The Grower Newspaper November 2010 by The Grower

NOVEMBER 2010

CELEBRATING 130 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

VOLUME 60 NUMBER 11

The best storytellers win media coverage By Karen Davidson Telling a good story is like peeling an onion. The everyday is made dramatic with the aromatic. The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association (HMGA) has made an art of telling an earthy story about vegetables that usually don’t get hero status. At their firstever Soupfest in mid-October, they attracted 3,000 visitors slurping everything from squash to purple carrot soup. In all, there were 28 farmer-made soups on offer. It didn’t hurt to invite all the other local farmers with dairy products, honey and artisanal wares. “Freshness matters,” declares Jamie Reaume, executive director, HMGA. “Local Food Plus carried out a survey with consumers blind tasting soups with Californiasourced ingredients against soups with Holland Marsh-sourced ingredients. It’s totally unscientific, but the Ontario soups won.” The soup celebration is timed to coincide with root vegetable harvest so that visitors can see machinery at work. All those visuals are ideal for TV camera crews that love to get out of the city of Toronto – just for an hour – and return in time for six o’clock deadlines. “We have some very mediasavvy farmers in the Holland Marsh,” says Reaume. “Jason Verkaik is a hit on Breakfast TV with his purple carrots.” Farmers are slowly becoming the next media superstars. They are where chefs were 10 years ago, when Food Network TV was born. It’s a concept that Reaume

Inside B.C. greenhouse grower surveys the next decade

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Foodland Ontario tweaks its logo

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FOCUS: Seeds and rootstock

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www.thegrower.org P.M. 40012319

has exploited with “The Fresh Life” series on SunTV. Several Holland Marsh farmers cook with chefs, explaining how the raw ingredients are grown, sprinkling in a few fun facts for good measure. Enough footage has been gathered that a documentary could be in the works in the year ahead. Other commodity groups are forging links to culinary celebrities. The Prince Edward Island Potato Growers are launching an on-line cooking show with Michael Smith, the native son who has several shows on Food Network TV. Called Food Country, the show has already taped chair Boyd Rose and director Kevin MacIsaac in the field with Smith digging up different varieties of potatoes and then showing how they are prepared in the kitchen. “This is a new way to use food media,” explains Kendra Mills, communications director for the PEI Potato Growers. “Research is telling us that consumers are taking their laptops right into the kitchen for inspiration.” In addition to this project, growers recently taped in the field for CBC’s Rick Mercer Show that will be aired November 9. Coincidentally to be aired while the growers are attending the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the show will give a fun spin to the spud. “The Royal is a huge consumer show for us,” says Mills. “We don’t have a big budget, so we need to spend carefully. Continued on page 3

The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association has coined the term “soup bowl” for their prodigious production of onions, carrots and celery. This vegetable trio is the aromatic base for most homemade soups. Here, Doug Van Luyk shows his 2010 onion harvest near Newmarket, Ontario. Just a few of these onions along with carrots, parsnips, kale and leafy greens will be sold at a new farmers’ market at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, November 5 to 14.

J.M. Smucker to close Ontario Bick’s pickle and processing plants By Karen Davidson American multinational J. M. Smucker is consolidating production in the U.S. with the planned closure of its Ontario pickle plant after the 2011 growing season, throwing 150 employees out of work and ending contracts for 130 cucumber growers. The wellknown company has a tank farm north of Delhi and a vegetable processing facility in Dunnville, affecting another 35 pepper growers and five red beet growers. “Any time you lose diversification, it’s very disappointing,” says Marshall Schuyler, Simcoe, Ontario, holder of a significant cucumber and red beet contract. “I can’t say I was surprised

because they have been downsizing for several years and not growing their business. I’ll be looking for alternative opportunities in cucumbers, but am not optimistic.” According to a corporate news release, the decision will move production to third-party manufacturers in the U.S. and a facility at Ripon, Wisconsin for savings of eight million dollars. The Smucker’s plant buys about one-third of Ontario’s cucumber crop for its popular Bick’s brand. Other processors such as Hartung and Strubs may not be able to absorb the tonnage. In the last couple years, U.S. based Hartung -- now the second-

largest processor in the market -has been a welcome buyer of Ontario’s high quality, hand-harvested cucumbers. “It’s never a good thing when a processor closes in your back yard,” says Al Krueger, executive assistant, Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers. When Smuckers bought the plant, he says their focus was purely on the Bick’s brand, eschewing a strategy of supplying private brand pickles. That decision may have cost dearly, however, as reduced volumes and the resulting rising overhead would have impacted profitability. Unfortunately, the possible result is an iconic Canadian brand being

supplied by a U.S. plant. The announcement sets back the sand plains diversification plan where farmers have been shifting out of tobacco says Chris Van Paassen, chair, Norfolk Agricultural Advisory Committee. “Cucumbers were a natural fit for the skills of our local farmers,” says Van Paassen. “This situation speaks to the fact that Canada does not have a national food strategy. It’s a cheap food policy. Until we have a sustainable farm policy, we’re at the whim of importers and multinationals.” The ultimate pickle crunch will come in 2012. Who will take up the volume?

PAGE 2 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

At press time… New import requirements slated for Dec. 1 In order to better regulate the import of fruits and vegetables into Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will implement new requirements on December 1 this year. Under the Licensing and Arbitration Regulations, Canadian purchasers of fresh fruit and vegetables are required to be licensed with the CFIA and/or be a member of the Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC), if they are not exempt from the Regulations. On December 1, 2010, the CFIA federal produce licence number, or alternatively the Canadian DRC membership number, or a declaration of exemption will be required to be part of the submission of import documents for shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables coming to Canada. This will improve the information available regarding the identity of the importers and traceability of product. The new requirements relate to declaring in box 22 on the Confirmation of Sale (COS) form or in the “Registration Requirements” field, if transmitting import information electronically, one or more of the following: • when importing any type of produce, a CFIA federal produce licence number, a Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) membership number or an exemption • when importing cantaloupes from Mexico, the name of the grower/packer company • when importing leafy greens from California, the name of the signatory handler

If you have any questions, please contact CFIA, John Wood at 204-984-6188 or Ian MacKenzie (416)259-7827 ext 231 or ian@opma-assn.com.

November 30 deadline for labour survey The Horticulture Value Chain Roundtable is surveying growers for input on innovation and labour issues. Complete details are on page 24. The deadline is November 30.

Pumpkin harvest at the farm of Tom Komienski, Scotland, ON.

Ontario growers to link with public sector While details are vague, the Ontario government announced on October 4 that the Broader Public Sector Investment Fund will help connect farmers, food processors and distributors in getting local foods into public institutions such as schools, hospitals and municipalities. The initiative is administered by the Greenbelt Fund, a sister

organization of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. The first round of applications will be accepted until November 1, 2010. Details are available by visiting www.Ontariofresh.ca. This initiative will fund local projects that encourage business between institutions and farmers. It will develop an electronic marketplace linking buyers and sellers across Ontario. And a provincewide report will track positive support of local foods in the public sector. “As a large public institution, the University of Toronto is looking forward to enhancing our local food-buying efforts with this program,” says Jaco Lokker, director of food service, University of Toronto. “This kind of funding will enable universities and other public institutions to make significant additional purchases of Ontario food.”

NEWSMAKERS The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has announced the appointment of Don Taylor as chair of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers effective November 1. He replaces Len Roozen who has served three years in the position. Taylor comes with a 32-year career with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in various roles. He was a member of OMAFRA’s Executive Committee for eight years with Assistant Deputy Minister responsibility for agriculture and food research, agricultural advisory service delivery and economic development and regulatory programming targeting Ontario’s food industry. He has also served as chair of the Farm Products Marketing Commission and as OMAFRA’s Chief Administrative Officer. Bruce Christie, past chair of the Ontario Farm Animal Council, has been elected chair of Farm Care Foundation, a new charitable foundation to support outreach pertaining to farmers, farms and food. For more details, see page 23.

CanadaGAP stakeholders meeting planned for March 2011 CanadaGAP program participants, Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) members, certification bodies, auditors and customer representatives are invited to participate in a discussion about the program. This meeting will be held before the CHC’s annual general meeting on March 8 between 1:30 pm and 4 pm at The Westin, Ottawa. There is no registration fee, but advance registration is required. A survey will be issued in advance of the meeting. For more information, email offs@hortcouncil.ca

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Ontario’s new deputy minister of agriculture is John Burke. He moves from deputy minister, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Previous to that posting, he served as deputy minister to the Municipal Affairs and Housing portfolio as well as Natural Resources. Maria Van Bommel, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, is now parliamentary assistant to Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s agriculture minister. She was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Agri-Business Women’s Symposium held in Guelph, ON. Garlic and fresh vegetable grower Mark Wales is now a municipal councillor for Malahide Township in Elgin County. He was acclaimed prior to the Oct. 25 municipal elections. Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc.(OAFE) has named Katelyn McEachren as coordinator of the new Teacher Ambassador program. With recent experience at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and degrees in both agricultural science and education, McEachren comes well-equipped to spark a drive for 100 teachers to act as point people within their school boards in the next year. OAFE provides curriculum-linked agricultural resources to more than two million students across the province. Donna Cobbledick, executive coordinator for the Canadian Greenhouse Conference for 23 years, is retiring for more family time. She has overseen tremendous growth of the trade show from 60 booths to more than 250. Her duties will be inherited by Carol Pupo. Her husband Bob Cobbledick remains conference manager who will be overseeing the event in a new location, the Niagara Convention Centre, in 2011. Bette Jean Crews has announced her intentions to run for reelection as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Don McCabe, currently a vice-chair, has also put his hat in the ring. The election will be held at the annual general meeting November 22 and 23 in Toronto. Celebrating 50 years in business is Keith Kuhl, his father John and sons Marlon and Jeremy. Based at Winkler, Manitoba, Southern Manitoba Potato grows 5,500 acres of potatoes, wheat, canola, soybeans and corn. Kuhl is currently chair of the Canadian Horticultural Council’s potato executive committee.

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Correction: In last month’s issue, Vegetable Viewpoint contained an error. In the article “Herbicide Resistance: It’s here and needs your management,” the first paragraph referred to 2.4 million acres. The figure should be 11.4 million acres.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

The best storytellers win media coverage Continued from page 1 We pick up tidbits that inform us how to micro-tune our marketing.” For example, last year consumers said they loved PEI potatoes but didn’t know where to find them. This year, PEI samples will be accompanied by a card that lists retailers. The give-away also ties to the second launch of “Pack your Appetite” contest. “We have a unique story to tell,” says Mills. “Our island, our red soil, our multi-generational farmers - that’s gold. We come from an authentic place.” Urban consumers are more predisposed to these messages when they attend fairs. And that’s exactly why the apple competition has been revived at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Now in its third year, the competition will be showcasing heritage, new and commercial varieties, says Brian

Gilroy, chair, Ontario Apple Growers. There’s also a class for heaviest apple. “We’ve seen some whoppers weighing in at two pounds,” says Gilroy. While these unusual apples may get their cameo moment in the camera spotlight, it’s the display of so many varieties that engage consumers, right from McIntosh through to Ambrosia. Entries will be displayed from British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. With a recent survey from Farmers Feed Cities discovering that half of Ontarians have little to no knowledge about farms, there’s ample incentive to tell the story. Onions, potatoes, apples – they’re all tasty ingredients in a soup bowl. What’s the media recipe? A news hook, a newsmaker and a visual.

PEI potato farmer Jason Webster (R) takes a moment from filming to pose with Rick Mercer of CBC fame. The harvest shoot will air November 9.

Recipe for Soupfest success: involve the community A friendly competition always jumpstarts creative juices. Here are some of the soup categories and their winners.

Educational and Community Groups - Muskoka District Chefs Association - Potato Leek

Farm Fresh / Homemade - Dingo Farms - Outstanding Oxtail

Honourable Mention - Beretta Organics -Split Pea and Ham

Restaurant / Caterers - Amaya Indian Room - Roasted Corn

Most Creative/Unique - The Club at Bond Head - Organic Tomato and Scallion Consomme

Left: Avia Eek, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, board member.

Best Texture - Georgian College - Beer and Onion

Watch these stories unfold at the Royal Agri-trekking game offers window to Ontario counties There’s a reason that a big apple is at the gateway of the Journey to your Good Health pavilion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. It invites everyone to take a bite of information. Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc (OAFE) owns the kiosk and with staff and volunteers, will be providing a roadmap of what to see and do within this “foodtainment” pavilion. (www.royalfair.org) OAFE will also be unveiling its new interactive resource, Agri-Trekking Across Ontario. It’s a fun way for grade-five level students to explore the counties and regions of Ontario. Participants can manipulate puzzle pieces to create a new geographic view of Ontario, while uncovering healthy eating facts and exploring food sources. Canada Can Cook competition grills emerging chefs Count on a dash of friendly rivalry between Ontario’s chef schools as students prepare dishes from the winning cookbooks

of the Canadian Culinary Book Awards. Here’s a chance to see cauliflower rise to new heights under the hand of Jeff Crump with the George Brown Chef School Team. Other schools include Liaison College, Georgian College and Stratford Chefs School. For the complete stage schedule on the November 5- 7 competition, go to: www.cuisinecanadascene.com Agriculture as a science career CurioCity gets the spotlight as Vineland Research and Innovation Centre partner with Let’s Talk Science on this new careeroriented program for teenagers. Farmers’ market sells fresh produce With the rising popularity of farmers’ markets in urban areas, the concept has been borrowed for the duration of the Royal. Find the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association and others in the Annex. Sampling the bounty of the counties

Association will have its booth in the Journey to your Good Health pavilion, Hall B, Direct Energy Centre. November 5 - Ontario Potato Growers November 6, 7 - Ontario Apple Growers

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’

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PAGE 4 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

CANADIAN GREENHOUSE CONFERENCE

Energy, not labour, will make the difference in the next decade By Karen Davidson As the keynote speaker at the recent Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Casey Houweling commanded respect as most greenhouse growers know that his business straddles both sides of the Canadian-American border. He is a second-generation grower as well as sole owner of Houweling Hothouse, with 20 hectares in Delta, British Columbia and a 50-hectare, state-of-theart facility in Oxnard, California just outside Los Angeles. No one does business in California without a steep education in environmental and labour law, Houweling admits, but it’s the influence of Mexico that permeates many decisions. The Mexican exchange rate has come down against the American dollar, Houweling said. Mexico’s acreage continues to increase, particularly in the Baja peninsula. For the Mexicans, the definition of greenhouse can range from hightech to plastic to an open field. “The Mexicans are very dangerous to our market,” said Houweling, “because if they come on strong with a wave of tomatoes, we can go from $20 to $6 per case in an instant. Cheap labour is only part of the story.

“President of the Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture (AMHPAC), Mr. Cesar Campana stated that the main problems still to work on are the lack of supply organization, health issues and food security, as well as commercial disorder.” - Agri News Mexico – Summer Edition (June-August 2010), Agricultural Office Mexico Continued on next page

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

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

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

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

One registration fee covers both conferences and the trade show! (Specified workshops and tours require an additional fee)

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

Visit GLEXPO.co GLEXPO.com om for registration registration, n, program and ot other her information. Call 734-677-0503 734-677-050 03 for fo registration questions or to re receive eceive registration and program information info formation by mail. Call 616-794-04 616-794-0492 492 ffor or informatio information n on exhibiting in n the trade show.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

Energy, not labour, will make the difference in the next decade

Casey Houweling, keynote speaker at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, poses in a booth with greenhouse tomatoes after his address. Continued from page 4 The further south you go, the more difficult it is to grow organic tomatoes. I’d say 50 per cent of the organics grown in Mexico are not organics.” That said, Houweling doesn’t figure that Mexico is greenhouse heaven. “Try to get a grower manager to live in Mexico – life’s too short,” he said. “You need a very good Mexican business partner and the hurdles are huge.” What about the promise of California? Houweling, after all, has invested $55 million there so he’s committed. There is no perfect location he said. The advantage of light is offset, at times, by too much heat, and by pest pressures. The advantage of being close to the California market is offset by the cost of doing business in California -- $1 million budgeted for health care costs in 2011. It’s also expensive to truck product out of California to other markets.

All of this leads to energy. Oil prices affect freight If oil prices rise, imagine the cost of plastic. Natural gas prices remain volatile. To make matters even more competitive, the Canadian dollar is likely to strengthen in value vis-àvis the U.S. dollar. “Be prepared to add 10 per cent!” advised Houweling. He believes the U.S. will continue to struggle for the next decade under their debt load, with current borrowings of $25 billion every week. For Canadians, what’s the competitive advantage? Locally grown is the hottest menu item for the 1800 chefs reporting to a National Restaurant Association survey. For consumers, it’s not just about the food miles, but about supporting the local economy. For this reason, Houweling counsels country-of-origin labeling: “It’s better to be a Canadian supplier to the U.S. than a Mexican supplier.” To take a step further, he said

A place to grow in Elgin?

Elgin County wants a piece of Essex County’s greenhouse industry. The business strategy was clearly on record with a firsttime booth at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference. What the two counties have in common is the shores of Lake Erie, but some financial advantages may have been overlooked in the past according to economic development officer Stephen Vanderen. “Our agricultural real estate is going for $4100 per acre compared to $15,000 per acre in Leamington,” says Vanderen. “All the logistics are in place, with

proximity to the 401 and 402 highways. We’re just 90 minutes from Buffalo, Sarnia and Windsor.” He also cited a nearby labour force in London, Ontario and the fact that infrastructure of natural gas, plentiful water and threephase hydro are all in place. The “buy local” initiative is strong with a Savour Elgin program. Both counties share a disadvantage. As Casey Houweling concluded in his keynote address, “One of the biggest challenges of Leamington is its distance to U.S. markets.”

that a Certified Greenhouse Grower program would differentiate product from field-grown. “We need to become year-round suppliers,” said Houweling. “We cannot afford to be fighting our way back into the marketplace. That’s a very dangerous trend.” For Canadian growers in the NAFTA environment, the industry boils down to becoming competitive on energy. Those costs are upfront costs which must be mitigated over the long term. “Set up beside an industrial facility so that you can use its waste energy,” he advised. “Explore opportunities in landfill gas. Wean off natural gas.” Opportunities exist everywhere, said Houweling. Do your research. Editor’s note: To see a video on Houweling’s California operation, go to www.houweling.com.

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PAGE 6 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

New campaign promises good things growing in Ontario For Willy Hekman of Frootogo Orchards, promoting local food can’t get any closer to home. The Waterdown, Ontario farm she and her husband have operated since 1995 is front and centre in this fall’s Foodland Ontario advertising campaign that shows Ontario food from farm to store to table. “It just happened like boom and there we were involved in the commercial,” Willy said. “I think our regular customers will recognize our place. I think they already have bragging rights about coming here.” Those who’ve visited the Hekman farm will see the familiar dwarf fruit trees and hear the familiar “Good Things Grow in Ontario” jingle. Foodland Ontario is an Ontario government initiative which has, for more than 30 years, promoted food grown in the province. The program has a strong level of recognition with the public. New advertising this fall includes television ads, billboards at the Ontario Food Terminal, transit advertising, and online ads which feature images designed to encourage consumers to seek out and buy more Ontario foods. The program is also working closely with on-farm markets, farmers’ markets and grocery stores to provide resources to educate consumers on Ontario foods. Look for Foodland Ontario’s 2011 calendar in stores in November as well as a retail sampling program that lets shoppers taste a variety of Ontario foods. Updated promotional material for grocery stores and markets will appear in stores as the campaign progresses. The posters and price cards will have the same look and feel as both the calendars and all of the advertising. “People aren’t interested in buying local foods because it’s “trendy,” people are buying local because they’re feeling good about where their food comes from,” said Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture,

Foodland Ontario’s new look can be seen on television, billboards, transit ads and the Internet. Food and Rural Affairs. “Our strong Foodland Ontario brand has been instrumental in helping families look for and ask for our fresh, high-quality local foods.” Foodland Ontario encourages all growers to use the logo, free of charge, on their packaging. For more information on the Foodland Ontario logo, or ordering promotional materials, go to www.foodlandontario.ca and click on the Industry tab or contact Sandra Jones, Foodland Ontario’s client services officer at 519-826-3847. The media campaign elements focus on “The Good,” meaning the good things that grow in Ontario and pair touching family moments with Ontario food. That includes a husband cooking dinner for his wife, father and daughter making a pizza together and Willy’s husband Bert Hekman picking apples with their grandsons. “We’ve always been really proud of our farm and the work we’ve done here,” Willy said. “We felt very honoured to be picked.”

Bert Hekman of Frootogo Orchards braved a hot August day with his grandsons to appear in the Foodland Ontario television commercials on air this Fall.

Foodland awards recognize innovative grocery retailers From farm to table and especially in between, Ontario food is in good hands. That was the message at the 23rd annual Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards in Toronto October 19. The awards honour grocery stores that promote Ontario food in their stores. The Honourable Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, handed out the awards to

store representatives at a lunchtime ceremony. “It’s because of your hard work that more people are putting fresh Ontario food in their shopping cart,” Minister Mitchell told the retailers. Chain and independent grocery stores submit photographs of their promotional displays of Ontario produce to qualify for the Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards. The

program recognized 62 stores in total this year. Minister Mitchell presented the 25 gold and platinum level awards to grocery store representatives, as well as three awards of excellence to stores with top scores two years in a row. The food and the atmosphere were highlights for Walli Archibald, a produce clerk from a Metro store in Mississauga and first-time guest at the Retailer Awards. She accompanied her store’s produce manager John Leonardi, who has been receiving awards here for nearly two decades. This year, Archibald and Leonardi accepted a gold creative award for their display of Ontario produce. “We love to merchandise and push our stuff when we have it. Plus, our customers want Ontario,” Leonardi said. “The flavour is there. The freshness is there.” He supports Ontario farms wherever he can, especially since his parents were farmers when they first arrived in Canada, he said. Leonardi, along with all of the other retail winners, would have had plenty of opportunity to connect with producers at the event.

Representatives from many of Ontario’s largest producer groups attended, including several who helped sponsor the event. Brian Gilroy, chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, offered a welcome and congratulations on behalf of Ontario producers. “The farmers look forward to many more partnerships and many more years of celebrations such as

this,” he said. He also noted the opportunity for farmers and retailers in the growing enthusiasm of shoppers for local food. “But one thing we do know, that interest in local food is greater than ever before.”

Brian Gilroy, Chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and George Gilvesy, General Manager of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers. Both organizations were among the sponsors of the 2010 Foodland Ontario Retailer Awards.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

Measuring agriculture’s economic footprint in Ontario By Lilian Schaer Farming affects the daily lives of all Ontarians - what we eat, where we live and what we do to earn a living. Now, a newly released report spells out in stark detail the economic impact of the agricultural sector as well as the punishing effects of long term farm income losses on the Ontario

economy. The results are staggering. The study revealed that Ontario’s farm sector sustains 164,000 jobs and farm outputs contributed $22 billion in gross economic stimulus to Ontario in 2009 with a net value of $10.7 billion. This economic contribution also includes $3.4 billion paid in

COMING EVENTS 2010 November 5 – 14

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON

November 12

Ontario Produce Marketing Association Annual Gala Event, Liberty Grand, Toronto, ON

November 12, 13

Saskatchewan Green Trades Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, SK

November 16, 17

Canadian Agricultural Safety Association Conference 2010, Hilton Suites Airport Hotel, Winnipeg, MB

November 17

QMI-SAI Global On-Farm Food Safety Program Webinar at 1 pm. Contact: Carlos Araujo at 416-401-8703

Conference,

Nov 20 – Dec 5

“Wassail” Prince Edward County Wine growers Association throughout the “County”

November 22, 23

Ontario Federation of Agriculture Annual General Meeting, “Future of Food”, Double Tree Hilton/ Toronto Airport, Toronto, ON

November 23, 24

Essex County Associated Growers 60th Annual Trade Show, Kinsmen Recreation Complex, Leamington, ON

Nov 30 – Dec 2

Grow Canada Ottawa, ON

December 8

Ontario Potato Board Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn, Cambridge, ON

December 7 – 9

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

December 16

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

January 5, 6

18th Annual Southwestern Conference, Ridgetown, ON

January 10 – 12

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

January 25, 26

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

January 27 – 31

Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph, ON

January 27 – 29

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

Conference,

The

Westin,

Agricultural

federal and provincial taxes to help support our health, education and transportation systems, as well as other vital infrastructure. Ontario’s food processing sector needs Ontario agriculture – 70 per cent of Ontario’s farm production is bought by Ontario food processors, a $33 billion industry that directly employs 110,000 Ontarians. Ontario’s farming community, especially non-supply managed sectors, has been struggling with several years of losses caused by a combination of low prices and rapidly rising costs. A decrease in Ontario net farm income impacts everyone in Ontario. A government-predicted farm income loss of $500 million in 2010 will cost Ontario $3 billion in GDP and 10,000 jobs over the long term, as well as almost a half a billion dollars in lost tax revenue to government. The study, commissioned by the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC) and

completed by JRG Consulting of Guelph, was unveiled to provincial politicians at a breakfast at Queen’s Park at the end of September. OASC’s members have been lobbying the provincial and federal governments for predictable and sustainable safety net programming for Ontario’s non-supply managed commodities since late last fall. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association is a member of OASC, along with Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Ontario Veal, Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, Grain Farmers of Ontario and Ontario Cattlemen’s Association. Agriculture’s economic footprint in numbers • 164,400 – number of Ontario jobs supported through economic activity generated by the farming sector (value of the wages and salaries tied to those jobs = $7 billion)

• $3.4 billion – taxes collected by provincial and federal governments as a result of economic activity generated by farm sector output • 13% - value of rural economy to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) • 15% - percentage of the Ontario population that lives in rural areas • 70% - percentage of Ontario’s farm production bought by Ontario food processors • $33 billion – value of the Ontario food processing sector • 4,000 – the number of jobs lost in the short term through the slide in net farm income of $287 million (2004-08 average) to -$50 million in 2009. • $1.4 billion – estimated decrease in Ontario’s GDP as a result of the projected $500 million farm income loss in 2010. • $450 million – tax revenues lost to government due to long term impacts of a $500 million farm income loss in 2010.

Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers win anti-dumping case against Dutch bell peppers The Canadian into Canada from the International Trade Netherlands will now Tribunal (CITT) be subject to a duty for announced its the next five years. final determination, Earlier this year, upholding the Ontario OGVG requested that Greenhouse Vegetable the CBSA investigate Growers’ (OGVG) the unfair pricing of complaint of injurious greenhouse sweet bell dumping by Holland pepper imports from of bell peppers into the the Netherlands. This Canadian marketplace. request reflected the The complaint, which OGVG’s belief that was filed on December Dutch exporters were 24, 2009, alleged that selling below their imports of greenhouse cost of production, at bell peppers originat- As of October 20, 2010, all greenhouse peppers from the very low prices, into ing or exported from Netherlands are subject to an anti-dumping duty of 193 the Canadian marketthe Netherlands were per cent of the export price for five years. place. This had continbeing dumped and that ued over a period of the dumping of these years, and has caused goods was causing injury to the Canadian industry. serious injury to Ontario growers. OGVG’s concerns This announcement follows the Canadian Border were shared and supported by greenhouse producers Services Agency’s (CBSA) September 20th, 2010 in other provinces. final determination that greenhouse bell peppers from Canada’s Special Import Measures Act permits the Netherlands had been dumped, and that the Canadian producers to seek the imposition of margin of dumping was significant. anti-dumping measures when they are injured by “We are very pleased with the results of the foreign producers selling into Canada below the investigations by both the CITT and the CBSA,” said selling prices in their own country, or below their Len Roozen, Chair of the OGVG. “The finding of costs of production. injury to Canadian growers, and the resulting duty Over the last ten years, Canadian growers have imposition, restores a level playing field for our made substantial investments in greenhouse technolgrowers. Our growers want to compete on the basis ogy in order to expand the availability of Canadian of fair trading practices, and this case demonstrates grown vegetables, including sweet bell peppers. The that we are prepared to defend ourselves if neces- Ontario greenhouse sector is now one of the largest in sary.” North America, producing over 1824 acres of This decision means that bell peppers released tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

PAGE 8 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

The status quo is not sustainable

Brian Gilroy Chair, OFVGA

For close to two years, the nonsupply managed commodities in Ontario have been united in their message to government. The agricultural support programs named Growing Forward are not designed to deal with the economic realities of today. A number of the agricultural sectors have been struggling to be profitable and production is declining. Potential solutions have been recommended by the farm community and a Business Risk Management Program has been developed and implemented on a pilot basis for the grains and oilseeds sector. Horticulture is very different

from grains and oilseeds in a number of ways, and what works for them may not work for us. The OFVGA Safety Nets Committee has been very active recently developing a proposal that is being referred to as a Self Directed Risk Management (SDRM) Program. Although the name is the same, this program is designed to be a market revenue-style program and not a production insurance program. The details have been circulated to all horticultural commodity groups for input and a meeting with the Ontario Minister of Agriculture has been requested to move this proposal forward.

It is often stated that farmers are the eternal optimists and we regularly hear, “Next year will be better.” One of the main factors that leads me to be optimistic is the “Buy Local” movement that continues to grow. The fact that in most commodities we are nowhere close to producing what our domestic market requires is definitely an opportunity. We need to help develop a plan on how Canadians can have a secure, safe, locally produced food system. I believe the real challenge will be in convincing the government of the day that it requires long-term planning and support. The answer

I feel is in the development of a National Food Strategy that recognizes food production as a vital component of the food value chain. We are currently researching what other countries are doing regarding a food policy and I have heard from a couple of sources that Canada is the only G20 country without a National Food Strategy. If this is true, what are we waiting for? For those of us involved in the growing of fruits and vegetables, the status quo is not sustainable!

And another one down

Art Smith CEO, OFVGA Several weeks ago, another announcement was made regarding a processing plant closure. This time it was the Bick’s plant in Dunnville and this makes something like seven or eight in the last two years alone. Now I know that businesses come and go all the time so maybe we shouldn’t be alarmed but then

again this was a primary processor that has announced the closing of its doors, eliminating the market for yet another crop. I believe warning bells should be sounding loud and clear in both Ottawa and Toronto but I wonder if anyone has even noticed? This processing plant closure, like so many before it, will not create an empty space on the grocery store shelves where pickles once stood. Instead the pickles will be supplied by someone else, likely from a different country. That is why no one notices… there is no shortage of food. Ontario and specifically the Greater Toronto Area is the second largest food processing centre in all of North America, second only to Chicago but is it in jeopardy? These plant closures did not come about because there was no demand for their products but

rather because of competitiveness factors. Will the loss of primary processing in Ontario mean the end of value-added or secondary processing in the province? I do not have that answer but I do know that many of the secondary processors located here because of the availability of product in the form they required and as well the proximity to market. It would seem to me to be all connected -- the need of producers to have primary processors who need secondary processors who need consumers. Lose a link and the chain breaks, but so what? Someone else will fill the gap and the store shelf will remain full. But there is so much more to it than this. There is food system sustainability, food security and jobs both on the farm and in factories that are at risk here; and governments, at least to me, seem

oblivious to the problem. I believe that what we are seeing are the results of not having a food policy in this country; a policy that says food production is critical to the long term well being of Canada and Ontario. As a nation and as a province we have been content to allow others, often the cheapest producers supply us with food and as a result we are losing many of our food-related jobs and businesses. To be fair there are many examples of government programs put in place to assist farmers and food businesses but then again there are many more examples of government downloading costs onto these same folks. What one hand giveth the other hand taketh, usually taking away more than it has given. Without a sustainable food policy we bounce between programs, often with resentment on the part

of the policy makers. “We already gave you money” or “We gave you money and you keep coming back for more, what good does it do.” Canada is a high cost-of-production society trading in a global economy and every time government downloads costs on the back of our food system we lose and we take one step closer to another processing plant closing, another market lost; and having to depend on the rest of the world to feed us. Canada, to the best of my knowledge, is the only developed country in the world that does not have a food policy that ensures our ability to feed ourselves or even places a position of prominence on a sustainable food production system and that, in my opinion, is unsustainable. For what it’s worth, it’s the way I see it

Ontario -- open for business initiative

Adrian Huisman Ontario Tender Fruit Producers The Ontario government has introduced a new initiative called “Ontario – Open for Business.”

Their objective is to reduce the amount of red tape and government regulations that may be holding people back from setting up business in Ontario. One proposal is to get rid of the Farm Products Grades & Sales Act. This is a no-brainer as OMAFRA doesn’t have any inspectors to enforce the Act anyway. The good news is that they intend to transfer those parts of the Act that are important and incorporate them into other pieces of legislation that will remain in place. These will include sections dealing with misrepresentation of product, fraud and country of origin labeling. In the future, the industry can rely on federal legis-

lation under the Canada Agricultural Products Act for minimum grade standards. While this is a positive move, the Ontario government has failed to accept that recently introduced legislation does not support their “Ontario – Open for Business” initiative. Here I am referring to: 1. Greenbelt Legislation – restricting farmers’ rights without compensation. Land below the Niagara Escarpment was once used exclusively for producer specialty horticultural crops. More recently, I see many acres of either abandoned farm land or as many acres of grains and oilseed crops being produced in that area. . 2. Minimum Wage Legislation –

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

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

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28 per cent increase over the last three years (2008-2010) without any offsetting programming to mitigate the effects on horticultural crop producers, who have yet to find a way to recoup the added costs from the market place. 3. Increased hydro rates. 4. Water taking permits and related red tape. 5. Municipal Taxation: a. Bunkhouses – In the past most bunkhouses were assessed at the farm rate. MPAC is now assessing any new bunkhouses at the residential rate and farmers are at risk of MPAC reassessing existing bunkhouses as residential as well. b. On-Farm Value-Added activities being assessed as commercial

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

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

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

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

rather than as farming operations. Where’s the incentive for growers to undertake such activities? Unfortunately, these recent rule changes have and will continue to adversely affect horticultural producers who rely most heavily on seasonal labour and are high users of hydro to operate their packing lines and run their cool storages. Just removing an existing useless piece of legislation (which really wasn’t holding anyone back) and replacing it with new rules and legislation that threaten to render our fruit and vegetable producers unviable is not the way to demonstrate that Ontario is really “Open for Business.”

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

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

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

Board briefs Following are highlights from the OFVGA board meeting held October 14, 2010. 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. Labour Labour section chair Ken Forth reported that the Supreme Court of Canada has not yet reached a decision in the unionization of agricultural workers’ case. It is one of the most complex cases before the court as it involves the rights of provinces to make laws. The Labour Issues Co-ordinating Committee, which has been involved in this case on behalf of agriculture, is proposing a consistent yearly fee for its member organizations, which includes OFVGA. Crop Protection Product updates: OFVGA has asked the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to extend its regulatory approval for Endosulfan, which is used in tender fruit production, and has asked the U. S. government to maintain its import tolerances for that product. Telone has been withdrawn by its manufacturer Dow due to a request by PMRA for extra data. OFVGA has sent a letter to PMRA asking them to reconsider so that Dow will reinstate the product. There are no known environmental or health problems with Telone and there is no replacement product available in Canada. Grower Requested Own Use (GROU) program: There are 26 products currently available for growers to import for their own use from the U.S. through this program. The savings can be substantial, reported OFVGA minor use specialist Craig Hunter, who cited the example of Agri-Mek, where growers can save approximately 50 per cent by importing it through the GROU program. More information on GROU including which products are approved for import can be found at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/ agri-commerce/import/_groupiapda/index-eng.php. Guide to Weed Control: The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is revising its Guide to Weed Control and is seeking input from commodity groups on how to make it more user-friendly. Safety Nets Program proposal for edible horticulture: OFVGA Chair Brian Gilroy reported that the Safety Nets Committee has met three times since August to discuss a modified Self Directed Risk Management (SDRM)-style program for edible horticulture in lieu of the cost of production-based Risk Management Program that had previously been considered. OFVGA has requested a meeting

with provincial agriculture minister Carol Mitchell to present the program proposal. The basic principles of the proposed program include: • open to all edible horticulture producers • contributions to be based on matching five per cent Annual Net Sales (ANS) • grower contributions go into their own account; matching contributions from Ontario government go into grower accounts • dollars can only be removed after triggering and that there would be mandatory triggers, which would be the same as they were in the previous SDRM program • no cap on ANS; ANS calculated per entity similar to AgriStability • account cap of 50 per cent of a rolling five year average of your ANS as a cumulative account cap • unlimited annual withdrawals up to your account balance; can withdraw every year providing there is a trigger • program account to collect bank interest • all money in the account at the time the operation ceases remains the property of the producer • cross compliance with AgriStability, but no cross compliance with crop insurance A motion was brought forward for OFVGA to endorse this program which carried. Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC): Safety Nets Chair Mark Wales reported that forms for the grain and oilseed risk management program (RMP) should be available in late October. OMAFRA announced a one year extension of the RMP for the sector in the spring. Ontario Pork and Ontario Cattlemen’s Association have both presented their sec-

tor proposals for an RMP to Minister Mitchell. OASC held a lobbying breakfast at Queen’s Park at the end of September to build awareness of the need for non-supply managed commodities to have access to improved income support. OFVGA Chair Brian Gilroy and CEO Art Smith participated in the event. Property Water Opportunities and Conservation Act: OFVGA has submitted comments to the provincial government’s Water Opportunities and Conservation Act. OFVGA is supportive of responsible water use but there is concern about the potential for municipalities or the Ministry to be able to limit water use by farmers who need to irrigate crops. A copy of the comment document may be requested from the OFVGA office. Waste water discharge: The Ministry of the Environment is stepping up activity in the area of waste water discharge – such as results from washing carrots, for example – and related concerns about nitrate and phosphorous levels in lakes and streams. Research Funding for the Horticulture Science Cluster was announced in the summer but work is still underway to finalize the Memorandum of Understanding. The Canadian Horticulture Council (CHC) will act as the administrative hub for the edible horticulture science advisory program. Horticulture Value Chain Round Table Committees of the Horticulture Value Chain Round Table have been very active. One of these subcommittees is developing a “Horticulture for Health” campaign. OFVGA projects manager Alison Robertson has been working with

this group who among other things are planning a “Hort on the Hill” event to secure political support. Innovation and labour: The innovation/labour sub-committee will be circulating a survey to evaluate labour-saving technologies and mechanization opportunities in horticulture. The survey will be available in this month’s Grower and OFVGA is encouraging growers to participate by the end of November. Fair and ethical trade practices: Discussion took place around the need for a PACA-like trust provision program for the Canadian produce industry. In the U.S., the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) licenses buyers of produce to ensure that those who sell produce receive payment for their products and at the same time has established legislation that protects produce sellers when buyers fail to pay. A meeting concerning PACA is to be held by the end of October. Bunkhouse taxation On-farm bunkhouses, used to house seasonal farm workers, have traditionally been assessed as farm buildings. In some cases, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is now assessing them as residential buildings, resulting in significant tax increases for affected farmers. Bunkhouses are seasonal on-farm accommodation for workers who are employed during the fruit and vegetable growing season and as such, are a very crucial component of the agriculture sector’s need to ensure an adequate supply of farm employees to meet the seasonal requirements of farm businesses. These buildings are only used for part of the year, yet residential assessment and taxation are being applied on a year-round basis, sub-

The Essex County Associated Growers are pleased to announce the 60th Annual Bounty of the County convention & trade show Tuesday, November 23 & Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Kinsmen Recreation Complex 249 Sherk St., Leamington, Ontario View the newest agricultural technology/ equipment, and attend informative speaker programs. Visit our trade show for your chance to win grand prizes. Cooking demonstrations will be held during the convention – don’t miss them! Proudly serving the fruit and vegetable growers of Essex County for 60 years! For more information, contact Mary Jane Dalrymple at (519) 326-4481 or ecag@bellnet.ca, or visit www.bountyofthecounty.ca

jecting farmers to unfair and unnecessary additional expenses. The OFVGA, Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council and Ontario Federation of Agriculture have all written to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, the minister responsible for MPAC, asking for a review of this policy and to develop a formal definition of these structures so they can be included in farm class for assessment purposes. OFVGA has also encouraged all of its members to contact Minister Duncan, as well as Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell, on this issue. Evaluating the need for assistance with food safety program compliance It has been suggested that the OFVGA offer a service to help farmers meet the requirements of the CanadaGAP food safety program and provide assistance to get through the audit process without hiring a QMI auditor. Program uptake has been slow and there is concern that small growers may not be able to get this done because the forms and/or the audit are so complicated. The OFVGA will assess the need for such a service. Next OFVGA board meeting – Thursday, November 11, 2010

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PAGE 10 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Soup king salutes local food movement

Owen Roberts University of Guelph Fall is the perfect time for soup, be it homemade or otherwise. Soup has a special folksy place in our lives -- it may, in fact, be the ultimate local food. After all, what other single food can potentially contain more local ingredients? What other food do we turn to when the chips are down because it’s so affordable, or in the case of chicken soup, when we’re sick? It’s a true part of our culture.

So is the Campbell Company of Canada, one of the country’s biggest packaged food companies and a major user of vegetables and fruit. Campbell’s has been in Canada for 80 years and has carved out a niche in most Canadian kitchens. Despite the company’s mega size, its products and our relationship with them have kept the connection with Canadians extremely personal. The company recognizes the value in that, especially the trust factor, and has been repositioning itself to be a healthy choice. Campbell president Philip Donne told 150 or so guests gathered for a recent Vineland Research and Innovation Centre open house that local food is no longer a trend, it’s a shift. Statistics are starting to back up that notion -- a recent Environics study shows 80 per cent of Ontarians say ensuring a local food source is very important to them. If you trust polls, that means about 10 million or so Ontarians are on the

prowl for local food. And in her Agriculture Week address, Hon. Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said more than half of all grocery shoppers in the province are buying more Ontario food than ever. That equates to nearly seven million people. Campbell’s knows consumers are increasingly taking a local food view. They want to know where their food came from, how it was grown and what it contains. Closer is better, less is more and natural is in. So if you’re a food giant such as Campbell’s, you need to become part of the shift, even though you sell millions of cans of soup a day. You must innovate, take a different tact, and get people to see whatever local-food qualities you possess. To do so means addressing consumer hot buttons, such as sodium content. One reason consumers gravitate towards local

food, or at least the concept of it, is that they believe it’s healthier than its processed counterpart. And when society started recognizing the dangers of too much salt, packaged soup surfaced as a big problem. Reasons exist as to why companies use salt – some amount is needed for taste and preservation. But in many cases, it was way over the top, and sodium reduction has become a major focus for Campbell’s (in fact, it has been for seven years). This approach underlines the corporate shift to perhaps not compete with local food, but rather to support its feel-good principles. In fact, Donne even goes one step further, and urges consumers to look favourably on local food and the farmers who grow it. “As a packaged food company, we say buy fresh whenever you can,” he says. “But when that’s not possible because of convenience or the season, we hope you’ll pick us.”

Donne's not under the illusion that consumers will consider Campbell’s local. But he says the company can heighten the attributes its products possess that consumers associate with local food, especially health benefits. “We have to make sure our food is as full of active ingredients as possible,” he says. As well, there’s a sense of community and social responsibility around local food. In response, Campbell’s has embarked on a hunger alleviation program, teaming up with Food Banks Canada on programs that raise awareness, and others that actually put the company’s products on food bank shelves. Donne thinks the local food movement has still not reached its crescendo, though, and won’t until consumers truly recognize the value of Canadian farmers. “In the next 10 years, farmers should get rock star status for what they do,” he says. “Food’s not amusement . . . food is sacred.”

Flooding our food supply

Bruce Hill Canadian Cherry Producers Besides the well-known long term and cyclical problems faced by the large grains and livestock

industries, farmers who have diversified to try and stabilize income still face crop failures from flooding. Many fruit growers have lost plants and production due to flooding says Mel Annand, president of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association (SFGA). Yields are average in the south west and lessen drastically to the north east. Lack of data is hampering efforts by fruit producers to protect themselves from production losses in programs like crop insurance. When data collection by federal and provincial governments is less than optimal, producer organizations are left trying to assess situations. Recent cuts to Stats Canada are aggravating the problems.

Stats Canada may not be popular with a lot of people but it is all we have. Governments, federally and provincially, seem very good at cutting budgets instead of fixing the problem. Plant damage and loss due to flooding in 2010 is serious. It takes several years to get a new fruit plant into production. Plant losses may not be as widespread as feared because the University of Saskatchewan fruit plants seem very tolerant and hardy, but production was lost. How soon damaged plants will recover to full production is anyone's guess. This is especially severe with emerging industries such as fruits. Vegetable production has also taken a hit. The wet conditions

combined with diseases like blight have taken their toll. The Canadian Cherry Producers and SFGA are talking with other organizations and attempting to assess damage. The SFGA has taken a lead role by initiating concern at both the federal and provincial level. The Canadian Horticultural Council is monitoring problems across the country. The hundreds of thousands of dollars from the “Excess Moisture Program” which provided $30/acre for flooded annual crops may have helped grain farmers but did not address the issues faced by livestock, fruit, and vegetable growers. An orchard of 10 acres can have relatively huge economic returns but if that orchard sustains

a plant loss, that program provides no real assistance for the loss on those 10 acres Plant loss is expected to be significant, but is undetermined as yet. The Growing Forward programs fall very short except for grain (cereals, oilseeds, and pulse) production. And even within that sector the programs will have limited impact. Producers need business risk management tools that work for them. Programs should not sustain bad agronomic practices but at the same time they should address record-setting disasters. Bruce Hill is president of Canadian Cherry Producers Inc. based at Imperial, Saskatchewan.

When global forces crunch local apples By Karen Davidson Make no mistake. British Columbia’s pride and joy, Sun-Rype Products Inc, is a publicly traded juice and snack company that operates in a global economy. It used to be owned by the apple industry and the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association before it went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange to raise capital for expansion and automation. Some growers still own shares. But when Sun-Rype announced its acquisition of a juice plant in Washington state, 800 Okanagan growers get twitchy. (Sun Rype’s U.S. move worries Okanagan orchardists, October 11, Globe and Mail) The Kelowna plant, modernized with innovative technology, produces Sun-Rype apple juices, differentiating its line with the assurance of using only fresh-pressed apples, no concentrate. The company also produces fresh fruit snacks. It’s ideally located to market to its western Canadian base. Sometimes it imports Washington

apples to fill its orders. But the news that the “local son” has acquired Yakama Juice in Selah, Washington has signaled a new era. Joe Sardinha, president of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, worries that lower taxes and labour costs south of the border may eventually force the closure of the plant that takes cull fruit. “If we don’t have a home for that cull fruit, then the full overhead would still apply…and that cull fruit, having no home, would end up in a landfill, and you pay for every ton of material you take to a landfill,” Sardinha told the Globe. On October 20, Sardinha had the opportunity to take some of his concerns directly to Dave McAnerney, chief executive officer, who hosted a tour of the Kelowna plant. Sardinha’s message is that higher prices for cull fruit – either hailed diversion fruit or packing line culls - would result in more fruit for juices and less apple sourcing from Washington State. For

instance, the current rate of 3.5 cents per pound paid for diversion fruit barely covers the cost of picking, transportation and bins. He also reminded McAnerney that any brand promise of “locally” sourced apples should only apply to B.C fruit. Dwindling local supply due to low prices will also erode the brand claim if more Washington apples become a mainstay raw ingredient at the Kelowna plant. On the processor’s side of the equation, cull apple prices are ultimately dictated by global concentrate prices and the lower priced process fruit available in Washington State. Sun-Rype competes with larger processors which use cheaper inputs (apple juice concentrate) and despite best efforts to brand with “fresh-pressed juices” and demand a premium, economic reality dominates. Sun-Rype’s move to expand business stateside also takes advantage of the current weakened U.S. dollar, and allows the company to expand operations

and marketing opportunities. “We can’t bash Sun-Rype too much,” says Sardinha. Sun-Rype continues to pay a premium for B.C. apples but it’s simply not enough to capture all the available fruit. “Even increasing the diversion rate to five cents a pound net to growers, would make a huge difference for us.” All things considered, Sun-Rype’s McAnerney has reassured the local apple industry that the company will maintain its operations and company headquarters in Kelowna. A recent five-year deal with the union backs that pledge. But Sardinha knows it would be wise for the B.C. apple industry to explore alternative value-added opportunities such as fruit wines and ciders. “We’ve witnessed individual growers create lucrative businesses using low grade fruit. Perhaps it’s time the mainstream industry collectively did the same,” he says. Nothing personal. It’s just business.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK Stories by Karen Davidson The search for the perfect tomato has gone on for centuries with a past – and present – so compelling that a book was published this year with the title “Ripe.” Little known is that Chatham, Ontario breeder Jim Dick is referenced in this book, a pioneer in his own right and one who continues to meticulously look for tomatoes to suit changing trends. Eighty-five per cent of his breeding efforts are targeted towards processing tomatoes. One of his largest customers is Red Gold, a stateside company that produces 500,000 tons of tomatoes – almost the annual output of Canada. In Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, growers are looking for whole-pack, peeling varieties with emphasis on good colour and firmness. No one is looking to put four or five whole tomatoes in a can anymore. The objective is consumer-friendly, diced or stewed tomatoes like the TexMex, spiced tomatoes so popular south of the border. Jim, along with his wife Judy and son Adam, operates Tomato Solutions Hybrids to service these growers. “We develop hybrid tomato seeds,” says Dick “which require a checklist of 30 traits to be successful. One of the key traits is good colour combined with very firm fruit.” The Dick family tested 48 different hybrids this year using a strict set of quantitative measurements. Sugar content data, for example, is measured with a refractometer. While Ontario tomatoes average about 4.5 per cent in total soluble solids, California tomatoes average 5.1 per cent. To develop the hybrids, more than 800 parent lines were grown and evaluated on six acres. “We’re happy to find just one variety that’s better than the last,” says Dick. “It’s not easy to make a small improvement in a hybrid combining traits such as large fruit size and a small stem scar for machine harvesting.” After this summer’s harvest of the parent lines, the seed will be shipped to Hyderabad, India and contracted to growers for hybrid seed production. The seed will come back in drums. Adam Dick then cleans the seed by soaking it for one hour in 5000 ppm chlorine, carefully controlling temperature and pH levels. Once dried and stored under refrigeration in sealed plastic pails, the seed is assigned a lot number for the sales season. While Canadian and U.S. processors purchase most of the hybrid seeds, private fresh market growers also like them for their customers. The Dick family has rarely sprayed their breeding plots with fungicides, so their hybrid seeds are in high demand in the organic market. They sell both pelletized and raw seed. Pelletiz-

Tomato breeder tracks consumer trends Ripe: The search for the perfect tomato

Adam (L) and Jim Dick tested 48 tomato hybrids this year on six acres near Chatham, ON. ing puts on five times the weight of the seed, a desired feature which makes seeding faster and more efficient. Theirs is a highly specialized business, one that serves as a bellwether of trends to come. Tangerine tomatoes, for example, may become more popular for their

cancer-fighting lycopene. Recent U.S. research has shown that lycopene content of orange tomatoes is more bioavailable than the form in red varieties. “Tomatoes are a recessionproof food,” points out Judy Dick. “If we took tomatoes off the menu, we’d be lost.”

“A breeder uses science to systematically impose his or her will on an organism, yet the unpredictable and unexplained for which there is no resort other than intuition and resignation, are an undeniable part of the professional experience. Because evolution is an accidental, nonrational process, there’s no purely scientific basis for breeding. A breeder’s line is a free-flowing, adulterated stream that can end in a cul-de-sac (like the fossilized creatures of the Burgess Shale) or produce some happy exception to the disorder that rules genetic chance.” - Arthur Allen

PAGE 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

Nuts are in the mix for tender fruit farmer Nuts are not so far-fetched for tender fruit farmers. After all, the almond and peach tree come from the same genus. But almonds - along with walnuts, hazelnuts and northern pecans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are locally grown and highly prized by a European clientele. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Torrie Warner, Beamsville, Ontario has discovered from his farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market clients. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a regular at several Greater Toronto Area markets as well as Ottawa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My family has a long history of growing nuts, right back to my grandfather in the 1930s,â&#x20AC;? says Warner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One large English walnut tree now yields 10 bushels annually.â&#x20AC;? Along with his peach and pear trees, Warner has invested in 60 walnut trees of the Metcalfe and Lake varieties. Return on investment isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expected for almost a decade, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convinced that there is huge demand with his nuts selling directly to customers for $4 to $7 per quart. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not unusual for a restaurant to buy a bushel at a time. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect to find Ontariogrown nuts in grocery stores. They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compete with the lowerpriced California crop which usually starts arriving in November.

These almonds look like green peaches. Rather, Warner caters to customers who want their nuts for different end uses. His first market is in June when the immature nuts are used for pickling. The next marketing window is late July, first of August when the milky substance inside the nut is valued for making tinctures or liquers. In September, the heart of his crop is marketed fresh, just as the skin

starts to crack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the sign my customers look for in a fresh nut,â&#x20AC;? says Warner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell the age of a dry nut, something that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appeal to them at all.â&#x20AC;? Now is the time to order seeds or pre-order nut trees for the spring of 2011. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bare root trees are best to plant in the warming spring earth,â&#x20AC;? says Linda Grimo,

Grimo Nut Nursery, Niagara-onthe-Lake. "Keep seeds in a plastic bag over the winter, moist and covered with peat moss. Plant them in spring and water well for the first year. Mulch around both the freshly planted trees or newly planted seeds to avoid competing with weeds.â&#x20AC;? Warner bought his trees from Grimo Nut Nursery for about $25 to $30 per tree. That compares with $7 to $10 for a peach tree. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nut trees are so forgiving,â&#x20AC;? says Grimo. Grown wild for thousands of years, they have relied on wildlife to spread their seeds for propagation. With little care, most of these trees grow to heights of about 50 feet. In spring, their flowering habits are interesting to observe. For heartnuts, the catkins look quite tropical, dangling at eight or nine inches in length. For walnuts, the flowers are difficult to find, but reward the breeder with two petallike flowers. Northern pecans have velvet-like, bright-coloured flowers. Hazelnuts bloom before the leaves emerge with flowers that look like red eyelashes. A hazelnut breeding program is underway with two acres at the Simcoe Research Station and another acre at Vineland. The

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2010 harvest was modest for hazelnut trees in their second growing season, says Dr. Adam Dale, however about 30 per cent of expected mature harvest is anticipated in 2011. The Geneva variety survives winter with no problems. Warner also grows hazelnuts and a few almonds too, harvesting a few handfuls in 2010. His experiments will be closely watched by breeders and researchers alike.

Walnut tree

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NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

Plan your orchard By Ken Slingerland, Tender Fruit and Grape Specialist Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs With most of the tender fruit and apples harvested, growers are looking at removing old orchards and outdated varieties. So now is the time to start preparing for planting trees for spring 2011 (or actually should it be 2012?) Anyway, the most asked question that I get from growers at this time of year is “What is a good variety to plant?” Convention plans are underway and this year a one hour long panel discussion is planned on some of the new cultivars from Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I will also give my best picks for the new and interesting cultivars that I evaluated this summer. But there is more than just varieties at stake. Varieties are still at the top of my priorities but growers have a long “to do” list to take care of first. Things to consider when planting tender fruits and apples: • Plan ahead, way ahead – talk to your buyer about the future direction, supply and demand, analyse the 2009 Tender Fruit Tree Survey and other tree census to determine where the gaps are in the industry • Take a look at the Cost of Production for Tender Fruit in Ontario – 2010 (to be published in the 2011 year). Make sure what you plant has good profitability. • Investigate the proper site based on soils, air flow blocks such as large woodlots, slope, surface drainage, etc • Decide what crop to grow – peaches, plums, flat peaches, Harovin Sundown pear, pluots, etc. • Decide if you need a second and third cultivar for pollination • Order ahead - it takes 2 ½ years to produce a tree from scratch - 2010 fall, Bailey peach rootstock is planted in the field or six inch seedlings are planted in the spring of 2011 - 2011 August – budding - 2012 early Spring - cutting back the rootstock to the single cultivar bud - 2012 summer - the nursery tree grows into a five to eight foot high tree - 2012 fall - the tree is harvested and stored in cold storage for the winter - 2013 spring - finally, the tree is planted in the grower’s orchard • Decide if you want to mechanize to reduce labour in the future by using mechanical blossom thinners, mechanical harvesting aids and perhaps vision robotics – this will help determine what orchard system you decide to use • Decide on an orchard system for peach for example; - old standard system at 201 trees per acre, - central leader at 242 – 302 trees per acre,

- spindle trees on a two dimensional trellis at 458 trees per acre or - high density “V” system at 778 trees per acre • Investigate all “Best Management Practices” for pre-planting the orchard – subsoil, drainage, land levelling, potential for irrigation, insect and disease resistant cultivars, use a pre-plant cover crop to build organic matter, and use a soil test to determine any soil fertility and soil pH requirements • Investigate changes in labour needs, food safety requirements and packing house requirements • Attend the February 23, 24, 2011 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OFVC) and learn from several speakers on cultivars, training systems, robotics, etc. or

This cultivar is “New Jersey Flat Peach 18”. Photo by OMAFRA

attend any one of the conferences in near by - Michigan – December 2010, - Tri-State Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland in Hershey, Pa., in January 2011 and New York - March 2011 Resources: Check the OMAFRA Website and view the fact sheets for each crop www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/cr ops/hort/tender_fruit.html#factsheets Check each crop for the cultivar fact sheet information. Read the latest Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board Newsletter Recommendations – March 2010 OMAFRA Info sheet on each of the tender fruits. Also keep up to date with the Ontario Apple Growers’ newsletters.

PAGE 14 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

$3.6 million earmarked for research and innovation in Canada’s horticultural sector Commodity Group Tree Fruit

Small Fruit

Project Title Advanced postharvest handling and storage technology for Canadian apples Wild blueberry environmental and production risk mitigation system

Project Lead Dr. Jennifer DeEll, OMAFRA Dr. David Percival, Nova Scotia Agricultural College

Development of day neutral Dr. Yves Desjardins, strawberries adapted to our University of Laval changing climate and sustainable production

Potato

Left to right, Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, Member of Parliament (West Nova) Greg Kerr, Andy Kuyvenhoevn (Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council), Dr. Michael Brownbridge (Vineland Research and Innovation), and CHC President Andy Vermeulen. The Canadian Horticultural fruit and vegetables that are hand potential benefits and synergies Council’s (CHC) proposal for an harvested and sold throughout which will be accrued through the Agri-Science Cluster for Horticul- Atlantic Canada. Research, cluster by improving the coordinature is being funded in the amount innovation and being open to tion of applied research initiatives of $3.6 million for the period of continuous fresh thinking are the among various Canadian research April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2013. foundation to the success of not organizations are of great value to Under the terms and conditions of only our own operation, but to the the industry. the program, industry is required entirety of Canada’s vibrant and The following projects form the to provide $976,000 in matching diverse horticulture sector. The suite of initiatives to be conducted funds. This represents a significant results of our cluster work will through the Agri-Science Cluster contribution to the sector. have a real impact on our farms.” for Horticulture. Ag Minister Gerry Ritz made Innovation is critically “It is important to recognize the announcement in Morristown, important to producers in order to and thank everyone who was Nova Scotia on August 31, 2010. maintain the competitiveness of involved in the development of the “This targeted investment will Canada’s horticultural sector. The cluster proposal: the cluster combring together the best and brightest minds in the business to turn innovative ideas into dollars for the growers’ pocket,” he said. CHC President Andy Vermeulen participated in the announcement and in thanking the Minister he noted, “Our family farm produces 300 acres of fresh

Water

Tunnel-growing systems for raspberries

Adam Dale, University of Guelph

Late Blight - Part 2: Assessing the efficacy of new fungicides and fungicide combinations for control of late blight (Phytophthora infestans) Late Blight - Part 3: Function of phosphorous acid related compounds on suppression of late blight in potatoes

Dr. Zenaida Ganga, Cavendish Farms

Dr. Gefu WangPruski, Nova Scotia Agricultural College

Impact of liquid hog manure and Dr. Caroline Côté, irrigation management on IRDA, QC broccoli safety: field experiment Impact of irrigation on leaf lettuce and green onion safety: combining the irrigation-harvest delay and the content of Escherichia coli in water

modity working groups, CHC committee chairs and of course the research professionals from across Canada who contributed tremendous resources to planning proposals, rationalizing and addressing industry priorities and the many others who have spent so much time on this initiative over the past

Dr. Caroline Côté, IRDA, QC

year,” noted CHC Research and Technology Committee Chair Bruce Hill. “We have learned much from the exercise and are now well positioned to work through these projects and, as a sector, plan for the future.”

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NOVEMBER 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PAGE 15 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

What to plant for biomass: annuals or perennials? The bioenergy market is in its infancy in Ontario, but is attracting interest from growers due to the potential demand for biomass fuels derived from agricultural crops and residues, says Jim Todd, OMAFRA transition crop specialist. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether to plant an annual or perennial grass. The end use usually determines the answer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cheapest system to

generate biomass is to plant a perennial,â&#x20AC;? advises Todd. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Planting is a one-time expense, with stands generally lasting up to 15 years.â&#x20AC;? The disadvantage is that perennial crops such as switchgrass, big blue stem, prairie cordgrass, Indian grass and miscanthus, take three or four years to ramp up to full biomass production. While miscanthus is not native, varieties have been

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Others include pearl millet, sorghum, forages and kenaf. Many seed companies often carry grass seed. Look to the OMAFRA website for updates on seed sources. Todd concludes: â&#x20AC;˘ feedstock choice is important â&#x20AC;˘ understanding what end product the market demands is important â&#x20AC;˘ a blend of feedstocks and conversion technologies will likely be used â&#x20AC;˘ a reduction in production, transportation and energy costs will be critical

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PAGE 16 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

Testing rootstocks for the new orchard By Charles Emblee and John Cline In the early 1900s researchers at the East Malling (EM) research station in England were the first to collect and classify apple tree types that possessed a wide range of vigour control. They were known as the dwarf rootstocks. One of the original selections, EM.9, is still widely used in nurseries and orchards around the world. Soon these unique genetic types were being used in breeding programs to improve orchard performance through the root system. The first improvement was the establishment of orchards with completely uniform root systems. Researchers were seeking other traits as well as vigour control and new types that had consistent high yields like MM.106 were developed and introduced. Breeding programs that used this original material also combined winter hardiness and disease resistance with vigour control and productivity. In the mid 1970s Dr. Jim Cummins at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva began an extensive apple rootstock breeding program to improve resistance to fire blight, collar rot, as well as to provide size control. He also selected for rooting capacity in the stool bed. Today there are active tree fruit rootstock breeding rootstock programs in a number of countries such as Germany, Poland, China, Russia and Japan. Testing new rootstock introductions from world breeding programs is the goal of a USDA root-

Figure 1. Harvesting M.26 rootstocks from propagation bed (stool bed). stock research coordinating committee, called “NC-140.” This committee has been testing rootstocks in coordinated field trials since the late 1970s. In 2010 the committee established apple, cherry and peach rootstock plantings at numerous cooperating sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The latter two countries were invited to join the committee as non-voting members to add climatic diversity to the tests. Historically, NC-140 trials have been conducted in all apple growing provinces of Canada and they are usually run for 10 years. In 2010. two NC-140 trials were established at Kentville, Nova Scotia. They were the Sweet Cherry rootstock and pruning sys-

tems trial (Fig. 2) and the Honeycrisp dwarf rootstock trial. In the Sweet Cherry trial the new German, Gisela rootstocks Gi3, Gi5, and Gi6 were included in the test. The pruning systems are TSA, KGB and UFO. For the apple rootstock trial the following 31 rootstocks are being tested at 15 locations: B.9, Bud 10 (Bud 62-396), Bud 64-194, Bud 67-5-32, Bud 70-6-8, Bud 70-20-20, Bud 70-2021, Bud 71-7-22, Bud 7-3-150, CG.2034, CG.3001, CG.4003, CG.4004, CG.4013, CG.4214, CG.4814, CG.5087, CG.5202 (222), G.11, G.41 Normal, G.41 TC, G.935 Normal, G.935 TC, G.202 Normal, G.202 TC, PiAu 51-11, PiAu 9-90, Supporter 3, M.9T337, M.9Pajam2, M.26

EMLA. The research coordinator for the cherry planting is Dr. Greg Lang1 at Michigan State University and the apple trial is coordinated by Dr. Terence Robinson2 and Gennaro Fazio3. NC-140 peach and pear rootstocks have been and are being tested in collaborative trials as well. Outlines of these trials can be found on the NC-140 website (www.nc140.org). In 1999 a cooperative Canadian rootstock research trial was established in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario using the scion cultivars ‘Jonagold,’‘McIntosh’ and ‘Novaspy.’ The objective of this experiment was to measure the performance of recent East Malling (AR86-1-20) and Cornell-Geneva (CG.008, G.30) rootstocks in comparison with the industry standard, M.26 EMLA. The trees were propagated in the nursery at the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Kentville, and grown for eight years in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario. Results indicate that the East Malling and Rootstock Survival (%)

Cornell-Geneva rootstocks tested can all be categorized in a class larger than M.26EMLA. The G.30 and CG.008 were significantly more yield-efficient in four of the six experiments and show promise as replacements for rootstocks in this size category especially in areas with high fireblight pressure. While the HRI introduction is more vigorous and less efficient, it performed well and should be compared with MM.106. Not all rootstocks performed the same at each site, therefore more research on the influence of rootstock or cultivar and its potential dependence on the applegrowing conditions in which it is grown is warranted. The experiment concluded that CG.008 could be an ideal choice for a productive, well-anchored semi-dwarf rootstock marginally larger than M.26EMLA. G.30 is likely a good replacement for M.7 as it is very productive and significantly more vigorous than M.26EMLA. Continued on next page

Trunk Cumula- Cumula- Average Crosstive tive Fruit Sectional Yield per Yield Weight tree efficiency (g, 1997Area (cm2, (kg, 1997(kg/cm2 99) 1999) 99) TCA, 1997-99)

B.146

74 c

5.0 de

1.09 d

137 d

B.469

97 ab

7.1 d

1.27 cd

157 abc

B.491

88 b

5.5 de

8 de

1.49 bc

153 bc

M.9

100 a

10.6 c

16 b

1.46 bc

165 ab

Cumulative Average yield efficiency Fruit weight (g) (kg/cm2 TCA (2001-2003) (2001-2003) 1.37 a 157 b

M.9 98 ab NAKBT337

10.1 c

13 c

1.32 bcd

161 abc

Mark

99 a

18.8 a

23 a

1.20 d

159 abc

P.2

99 a

9.8 c

14 bc

1.49 bc

154 bc

CG.4814

95 a1

23.9 c

Cumulative No. root Suckers (1999-2003) 5.4 ab

CG.7707

73 b

29.0 bc

1.5 bc

0.98 b

172 a

P.16

93 ab

4.1 e

8 de

1.98 a

152 c

G.30N2

94 a

33.8 ab

2.3 bc

1.17 ab

160 ab

V.1

100 a

15.4 b

17 b

1.10 d

167 a

M.7 EMLA

95 a

35.5 a

8.0 a

0.61 c

157 b

V.3

100 a

10.3 c

16 b

1.58 b

163 abc

M.26 EMLA

95 a

23.4 c

0.4 c

0.93 b

162 ab

Supporter 4

86 ab

35.2 a

1.5 bc

0.89 b

166 ab

Table 2. Effects of dwarf rootstocks on apple tree performance at five years. z Means sharing the same letters are not significantly different.

Survival (%)

Rootstock

Trunk Cross-Sectional Area (cm2)

Table 1. Survival, tree size, yield and fruit size of ‘McIntosh’ apple trees on various rootstocks through the first five growing seasons (1999-2003) as part of the 1999 NC-140 Semi-dwarf Rootstock Trial. “McIntosh’ data were derived only from Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nova Scotia, New York (Williamson), Ontario, Vermont and Wisconsin locations. 1 Means sharing the same letter are not statistically significant. 2 G.30N was originally propagated from stool beds.

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NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 17 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

Testing rootstocks for the new orchard More detailed results will be published in the November issues of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. Tree fruit studies are by their nature, long term. There are three phases: One: the production phase (7-10 years) two: collecting and multiplication of the plant material (three to five years), three: growing the nursery trees (a three-year period). Remember, rootstocks are clones propagated in layering beds so that is why establishment time is needed. Results from earlier NC-140 trials such as the 1999 dwarf and semi-dwarf planting have been finalized and will soon be published. A five-year summary was published, for McIntosh (Table1). Survival across all sites was best for Cornell Geneva (CG) 4814, M.7 and M.26 EMLA, and G.30N. The most vigorous rootstock overall was M.7 and the least were M.26 EMLA and CG.4814. The smallest trees were on rootstocks M.26 EMLA, CG.4814, and CG.7707. ‘McIntosh’ on Supporter 4 (Pi80) produced trees smaller than M.7 but larger than M.26. Rootstocks M.7 EMLA and CG.4814 produced the greatest number of root suckers. Cumulative yield efficiency was the highest for trees on CG.4814 and G.30N rootstocks and the lowest for M.7 EMLA. Fruit size was largest on CG.7707, Supporter 4, M.26 EMLA, and G.30N rootstocks. Early results for a trial established in 1995 at Maine, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia show (Table 2) field performance after five years across the cultivars Cortland, Macoun, Pioneer Mac, and McIntosh. B.146, B. 469, and B. 491 are new dwarf Russian rootstocks. M.9 is a traditional East Malling dwarf rootstock. M.9 NAKBT337 is a Malling 9 rootstock selection. Mark is an introduction from Michigan. P.2 and P.16 are Polish introductions in the dwarf size category. V.1 and V.3 are Canadian introductions from the Vineland Research Station in Ontario. Across all varieties and sites survival was poorest for B. 146. Stocks with 100% survival were V. 1, V.3, and M.9. These were also good producers and promoted good fruit size. The smallest trees were on the rootstocks P.16, B.146, and B.491. The largest yield was on the largest trees with Mark as the rootstock. The poorest yield was on B.146, B.491, and P.16. When yield is adjusted for tree size (yield efficiency) the highest yield was on P.16 and the lowest was on B.146. Fruit size was largest on V.1, M.9, V.3, M.9 NAKBT337, Mark, and B.469. The smallest fruit were on trees with the B.146 rootstock. For rootstock recommendations in each production area contact your local research and extension personnel or websites such as Agrapoint (www.agrapoint.ca) or

University of Guelph (www.uoguelph.ca). This article is co-authored by Dr. Charles Embree, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Kentville, NS and Dr. John Cline, Associate Professor Tree Fruit Physiology, University of Guelph 1 langg@msu.edu 2 tlr1@cornell.edu 3 gf35@cornell.edu Figure 2. NC-140 Skeena Sweet Cherry rootstock/training trial 2010, Kentville NS site, photographed in early October. Gi3 is the most dwarfing rootstock. The training system is Tall Spindle Axe (TSA). The other systems not shown are Kym Green Bush (KGB) and Upright Fruiting Offshoots (UFO). This trial is also replicated in BC, IL and Mexico.

Rootstock Gi3

Rootstock Gi5

Rootstock Gi6

Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP) is the cost-share program associated with the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and can help you boost economic, production and environmental performance on your farm. COFSP and EFP are supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the Growing Forward Best Practices suite. What to expect for the 2011 cropping year: • Project Proposal Applications (PPA) will be available through the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) on November 15, 2010; • Projects started on or after September 15, 2010 may be eligible for cost-share; • All farm businesses with either livestock or poultry as a primary commodity must have a Premises Identification (PID) Number for the parcel of land where the project is proposed, and submit a copy of the PID certificate, issued by OnTrace, with the PPA. To register, contact OnTrace at www.ontraceagrifood.com or by calling toll-free 1-888-388-7223. This is a new requirement for the program; • The funding cap for BMP category 14 - Improved Cropping Systems has been adjusted to $5,000 per farm business; • BMP category 26 - Energy Conservation Measures for Agricultural Purposes has been expanded to accommodate renewable energy production for on-farm use; • BMP category 27 - Renewable Energy Production is no longer available. Speak to your local OSCIA Program Representative for details, or consult the OSCIA web site at www.ontariosoilcrop.org, or contact the OSCIA Guelph office at 1-800-265-9751.

Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

PAGE 18 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEEDS AND ROOTSTOCK

How to pick a peck of seeds year, there were more Sheppardstyle peppers grown as well as niche varieties such as Kapello peppers, a smaller, personal-sized Sheppard. When it comes to carrots, large carrot growers are fussy about taste and texture. Honeysnax is a brand new variety in the cut-andpeel category developed for its flavour as a fresh product. Canadian growers compete with California in this niche so flavour, texture and yield are all important. For those using high tunnels, seed selection shifts again for longer-season varieties. In red peppers, for instance, growers look for a more indeterminate variety for the longer harvesting period. The fruit characteristics

Sales reps Paul Banks (L) and Jim Robinson examine carrot trials for Stokes Seeds. The ‘buy local’ trend has affected the entire value chain, right to the seed companies. According to Jim Inksetter, Canadian sales manager, Stokes Seeds, growers are looking for flavour and texture to satisfy that consumer need at roadside stands, farmers’ markets and green grocers. “Consumer trends have been more nebulous in the past,” says Inksetter. “But the local trend – however you define local – has meant vegetables are picked closer to maturity.” Sweet corn is one of the best examples. The Florida product that consumers eat in May can’t compare with the flavour from local sweet corn in August. For Canadian growers, it’s very tempting to go early to market for seven dollars per dozen corn but for some varieties, an extra three to five days for the sugars to develop are a better guarantee of consumer satisfaction. Stokes’ sweet corn varieties – Awesome, Stellar and Fantastic – have become reliable choices for many growers. While bicoloured corn may be the most popular in the marketplace, growers and consumers will shift if it means a better taste experience. Vision yellow corn is one of Stokes’ best eating, says Inksetter and has resulted in a new local favourite and colour. From a production perspective, two new corn varieties in the Gourmet Sweet line-up – 7143 and 2873 – will be offered in 2011 that offer improved rust tolerance. That can translate into fewer fungicide applications and more predictable yield. Tomatoes are another vegetable that must satisfy taste buds. “Primo Red delivered in 2010 with good yields, large fruit and good flavour,” says Inksetter. It matured very early this season, as early as July 15 in southern Ontario. It’s a variety that is more resistant to “grey wall,” a problem in many earlier-maturing varieties. Despite recent media coverage

of ethnic vegetables, Inksetter is not seeing a dramatic change in demand at the seed level.

However, there are more incremental shifts in some categories such as red bell peppers. This past

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NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 19 THE GROWER

Flexibility offered in three-in-one vegetable planter At the recent Canadian Outdoor Farm Show, AULARI Industry, a planter/seeder/applicator manufacturer in Quebec, launched the ALR 2103AM, a multipurpose tool to meet the needs of small and medium size veggie, turf and cash crop farm operators. This piece of equipment can apply fertilizer with high precision, plant small and medium sized seeds and plant corn or soybeans. The pneumatic fertilizer applicator can side dress fertilizer using patented disks that insure consistency of application along with planting or later in the growing season. The ALR 2103AM can also blow fertilizer into an application boom ensuring high accuracy across the working width. Boom size ranges from 30 to 40 feet wide. The nozzles on the applica-

Auditor training offered QMI-SAI Global, Certification Body for the CanadaGAP Program, will be holding its next CanadaGAP Auditor Training Session, November 2 - 4, 2010 at the QMI-SAI Global Office in Toronto. The course entails three days of classroom training including a final exam and is designed to train potential auditors specifically for the CHC CanadaGAP Program. It includes an intensive review of the OFFS manual requirements, with the incorporation of practical examples specific to commodity or region. Who should consider taking this course? This session may be of interest if: • You wish to train to become a CanadaGAP auditor • You are responsible for the food safety program within your company, and/or you are conducting internal audits in preparation for CanadaGAP certification. Participants must first prequalify by familiarizing themselves with a CHC OFFS Manual in advance of the training and successfully completing a precourse assignment. It is the responsibility of those wishing to become CanadaGAP auditors to review and ensure they can meet the CHC auditor qualifications and requirements. Before registering, please ensure you review the full list of requirements at: www.canadagap.ca/en/canadagapprogram/auditors.aspx#training The cost of the workshop is $899. Participants will need a copy of the Combined Vegetable OFFS Manual and Appendices in order to complete the assignment. For further information contact: Maryana Glavan, QMI-SAI Global at (416) 401-8708 or email maryana.glavan@qmisaiglobal.com.

tion boom are positioned at 30 or 36 inches apart to meet most crop requirements but can be moved easily for any other crop needs. Planters or seeders are attached on a three-point hitch behind the ALR 2103AM which can support corn planters ranging from four to eight rows, single or dual. The fertilizer hopper size is smaller compared to AULARI Industry’s most popular models and also needs only one axel. The ALR 2103AM uses a simplified lifting device supported by only two small cylinders. The philosophy behind this new concept is to have a very versatile machine to save costs to small farm operators but saves 30 minutes up to one hour to modify the machine for each use. A lighter construction involving less manufacturing time allows AULARI

Industry to offer a very competitive price. This planter/seeder/ applicator targets the needs of vegetable growers and turf producers with tractors ranging from 50 to 100 hp. AULARI Industry designs and manufactures farm equipment helping farm operators to increase crop output and returns on investments. It answers the needs of corn, cereals, soybeans as well as vegetables and turf producers, whatever their operation size is. The strengths of AULARI Industry are to innovate, adapt to its market needs and give an excellent after-sale service. AULARI products are high quality and reliable. For information 1-877-8922126 or email sales@aulari.com or visit www.aulari.com.

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PAGE 20 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Pest profile: raspberry crown borer By Maryam Sultan and Pam Fisher, OMAFRA The raspberry crown borer is a clearwing moth, similar in appearance to a yellow jacket wasp. It measures approximately 25mm in length and has a wingspan of about 30mm. The adult can be seen basking on raspberry foliage during the day (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Raspberry crown borer adult on raspberry leaf measuring about 25 mm in length. Crown borer larvae are white with a light brown head. They possess three pairs of very small true legs and four pairs of prolegs (Figure 2). They range in size from a few mm to 30mm when fully grown. They are found in the raspberry crown where they feed and tunnel into crown tissue. As they

feed, they deposit reddish brown, granular frass behind them. Their burrowing severely damages the crown and eventually affects above-ground tissue. The canes become weak and spindly and fruiting canes often collapse while the fruit is still immature. Foliage may wilt and die on affected canes. Eventually, primocanes become so few in number that the planting dies out. Damage from this pest can often go unnoticed for some time. Symptoms are sometimes confused with winter injury, or Phytophthora root rot. To diagnose the problem accurately, use a spade to dig up crowns of weak plants. Shake away the soil and examine the crown for reddish-brown frass and tunnels. Use hand-pruners to cut the crowns carefully to look for crown borer larvae in and around the damaged area (Figure 3). In late fall and early spring, tug on affected canes. If crown borer is the culprit, the affected cane will usually break off at the base, revealing larvae and frass below. Biology The raspberry crown borer has a two-year life cycle. In late July, August and September females lay single, reddish-brown eggs on the underside of young leaves. The adult is active for about one week. Females can lay around 140 eggs

in this time. The larvae emerge about one to two months after egg-laying and migrate down to the base of the cane. Each larva overwinters in a hibernaculum below the soil surface. In the spring, they begin boring tunnels and cavities into the crown tissue. The larvae also feed

Figure 2: Raspberry crown borer larva from the side showing its three sets of true legs close to the light brown head. Only two of four pairs of prolegs are shown. on and girdle roots and other canes belonging to the same crown. They spend their second winter within the roots of the plant. During July of the second summer, pupation occurs inside the crown and mature adult crown borers

Figure 3: Raspberry crown borer larvae tunnelling into crown tissue. The arrow points at frass associated with larval feeding. emerge between late July and September. Management and Control Researchers are working on the development of a pheromone lure to attract adult insects but these are not yet available. Field sanitation, clean pruning and habitat management will help to reduce pressure from this pest. Remove nearby wild brambles to reduce the likelihood of infestations. Prune out and destroy old canes each spring, cutting them as close to the ground as possible, to destroy larvae overwintering at the base of the cane. Keep grass mowed short and weeds under control to reduce the shelter they provide to adults during the egglaying period. Several insecticides are registered for control of raspberry crown borer. Diazinon 50W and Diazinon 500 EC: These products provide excellent control of raspberry crown borer. Spray in early spring, to control young larvae before they tunnel into the crown. Apply in a high volume of water per hectare as a drench to crowns and base of plants. Apply when new primocanes are less than 10 cm above ground. Because this pest

has a two-year life cycle, two applications, one year apart, are necessary for control. Although many uses of diazinon are being phased out, a few limited uses, including control of raspberry crown borer, remain for now. Guthion 50 WSB and Sniper: These products are also very effective for crown borer larvae, but they are very toxic to the applicator and have long re-entry periods. The spray is targeted to young larvae before they tunnel into the crown. Apply in late September or early October in a high volume of water per hectare as a drench to crowns and base of plants. These products are being phased out and can be used on raspberries for crown borer control no later than December 31, 2012. Altacor: This product was registered in August 2010 through the minor use registration program and will require more careful timing for control. It is effective on early instar larvae, which must ingest the product to be affected. The product must be present on foliage and eggs, to control hatching larvae in mid-late summer. We need more field experience with this product in order to develop the best strategy for raspberry crown borer control.

Observations on day-neutral strawberry varieties By Pam Fisher, OMAFRA Five day-neutral strawberry varieties were set out at four grower sites this summer. Here are some background notes and preliminary observations made by OMAFRA summer students. Thanks to the Ontario Berry Growers Association for funding these and other variety trials through the Farm Innovation Program in 2010. Thanks also to OMAFRA students Kara Pate and Patrick Clendinning and to the growers who hosted these trials. Seascape Seascape is a cross between the cultivars Selva and Douglas, and was developed by the University of California 1991. Seascape is the standard variety for Ontario and is widely grown due to its high yields. Fruit is firm, medium to long conic in shape, bright red in colour and good quality. Fruit are flavourful with an intense, sometimes unpleasant aroma in summer. Seascape produces high yields in August and early September. It is susceptible to two-spotted spider mite and extremely susceptible to powdery mildew, which causes small, seedy fruit as well red blotching on the foliage. Ripe fruit is easily damaged by rain. In Ontario, Seascape is the most winter hardy of these day neutral varieties. Albion Albion is a cross between Diamante and a numbered advanced selection from California. Albion produces orange-red firm tasty fruit, with lower yields than Seascape. Fruit is conical in shape and ripens from the tip towards the top. The fruit has excellent quality

and excellent flavour. It is less winter hardy and fruits later in the season than Seascape. Although the patent information for Albion suggests it is apparently resistant to Phytophthora crown rot, anthracnose crown rot, and verticillium wilt, we have seen all of these diseases on Albion in Ontario. When treated properly Albion has a resistance to two-spotted spider mites. Albion is becoming a favourite in Ontario due to its excellent flavour and quality.

rot. We have observed consistently earlier and greater yields from Portola compared to other day-neutral varieties for first year pickings. However, Portola is not as flavourful nor as sweet as Albion, and had the poorest flavour of all five varieties tested. It had a lower percentage of marketable berries, mostly due to botrytis and fruit rots. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario, but testing is in progress.

Monterey Monterey is a cross between Albion and a numbered advanced selection from California. Monterey is similar to Albion in some respects. The fruit itself is very sweet and slightly larger than Albion. However, it is easier to damage because the skin is softer. Monterey has good disease resistance qualities, although it is susceptible to powdery mildew. It has a similar production period as Albion with slightly stronger flowering. The plant is very vigorous so it requires slightly more space than Albion. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario so far.

San Andreas San Andreas is a cross between Albion and a numbered advanced selection. San Andreas was very late to come into production in our 2010 trial plantings, although reports from other regions indicate it has a similar production period to Albion. In our trials, yield was very low until early September. Fruit was very attractive, large, very firm, bright red and attractive. It has a lighter colour than Albion and a fairly sweet taste. Plants were noticeably healthier and had less leaf disease than the other varieties in the trial. The plant is resistant to powdery mildew and leaf blight. However, it is reported to be susceptible to botrytis and viral infections. Winter hardiness has not been tested in Ontario.

Portola Portola is a cross between two advanced selections from California. The fruit are produced on long petioles, are orange-red colour and very shiny, almost plastic looking. The berries are the same to larger in size compared to Albion. Portola has a vigorous plant and may require lower plant density than Albion. The cultivar is slightly resistant to powdery mildew, but it is susceptible to leaf blight and botrytis fruit

Making a decision Each year I review variety recommendations with a committee of researchers, growers, and plant propagators. Currently, Seascape and Albion are recommended for limited or regional planting in Ontario. For the most up-to-date variety recommendations, see “Recommended Berry Varieties for Ontario” at www.omafra.gov.on.ca.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 21 THE GROWER

Pre-mulch weed control options for strawberries By Pam Fisher and Kristen Callow, OMAFRA and Rob Nurse, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Late fall is an important window for weed control in matted row strawberries. The time-frame is before the ground is frozen and before mulch is applied in November or December, but after plants are dormant. Herbicides applied at this timing will prevent weed-seed germination next spring. The herbicide you choose depends on the spectrum of weed control, soil type, previous applications and herbicide tolerance of the varieties in your fields. Traditionally, Sinbar or Devrinol were used at this pre-mulch timing. Growers now have two more choices for this late fall application: Chateau and Goal. If you choose one of these newer herbicides before mulching, you can use Devrinol and Sinbar at other timings, when they can be targeted for specific weed problems. Remember that each of these herbicides has residual soil activity that will affect germination of Product information

Weeds controlled

Figure 1: Injury to strawberry foliage from drift of Chateau herbicide. cover crops for some months after application. If next year will be the last harvesting year for your planting, see the product label for plantback restrictions. Frequently asked questions about pre-mulch herbicide application: Can I tank-mix these herbicides? Herbicides can be legally tankStrengths

Weaknesses

mixed as long as all products are registered for use in strawberries. However, if the tank-mix is not listed on the herbicide label, the grower must accept the risks of increased crop injury and/or reduced weed control which could result from the mixing. When tank-mixing herbicides it is important to make sure that there is no overlapping of mode of action; Comments

ReMax entry #/yr interval 1 12 hours

Devrinol 50 DF Annual grasses Strawberries Breaks down in sun- Provides no activity (napropamide) and some annu- are very toler- light. Weed control on emerged weeds. PCP# 25231 al broad-leaved ant to Devrinol, can be sporadic and This herbicide can weeds includ- phytotoxicity is is improved by also be safely applied Group 15 ing chickweed, minor when immediate incorpo- after mulch is groundsel, registered rates ration with irriga- removed in spring, purslane, pig- are used. tion or rainfall. when it is most effecweed, common tive for groundsel ragweed, suppression. lamb’s-quarters. Sinbar Annual grasses Economical, Can cause severe Higher rates may 3 (terbacil) and some annu- providing con- injury to strawberry damage strawberry PCP# 10628 al broad-leaved trol of many plants, especially on roots and foliage. Group 5 weeds includ- winter annuals lighter soil types. Apply in at least 300 ing chickweed, and mustards Varieties such as L of water /ha and mustards, (especially Annapolis, Mira, ensure the product is prickly lettuce, when low rates Kent are especially washed off leaves henbit, are used at susceptible, but with a light rain or purslane, pig- Labour Day many more varieties irrigation after appliweed, common timing) can be injured. cation. On lighter soil ragweed, Does not provide types, Sinbar damage lamb’s-quarters effective control of from the fall applicamost annual grasses. tion frequently shows up in the spring when new strawberry roots grow into Sinbar residues in treated soils. Chateau Herbicide WG (flumioxazin) PCP# 29231 Group 14

Goal 2XL (oxyflourfen) PCP # 24913 Group 14

Annual broadleaved weeds such as pigweed, ragweed lamb’squarters, nightshade, dandelion, plus several other hard to control weeds.

Provides resid- Causes spotting and ual activity for damage to strawberseveral months ry foliage on nonagainst many dormant plants. hard to control weeds in strawberries.

Requires soil moisture for activation. Binds tightly to soil particles and can be moved on blowing soil or flooded soils. Do not use on finetextured soils.

12 hours

Purslane, night- Provides excel- Does not provide Days to harvest inter- 1 shade, piglent control of effective control of val is 150 days. weed, buckseveral difficult most annual grasses. Prevents weed seed wheat, lamb’s- strawberry Causes spotting and germination but will quarters, field weeds and damage to strawber- also control small pansy, and seems to have a ry foliage on non- weed seedlings (2-4 oxalis (combroader spec- dormant plants. leaf stage) mon wood sor- trum than is Do not apply to sandy rel). suggested on soil. the label.

24 hours

that the spectrum of weeds controlled by each product is complementary and that all products are still being applied at their registered timings and rates. For example, a grower might tank-mix Sinbar and Devrinol if both field pansy and common groundsel are problems. However, tank-mixing two “hot” herbicides, such as Sinbar and Chateau, would be considered risky. How do I know when strawberries are dormant? Dormancy in strawberries is a moving target. It is affected by the variety, as well as changing daylength and temperatures. An old rule of thumb for when to apply mulch is after several hard frosty nights but before snowfall.

As plants become dormant, strawberry growth slows down and foliage flattens out. Colour is not always an indication of strawberry plant dormancy, but some varieties will turn red in the fall when they are dormant. When plants are dormant, there should be no new growth coming from the crown. A rule of thumb for safe Chateau application is to apply it after American Thanksgiving, in late November. Can I apply Chateau in spring? Do not apply Chateau or Goal to matted row plantings in spring. Strawberry plants are not dormant in the spring. Root growth begins again when soil temperatures are 5-10 C.

Food safety tip: hand sanitizers By Sandra Jones, Crops On-Farm Food Safety Program Lead While both alcohol-based and alcohol-free hand sanitizers are effective, current studies show the “downside” of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and the “upside” of safer, more environmentally friendly of alcohol-free products. Alcohol-based products are more flammable, tend to be very drying on skin, and there have been instances of ingestion and alcohol-poisoning. The alcohol-free products often use the organic compound benzalkonium chloride as the active ingredient which has been known as an effective antibacterial agent. Benzalkonium chloride has little effect on skin and is commonly used in hand and face washes. While the alcohol-based sanitizers are still slightly less expensive, the alcohol-free products are said to be more cost effective. Remember that washing with soap and water is still the first choice. However, when that is not an option, try an alcohol-free product rather than one with alcohol.

PAGE 22 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Buying Ontario berry plants

30th North American Strawberry Growers Association Annual Meeting in conjunction with the

7th North American Strawberry Symposium February 8-11, 2011 Tampa, Florida “Sustaining Strawberry Production through Science”

The Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA) has operated a recognized Plant Propagation Program for many years. The program is based on plant growers purchasing clean planting stock from our tissue culture lab in New Liskeard. Upon receiving these clean plants propagators must then follow a strict set of guidelines developed by the Achene committee of the OBGA in consultation with experts at OMAFRA, University of Guelph and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. As part of the requirements plant growers fumigate the land being utilized to grow plants at all stages of the program prior to planting. Nematode testing must be done in the fall to ensure the soil meets the requirements set out in the guidelines. Field inspections are done twice each growing season on both strawberries and raspberries. The inspector monitors for signs of insect, disease and virus and also makes sure that the plantings are being grown to the specifications of the propagation guidelines. In 2009 and 2010 only one plant propagator in Ontario was inspected and met the plant propagation

guidelines. That farm is Strawberry Tyme Farms in Simcoe Ontario. The OBGA strongly recommends that you only purchase plants from a grower that produces plants under a recognized provincial or state program. Many of our berry varieties are grown under licence agreements and growers who purchase those plants are required to pay royalties. These royalties are very important as they are returned to the inventor of the variety so that further breeding and research can be funded. In addition to royalties, Ontario propagators have to collect a $5/1000 check-off fee that goes to the OBGA to fund research and promotion activities. Again the only farm in Ontario to submit royalty and check-off fees for the past two years is Strawberry Tyme Farms. To protect yourself from purchasing illegal plants you can ask your propagator to include a statement that the plants were produced within the terms of their license agreement. If you have any questions about the Ontario Plant Propagation Program feel free to contact the OBGA office at 613-258-4587 or info@ontarioberrries.com

OMAFRA resources for new farmers: Visit this website for a collection of resources on the OMAFRA website to help new farmers meet the challenges of starting a new farm. www.Ontario.ca/NewFarmer The new farmer collection offers links to: • skill development, • business planning,

• marketing and various other subjects. Who is new farmer? • the next generation intending to take over the family farm, • a recent university graduate, • someone new to our country or • an individual embarking on an entirely new career.

The Ontario Berry Grower is edited by: Pam Fisher Berry Crop Specialist, OMAFRA, Box 587, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 519-426-2238 pam.fisher@ontario.ca

Margaret Appleby IPM Systems Specialist, OMAFRA 95 Dundas St., R.R.#3 Brighton, ON K0K 1H0 613-475-5850 margaret.appleby@ontario.ca

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Speakers from 14 countries as well as 12 States and Provinces. Plus! Special Guest Speaker and Marketing Expert “Bill McCurry” This very special, combined meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, Tampa Westshore in Tampa, Florida on February 8–11, 2011. There will be a complimentary Post-Conference tour of the Plant City growing area, and the University of Florida Balm Research Center. February 8th will lead into the conference with four afternoon workshops that will focus on Water and Nutritional Management, Nursery propagation and production physiology, Molecular biology and biotechnology (Diploid strawberry sequencing workshop) and Organic Production. These will be casual workshops with lots of open discussion. The evening will feature a welcome reception with a special guest speaker. On February 9th a general session will feature talks that will be of interest to both growers and researchers and end with Bill McCurry discussing marketing. Concurrent sessions on February 10th will feature NASS scientific presentations and NASGA grower profiles and marketing sessions. The conference will conclude with our field tour on Friday February 11th. For more information or to register visit www.nasga.org or contact Kevin Schooley at 613-258-4587 info@nasga.org

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 23 THE GROWER

New charity to focus on public trust and confidence in Canadian food and farming By Lilian Schaer A new charitable foundation that will support outreach programs pertaining to farmers, farms and food was unveiled in Guelph last month. The Farm Care Foundation, launched by AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC), will support activities focused on the core objective of the two organizations: ensuring public trust and confidence in food and farming. More than 95 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Ipsos-Reid in 2009 indicated they knew little or nothing about farming, yet almost two thirds said they would like to know more. Studies also show that the credibility of farmers and third party experts, such as veterinarians and university scientists, continues to be high. “The interest in food and farming has never been greater and the opportunities for farmers and the entire agri-food sector to tell their stories continue to grow,” says Crystal Mackay, Executive Director of AGCare and OFAC. “The success of the Farm Care Foundation will be instrumental in broadening the reach of agriculture’s voice and work towards ensuring public confidence in food and farming.” The new foundation, a registered charity that is a separate entity from both OFAC and AGCare, will focus on several key objectives, including building relationships with new donors and developing an effective and professional fundraising program to support OFAC and AGCare initiatives, such as regional and national agri-food awareness and issue-specific work related to the environment and farm animal care. The concept for the foundation was originally identified at a strategy session of the Ontario Farm Animal Council board of directors in 2008. Both AGCare and OFAC are

increasingly challenged to expand their communications efforts, while at the same time dealing with a narrowing funding base due to amalgamation and other structural changes in the industry. An aging farm population, transition of wealth between generations and support from throughout the supply chain beyond the farm gate were all identified as opportunities for increased funding support and helped move the search for a new, sustainable funding model forward.

Vision: Farm Care Foundation - Public Trust and Confidence in Canadian Food and Farming Mission: To raise and manage funds to enhance public trust and confidence in Canadian food and farming “We’re building this foundation with the future in mind,” says Mackay. “This new charity will provide a venue and an opportunity for individuals, organizations and companies from across Canada to contribute to the future of

farming and a dedicated communications program.” One member of each of the OFAC and AGCare board executives have been appointed as trustees in order to help maintain a common sense of purpose between the Foundation and the two organizations. Currently, trustees represent the farm, animal health, processing, feed, banking, innovation and crop protection sectors. Bruce Christie, a past OFAC chair, was elected as chair of the Farm Care Foundation board at its inaugural meeting in September. Ian McKillop, a beef, cash crop and egg farmer and former President of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, was elected vice chair; John Geurtjens of Farm Credit Canada was elected chair of the Finance Committee and Paul Wettlaufer, AGCare Chair, and John Maaskant, OFAC Chair, will co-chair the very important Fundraising Committee. OFAC / AGCare staff will serve as Secretary to the Board in a non-voting capacity. Early goals of the new foundation are to develop a fundraising strategy and plan, says Mackay, as well as implement policies around raising and managing funds. AGCare and OFAC have recently signed a memorandum of understanding as part of an ongoing amalgamation process that will see a new organization with a single voice for public outreach activities. Technical working groups focused on environment and animal welfare will be maintained. The amalgamated organization is expected to be in place by 2012. More information on the new Farm Care Foundation and how to donate to its new efforts can be found at www.farmcarefoundation.ca or by contacting the AGCare office at 519.837.1326.

OFVGA 152nd Annual Meeting and Convention Silent auction contributors Below is a list of the generous contributors who have donated items to the association on behalf of the 152nd annual general meeting. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity. Sherwood Marketing Jack & Gjan Scott Plasponics KlipKit Cindy & Steve Clay Parks Blueberries Kwazar Sprayers Ayr Farmers Mutual Sarjeant Co. Ltd Data Media Clients of The Grower Union Gas Richmond Motors, Chatham Van Kesteren Hyundai Pride Seeds Pioneer Canada McGrail Farm Equipment

The Links of Kent: Golf Club Deer Run Golf Course Janzen Equipment R J Equipment Ricter Web Printing Comfort Inn, Chatham Blenheim Chrysler Landini, McCormick Canada Delhaven Orchards Ltd. Smith & Wilson Winery Country View Golf Course Reif Estate Winery Travelodge, Chatham Comfort Inn, Chatham Red Pine Inn, Alliston Boston Pizza, Chatham

Casa Bella, Chatham T-Bones Steak House, Chatham Borealis Grille & Bar, Guelph Licks Hamburgers, Guelph Shoeless Joe’s, Guelph Kent Farm Supplies Ltd. Blenheim Community Golf Club Baldoon Golf Club Deer Run Golf Course Ridgetown Golf Club Tilbury Gulf Club Via Rail Viewpoint Estate Winery Sunnybrook Farm Estate Winery Tim Hortons Head Office Cardinal Golf Club

Ayr Turf & Trac Inc. Lailey Vineyard Winery Strewn Winery Stonechurch Vineyard Data Media Swiss Chalet Boston Pizza Turtle Jacks Aberfoyle Mill Talisman Resort Country View Golf Club Peller Estates Winery Sunnybrook Estate Winery Ontario Beekeepers Association City of Guelph, Tourism City of Niagara Falls

Bank Of Nova Scotia Landini, McCormick Canada Kubota Canada John Deere, Agraturf Union Gas Red Pine Inn, Alliston Pelee Days Inn, Leamington Crown Plaza, Niagara Falls Supreme Full Service Car Wash Diamond Detailing Farm Credit Canada Guelph City Mazda Victoria Park Golf Club, Guelph

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

OFVGA Annual General Meeting and Convention Policy As the OFVGA prepares for its 152nd annual meeting, the association would like to remind its member organizations of the following policy – put in place in 2004-05 – in order to ensure proper delegate preparation and resolutions submission. • All member organizations are entitled to one (1) delegate per 50 members within their respective organizations, maximum of five (5). • All member organizations are to provide to the OFVGA the number of its active membership. • All resolutions should be brought forward, in writing, by December 15 of each year. • Any of the member organizations who are required to submit their director’s name in advance (currently seven of the 10 board affiliates) should do so by December 15 of each year.

NOTICE is hereby given that the

152nd Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting of the

Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Association will be held in

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

PAGE 24 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Survey on innovation and labour issues Deadline: November 30 The Horticulture Value Chain Roundtable is one of several federally-sponsored industry roundtables. It is composed of growers, retailers, associations, and other representatives along with government policy staff. Labour is one of the areas identified as critical to the competitiveness of the horticulture sector. The following areas need the greatest attention. 1. Innovation 2. Promotion of the Sector and Career Awareness 3. Management and Technical Skills Capacity 4. Government Policy and Regulations Many firms along the entire value chain face issues such as having very labour-intensive operations and the associated costs while also not having enough access to an adequate supply of employees, among other issues. Our ‘Labour Innovation subcommittee’ is developing ways to address concerns from across the entire horticulture sector. Our objectives include: a status check of labour-related innovation in the sector, which innovations we should target for action, identification of gaps in government and private-sector activities, and sharing knowledge along the entire horticulture value chain. The most important part of this process is getting your valuable input, says Brian Gilroy, a member of the Roundtable

Innovation and Labour Issues Survey for the Horticulture Sector Questions: 1) a) Which province(s)/territory is your operation(s) located? British Columbia___ Alberta___ Saskatchewan___ Manitoba___ Ontario___ Quebec___ New Brunswick___ Nova Scotia___ Prince Edward Island (PEI)___ Newfoundland and Labrador___ b) Which sub-sector(s) of horticulture is your operation(s) involved with? Asparagus, Sweet Corn, & Legumes___ Bulb and Root Vegetables___ Fruiting Vegetables___ Greenhouse Production___ Potatoes___ Leafy Vegetable & Cruciferae___ Small Fruit___ Tree and Vine Fruit___ Landscape, Trees, Non-Greenhouse Ornamentals____ c) Which commodity (ies) do you grow, handle, process, etc. (ex. carrots, apples, flowers, etc.)? d) If you are not a primary producer, briefly describe your operation

and its position within the horticulture value chain? (Please choose all that apply)

operation would benefit most from additional innovation/automation? (Choose all that apply):

Input Supplier___ Packer___ Processor___ Distributor___ Wholesaler___ Retailer___ Other______________________

Planting___ Pruning___ Pest Management___ Harvesting___ Packing___ Storage___ Distribution___ Display___ Other (please describe) ___________________________

e) Would you consider your operation to be small, average, or large relative to others in your subsector? f) Approximately what percentage (%) of your expenses is composed of labour related costs? 0-20 %___ 21-40 %___ 41-60 %___ >60%___ 2) When compared to other operations in your sub-sector, in regards to the introduction of labour saving technologies, would you consider yourself to be: An innovator (the first 2.5% to take up a new technology)___ An early adopter (the next 12.5%)___ A majority adopter (after the first 15%)___ Other_______________________ 3) How automated (mechanized) would you consider your operation to be?: Very automated___ Somewhat automated___ Not automated___ Unknown___ 4) a) Please describe any specific innovative measures that you have undertaken recently to reduce your labour related costs. b) Please describe any specific innovative measures that you would like to undertake in the future to reduce your labour related costs: c) If you have not yet or are not planning to implement any innovative or labour saving technologies in your operation but would like to, what would you say are your biggest challenges to doing so: (Choose all that apply) Capital investment required is too high___ Unable to get financing___ Estimated return on investment (ROI) too low___ Lack of training/know-how required to implement___ Difficulty in sourcing technology (e.g. need to import from overseas)___ No appropriate technology available___ Other (please describe) ___________________________ 5) What specific areas within your

6) What type of gains in competitive advantage could be realized through types of innovation/ automation chosen in question #6?: (Choose all that apply)

Unknown___ b) Please identify the source of the technology transfer assistance available to you: (Choose all that apply) University/Colleges___ Industry Association___ Provincial Government___ Federal Government___ Equipment Supplier___ Trade Shows___ Other (please describe) ___________________________ 8) a) Is there capital funding available to assist with the financing of innovative technologies for your operations?

Reduced labour costs___ Higher level of employee safety___ Higher productivity___ Enhanced product quality___ Enhanced food safety___ Other (please describe) ___________________________

Yes___ No___ Unknown___

7) a) Do you think that there is currently adequate training available to you to assist in the transfer of innovative technology to your operation?

Financial institutions (banks, credit unions, Farm Credit Canada, etc.)___ Provincial Government___ Federal Government___ Private Funding (venture capital, family, etc.)___ Equipment Suppliers___

Yes___ No___

b) If yes, what are sources of funding available to you? (Please choose more than one if applicable):

Self-financing___ Other (please describe) ___________________________ 9) What would you consider to be a reasonable return on investment (ROI) (capital payback) in years for an investment in innovative technology?: 1-2 years___ 3-5 years___ 6-10 years___ 10 or more years___ 10) What other ideas do you have, related to innovative technology or automation (mechanization), that will help improve labour productivity in your sector? (Note: this could include ideas from other countries, other sectors, academia, etc.) Go to the website to fill out this survey at www.agsurvey. hostedincanadasurveys.ca/index .php?sid=49198&lang=en. Or tear out this page and forward to: OVFGA, c/o Brian Gilroy 105-355 Elmira Road North Guelph, ON N1K 1S5 Deadline for survey November 30, 2010.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 25 THE GROWER

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

BIN CARRIERS NEW AND USED

TUNNELS

IRRIGATION

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

Several Models: 5-Bin or 6-Bin, Tandem Axles or Single Axle With Soft-Ride Flotation Tires, Narrow, Low Profile Model With Adjustable Width Axles For Plastic or Wood Bins Apple Bin Dumpers (Rotator) - Fit Forklift or Tractor Loader Flail Mulchers in Stock: Grind Up Old Leaves, Prunings, Grass & Debris After Harvest - Seppi 6 1/2 Ft. Flail - Almost New $5,900 - Seppi 8 Ft Flail - Low Hours, Like New - Coming - Perfect 7 Ft H.D. Flail - New - At Last Year Pricing Turbo-Mist: New Orchard/Vineyard Sprayers and Stainless Steel Low-Drift Spray Towers Arriving in October. Plan Early For Next Year. Best Wishes for a Prosperous Harvest Wanted: For Cash, Trade, or Consignment Clean Sprayers, Mowers, Bin Carriers, Narrow Orchard Tractors

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

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CLASSIFIEDS For Sale: One used Swanson 300 Gallon orchard sprayer. Stainless steel tank and stainless steel adjustable tunnels with Myers centrifugal pump. Call 905-5842584

FREIGHT SERVICE

Warehousing & Distribution Transborder Freight Services. For additional information please contact us directly or visit our website shown below PHONE: 905-672-6255 FAX: 905-672-6322 website: www.cole.ca email: info@cole.ca Servicing your import and export requirements since 1958

For Sale: 80 HP Hydro Chiller. Complete. Shower pumps. Everything complete. Good working condition. Contact Fred at 519521-3636

To place your classified in The Grower, call 519-763-8728 ext 221 or email classifieds @thegrower.org

www.thegrower.org

REAL ESTATE

PAGE 26 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

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

TRACEABILITY www.ScoringAg.com SEE home page OPEN Search CHOOSE SSI-EID INPUT SSI_43E955278F SEE the Traceback record Worldwide, Simple, Secure and Inexpensive.

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LLOYD BAG CO.

FRUIT & VEGETABLE PACKAGING

(www.lloydbag.com)

Established in 1939

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

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

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

A large INVENTORY of all types of packaging. We can deliver your order DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR. For current, competitive pricing call

1-800-265-2397 Wellington Wood Products 410 Sligo Road West Mount Forest, ON N0G 2L0 519-323-1060 wwp@wightman.ca

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

www.wwp.on.ca Wellington Wood Products 1587 "B" County Road 34 Ruthven, ON N0P 2G0 519-326-2394

LENO MESH

COTTON AND CANVAS FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

MARK ALLOTT General Manager

BEV ADDEMAN

JASON LONG

Sales

1-800-549-2247 114 St. Clair Street • P.O. Box 208, Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K3

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

LOUTH & NIAGARA ORCHARDS P.O. Box 43 • Virgil, Ontario • L0S 1T0 • 905-468-3297

Supplying Fruit and Vegetable Growers with: • Baskets • Masters • Fertilizer

• Berry Boxes • Waxed Cartons • Crop Protection Material

Mesh Plastic Berry Quarts Distributor for Baskpac Plastic Baskets

VISIT www.thegrower.org www.ofvga.org

PRUNING Good Reasons to Contract Your Pruning: • Experienced crew • Exact costing • Free estimates • Job completion on time • No additional costs associated with general labour • Improved quality • reduced harvesting and maintenance costs

Available anywhere in Ontario! Simply the best approach to this important factor of fruit production

Call Dave (519) 372-0604

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 27 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE

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

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Learn from the experts! 1VPU V\Y ÄLSK [V\Y VM /H`NYV]LZ in Britain Sept. 26-29, call to register (deadline Aug 13)

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Trioplus Stretch Wrap The new generation of balewrap.

A product from Trioplast should always improve your business!

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KOOL JET

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www.kooljet.com

Visit our website to view our complete line

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Eco-Light 21831 Cooks Road, Mt. Brydges, Ontario Office: 519-264-2708 John Pol: 519-868-4330 j.pol@sympatico.ca

One-Piece and Portable Skid-Mount Systems, HydroCoolers, Medical and Process Chillers, Blast Freezers, Vacuum Coolers, Refrigerated Dehumidiﬁers. Custom Built Designs • Domestic and International Markets

PAGE 28 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Sticky traps help in greenhouse pest monitoring New sticky traps were on display at the recent Canadian Greenhouse Conference. Growers and scouts are not able to be in all places at once, unlike the greenhouse pests. Sticky traps can be your extra eyes, says Stacey Hickman, Natural Insect Control. Often overlooked as early detection and a management tool of greenhouse pests, these Swedish-manufactured traps are an easy way to monitor your crop around the clock. Sticky traps will trap pest insects such as winged aphids, whiteflies, thrips, leaf miners, fungus gnats and shore flies. These traps may catch the odd beneficial insect, Hickman says, but that is a sure indicator beneficial insects are flying in the crop. The number of traps depends on your target pest and your plant spacing. For example, monitoring for thrips may require one trap per 929m2 (10,000 ft2), while whitefly monitoring may need one trap per 92 m2 (1,000 ft2). In propagation areas, traps should be placed one trap per 185 m2 (2000

cially for thrips. However some pests, such as fungus gnats and shore flies may be caught with horizontal traps at bench or potting surface. Silvandersson Sticky Traps are available in yellow for whiteflies, fungus gnats and aphids, and blue for thrip. The cards are reproduced on a grid for easy counting and on polyethylene coated cardboard that is water resistant and bio-degradable. The formulation of the glue on these traps allows the pests to become trapped without your fingers becoming covered in sticky glue. Silvandersson sticky traps have been thoroughly researched resulting in an effective glue and correct pattern to attract and trap insects. While sticky traps are a valuable tool for any greenhouse, they do not replace regular plant inspections. For more information, contact: Natural Insect Control, 905-3822904 or nic@niagara.com.

Sticky traps. ft2), however in growing areas a trap can be placed every 371 m2 (4000 ft2). Maximize

trap effectiveness by hanging your traps slightly above the tops of your crop espe-

Food safety CD available OMAFRA has created a new user-friendly CD to make food safety practices easier for you. The interactive iGAP CD contains the entire Advantage Good Agricultural Practices manual plus tools to help you implement food safety on any farm. As a producer, the iGAP CD walks you through how to get started in food safety, evaluate food safety risks and what practices apply on your farm. Advantage iGAP explains on farm food safety in a simple straight forward manner. • Advantage Good Agricultural Practices to help you manage risks on your farm • 3-2-1 Assessment to compare your current food safety practices against best practices • Can be tailored to any farm, and supports all food safety programs • Customizable procedure and record templates provide proof of your ongoing commitment to food safety • Videos on water sanitation to demonstrate proper pre and post harvest water use • Traceability success stories featuring crop farmers who talk about how traceability has impacted profitability • Factsheets on irrigation water quality and manure New Workshops OMAFRA has a number of new workshops beginning early in 2011, including Food Safety for Multi-Commodity Farms and Getting Started in Food Safety. Please check our website at www.ontario.ca/foodsafety for dates and locations. Other Resources The Advantage Producer Checklist is a tool that can help you conduct self-audits. It allows you to demonstrate to buyers what food safety practices are in place on your farm. For more information, contact 1-877-424-1300 to get your free copy of the Advantage iGAP CD.

NOVEMBER 2010 –– PAGE 29 THE GROWER

New control for walnut husk fly on walnut trees By Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Minor Use Coordinator, Guelph The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for GF-120 Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait (spinosad) for control of walnut husk fly on walnut trees in Canada. GF-120 Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait was already labeled for control of cherry fruit flies in cherries, blueberry maggot on blueberries and apple maggot on apples. The walnut husk fly (Rhagoletis completa) is a common pest in Canadian walnut orchards. Husk maggot will infest nut husks of Carpathian (English) walnuts, Japanese (heartnut) walnuts and native black walnuts. Husk maggot is most common infesting nuts of wild black walnut trees that grow along fencerows, in forests and in managed forest plantations. It causes fruit damage

Walnut husk fly and significant economic losses. This registration will provide both organic and conventional walnut producers

with a much needed pest management tool to manage one of their most important pest problems. This project was sponsored in 2008 by the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (BCMAL) as a result of minor use priorities put forward by producers, researchers and extension personnel. The following is provided as a general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using GF-120: For control of walnut husk fly, mix one part GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait with four parts of water as described on the main label. For orchards, apply 7.5 litres of the mixture per hectare to the tree canopy. For individual trees, apply 200 – 300 mL of the mixture throughout the tree canopy. Begin applications as soon as monitoring traps indicate flies are present in the orchard and continue coverage until flights stop. Repeat applications every seven days,

reapplying if rain washes off the deposit. Do not apply more than 10 applications per season. Proper application techniques help ensure adequate coverage and correct dosage necessary to obtain optimum control of walnut husk fly. A large spray droplet size of 4000 to 6000 µ (4-6 mm) is recommended to optimize length of bait attraction. Follow all other directions for use and precautions on the GF-120 Fruit Fly Bait label carefully. GF-120 Fruit Fly Bait should be used in an IPM program and in rotation with other management strategies to adequately manage resistance. For copies of the new supplemental label contact Hannah Fraser, OMAFRA, Vineland (905) 562-1674, Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA, Simcoe (519) 426-4434 or visit www.dowagro.com/ca

Changes announced to environmental cost-share funding program for farm businesses Adjustments have been made to cost-share funding available under year three of the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP) that will alter project eligibility in some categories. The changes are intended to broaden the availability of funds and come as a result of a review of the funding program completed earlier this year following a high demand for cost-share funds under COFSP year two. “We are supportive of changes that will help more farm businesses access cost-share funding under this program, “says Barry Hill, a farmer and President of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improve-

ment Association (OSCIA). “ The willingness of farmers to utilize this program has been demonstrated over and over again.” For the 2011 cropping year, projects in Best Management Practice (BMP) category 14 – Improved Cropping Systems – will be capped at a funding level of $5,000 per farm business to focus on first-time adopters of new technologies. BMP category 26 – Energy Conservation Measures for Agricultural Purposes – has been expanded to support implementation of selected projects involving renewable energy production that are intended for on-farm use only. Funding for BMP category 27 –

Renewable Energy Production for Agricultural Purposes – has been discontinued as support in this area is now available through the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) microFIT program. Funding previously allocated to this category will be re-distributed across the remaining BMP categories for other priority projects that may not otherwise be completed if costshare was not provided. As well, farm businesses with livestock or poultry as their primary commodity must have a Premises Identification (PID) Number from OnTrace for the parcel of land where the project is proposed. "We have long been advocating

for continued support of on-farm environmental activities,” says Bette Jean Crews, President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). “Farmers are responsible environmental stewards and their interest and commitment will benefit all Ontarians. We are pleased with the changes and look forward to continued government investment in on-farm environmental programs." Project applications for the 2011 cropping year will be available as of November 15, 2010 from OSCIA, which delivers COFSP under an agreement with the OFA on behalf of the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition.

For more specific details, contact local OSCIA Program Representatives or visit www.ontariosoilcrop.org. COFSP is funded through Growing Forward, supported by Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) under the Best Practices suite. OSCIA is a not-for-profit farm organization dedicated to working with farmers to facilitate responsible economic management of soil, water, air and crops through development and communication of innovative farming practices.

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

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

Thursday December 16th, 2011 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m Election of directors of the Association will take place plus discussion of financial reports and any Other business that may arise. Registration Forms can be located on FVGO website.

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

PAGE 30 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER

Minor Use Craig’s Comments

Craig Hunter OFVGA In the course of a year I get to attend several meetings. Not all of them are fun. In fact only a few of them are truly enjoyable as well as rewarding. I want to share a few of the good ones with you, and skip the boring or downright awful ones. (For fear that you might stop reading right here!!) In September I attended the annual IR-4 Food Use Workshop. That is the U.S. equivalent of our Minor Use Priority Setting Workshop held each March in Ottawa. The U.S. program picks the projects they will work on in 2011, leading to minor use registrations. As a result of their deliberations there were possibly 30-plus projects where Canada could benefit by offering to do them as joint projects. The

Meeting-ed out! resources in the Canadian Minor Use program will only allow them to undertake a fraction of those, which is a real shame. The choices will be made at the IR-4 work planning meeting in late October. Hopefully we will pick up as many as possible. The other benefit of the meetings is to hear of new chemistry announcements by the registrants. This year once again there were several new products unveiled. It means that we will be able to have new and sometimes unique chemistries that, if used wisely, will provide crop protection options far into the future. Another benefit is to meet and talk with the U.S. registrants and to re-impress upon them the message that Shirley Archambault of the AAFC Minor Use Program has been giving them: Canada is in the minor use business and we want their products registered here! I truly believe that message has been getting through over the past 10 years and is bearing results today. The Canadian contingent was down this year in numbers because some provincial governments are precluding staff travel. How shortsighted this is! Nothing supports our position and underlines our needs better than numbers. Those of us there, including several

registrants from Canada, did our best to hold our flag aloft! The next meeting I went to was quite frankly a surprise. I went with a whole set of arguments about why the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) couldn’t do what they were planning to do. It was therefore a real eye-opener to hear their proposals to level the Food Safety playing field. For the past years, growers in Canada have, at their own expense, been asked by their buyers to meet stringent on-farm food safety protocols. In fact, we had to develop them as well! Nonetheless, when those same buyers buy from off-shore, that produce did not have to (by any law) meet the same standards. All that is on the books is a nebulous requirement that what they in turn sold was ‘safe.’ Now there will be (as proposed) a licensing of all importers of food, food ingredients, and anything not already covered under the CAPS (Canadian Agricultural Products Standards) Act. The importers will have to secure documentation from their foreign sources that outlines things like pesticide records, and food safety measures taken on the imported products. As you can imagine, the 100-person strong contingent from the multi-national buyers were there

to ask questions and to see what they could continue to ‘get away with.’ There will be many more thousands of importers who will need to take notice as this requirement comes into force. Maybe the cost of meeting these new requirements will force higher prices out of the importers and maybe they will look closer at what products they can source here, and at similarly increased returns for our producers. Only time will tell. The third meeting I wish to share was a Rotary District Conference. Interestingly, half of the organizing committee has agricultural roots. The lieutenant governor for Ontario, The Honourable David Onley attended and gave a keynote address. So too did Jay Bradshaw, the President of Syngenta Canada. It was gratifying to hear how much they both promoted Canada, and agriculture, for the betterment of the world. Mr. Onley promoted how much Rotary could do to overcome mis-conceptions about the disabled, and likened it to the Rotary push to eradicate the world of polio. Jay Bradshaw impressed upon the group about the need to better nourish the one billion people who are hungry in the world today, and the expected extra three billion more coming in

the next 50 years! He enthralled the group with information on the kinds of scientific gains already made, but not available to much of the world due to political intervention, such as golden rice. The results of these presentations will ripple out from this meeting in Rotary clubs across Ontario and upstate New York. People were still talking about it long after these gentlemen had left the meeting! It makes one proud to be a part of agriculture that can help facilitate such a meeting. My thanks go out to Tom O’Neill of Norfolk Fruit Growers’ Association who spearheaded the meeting. It is no accident that Ontario horticulture could foster two such speakers. (It didn’t hurt that the L.G.’s wife came from an apple farm in Simcoe, and Jay has a soft heart for Rotary for family reasons.) These examples just go to show that not all meetings are deadly. (Just most of them!) It is messages like these that show how much there is to gain in agriculture by being proactive. It is not always doom and gloom! There are positive developments out there. We just have to seize them and use them to advantage.

Will science prevail? That’s the question in defeating Bill C-474 By Karen Davidson CropLife Canada, the trade association representing crop protection developers and manufacturers, has hired a new gun. He’s Dennis Prouse, vice-president of government affairs. Formerly with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, he was named by The Hill Times as one of the top 100 lobbyists in Ottawa for 2010. Well-respected for his experience on the Hill, he comes to the role with a rolodex and a reputation. “I didn’t have a lot of perceptions about agriculture,” he told The Grower. “But I’ve since come to learn how exciting the innovations are in broadening the economy.” His first job has been to study private member’s bill C-474 which passed second reading last April. In his opinion, it’s an anti-innovation, anti-trade bill. For horticultural growers, here’s a brief summary. The bill demands regulatory oversight of the market acceptance of a crop, a concept that is beyond the realm of science. What’s driving the bill is anti-biotech sentiment, especially biotech wheat. Put on the shelf in the early 2000s, biotech wheat is now on the wish list of many farmers who realize that the big research dollars have boosted the fortunes of row crops and

left wheat behind. They might not wish for glyphosate tolerance but in hindsight, they can see that drought tolerance and disease resistance are worthy traits. Prouse warns that the benefits of innovative technologies – hearthealthy canola oils for instance -- might be grounded for ideological reasons alone. At first blush, this specific bill might not seem to have anything to do with apples or asparagus. And yet defeating this bill is central to the rule of science in registering new products. It’s worth knowing that CropLife Canada will be in the room when the standing committee starts hearing witnesses again in early November. For Prouse, the upcoming Grow Canada conference will be a first to mix and mingle with growers and stakeholders. It’s scheduled for November 30 to December 2 in Ottawa.

We stand for

sustainability

The Source...

Left: CropLife Canada is launching “We Stand for Sustainability,” a resource for stakeholders and a theme for the Grow Canada Conference.

for Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural Crops

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Pristine fungicide registered for suppression and control of several diseases in Brassica vegetables, greenhouse peppers By Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Minor Use Coordinator, Guelph The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of several minor use label expansions for Pristine WG Fungicide (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) for suppression of downy mildew and control of Botrytis grey mold on crop group 5, Brassica vegetables, suppression of powdery mildew on greenhouse peppers and control of powdery mildew on greenhouse-grown bedding plants in Canada. Brassica vegetables include broccoli, Chinese broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Nappa cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, bok choy, collards, kale, mustard greens and rape greens. Pristine WG Fungicide was already labeled for use on a range of Canadian specialty and minor crops in the field and greenhouse and has a proven record of efficacy and safety. Disease management has been a high priority for vegetable and ornamental producers and the registration of Pristine fungicide will provide producers with an effective and useful disease management and resistance

management tool. The following is provided as a general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Pristine WG Fungicide. Brassica, crop group 5 vegetables; Botrytis control, downy mildew suppression: Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rate of 1.0 kg product per ha on a seven – 14 day interval. A maximum of four applications per season are permitted depending upon the crop and target disease. The pre-harvest interval for Brassica vegetables is four days.

Note also that the re-entry interval for Brassica vegetable crops is also four days. GH peppers; powdery mildew suppression: Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rate of 1.2 kg product per ha prior to disease development. Only one application is permitted per crop cycle and the pre-harvest interval for GH peppers is one day. Note that the re-entry interval for GH peppers is 12 hours. GH-grown bedding plants; control of powdery mildew:

Pristine fungicide can be applied at a rate of 73.5 – 120 g per 100 L (based on 1000 L/ha spray to runoff) prior to disease development. Only one application is permitted per crop cycle and the re-entry interval for GH-grown bedding plants is 12 hours. Do not use on cut flowers and consult the label for more detailed precautions for GH ornamentals. Pristine fungicide should be used in an integrated disease management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Pristine fungicide label. For copies of the new minor use label for Brassica vegetables contact Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 8264963, for GH peppers contact Gillian Ferguson, OMAFRA, Harrow (519) 738-1258, for GH ornamentals, contact Graeme Murphy, OMAFRA, Vineland (905) 562-4141 ext. 106 or Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 or visit www.agro.basf.ca/ basf/agsolutions/SelectRegion.htm

Look for new weed control on direct-seeded and transplanted lettuce The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Poast Ultra herbicide (sethoxydim) for control of labeled weeds on direct seeded and transplanted lettuce (head, leaf, romaine) in Canada. Poast Ultra herbicide was already labeled for use on a wide range of Canadian specialty and minor crops including Brassica vegetables, spinach, carrots, dry bulb onions, beets, potatoes, chicory and many other fruit crops and field crops. Weed management has been a high priority for producers of lettuce and the registration of Poast Ultra herbicide will provide lettuce producers with an effective and useful weed management tool. Poast Ultra herbicide can be applied at a rate of 0.32 to 1.1 L product per ha in one or two post emergent applications in a water volume that ensures thorough coverage as

Minor use label expansion granted for Nova 40W fungicide The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Nova 40W fungicide for control of scab on pears in Canada. Nova 40W fungcide was already labeled in Canada for management of a number of diseases on apples, grapes, cherries, peaches, Saskatoon berries, strawberries, greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, asparagus and ornamentals. This minor use project sponsored by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC) was submitted in 2003 in response to minor use priorities identified by producers and extension personnel in Canada. This long-awaited registration will provide pear growers with a much needed pest management tool to control one of their most common disease problems. The following is provided as a general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before

using the fungicide. Nova fungicide can be applied as a foliar spray at 340 g per hectare for control of pear scab. Apply Nova fungicide starting at greentip or when conditions are favourable for scab infection in 500 – 1000 litres of water per ha. Use a maximum of six applications per growing season and apply at a seven to 10-day interval. Do not apply within 14 days of harvest of pears. Nova 40W fungicide should be used in an integrated pest management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Nova 40W Fungicide label. For copies of the new supplemental label contact Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA, Vineland (905) 562-3833, Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 or visit the Dow Agrosciences website at www.dowagro.com/ca/

per the current label directions. For transplanted lettuce use only one application per year and apply between the one-tosix-leaf stage. For direct seeded lettuce, apply the first application between one-to-six- leaf stage and the second application 14 – 21 days after thinning. Do not exceed the maximum rate of 1.1 L per ha per season. The pre-harvest interval for lettuce is 30 days. Poast Ultra herbicide should be used in an integrated weed management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Poast Ultra herbicide label. For copies of the new minor use label contact Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-4963, Kristen Callow, OMAFRA, Ridgetown (519) 674-1335 or visit www.gro.basf.ca/basf/agsolutions/SelectRegion.htm

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PAGE 32 –– NOVEMBER 2010 THE GROWER