your ideas and convictions. This worked for me (and growers at the time) when the Ontario ministries of

Agriculture and Environment were at constant loggerheads over pesticide issues. Once lines of communications were established, it was amazing how much common ground we had! Precommunications on announcements and briefings allowed for common understanding, similar messaging, and cleaner handling of issues. Problems were averted before they even became problems. Later on we were able to work very closely with industry on the first pesticide container collection program here in Ontario with a new model which is now common across Canada.

Likewise, we established the first waste pesticide collection program with shared ministry funding at a time of budget slashing!

It was a good thing to be involved with, and the government thought so too. Maybe those models need to be revived in light of current cross-ministry controversies.

When Minor Use in Canada was at the breaking point in 2001 with the imposition of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for residue trials when virtually no one in Canada was so-qualified, growers rallied together and made the cogent arguments for government to fund the program. Once again, we had to take on federal agriculture staff who were averse to this new spending (because they coveted the money for other programs near and dear to their hearts). The right folks listened, and we got what we needed. Yes, there were some who for a long time afterwards looked upon that program as a user of budget that could have made them heroes if

they had only got that money instead! In the fullness of time, the program as operated by an excellent team has proven against all comers that it meets the needs of growers, as originally intended.

That cannot be said for all programs!

Lately, it seems we face an uphill battle on the science and the use of “numbers” to make critical decisions on pesticide registrations or re-evaluations.

Once again we had to express our concerns ‘in a strong way,’ to get the attention needed for something to happen. Like other situations over the years, a lot of the issue revolves around validity of data, age of the data as it can be affected by changes in grower practice, and the sources from which updating of model information can come from. It is not only government that may be using old, outdated or simply overtaken data sources. The registrants also need to use the most modern sources possible. In some cases, the modern use pattern for a product may be three or four applications a year of the maximum rate on a label, or maybe fewer total amounts if tank mixed at lower rates. Nonetheless, a re-evaluation defense may be launched to maintain an old label with instructions allowing 10 or 12 applications! So much hinges on just such a difference. Many old U.S. labels were updated as a result of their re-registration process and a total seasonal amount of product is now specified along with a maximum single application rate. Growers here could and would often

readily accept that, but have never been asked! We need to be asked!

In the U.S., the growers can and do get asked to attend what is known as “Pre-submission consultations.” I know that this is allowed here and does happen on occasion, but not as often. In the U.S., the same provision is made for re-registrations but that does not seem to be common here at all. It should be. If growers, registrants and regulators were all able to sit down at one table very early on in the process, everyone would win. There would be a lot of time saved in “Getting it Right the First Time” (Thank you Mike Holmes!). There would be an excellent chance that what ten sets of eyes and experience missed, the eleventh set could see and correct --before it got cast in stone in a document.

Growers have volunteered to be a part of such a process to both PMRA and to the registrants.

Time will tell if the offer is accepted and utilized.

Obviously there needs to be experience, trust, confidentiality, and a willingness to work together. The outcomes would be worth it. At the end of the day, even the timid would feel that a good job was done by all.

Something worth remembering as we all move forward.

Merry Christmas to all our hard-working partners in the registration and regulation ranks.

In spite of our differences at times, I remain convinced that we all are trying to do what is right for Canada, its environment, and the growers that feed us all!

And to all a good night!

Management solutions for fruit pest in Ontario The Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA) is working with industry representatives to respond to spotted wing drosophila (SWD); an invasive insect which threatens the fresh market quality of berry crops. Up to $28,867 will be accessed through the Ontario Farm Innovation Program (OFIP), to provide growers and stakeholders with information on the biology, population dynamics and management of SWD. A regional monitoring program across Ontario is being used to learn about SWD population dynamics and how trap catches of SWD adults relate to fruit infestations of SWD larvae. The results of the study are being shared with researchers who are developing population models, searching for biological controls and developing new

strategies for control. Following these steps, the aim is to increase knowledge sharing, encourage best practices, and develop knowledge transfer products.

To date, a significant portion of this project has been completed. Traps were placed in 60 strategic locations across Ontario representing the major fruit growing regions. More than 200 samples of fruit were collected from specific crops at regular intervals and rearing of SWD was used to assess SWD damage at harvest.

Techniques for evaluating SWD populations (i.e. salt water test for evaluating larval infestation) have been demonstrated to growers, crop consultants and agronomists at twilight meetings and also through webbased resources. Numerous articles, workshops and

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presentations have taken place to inform stakeholders of the most recent information and best management practices for SWD. “SWD has been identified by the industry as a top priority, with close to 100 per cent crop loss in some cultivars in 2012,” says Kevin Schooley, Executive Director, OBGA. “To prevent further losses, information on SWD activity in Ontario is required to help producers incorporate timely and effective control measures.”

The OFIP is funded through Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.

Source: www.adaptcouncil.org

From your friends at Engage Agro.

© 2013 Engage Agro Corporation.

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 31 THE GROWER

MINOR USE

Apple leaf-curling midge is on the upswing KRISTY GRIGG-MCGUFFIN, OMAFRA SIMCOE AND MARGARET APPLEBY, OMAFRA BRIGHTON The apple leaf-curling midge (ALCM) is increasingly becoming a foliar pest across Canada, in provinces including British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. In the past four years, OMAFRA specialists have been working on trials to understand the biology and management of this pest.

The ALCM pupate in silken cocoons in the soil or in curled leaves. Adults (1.5 to 2 mm) begin to emerge in late May to early June. After egg hatch, maggot-like larvae feed on the edges of tightly curled leaves for two to three weeks. Margins of infested leaves are rolled in towards the mid-vein and become purple or red and brittle. A curled leaf usually contains 20 to 30 larvae; however, as many as 500 larvae can be found in an infested leaf.

To understand the life cycle of ALCM in Ontario conditions, pheromone traps to monitor adult populations were placed in

Apple leaf-curling midge damage orchards in Durham, Niagara and Norfolk County at pink (early May). Traps were monitored twice a week throughout the growing season and the number of adults present were recorded.

We found over four years of monitoring that a small peak in trap counts late May to early June was followed by peaks in early June and again in early August.

This indicates that there are at least two to three generations of

ALCM in Ontario each year with adult emergence beginning as early as pre-bloom. Terminal assessments indicated that infested terminals were present in the orchard immediately after monitoring began.

In recent years, Ontario field trials using Movento have been quite successful in the management of ALCM when applied at petal fall. In 2013 and 2014, field trials expanded to

Early instar larvae in leaf roll

include alternative products, Closer and Delegate.

In 2013, pheromone traps were installed at pink in a Durham region orchard with historically high ALCM pressure. When the cumulative catch of adult midges in the traps exceeded 10, which corresponded with petal fall, the following insecticides were applied: • Delegate @ 420 mL/ha • Closer @ 400 mL/ha • Movento @ 365 mL/ha All treatments were re-applied 10 days later. Closer and Delegate treated blocks had less terminal damage caused by ALCM one week after treatment compared to Movento. Due to its mode of action, Movento is a sloweracting product and typically takes two to three weeks for effects to become evident. However, residual activity is longer lasting for this product, as seen by week four in this orchard. It should be noted that in this trial, Closer was applied three days earlier than the other products, which could explain the higher damage in that block by week four.

In 2014, different rates of Closer (300 mL/ha and 400 mL/ha) were applied and

compared to the high rate of Delegate (420 mL/ha) in the same Durham region orchard as 2013.

All sprays were applied June 8 and again 10-11 days later.

Preliminary results show that the Delegate block had less terminal damage caused by ALCM and the residual activity lasted longer for Delegate compared to Closer.

In 2014, Delegate (420 mL/ha) was also compared to conventional petal fall sprays of Calypso (440 mL/ha) and Diazinon (1kg/1,000 L water) in a Norfolk County orchard. A second application of Delegate and Calypso was made 10 days later.

Preliminary results show that while the Diazinon block had the lowest terminal damage, the Delegate block also had lower ALCM damage compared to Calypso.

The OMAFRA Apple Team has also been involved in an ALCM parasitoid project.

Collections will continue next season to determine if native parasitoids are present in Ontario apple orchards, while laboratory tests will survey other parasitoids that could potentially be used as biological control for ALCM.

NOTICE of MEETING is hereby given that the 156th Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting of the

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association will be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at The Crowne Plaza Hotel January 13 & 14, 2015 Election of Directors of the Association will take place as well as dealing with resolutions and any other business that may arise.

PAGE 32 –– DECEMBER 2014 THE GROWER