The Grower November 2013 by The Grower

CELEBRATING 133 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

NOVEMBER 2013

VOLUME 63 NUMBER 11

APPLE FUTURES

Quality crop needs to yield quality pricing KAREN DAVIDSON Richard Feenstra, last year’s spokesperson for apple crop loss, is this year’s demonstrator for new harvest equipment. With Golden Delicious ready to be picked, he’s much happier than when he showed frost-toasted buds to Ontario’s ag minister in his Beamsville, Ontario orchard. “In Ontario, the crop is widely variable,” reports Brian Gilroy, chair, Ontario Apple Growers. “For some, it’s the best crop and for others, they were challenged by spring frost and hail. Volume is average to above-average with excellent flavoured fruit that I would call explosively crisp.” However, Gilroy’s tone turns stormy when it comes to prices, saying that retailers have resisted paying more for this year’s quality crop despite consumers’ willingness to pay more for last year’s short crop. Feeling frustrated by 10 cents per pound hand-picked apples and lack of profile in store flyers, Gilroy says, “It would be great to get promoted.” Across the country, other apple growers are taking their licks from weather while investing in new varieties and technology. Extreme weather has touched British Columbia orchards, with spring frosts and unusually timed hail storms. “Volumes will be down significantly,” says Glen

INSIDE Thumbs up for greenhouse growth

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Media-savvy tips from B.C. grower

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Seed and rootstock Section B

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

Ontario growers are relishing this fall’s apple harvest after last season’s frost bit 80 per cent of the crop. No one is happier than Richard Feenstra who agreed to a trial run with a new Orsi platform supplied by Provide Agro. Note the yellow frubox. Easier to unload into the bin, this false-bottomed, padded crate holds three-quarters of a bushel of apples. Here, Feenstra and workers are picking Golden Delicious apples in his high-density Mountainview Orchard at Beamsville, Ontario. Photo by Denis Cahill.

Lucas, B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association. “About 20 per cent from normal,” he adds. That translates into a 140 million pound crop. Okanagan Valley growers experienced hail so early that the crop hadn’t set yet, disqualifying them from crop insurance. Just before harvest, another hail storm hit the Kelowna area breaking two rules of thumb: no worries from hail when evenings are cooler and no worries from hail after September 15. There are no norms anymore. Despite these setbacks, the variety mix may tell a more encouraging story. Lucas explains that an aggressive replant program of the popular Ambrosia now makes up 15 per cent of the B.C. crop. Royal Gala comprises 40 per cent. Washington state, on the other hand, is still heavy on Red Delicious apples whereas B.C.’s portion has dropped to seven per cent. The high-value Honeycrisp has not taken off in B.C. due to its

high maintenance requirements. “It’s not a grower-friendly apple,” says Lucas. “It’s an apple that requires higher colour and more finish. The wood tends to be brittle begging more pruning care.” Honeycrisp is not making inroads in Quebec either says Stephanie Levasseur, vicepresident, Quebec Apple Producers’ Federation. “Galas are popular and traditional varieties of Cortland, Spartan and

Empire are stable.” Quebec growers are generally happy with an aboveaverage crop in volume and quality. About 5.8 million bushels are predicted – that’s about 235 million pounds. With plenty of rainfall all summer, apples sized well. While prices are not as high as last year, they did not sag to pre-2012 levels. “We’re getting $16 for bagged apples and $20 for tray-packed apples.” Further to the east, Annapolis Valley growers are pleased with a high-quality, well-coloured crop that will tally about 2.1 million bushels. “Nova Scotia growers continue to pursue higher-value varieties such as Honeycrisp, Gala and Ambrosia,” says Robert Peill, president, Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association. “Some of

the club varieties such as Sonya are making an appearance.” While some growers are moving to high-density orchards, they are using platforms for mostly off-season work such as thinning and pruning. “But in the back of everyone’s mind is that they should be careful how to set up new blocks, because platforms are in the future,” says Peill. Ontario Apple Growers have conducted some preliminary work on labour-saving platforms, reporting the following efficiencies: hand thinning (46%); summer pruning (25%); tying tree leaders (77%); and harvesting (18%). On a payback schedule, larger acreages will reap the rewards fastest. With a mix of technologies, imagine how apple orchards will be transformed in the next five years. Despite tremendous investment in new varieties, highdensity systems and automation, growers would be more encouraged by owning the domestic market amongst retailers.

PAGE 2 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME… The Royal calendar If you’re visiting the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Nov. 1 – 10, be sure to drop by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) booth located in the “For the Love of Food” pavilion, Hall B, Direct Energy Centre. The new pavilion will be the premier educational, experiential and entertaining feature of the fair, linking farmers and producers, scientists, health professionals and chefs – all sharing their passion for food.

Nature Fresh Farm’s working greenhouse Nov 1 - Apple Marketers Nov 2,3 - Ontario Apple Growers Nov 4 - Garlic Growers of Ontario Nov 5 - OFVGA Nov 6 - Ontario Potato Marketing Board Nov 7 - Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association Nov 8, 9 - Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Nov 10 - OFVGA A centerpiece of the pavilion will be Nature Fresh Farm’s

NEWSMAKERS

working greenhouse. This Leamington, Ontario grower is the largest independent greenhouse grower in Canada and the largest producer of bell peppers in North America. “With more than 350 varieties of peppers and tomatoes combined, our product line is recognized around the world as an industry leader,” says president Peter Quiring. The greenhouse will be demonstrating its environmental stewardship and how produce gets to consumer tables.

Easing the regulatory burden The Ontario Greenhouse Alliance Group Groundwater Study has been so successful in the Kingsville and Leamington areas, that the program is now open to other areas. “The Niagara region would be a natural for this program,” says George Shearer, water specialist for Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. Any grower who draws in excess of 50,000 litres of water per day must apply for a permitto-take-water from the Ministry of the Environment. A group study eliminates some of the costs and reduces economic burden. “By having group assessments, we can better assess the potential for interference and cumulative drawdown of the aquifers,” says Shearer. For more information, contact 519-763-6160 ext 219 or email water@ofvga.org

P.E.I. blueberry plant expands Following a bountiful blueberry harvest, the Prince Edward Island (PEI) government has announced $18.5 million to double the capacity of Jasper Wyman & Son’s operation in Morell. About $16 million is in the form of a repayable loan. The privately owned Maine company has operated the blueberry processing plant since 1998. The project will increase production from eight million to 20 million pounds annually, allowing all processing to occur in the province. In recent years, the company has had to export some blueberries to be processed in Maine.

Pre-register for Great Lakes Expo One of the biggest hort shows in eastern North America is slated for December 10-12 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With 380 exhibitors on the trade show floor plus a robust seminar series, this event sets up everyone for the 2014 season. Educational streams include: fruit and vegetable commodities, farmers’ markets, farm marketing ideas and issues, greenhouse production and marketing, and organic production and marketing. Pre-register by November 20 to save $20 on on-site fees. For more information, go to www.glexpo.com.

The Faces of Farming 2014 calendar has been released by Farm & Food Care Ontario. Erin McLean, a second generation berry farmer from Lakefield, is featured in the month of January, 2014 along with Sarah Brien, a young sheep farmer from Ridgetown. Both women are members of a team of Ontario farmers who are writing blogs, filming videos and tweeting about farm life as part of the new Dinner Starts Here initiative.

Three generations of the Heeman family are celebrated on the January 2015 page, featuring Bill, Susan, Rita, Rudy, Florence, Will and Bridget. They started with a half-acre strawberry patch and now manage more than 50 acres of strawberries and a garden centre near London, Ontario. The ninth annual “Faces of Farming” calendar can be ordered online at www.farmfoodcare.org. The Foreign Affair Winery, Vineland, Ontario has received the Ontario Agriculture Minister’s Award for re-engineering air flows to its vineyard to apply the Italian “appassimento” method of winemaking. A Leaders in Innovation Award went to Geissberger Farmhouse Cider Inc., Hampton, Ontario for a mobile mill that brings the cider-making experience to Ontario orchards. Congrats to brothers Garry and Gord Geissberger. Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has announced the expansion of its board of directors from 10 to 13. New appointments include: Rory Francis, executive director of BioAlliance; Warren Jestin, senior vice-president and chief economist, Scotiabank; Phil Tregunno, president, Tregunno Fruit Farms Inc. Kim Craitor, Ontario Liberal MPP for the riding of Niagara Falls since 2003, has retired. His riding included many grape and tender fruit farms. The 107-seat Ontario legislature now consists of 49 Liberal seats plus the speaker, 37 Progressive Conservatives and 20 New Democrats. Condolences to the family of Joel Bydevaate, 28, who died in an October 3 farming accident near Vauxhall, Alberta. While performing maintenance on a potato harvester, he was caught in the roller section of the machine. Arthur Loughton passed away suddenly on October 8, 2013 in Simcoe, Ontario. He was the director of the Horticultural Experiment Station in Simcoe from 1975 to 1996. He was instrumental in bringing the long English seedless cucumber to Canada, and led the first 'Transition Crops Team' in Ontario. Most recently, he was an active organizer for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the station held in July 2011.

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Freelance photographer Glenn Lowson has brought honour to The Grower for a second consecutive year at the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation annual awards. His photo of apple grower Shane Ardiel spraying in his orchard (February 2013 cover) took the bronze prize in the feature photography category. Congratulations are extended to gold winner, Manitoba Cooperator and silver winner, Ontario Farmer.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION AWARDS

Innovation rewarded by Ontario premier and ag minister Several farms in southwestern Ontario were recently recognized with Agri-Food Innovation Excellence awards. Here are their stories: Pier-C Produce Inc. -Chatham-Kent Do you know who grew your carrots? In the past, tracing produce back to its farm of origin involved sticking a lot code on every pallet that got shipped. However, once those pallets arrive at the distributor's warehouse, they are often separated and divided making it impossible to maintain traceability. Enter the "Tag to Bag" system. Developed by Pier-C Produce Inc., it labels each individual bag with the production date and farm origin. Should any food safety issues arise, they can be traced back to the source quickly and efficiently. Tag to Bag has become the industry's new gold standard. But why stop there? This system makes it easy to include other information too, from harvesting location to the types of inputs used during production. Howe Family Farms -- Aylmer, Elgin County After more than 40 years of pumpkin farming, the Howe Family knows a thing or two about growing gourds. But in

recent years, rising production costs motivated them to try something new: a no-till approach. The process involves growing a rye cover crop in the fall. When the spring pumpkin-planting season arrives, a custom-made roller knocks down the rye prior to seeding. The new approach has slashed labour costs for weeding by 75 per cent, prevented soil erosion, increased soil health and reduced the need for herbicides. Growing the pumpkins on a thick bed of fallen rye also means less contact with the soil, which has translated to a 25 per cent reduction in washing labour and a cleaner, jack-o-lantern-ready product on store shelves. Great Northern Hydroponics -Kingsville, Essex County If you are running a major greenhouse operation these days, you're also running a lot of software: accounting programs, inventory tracking programs, crop management programs and more. What if you could access all that information through a single interface? That's the vision at Great Northern Hydroponics. The greenhouse tomato producer has teamed up with Hortimax, a specialist in greenhouse software, to connect the different databases within its 65-acre facility. Together they created "CombiView." The dashboard system gives everyone from

greenhouse technicians to financial clerks instant access to real-time data customized to their specific needs. By increasing productivity and improving traceability, CombiView is giving this Ontario producer an allimportant edge over its U.S. and Mexican competitors.

Mastronardi Produce/Sunset -Kingsville, Essex County

Leamington Area Drip Irrigation Incorporated -Leamington, Essex County The farmers who invested in the Leamington Area Drip Irrigation project know how much water it takes to grow the perfect field tomato, thanks to research conducted in collaboration with McGill University. That's exactly how much water their 2,000 acres of tomato plants get. Soil moisture meters send real-time data to the producers' smartphones and laptops. They use that information along with local weather data, to adjust the remote-controlled valves recently installed on the 36 kilometres of pipeline that irrigate the farms. Under the new watering regime, the farmers have enjoyed record tomato harvests. And what's good for production is also good for the environment. By fine-tuning their irrigation, they are reducing runoff and using less energy to pump water.

striped heirloom tomatoes, to name a few. For the farmers that buy them, niche varieties spell increased profits. Meanwhile, consumers hungry for more than beefsteak and cluster tomatoes have plenty to choose from in pretty much every shape, colour and size imaginable, all grown in Ontario. Savery Canada Inc. -Leamington, Essex County

Mastronardi Produce just launched the YELO tomato, an acronym for Youth, Energy, Life, Om at the recent Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit in New Orleans. Pack your bags: we're heading on a tomato safari! Each year, senior managers at Mastronardi Produce travel around the world in search of their next awardwinning variety of tomato. They bring back likely candidates to the company's 7.5-acre greenhouse where more than 200 varieties are tested each year. Since 1998, Mastronardi has been introducing new, tastier, higheryield tomatoes to Ontario growers; varieties such as succulent red-brown Kumatos, sweet golden Zimas and uniquely

Greenhouse operations could soon become a little greener, thanks to a new filter system developed by Savery Canada. The company's R3 Technology filter removes environmentally harmful substances from greenhouse wastewater, capturing 99 per cent of disease-causing organisms, 90 per cent of sulphates and 60 per cent of sodium. Not only that, it recovers 90 per cent of the nutrient-rich water, which can be recycled in the greenhouse throughout the growing season. Savery Canada is now in the final stages of testing the system, which can treat approximately 5,000 litres of wastewater an hour. Once commercial production is underway, the company expects to hire four to six more employees.

INTERNATIONAL NETHERLANDS

UNITED STATES

CHINA

UNITED STATES

JAPAN

Robotic harvester for broccoli

Chicago site of new co-event

Shanghai to be free trade zone

Charges laid after Listeria outbreak

From soy sauce to tomatoes

A harvesting robot for broccoli is under trial at Wageningen University, using an intelligent computer vision system that selects broccoli according to a specified size. Besides a labour advantage, the robot allows the remaining broccoli to grow to market size on the next harvesting day. Currently, hand harvest is inconsistent due to subjective decisions in the field. With mechanical harvesting, growers can increase production as only broccoli with optimal size is harvested. The computerized system can also gather productivity and quality data about the field. For his groundbreaking work, researcher Ruud Barth has won the Young Professional Award granted by the European Machine Vision Association.

The Food Marketing Institute and United Fresh Produce Association are co-locating their respective trade shows to Chicago. Registration is already open for the June 10 – 13 event in 2014. The agreement is for three years. Organizers say that eventgoers will find solutions to growing basket size, increasing customer trips to retailers, improving margins and increasing margin share. “Today, there’s no question that fresh produce is a key differentiator for retailers in every channel,” said Tom Stenzel, United Fresh president and CEO. “With consumers increasingly looking for fresh produce for snacks, ready-to-eat meals and every cooking occasion, United Fresh 2014 will be a must-attend forum for retailers large and small.”

Chinese authorities plan to organize a new Free Trade Zone for fruits and vegetables in Shanghai, boosting an already dynamic market. The zone should be operational by 2015. Since 2005, import growth has been tallied at 30 per cent per year according to Yu Zhongyong, international business manager of Longwu Fruit and Vegetable Trading Market. Much of the fruit and vegetable trade is expected to move from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to Shanghai in the future.

Colorado cantaloupe growers Eric and Ryan Jensen face six misdemeanor criminal charges for the Listeria bacteria outbreak that felled 33 people and sickened another 147 in 2009. It’s the first time criminal charges have been laid in the U.S. relating to foodborne illness. Court documents say that used potato packing equipment was modified so that cantaloupes could be dunked in a chlorine spray. However, the spray wash was never hooked up. Further, the pre-harvest inspection by a Primus Labs subcontractor failed to note that potato equipment was modified for canteloupes, a fruit that’s eaten raw. A trial date has been set for December 2.

Kikkoman Corporation, best known for its soy sauce brand, plans to start tomato farming. Linked to Nippon Del Monte Corporation, Japan’s largest soy sauce maker plans to tap into their experience in producing ketchup and improving tomato varieties. The idea is to grow premium tomatoes high in sugar content and to market directly to restaurants and foodservice businesses. The company is aligning itself with the Japanese government’s growth strategy which has targeted agriculture as a promising field. Kikkoman’s first move is to purchase almost half of the shares of Kazusa Tomato Garden located near Kimitsu. Plans are to build new facilities next spring.

Source: Thepacker.com

Source: Hortidaily.com

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Source: Hortidaily.com

PAGE 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

AUTOMATION

High-tech, low-tech adds up to quality crop KAREN DAVIDSON One of Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest apple growers has acquired packer/shipper Binkley Apples in Thornbury, cementing a business relationship of several years just prior to harvest season. With 650 acres under management in Clarksburg, Sweaburg and Watford, Botden Orchards (Global Fruit) wants more vertical integration to capitalize on investments in quality. Since 2004, owners Marius and Irma Botden have implemented high-density, GPS-precision plantings, drip irrigation and EcoTunnel sprayers. The orchard has exclusive rights to grow the Red Prince apple in Canada, a variety that needs some storage before developing its full flavour. Also produced near the Georgian Bay waters are Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Gala varieties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now we can control quality throughout the value chain,â&#x20AC;? says son and field manager, Gerbe Botden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For example, if there are too many green-coloured apples on the packing line, that message can be texted to me in the field. I can tell the crew leaders immediately that we need to leave greener apples on the trees until we come by for the second picking round.â&#x20AC;? With 145 Jamaicans fanning out for the harvest, execution must be meticulous. Everyone wears a name tag, each colourcoded to denote a role. The five-

Botden Orchards owns the sole rights to grow and sell the Red Prince apple, a premium apple that needs some storage time before its â&#x20AC;&#x153;best nowâ&#x20AC;? date.

Stippled gloves, imported from Europe, are worn by all workers to help prevent damage to the fruit.

person picking teams are led by a crew leader. In addition crew monitors check quality in the bins even before apples leave the orchard. This tight unit ensures that Jamaicans are teaching Jamaicans best practices. Every worker wears dimpled gloves, to protect the hands as well as the apples. Motorized platforms are making picking bags and ladders redundant. There are seven platforms now at work in Botden Orchards, allowing workers to

pick at waist height. The benefits are fewer injuries, increased productivity and less bruising. While the goal is to sell 85 per cent of Botden Orchards apples for the fresh market, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another category that holds promise. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a big believer in the slicing industry,â&#x20AC;? says Marius Botden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think this category will grow in the future as more food companies get involved in fresh, ready-to-eat slices.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another reason to keep pressure on quality, squeezing out

the most profit and allowing as little of the crop to go to the juice market. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one more input to quality, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy workers. Unlike many farms, where workers cook their own meals, Botden Orchards has hired three Jamaican chefs to cook home-style fare. As the morning

The Botdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are participating in an Ontario trial on the laboursaving benefits of platforms. This is one of seven to be used in harvesting 650 acres.

harvest ends, workers board the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cool Busâ&#x20AC;? for a lunch of goat curry or chicken feet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy workers make for healthy workers,â&#x20AC;? notes Irma Botden. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We notice less sickness and more focus on the details that make quality.â&#x20AC;?

experts Top -notch seeds

A team of

REPRESENTATIVES

---------------------North & south shores of Montreal Michel Gratton Tel.: 450.781.6045 Fax : 450.682.4959 Gilliane Bisson Tel. : 450.781.6044 Fax : 450.682.4959 ---------------------Central, Eastern Quebec & Atlantic Provinces

Gerbe Botden (right) demonstrates proper technique to Walsworth Sewell, worker in the orchard.

Yves Thibault, agr. Tel. : 418.660.1498 Fax : 418.666.8947 ---------------------Ontario Warren Peacock Tel. : 519.426.1131 Fax : 519.426.6156

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Jamaican chefs Clinton Brown and Andrae Isaacs know how to keep 145 workers happy with home-country specialties such as goat curry. Well-fed workers translate into less sickness and attention to quality details during the harvest.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 5 THE GROWER

CANADIAN GREENHOUSE CONFERENCE

Expansion, yes! But water management will be a central issue Comparison of some water treatment technologies under study

Photo courtesy of Mastronardi Produce KAREN DAVIDSON Niagara Falls, Ontario – The vegetable greenhouse sector is bullish according to trade show exhibitors at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference. Anywhere from 80 to 100 acres came into production in 2013. With anecdotes of another 40 to 50 acres coming on stream in 2014, suppliers of everything from refrigeration units to mechanized carts are filling their order books. Mastronardi Produce has also announced breaking ground on an expansion of their Coldwater, Michigan facility, doubling its current size to 60 acres. Its greenhouse currently produces grape tomatoes and tomatoes-on-

* Hybrid wetland systems (I.e. Aqua Wetland Systems) can be designed with different combinations of media to improve removal of nutrients as required.

the-vine with grow-light technology. That bullishness was supported by a federal announcement of $2.7 million to the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers under the AgriInnovation program. According to a news release, this investment will help to develop new products and practices to enhance the competitiveness of the greenhouse sector. Research will focus on improving the year-round production of greenhouse cucumber, pepper, and tomato crops, including improvements to yield and produce quality. The project will also enhance the environmentally sustainable practices of greenhouse production. Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada (AAFC) researchers will collaborate on many of these projects, such as developing effective ways to guard against pests and diseases using biological control programs and ways to detect viruses in tomato and pepper crops. “This project will drive the efficient production of year-round high-quality produce, which will allow our farmers to effectively compete in the global market and to continue to prosper and contribute to the Canadian economy,” said Don Taylor, chair of OGVG. “Adoption of the anticipated project outcomes by even 10 per cent of Ontario greenhouse vegetable farmers will result in a $20 million annual boost to the

sector.” Water management will be a key priority for the greenhouse industry. Deanna Nemeth, OMAFRA Nutrient Management Program, introduced a resource for nutrient management planners which can be accessed at http://apps.omafra.gov.on.ca/NM AN/NMAN3.html. This planner can help figure out if greenhouse water has enough nutrients to feed a grain crop, for example. The software also helps determine what storage capacity a grower needs for 60 days, with capacity to add more 120-day segments. Other aspects of the software allow report generation of nutrients over time. “NMAN3 software is a tool,” Nemeth says.

“Data out is only as good as data in.” Ann Huber, an environmental microbiologist with the Soil Resource Group, reported on innovative water treatment options that included: biological treatment systems, constructed wetlands, floating wetlands, denitrification bioreactors and irrigation to alternate crops. She suggested several questions to help guide the grower’s approach: 1. What is the objective? a. remove pathogens and/or other limiters to safely reuse/recycle b. remove nutrients & contaminants to meet discharge limits 2. How much space do I have? 3. What are the capital costs? 4. What are the operating costs?

OFVGA welcomes guest speaker

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association

NEW REVISED TWO DAY FORMAT

DEREK EDWARDS

155th Annual General Meeting

with meetings Monday and Tuesday, banquet Monday night.

Stand-up comedian Derek Edwards is proof positive: you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. His award-winning “rural” humour has made him the hottest thing in Canada.

Award-Winning Comedian

January 13 & 14, 2014 Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls, ON

AWARD OF MERIT NOMINATIONS The award is our way of recognizing the outstanding contribution made by an individual or organization to our fruit and vegetable industry.

REGISTRATION FORM, AGENDA AND AWARD OF MERIT NOMINATION FORM AVAILABLE AT

www.ofvga.org

Is there someone you would like to nominate? Deadline: Nov. 30, 2013

PAGE 6 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

The importance of being accessible to media

KAREN DAVIDSON Wild west Bill. For Vancouver media, Bill Zylmans is the go-to contact for anything agricultural. Whether it’s flooded potato fields or the start of strawberry season, they know he will give good quote. Naturally sociable and articulate, Zylmans has cultivated those media contacts since taking over his father’s Richmond, British Columbia farm in 1987. As W & A Farm has grown from 130 acres to 500 acres, he has also

multiplied the good will towards agriculture. It doesn’t hurt that the farm is physically accessible, located just ten minutes from the Vancouver airport. Because he’s diversified into many crops -- strawberries, vegetables, potatoes, pumpkins – he has something to talk about during the entire growing season. “Without diversification, we couldn’t make it,” says Zylmans. “Gourds were a big trend about a dozen years ago, but we’ve made our money and moved on. We used to have 60 acres of pumpkins and now we’re down to 12.

Urban pressure on the Agricultural Land Reserve (green blocks) is clear in this map of Richmond, B.C. Note proximity to Vancouver airport. That wave is dying.” As a direct marketer to consumers, Zylmans is keenly aware

of the importance of storytelling. His livelihood depends as much on consumers’ understanding his business as his understanding of farming. Ever-bearing strawberries are on his horizon as are exotic-coloured potatoes. “Blues – that’s what I have in mind,” says Zylmans. “Consumers are digging deeper into their rural roots and are itching to get back to the soil. We’re considering putting together a mail-out seed order catalogue.” As one of the largest certified seed potato growers in western Canada, Zylmans has the experience to grow the product. Whereas most growers would look to mass production, Zylmans is targeting small-lot, high-value packages. Specialty varieties of seed potatoes can fetch a premium. Take Warba for example. This heirloom variety has white skin and flesh, ideal for boiling or roasting. Recognizing its unique appeal as an early-maturing variety, Zylmans was one of the instigators behind an Ag in the Classroom project called Spuds and Tubs. Teachers and students are provided with a tub, compost, seed potatoes, slow-release fertilizer and topsoil. The ingredients are mixed up and the potatoes hilled in the tub. If planted in spring, these potatoes are ready to harvest and boil by school’s end. Coincidentally, growers are marketing Warba nugget potatoes about July 1. The student and parent familiarity with Warba potatoes at school translates into awareness and sales at the grocery market. With seven years of success, 6,000 students will be participating next spring and more are on the waiting list. The Warba potato has gained strong awareness amongst B.C.

consumers. Even the B.C. government has chipped in $16,000 to BC Fresh, a growerowned distribution and marketing agency, to promote the Warba potato variety. Zylmans’ profile has also brought him to the attention of the Vancouver Food Bank. He’s currently contracted to grow 10,000 heads of cauliflower for the charity, in a business arrangement where he also gives media interviews. The idea is to raise awareness for locally grown fresh produce that’s now being added to food hampers. Despite close ties with media and government, Zylmans worries about the future. “Agriculture is at a serious crossroads,” says Zylmans, “especially in British Columbia. I still don’t believe that agriculture is getting a fair shake at the government level. The credibility won’t be there until consumers come to a table with no food. The industry is holding the bag for variety development, research and a long list that’s not sustainable for us financially.” As the map of Richmond demonstrates, the pressures to urbanize the Agricultural Land Reserve are immense as are pressures to subdivide land. Just under 10,000 acres are currently in production, but it’s high-value land that’s subject to conflicts between rural and urban residents. In a province that takes its fishieres and environment seriously, Zylmans is still pushing for more recognition of the economic role that agriculture plays. As chair of the ag advisory board for the city of Richmond, Zylmans is working from the ground up.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 7 THE GROWER

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

McDonald’s set to adapt menu Under pressure to provide healthier meals, McDonald’s has announced it will no longer market some of its less nutritional options to children and says it also intends to include offerings of fruits and vegetables in many of its adult menu combinations. McDonald’s plans to make the changes to its menu in 20 of the company’s largest markets, which account for more than 85 per cent of its overall sales, including overseas. The company says it will take three years or more to have the new menus in place in about half the restaurants in those markets, and the remainder may not have the changes until 2020.  U.S. potato exports set record

According to figures released by the U.S. Potato Board, total U.S. potato and product exports for 2012/2013 fiscal year increased four per cent in value to more than $1.6 billion and also rose four per cent in volume to more than 1.5 billion tonnes – both record levels. The fresh weight equivalent of these exports is 65,711,211 hundredweight, or approximately 17 per cent of U.S. potato production. U.S. potato and product exports have grown 133 per cent in value and 79 per cent in volume over the last 10 marketing years.   USPB names new president/CEO The United States Potato Board has named produce industry veteran, Blair Richardson, as president and CEO. Over the past four years, Richardson served as CEO for the combined entities of WesPak Sales Inc., and Enns Packing Inc., located in Dinuba, Calif.

2014 Annual General Meeting

Okanagan Lake.

The 2014 Canadian Horticultural Council’s Annual General Meeting will soon be here. Your B.C. hosts are preparing a first-class event based on the theme Growing a Healthy Organization and are looking forward to welcoming you to Kelowna. Delegates to the 92nd Annual General Meeting will gather in Kelowna from March 4 - 6, 2014 at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort & Conference Centre. This amazing facility is located on the shores of the majestic

Schedule of Events The business sessions will address issues of top priority for CHC members and include presentations and panel discussions on the many issues facing horticulture. Government officials and allied sector representatives will be on hand to hear your concerns and participate in the debate, and guest speakers will shed light on the issues that matter most to you. For more information go to www.hortcouncil.ca.

NOTICE of MEETING is hereby given that the

155th Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting of the

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association will be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at The Crowne Plaza Hotel January 13 & 14, 2014 Election of Directors of the Association will take place as well as dealing with resolutions and any other business that may arise.

PAGE 8 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

OFVGA

Board briefs Following are highlights from the OFVGA board meeting held October 17, 2013. The purpose of this brief is to keep you up-todate on the issues that the OFVGA is working on, as well as projects and initiatives the organization is involved in. Crop protection Full harmonization with United States - A letter has been sent to federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose requesting a meeting to discuss full harmonization of the crop protection processes between Canada and the United States. The goal for complete harmonization is to have the same label on both sides of the border. This follows the definition adopted by both OFVGA and CHC earlier this year. Product re-evaluations - The comment period for the Mancozeb re-evaluation has been extended into November. Canadian Horticultural Council has submitted a lengthy response along with supporting letters from commodity organizations. There is no word yet on the Linuron re-evaluation; the re-evaluation of Captan is expected to start in 2014.

Stevens attended the recent Fruit Technical Working Group meeting. Post-harvest and Re-entry intervals (PHI and REI) are of major concern in Canada. Work is underway to get this harmonized with the United States, where standards are less restrictive than in Canada. Many commodities are being audited annually for their spray records, so these standards are very important. Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) Adrian Huisman reported that the federal government will be transferring responsibility for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to Health Canada. CFIA modernization is also ongoing, and CHC continues to monitor the situation. Of particular interest is their approach to third party auditing and accreditation. CHC is pushing for Canadian CanAgPlus audits to be accepted in the United States so growers do not have to face multiple audits. The annual fall harvest event co-hosted by CHC and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association will be held in Ottawa November 18 and 20. Property

Post-harvest and re-entry intervals – Section chair Charles

Great Lakes Protection Act -

Section chair Brian Gilroy reported that the Great Lakes Protection Act passed Second Reading in the Ontario Legislature recently and has been referred to Standing Committee for the next phase of the legislative process. The goals of the proposed act are to ensure cleaner and healthier Great Lakes and provide new tools to restore and protect them. There is concern that this act will add yet another layer of legislation to govern water-related issues in Ontario. Currently, the Ontario Water Resources Act, the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Nutrient Management Act are all already in place to address water issues. The act will apply to the entire Great Lakes watershed and activities that may impact water quality in the Great Lakes so it is important for farmers to be fully engaged in this process. Wildlife damage mitigation A study to better understand human-wildlife conflicts and their management requirements from a crop farmer’s perspective was conducted by the University of Waterloo Environment and Resource Studies Department this summer. Study results will be shared once available. The OFVGA board voted to submit a proposal to the Agricultural Wildlife Conflict Working Group for field trials related to wildlife

damage mitigation in 2014. Safety nets Safety nets chair Mark Wales presented the latest program statistics, as reported at the September meeting of the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council. The number of participants enrolled in AgriStability in

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

COMING EVENTS 2013 Nov 1 – 10 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON November 7 American Agri-Women Conference Canadian Tour, Holiday Inn & Suites, Parkway Conference Centre, St. Catharines, ON November 7 11th Annual Ontario Pest Management Conference, Victoria East Golf Club, Guelph, ON November 8 Ontario Produce Marketing Association Annual Gala, Liberty Grand – Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Nov 11 – 15 Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association Annual Tour, California Nov 12 – 17 Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer Awards, Regina, SK Nov 13, 14 NAFTA Technical Working Group on Pesticides, Stakeholder Government Meeting, Ottawa, ON Nov 14 – 24 European Farm Show & Tour, for info email admin@agriveg.ca Nov 18

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Ontario has been declining since 2011, which is consistent with similar declines in other provinces. Ontario’s is slower, however, due to the fact that enrollment is mandatory in AgriStability in order to participate in the RMP/SDRM programs.

CanAgPlus Annual General Meeting (owner and operator of CanadaGAP program), Sheraton Ottawa Hotel, Ottawa, ON 1:30 – 4 pm

Nov 19, 20 63rd Annual Essex County Associated Growers’ Southwest Hort Expo, Kinsmen Recreation Complex, Leamington, ON Nov 19 – 21 Potato Growers of Alberta Conference and Trade Show, Calgary, AB Nov 21

Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, OMAF office, Woodstock, ON

Nov 21, 22 Ontario Beekeepers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Marriott-Gateway on the Falls, Niagara Falls, ON Nov 22

Asparagus Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Simcoe Research Station, Simcoe, ON 9 am to noon

Nov 25, 26 Annual Ontario Federation of Agriculture Convention, Doubletree by Hilton, Toronto, ON Dec 3 – 5

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CropLife Canada Grow Canada Conference 2013, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Calgary, AB

December 4 Ontario Potato Board Annual General Meeting, Cambridge Holiday Inn, Hall C, Cambridge, ON 10 am Dec 4 – 7

Joint North Carolina Strawberry Growers Association and North American Strawberry Growers Association Conference, Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, North Carolina. www.ncstrawberry.com

Dec 10 – 12 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Grand Rapids, Michigan

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 9 THE GROWER

OFVGA

Board briefs Since the end of June, the Agricultural Adaptation Council has received 30 applications from organizations for capacity building projects, such as organizational capacity training and business planning. Since mid-August, information sessions have been held across the province for farmers to learn about new funding opportunities for projects in advance of the first intake period, which was open from September 9 until October 24. A list of priority Best Management Practices for project proposals is available on the Ontario Soil and Crop Association website, www.ontariosoilcrop.org. Labour Minimum wage - The OFVGA and the Labour Issues Co-ordinating Committee have prepared and submitted responses to the provincial minimum wage panel’s questions on how future minimum wage increases should be handled in Ontario. The horticulture industry cannot afford another minimum wage increase; many growers are still recovering from the increases of 2008-2010, which amounted to 28 percent. OFVGA is asking for no lump sum increases to the minimum wage rate but rather a move to a stable and predictable inflation-

based system such as one based on Consumer Price Index (CPI). Should government decide that it is going to move ahead with a significant rate increase then we would ask for a separate minimum wage rate for agriculture. Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program - Human Resources Development Canada has started asking farm employers who employ workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program to provide proof that they are advertising their available positions to Canadian workers as well. Fruit and vegetable farmers are encouraged to keep copies of any ads they place in local papers or other places so they can provide this proof if requested to do so. Premier’s summit At the annual Premier’s summit on agriculture held recently, Premier Kathleen Wynne challenged agriculture to double its growth rate and create more than 120,000 new jobs by 2020. Discussion with industry representatives and government at the summit focused on how this can be done and what regulatory support would be required from government. OFVGA Chair Ray Duc, Program Manager Alison Robertson and Erie Innovation

and Commercialization VicePresident John Kelly, represented OFVGA at the event.

and Health, to ensure that legislation and regulations pertaining to farms and farm businesses support and not contradict each other.

Local Food Act Fresh from the Farm program The Local Food Act is currently going through committee hearings. OFVGA is supportive of initiatives that will increase awareness and consumption of Ontario-grown fruits and vegetables. One of the keys to building a stronger local food system is improving the basic food literacy of Ontarians, including nutrition, preparation, and storage and handling, by bringing back home economics into the school system. OFVGA is also supportive of ongoing efforts to encourage the use of local food in Ontario’s broader public sector institutions, such as schools, universities, hospitals, correctional facilities and long term care homes. However, in order for the Local Food Act to be successful in supporting farmers and the broader Ontario agri-food sector, it is important that it not add additional regulatory or administrative burdens on farmers. As well, there is a need for a more co-ordinated approach between Ontario’s ministries of Agriculture and Food, Education, Finance, Environment, Labour

The Fresh from the Farm pilot program has been running this fall in select school boards, letting students fundraise for their schools by selling Ontario fruits and vegetables. Modeled after a similar program in Manitoba, the Ontario initiative is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), Ministry of Education, OFVGA and Dietitians of Canada. It was offered to elementary and secondary schools at ten different school boards with students selling eight pound boxes of apples for $20 and 10 pound root vegetable bags for $10 that include carrots, onions, potatoes and parsnips. Produce will be delivered in November. Agricorp update Agricorp CEO Randy Jackiw, Chair Larry Skinner and Mike Vleck, Senior Director of Program Development, met with the OFVGA board to solicit feedback and input into Agricorp activities as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to engage

stakeholders. Agricorp has managed the AgriStability program for a number of years. Recently, margin levels have been reduced between eligible expenses and revenues from 85 to 70 per cent, which has led to a decrease in the number of payments being made, a trend the organization expects will continue. Agricorp is steadily moving towards offering more services electronically, including a “one-window” environment that will allow users to access their history and program information. OFVGA seeking award of merit nominations OFVGA is accepting nominations for its Industry Award of Merit, presented yearly at the annual general meeting in January. The award is OFVGA’s way of recognizing the outstanding contribution made by an individual or organization to Ontario’s fruit and vegetable industry. This recognition may include the strategic leadership, technical input, and/or the dedication. Nominations are due November 30, 2013 to the OFVGA office. A nomination form is available at www.ofvga.org. The next OFVGA board meeting will take place in Guelph on November 14, 2013.

PAGE 10 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

The back story to the Ontario Farm Products Containers Act

ART SMITH CEO, OFVGA Apparently my September column entitled “If you want to play, it’s time to pay” created a bit of angst with some readers. It was not intended to but it was no surprise that it did. As we are about to celebrate our 155th anniversary as one of Canada’s oldest agricultural associations we must look at the sustainability of the OFVGA under the current funding mechanism. The Ontario Farm Products Containers Act was created in the mid 1940s when the vast majority of fruit and vegetable producers grew both for the fresh and processing market and it was a time before marketing boards. It was also when there were only about three or four types of containers: veneer baskets, wooden crates and burlap bags with maybe a few paper bags thrown in for good luck. Relative to what is used today they were very inexpensive. Placing a fee on containers was reasonable for the time because as most farmers produced for both processing and fresh markets it meant that the vast majority contributed to the cost of operating the OFVGA. Such is no longer the case. In fact the Act only covers 60 per cent of Ontario’s production of edible horticulture. In and of itself this is not an issue except for the fact that the work we do is on behalf of the entire edible horticulture sector here in Ontario. While some might think that we are just a fresh fruit and vegetable organization nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing exclusively fresh about the OFVGA is the container fee itself. Those fees, as outlined in the Act are on all containers suitable for the marketing of fruits and vegetables produced in Ontario. It excluded containers used for

processed products -- bushel hampers, field containers and boxes and bulk containers -- many of which were owned by the processors. These exclusions did not matter for as mentioned earlier nearly all producers produced for both the fresh and processing market but it certainly did not mean that the OFVGA was exclusively a “fresh” organization. So what’s the issue? Quite simply, the issue is the sustainability of the OFVGA as an organization. We have five standing committees that look at safety nets, labour, research, crop protection and property issues – all of which have impact on the entire sector. We also are active on a number of other issues. Regarding safety nets it was the OFVGA that lobbied the provincial government and worked on the development of SDRM a program that every farmer in the edible horticulture sector with over $5000 ANS is eligible to participate in. We worked on this for more than four years and that work continues. The first SDRM program developed back in the nineties was developed by the OFVGA as well and admittedly was different as it was developed for farmers in our sector who did not have a suitable crop insurance program. It was not about fresh vs. processing, in fact there were numerous processing crops covered under the original SDRM program. Regarding labour it was the OFVGA that developed the offshore labour program that so many in the sector rely on. I know it’s old news but remember its origin. More recently of course we have worked with the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee, housing it here for many years and contributing $30,000 annually to the fight against farm unionization. Successfully so far I might add. Regarding research it has been more about lobbying for government programs for research dollars for our sector than it has been about doing actual research although we have done that as well. In fact it was our lobby that brought about the $17.5 million dollar research program for our sector announced in the fall of 2004 and there has been the ORD program and FIP since then. Without our lobby there would not have been the first two research programs. This money

went out to all commodity groups in the fruit and vegetable sector not just fresh. Regarding crop protection, we have had a specialist on our staff for about a dozen years, helping to bring about many new pesticide registrations as well as emergency uses. Again this has involved both the fresh and processing sectors. We have worked with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to bring attention to horticulture issues as they pertain to farm taxation and assessments. Our collective work has led to favourable decisions on bunk houses and value added processes on the farm. Our water specialist has done a considerable amount of work for farmers in the processing sector so again it is not all about fresh. In fact since I began here in 2003 I do not recall a single time when someone said, “this is for fresh producers only.” Since 2003 our lobby has led to more than $200 million to farmers in the edible hort sector and it was only the first SDRM extensions that did not go to everyone in the entire sector that met the base qualifications. Many of course have no way of knowing that the current SDRM or the $35 million edible hort top-up in 2006 or the $30 million payment as part of the cattle, pork and hort program of 2008 resulted from OFVGA lobbying. You have no way of knowing because the cheques were sent directly from the government and not from us nor is there any mention of us in the documentation that came with those cheques. Nonetheless, we played a major role in getting the program dollars to you, the farmer. The OFVGA collects about $1.2 million a year in container

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

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

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue. No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad. Client signature is required before insertion. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the sole owner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressed in The Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/or contributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the association. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either whole or in part without the prior written consent of the publisher. P.M. 40012319

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

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

tolls, representing about one tenth of one percent of the farm cash receipts of the sectors covered under the Act. This amount is the same as about one tenth of one percent of the entire sector’s Allowable Net Sales. Marketing boards often work on one to two percent of cash receipts and sometimes even more. Let’s look at this another way. Would you give someone a nickel to get a dollar in return? I think we know that answer. This is really what we are talking about here but in this case it is not the OFVGA that gives you the dollar but rather the government. The only question that matters here is would you have received that dollar if it were not for the program development and lobby of the OFVGA? Marketing boards were created to provide benefit to the producers of specific commodities they represent. Through legislation farmers of those commodities have to pay a fee to the marketing board and it is all-inclusive; by that I mean if you produce a regulated crop and you want to sell it then you must pay the established marketing board fee. It was recognized at the time when marketing boards were created that every producer and every buyer of that crop had to abide by the terms and conditions of sale as established by the marketing board. No Board could be sustainable if the fee or conditions of sale were voluntary. What would happen if 40 per cent of the farmers decided not to pay fees or 40 per cent of processors decided they were not going to abide by the terms and conditions of sale especially the price? It simply could not work and that is why marketing boards were given the right and are expected to enforce

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Chair Vice-Chair Fruit Director Veg Director Director

Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-Lake Jason Verkaik, Bradford Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin Jan Vander Hout, Waterdown Brian Gilroy, Meaford

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

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

their regulations. The OFVGA is the only commodity-specific organization that does not get funding from every farmer that it works for. When RMP was developed in all other sectors it was their members and only their members who received benefit and those farmers all contributed through board fees to the development cost of the various programs. Of all the RMP programs, SDRM was the only one that was developed for an entire sector without full monetary contributions from across that entire sector. Marketing boards rely on full monetary contributions from all who benefit from their work without which they would fail. We at the OFVGA are no different, without a fair and equitable funding mechanism we too will inevitably fail. When the Ontario Farm Products Containers Act was legislated it captured virtually 100 per cent of the producers of fruit and vegetables and the fee on containers made sense as it was convenient and was a realistic way of collecting fees from the vast majority of fruit and vegetable producers. Over the years the Act has not changed but the industry has and today many farmers grow exclusively for a processing market or don’t ship in a retail container covered under the Act yet all edible horticulture farmers enjoy the benefits of the efforts of the OFVGA. When 40 per cent of edible hort production lies outside of the Act and the Act is the main source of revenue there is a very serious problem! I certainly understand that no one wants to pay fees, that’s human nature but I think there are a number of questions that you as a farmer in the edible horticulture sector need to ask yourself. Do I receive benefit from SDRM; would it have happened without the development and lobby efforts of the OFVGA and do I want these types of programs to continue in the future? If the answer to that is yes then is it not reasonable that all participants, as in all other sectors, should help cover the cost of developing these programs. For what it’s worth, it’s the way I see it. If you have any questions or concerns about this column, please email artsmith@ofvga.org or call 519-763-6160 ext. 115.

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS Crop Protection Research Property Labour Safety Nets CHC

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

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 11 THE GROWER

PERSPECTIVE Accept the Premier ’s challenge to double the sector ’s growth

OWEN ROBERTS UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Ontario is in the unique position of having its agriculture and food minister Kathleen Wynne also serve as its premier. It's a good portfolio for the premier -- overall, the sector is in good shape, and the province can show dividends from its investments in agri-food research, primarily the University of Guelph. Over the years, the province has invested heavily in what farmers have said is important, including new and improved fruit and vegetable varieties that are unique to

Ontario conditions and meet changing consumer demands. The investment in the sector is paying dividends. According to the province's own statistics, the agri-food industry here has grown more than 10 per cent since 2002, with food exports hitting a record high of $10.8 billion last year. The sector contributes about $34 billion to the province's economy and supports more than 740,000 jobs across Ontario. All this is not lost on Wynne. Besides getting an appreciation for agriculture's big-picture contributions to the province in her role as premier, she's gained appreciable insight into the sector by serving as minister. She might not have been very familiar with it when she named herself minister, but now, that's changed. Besides giving farmers a straight line to the premier's office, it's also given Wynne the inside scoop on the sector's abilities. And clearly, she thinks it's nowhere near performing at its potential. At the annual provincial agrifood summit in Toronto in October, just before Agriculture

Week, the premier surprised the sector by challenging it to double its growth rate and exports, and create more than 120,000 new jobs by 2020. Now, she didn't say exactly how she expected that growth to occur, which has some people wondering about the depth of the challenge. She didn't announce a plan nor unveil a pot of money to make it happen. But she did say this: "I have made it my personal commitment to facilitate growth in Ontario through strategic investments and tackling barriers to growth. Now, I am looking to the agri-food (sector) to take a leadership role in accelerating growth in their industry." And while this over-to-you moment hit some people cold, to me, this is the premier giving the industry an opportunity to shape its own future. She says she'll support the sector through what she calls a "whole-of-government" approach. That includes expanding the mandate of what the province calls its Open for Business Agri-Food Stakeholder Forum, by addressing

all aspects of economic growth in the sector. Until now, the forum's main focus was how burdensome regulations impede growth. From now on, the door is open to the industry to propose what else must be done to create an environment that will usher in twice as many exports, twice as much growth and a significant increase in jobs. This challenge goes way beyond local food, which has been a high priority for the Ontario government. For example, the premier herself reminded the sector that innovation was key to the new Growing Forward 2 suite of programs, with $235 million dedicated to supporting innovative initiatives over the next five years. So now the agri-food sector needs to answer the premier's challenge with innovative proposals for growth. The premier has made it clear what she wants: double growth, double exports, and a whack of new jobs. What then does the sector need to make this happen? That's what I'm looking forward to seeing. We know in the fruit and veg-

etable area huge issues exist in areas such as labour, market access, and right to farm, among others. The key is to match these issues to the premier's challenge. She wants double this and double that. But what do you want from her to make it happen? What can she provide from all walks and corners of government --which is what she's offering here -- to help you meet her challenge? That's the kind of leadership initiative she appears to be looking for. She's savvy enough to know the province must chip in significantly if the kind of growth she's expecting will occur. And she also knows the best ideas for growth will come from the grassroots, from farmers themselves and their organizations, all the way from research to production and processing to marketing development. I hope the industry seizes this as an opportunity. There are two ways to go here -- criticize the premier for issuing a challenge with little meat on the bones, or accept the open door she's given. Choose the latter.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Progress made on neonicitinoid pesticides: Alberta beekeepers We would like to respond to the many media articles regarding use of pesticides and their interaction with honeybees. In particular, neonicitinoid insecticides are in the spotlight, with most reported incidents in Ontario and Quebec. While most media reports imply that nothing is being done, we would like to commend a few stakeholders and the positive actions underway. Firstly, Health Canada has released a Notice of Intent, NOI2013-01, Action to Protect Bees from Exposure to Neonicitinoid Pesticides.

Quality Seed

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cpsspc/pest/part/consultations/_noi20 13-01/noi2013-01-eng.php

The final two pieces of good news come from Bayer CropScience.

They are seeking input from various stakeholders including the beekeeping industry, as well as already placing some requirements for the 2014 seeding season. Secondly, DuPont has announced a neonicotinoid-free seed offering.

http://www.bayercropscience.ca/o ur-company/news/growers-positive-about-new-corn-planterlubricant-technology-from-bayercropscience/

http://www.agprofessional.com/ne ws/Pioneer-offers-neonicotinoidfree-corn-soybean-seed-inCanada-223447931.html Once again, we believe this is a positive action by the seed/ pesticide industry.

Quality Service

Bayer CropScience introduces a new class of chemistry as an alternative to imidacloprid. The new active ingredient is a systemic from the butenolide chemical class and is active on sucking insect pests. The AI is flupyradifurone. It will be marketed under the trade name Sivanto. It is marketed as a “bee friendly” product with no bloom (application) restrictions. It will be registered

in 2015. A host of annual and perennial crops have been tested for aphids, leafhoppers, psyllids, scales, thrips and whiteflies. It causes a rapid feeding cessation effect from both soil and foliar applications. It is active via ingestion and contact. It is an adult knockdown product that controls nymph and egg stages. It is systemic for root uptake and translaminer from foliar applications. It has, says Bayer, minimal impact on beneficials. The label includes a four-hour reentry interval. There seems to be good progress on reducing the risk and exposure of possibly harmful chemicals to bees. Other efforts are underway, but these are the

ones from recent weeks. So as the public has the impression that nothing is being done, we would beg to differ. Due to combined efforts from the Canadian Honey Council – the national beekeepers’ trade organization – along with other stakeholders, progress is being made. The Alberta Beekeepers’ Commission thanks these organizations for the efforts towards a sustainable beekeeping industry in today’s ever-changing agricultural climate. Gertie Adair, General Manager, Alberta Beekeepers Commission Edmonton, AB

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PAGE 12 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

STEWARDSHIP

Farm & Food Care to conduct provincial pesticide use survey

Photo by Glenn Lowson

BRUCE KELLY AND KELLY DAYNARD Beginning in November, all Ontario field crop, vegetable, fruit and specialty crop farmers are asked to fill out a confidential survey of Pesticide Use for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. This year, the survey is being

conducted by Farm & Food Care Ontario. OMAF/MRA and commodity boards, and researchers use the information to help improve minor use pesticide registration lists, work toward safer use of pesticides and to understand trends in use and the types of pesticides used. The survey will track all field and horticulture crops and the pesticides used, acres applied and also acres where no pesticides are used. Farmers are proud of how they use crop protection chemicals,

and this survey helps the industry understand trends in the types of products used. Surveys have been conducted every five years since 1973, and are used to track trends in pesticide use. The data has allowed both regulators and policy makers to track trends in pesticide use and to make informed data. Previous surveys have shown positive trends toward safer products as well as an overall decrease in the use of pesticides by an impressive 45 per cent in the last 25 years. With increasing interest in seed treatments used in agriculture, this topic will also be added

to the 2013 pesticide use survey, including the number of acres planted with the treated seed and the active ingredients in the seed treatments. The survey is anonymous and only a respondent’s county/district information will be collected to help determine pesticide usage in different parts of the province. This year’s survey will be easier than ever as data collection has moved to an online program with drop down menus for ease of use and accuracy of the data. Farmers also don’t need to complete the entire on-line process at once, but can save their work and return to

it at a later time. Farm & Food Care will also accept mail-in, fax or email returns of the survey. All farmers and custom spray applicators are encouraged to help fill out the survey of products they used during the 2013 growing season. The survey will be available, online at www.farmfoodcare.org beginning November 1. Data collection will continue until February, 2014. For more information, contact environmental coordinator Bruce Kelly at Farm & Food Care: bruce@farmfoodcare.org or 519837-1326, extension 292.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 13 THE GROWER

ORGANIZATIONS

Funding ends for diversification initiative

“The foresight, diligence, initiative and collaborative approach under the leadership of Dr. John Kelly has been positive, efficient and effective. As President of the Association, we valued the support of EI&C and the generous contributions of John Kelly.” ~ Mike McArthur, President, Ontario South Coast Wineries and Growers’ Association and Partner, Burning Kiln Winery, Grape Grower KAREN DAVIDSON Erie Innovation and Commercialization has closed its doors, effective October 31. While based at Ontario’s Simcoe Research Station for the last four years, its mandate was to connect growers to the diversification potential of the south-central Ontario region (SCOR). “A key component of our approach was to encourage people to work together and to really understand who was truly their competition,” says John Kelly, vicepresident who led a peripatetic life on the road. Assisted by Shelley Imbeault, they organized countless meetings, cajoling and prodding from the sidelines as growers

“The team at Erie Innovation and Commercialization has been very effective in bringing together innovation, researchers, markets and producers. This will be greatly missed in the industry, being faced with constant pressure from international competition. John Kelly and his team put together international markets with the best Canadians had to offer.” ~ Robert Haynes, General Manager, Mori Nurseries, Hazelnut Grower

themselves took leadership roles. True to its original mandate from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), the initiative was to diversify agriculture and food in the counties of Norfolk, Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford and Brant. The region had been hard hit by the exodus out of tobacco. The sandy soils and climate are conducive to any number of crops, yet over production of any single crop could disrupt the market. The idea was not to lose the human capital of the region, transferring agricultural skills to similar ventures. Various alternatives – not necessarily horticultural -- have been explored from biomass commercialization to edamame, quinoa, castor oil and Russian

“During the past four years, John Kelly and Shelley Imbeault have led the evolution of our industry from a small study group to a provincial association of commercial lavender growers. Their leadership, resourcefulness, and dedication have set examples that will lead us well into the future.” ~ Anita Buehner, Chair, Ontario Lavender Association, Apple, Grape and Lavender Farmer

dandelion. In recent months, leadership was provided on exploring future uses of the Delhi Research Station. Its legacy is best viewed through the prism of three organizations: Ontario Lavender Association, Ontario South Coast Wineries and Growers’ Association and the Ontario Hazelnut Association. These associations have grown new business, sectors, economies and technologies along with researchers and the encouragement of local leaders such as Norfolk mayor Dennis Travale. “These associations would not have happened as quickly,” says Art Smith, CEO of OFVGA. “It’s hard to predict right now but hazelnuts have probably the

biggest potential of all. In the years to come, there could be an entirely new nut industry, thanks to John Kelly’s work. It’s now up to growers to take the lead.” Erie Innovation and Commercialization was always positioned as a four-year project with no expectation that OFVGA would provide additional funding. “We had a pile of private and public sector funding,” says Kelly, “but it wasn’t enough core funding to keep going. We’re now a square peg in a round hole. Project funding won’t sustain us.” Growers and their newly founded associations are now in charge of the seedlings.

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PAGE 14 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

MARKETING

Planting the seeds for online growth place orders. You don’t have to add an online shopping cart per se, but providing a means for customers to view, select and order produce on your website is key to capturing this new market.

SHAWN CASEMORE When was the last time you actually visited a travel agent’s office? How many Christmas gifts did you purchase online last year? If you are like 80 per cent of North Americans, you purchase products online at least once per week. Our addictions to mobile technology, coupled with the ease in which online buying experiences have evolved continue to fuel our desire to buy products and services online. From a business standpoint, this growing trend continues to influence how businesses think about marketing to, connecting with and selling to consumers. Amazon, a leader in the online buying marketplace has perfected this model. With strategically targeted marketing campaigns and a global distribution network, if you can stick a part number on it, Amazon can sell it. More importantly, as Amazon’s size grows, so too does its buying power and consumer confidence, which is exactly why you should be thinking about selling produce online. Initially I realize that this might seem like a good idea for companies selling products with a shelf life of greater than say 30 days, and up until a year ago, I would have tended to agree with you, but not now. Enter AmazonFresh, a test arm of

Infrastructure

Amazon aimed at providing groceries and fresh produce direct to consumers and small retailers. Although still in its early phases think about the power and influence that Amazon has over both businesses and consumers and you’ll realize that it’s only a matter of time before Amazon begins to eat everyone’s lunch. Despite these early signs, most whom I’ve spoken with across the produce industry in North America aren’t considering online buying as something that will impact their business in the near future, which is of great concern. Like any other emerging trend, you can either be at the forefront, or stumble along behind trying to catch up to the early adopters who have consumed half your market share. For those who are prepared to consider how this will (notice I didn’t say “if”) influence their cold chain, I have identified three key factors to online order

fulfillment based on my research and experience with partners across the cold chain. Presence The predominance of distributors across today’s produce supply chain meet their demand through two main avenues: selling direct to retailers and selling through local and regional markets to smaller retailers. In a recent survey conducted by Deloitte it was found that nearly 80 per cent of smaller retailers who are using online purchasing are doing so to save time. Think about it. If you know the quality of the distributor’s produce then you don’t need to visit a market; the entire transaction can be done online. To capture this shift in buying preferences, distributors must have an online presence that displays the breadth of produce and allows for smaller retailers to

I mentioned earlier that with Amazon entering the market we should all be a little concerned. Amazon’s size means it can instigate trends virtually at will with a proven infrastructure to support online order fulfillment. Being able to accept orders online and fill the order for delivery the next day takes a significantly responsive distribution network. All parties across the cold chain, from retailers to distributors, carriers to farmers must work together to design a rapid order fulfillment mechanism in order to sustain (if not grow) market share. The key considerations for designing this network include: • Assessment of customer market segments • Identifying online order capability and capacity • Designing traceability mechanisms • Identifying how to handle reverse flow of produce The last two points are crucial to ensuring the integrity of the cold chain, which brings me to my next point.

Distribution With technology in place and an order fulfillment strategy designed, the focus must turn to the mechanics of order fulfillment. In my experience, the speed with which online order fulfillment must occur requires we rethink our historic cold chain configuration, designing a stand alone process for supply and distribution of produce to maximize produce freshness and integrity. Points to be considered include the distinction of market categories; needs within each category; and size and frequency of orders for each segment. With this information at hand it becomes much clearer to ascertain the fastest and most cost effective means of order fulfillment. If at this point you still don’t believe that produce can be ordered and supplied through online networks, that’s fine. I suggest, however, that you keep a very close eye on Amazon, because in my view we are less than five years away from a significant shift in how consumers and retailers order their produce. Shawn Casemore is the president of Casemore and Co Incorporated, a management consulting firm helping businesses improve their operational performance. For more information, visit ww.casemoreandco.com.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 15 THE GROWER

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Standing out in a crowded marketplace

PETER CHAPMAN

Our Canadian retail landscape has changed considerably in the last 25 years. We have evolved

from a market dominated by traditional food stores to one where consumers have incredible choice. The traditional supermarket has evolved into three segments: • Discount food stores • Conventional (or traditional) food stores • Large format (or super) stores The three segments each have a defined target market, however there is considerable cross shopping. As the market continues to change, more dollars are being spent in farm markets and specialty stores. The execution and the unique offering in the big retailers are less enticing for shoppers and they are spending more food dollars in these other

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Conventional

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outlets. It is difficult to quantify the amount. The format is the brand for retailers. They spend considerable time and money trying to develop the position of the format in the marketplace. It is critical for suppliers to understand the positioning of the formats. Products and programs should be developed to support the branding the retailers are trying to define. There are six key attributes used by retailers to differentiate their stores.

Listing base Different size stores can handle different numbers of SKUs. It is very important for suppliers to know the category execution in the format and how much room there is. With eight linear feet, and two leading national brands and one control label offering, there is probably not much room for more. If you can grow the category, you might have a chance. If you are only going to cannibalize sales from existing items, you probably need to go back to the drawing board.

nities to drive sales and differentiate. Where do your items fit in the events? Make sure you are planning well in advance. These merchandising projects take time to develop and the plans are usually made months in advance.

Pricing Each retail format has a price proposition and the retailers invest considerable dollars to maintain and promote this attribute. Suppliers need to understand where the format is in the market place and propose items and programs that support this level of pricing. Explore the shelf and know that the category margin in your department will dictate the retail price. For example, if they are making 20 per cent margin in grocery, your item will likely have this margin. If the retail will sell the product at this margin, great. If not, it is not the right item for this format or you need to address your cost.

Private label These products are one of the few real points of differentiation left for retailers. They control the items and, if they have the infrastructure and ability, they can be leaders and offer unique items. Suppliers need to respect the control label offering and know that you will probably not replace one of these items. Shopping experience Take a look every time you walk in a store. What are they saying to their customer? The shopping experience from the first view of the store through the checkout is very important. Levels of service and fixtures and décor all play a role. How will your items be merchandised in each of the formats? Events Retailers try very hard to give consumers an excuse or a reason to buy. Events are great opportu-

Execution One of the biggest challenges for retailers in today’s economy is to get motivated, skilled labour. These stores are operated with huge proportions of part-time labour. A well-informed and motivated workforce is a gold mine for a retailer. Review your items. Are they easy to execute at retail? Make sure you're not expecting too much of the retail staff. As you develop products and programs consider these attributes. Where do you fit? Do not waste the time of your customers by trying to put items into stores that do not fit. Invest some resources to develop items that are the right fit. Subtle changes can open up new markets and make you a more valuable supplier. Peter Chapman, a retail food consultant and professional speaker, is principal of GPS Business Solutions, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Peter works with producers and processors to help them navigate through the retail environment with the ultimate goal of getting more items into the shopping cart. pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca.

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 Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Ministry of Rural Affairs 401 Lakeview Dr., Woodstock, ON Thursday November 21, 2013

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. Pre-registration is required, to register please call the FVGO office, 519-674-1500 ext 63592 or email mmcdonal@uoguelph.ca Additional meeting details can be located on FVGO website www.freshvegetablesontario.com

PAGE 16 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER While the parasite can be spread in different ways, contaminated water is the most common method of transmission. Transmission may also occur from person-to-person.

What are the symptoms of giardiasis?

Cryptosporidium and Giardia: How to reduce risk of contaminating fresh fruit and vegetables PAUL BAILEY, RISK IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR, AND DR. ROBERT BLENKINSOP FOOD SCIENTIST – HORTICULTURE, ONTARIO MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD AND MINISTRY OF RURAL AFFAIRS Cryptosporidium What is Cryptosporidium? Cryptosporidium is a singlecelled parasite that causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis. The parasite may be found in soil, food, or water or on surfaces that have been contaminated with fecal matter from infected humans or animals. The parasite requires a human or animal (e.g. deer, cattle, birds, rodents) host in order to reproduce. During reproduction, Cryptosporidium forms infectious oocysts with tough protective coatings that allow it to survive for weeks or even months outside of a human

or animal host. While the parasite can be spread in different ways, contaminated water is the most common method of transmission. Transmission may also occur from person-to-person. The life stage of Cryptosporidium that causes infection is called the oocyst. Oocysts are sensitive to drying but are extremely resistant to chlorine. What are the symptoms of cryptosporidiosis? The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, dehydration and weight loss. Onset of cryptosporidiosis is generally 2 to 10 days after becoming infected with the parasite. Healthy individuals who become infected may not show symptoms, or may experience gastrointestinal illness. Symptoms are usually selflimiting in healthy individuals.

For individuals with weakened immune systems, diarrhea and dehydration may be more severe and possibly life-threatening. Individuals may continue to excrete oocysts weeks after symptoms have subsided. Giardia What is Giardia? Giardia is a single-celled parasite that causes the diarrheal disease giardiasis. The parasite may be found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with fecal matter from infected humans or animals. The parasite requires a human or animal (e.g. deer, cattle, birds, rodents) host in order to reproduce. During reproduction, Giardia forms infectious cysts (a protective outer shell) which allows it to survive outside a human or animal host for long periods of time and makes it tolerant to typical levels of chlorine disinfection.

Symptoms of Giardia infection typically include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, flatulence and may also consist of nausea, vomiting, slight fever, headache and dehydration. Symptoms of giardiasis usually begin 7 to 10 days after ingesting cysts. Illness usually lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, although in severe cases it may last longer. Healthy individuals who become infected may not show any symptoms, or may experience gastrointestinal illness. Usually symptoms are selflimiting however, in individuals with weakened immune systems, symptoms may be more severe and possibly life-threatening. Ingestion of only a few cysts may cause disease. Human carriers may excrete cysts for several months after symptoms have subsided. How do Cryptosporidium and Giardia get on fresh fruits and vegetables? Cryptosporidium and Giardia are widespread in the environment. The parasite is commonly recovered from surface waters (e.g. ponds, streams, rivers, lakes) as well as mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The detection of Cryptosporidium or Giardia on fresh produce indicates that at some point, the

produce has come into contact with fecal contamination. Transmission onto fresh produce may occur via: • contaminated water used for irrigation or application of agricultural chemicals • contaminated dump tank or flume water used for postharvest washing of produce • infected workers • run-off from improperly composted manure • wild animals passing through or grazing in production fields • flies that spread oocysts or cysts How can I reduce the risk of contaminating fresh produce? A food safety management system consisting of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) can help minimize the risk of contamination. This risk can be minimized through implementation of preventative practices involving: • water quality (production and postharvest) • worker hygiene practices and hand-washing • management of biological soil amendments (e.g. manure, compost) • separation of livestock and manure from produce production • field sanitation of equipment and containers • on-farm pest control Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts are not killed by sanitizer levels typically used for post-harvest rinsing of produce. The physical action of washing may remove some cysts but will not completely eliminate them from produce surfaces.

Municipal greenbin compost Organic N is unavailable for crop uptake until microorganisms degrade the organic compounds, meaning compost is a form of slow release fertilizer. Growers should be aware, because of the slow nitrogen release nature; municipal greenbin compost alone may not be enough to supply adequate nitrogen during rapid growth phases of crops with high nitrogen demands.

DEANNA NEMETH, NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM LEAD HORT CROPS, OMAF AND MRA, VINELAND Have you considered the value of land applying municipal greenbin compost to your fields? Municipal greenbin compost is composed of food waste, yard waste, and soiled and nonrecyclable paper. The number of growers who land apply municipal compost has been on the increase in last five years diverting over one million tonnes of organic waste from Ontario landfills. Composting is a process in which organic material is broken down into simpler substances by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The end product is a food-safe amendment that can be applied to fresh crops for human consumption, such as fruit and vegetables. Are you looking for ways to get more organic matter into your soil?

Are you interested to learn more from local on-farm trial results?

Application of greenbin compost to strawberry beds.

Organic amendments such as greenbin compost help maintain your soil organic matter levels. Increasing soil organic matter improves several soil qualities like) structure or tilth, water-holding capacity of coarse-textured sandy soils, improves drainage in

fine-textured clay soils, reduces wind and water erosion, promotes growth of earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms, and provides a source of slow release nutrients for crops.

Are you interested in a free source of slow release fertilizer? Municipal greenbin compost provides nutrients essential to plant growth, such as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Most of that N is in a stable organic form.

In 2013, an on-farm research trial was established on a dayneutral strawberry field near London, Ontario in collaboration with Christine Brown from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. This trial is focused on comparing the yield and marketable fruit quality to spring applied municipal greenbin compost. For more information, or if you are interested in participating in future municipal greenbin compost on-farm research trials, please let us know.

NOVEMBER 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PAGE 17 THE GROWER

BERRY FOCUS

Spotted Wing Drosophila update 2013 Region

Date of first SWD trap capture

Southwestern Ontario

July 9th

South central Ontario

July 15th

Eastern Ontario

July 24th

Central Ontario

July 29th

Northern Ontario (New Liskeard)

Sept 3rd

Table 1: First SWD trap captures by region, 2013 Date collected

Figure 1: SWD average trap captures in Ontario 2011-2013.

Type of fruit collected

Region Kent county

First trap capture near this site July 12

Comments

July 1

Wild raspberries

First SWD detected in 2013

July 2

Unsprayed saskatoons Norfolk county

no traps at this site

July 9

Sweet cherries

Norfolk county

no traps at this site

First SWD in commercial crop

July 18

Summer bearing red raspberries

Middlesex county

July 27-Aug. 2

First SWD in commercial raspberries

July 19

Wild mulberry

Brant county

no traps at this site

First find in wild mulberry

July 29

Fall bearing raspberry

Norfolk county

July 20-26

First find in fall- bearing raspberry

August 7

Blueberry

Norfolk

July 20-26

First find in blueberry

Table 2: First SWD reared from commercial and wild fruit in 2013 (all samples collected in southern Ontario) Results from fruit rearing samples indicate that the first SWD larvae were often present in fruit before we caught adult flies in traps. During the weeks of August 7 to August 20 we reared the highest numbers of SWD from fresh blueberries. During the weeks of August 19 to September 5 we reared the highest numbers of SWD from fall bearing raspberries. We have a lot more to learn

ANNE HORST AND PAM FISHER, ONTARIO MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD AND MINISTRY OF RURAL AFFAIRS Spotted wing drosophila is an important direct pest that attacks fresh fruit and affects market quality. We have been monitoring for spotted wing drosophila in Ontario since 2011 (Figure 1). Every year is a little bit different but we have observed some definite trends. Unfortunately, this pest is here to stay! Traps were set out at over 65 sites across Ontario in 2013. Traps were set up in commercial crops as well as wild hosts near susceptible crops. SWD adults have been captured at 100% of monitored sites. The first capture was on July 9th in Norfolk county in a trap located in sweet cherries. Over the next couple of weeks, many new sites were found in southwestern and south central Ontario (Table 1). Our data will be used to validate and fine-tune a degree-day model to predict early emergence of SWD in various regions of Ontario. After the first trap capture in early July, the average number of

SWD flies in traps remained low (10 or less per positive trap) until the middle of August. In the week of August 17th, average number of flies caught per trap jumped significantly from 10 adults to just under 60 adults. This number has continued to increase each week and the average for the week ending August 30th was up to 130 adults per positive trap. The jump in trap captures in mid to late August coincided with growers starting to notice SWD damage to raspberry and blueberry crops. Early in the season the highest numbers of adults were being trapped in wild hosts around field edges, and in summer raspberries just at the end of harvest. As the season progressed, more fruit became susceptible and numbers began increasing in other berries, including blueberries, strawberries, and elderberries. There was also an increase in some tree fruit such as cherries and peaches, especially when fruit was left hanging after harvest. Meanwhile, in addition to trapping SWD, we collected fruit weekly from certain sites and set this fruit up in rearing cages to see if SWD adult flies would eventually emerge.

from the data collected in 2013. Data analysis is in progress. Watch for updates at grower meetings and at www.ontario.ca/spottedwing This project was made possible by the Ontario Berry Growers Association and the Ontario Highbush Blueberry Growers Association. Funding assistance to the OBGA was provided by Dow AgroSciences Canada, Engage Agro Corp., Bayer

CropSciences Inc. and E.I. du Pont Canada Company. We are grateful for the continued support of the HJ Heinz Co. for the apple cider vinegar used as bait in our traps. This project was also funded in part through Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of Growing Forward 2 in Ontario.

PAGE 18 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

MINOR USE CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Remembrance Day 2013

CRAIG HUNTER OFVGA Some years ago, I was asked to provide a personal perspective on Remembrance Day, as I have always had an abiding interest in things-militaria. As this issue of The Grower will be out just prior to Remembrance Day, I wanted to use this space to provoke other individuals to also ‘remember’ on that day. I have a close family connection to the services. Both my parents served in uniform in WWII, so you could also say that I was an ‘outcome’ of the war. I am also a victim of the effects of war. Remembrance Day has always been a day of family memories for me. We attended the veterans’ Remembrance Day parade every year in Toronto when I was growing up, (and I continued that tradition with my children here in Simcoe). In those days there were even a handful of Boer War (1898-1901) vets, hundreds of WWI vets and thousands of WWII vets marching. Perhaps those memories are similar for others. I do remember the tears running down my mother’s face those days, but didn’t really understand her memories thenthat every young man in the village where she had grown up had died in the services, except her brother. She had had to dig out the bodies of friends killed when their military base had been bombed. Many close friends were killed in the war, and yet here she was -safe and alive. No wonder the tears flowed. On Remembrance Day I always carry the tokens of war that were given to my father. I always called them ‘medals’ as a kid, but they are truthfully his ser-

vice and volunteer recognition medallions. They were kept in a jar in a kitchen cupboard, and to him they were certainly not for ‘show’. To him, he just did his job and survived- no recognition required. In that, he was like a great many others that served. In our community, there were also several other men who had served- years later I would learn that some of them served with great valor and honors. As kids, we never knew this, or who they were. They had moved on and had become immersed in peacetime pursuits. Not everyone was able to do that. The first thing that most vets will do, is to try and FORGET about what happened in the war, who did what, and any and all negative things to do with war. This is NOT the same thing for people my age, who never had to serve- for us the same ‘war years’ of our youth (18-23) were the comfortable times at school, early jobs, starting families. Those years evoke good memories for us- a very different experience to the vets who came back. Back then they just wanted to get a job, get married, find a house and forget the friends they had lost, or the worse things that had happened. The public was tired of the wartime rationing and other believed great privations, and did not want to hear about the war any more. They even resented the vets who wanted their old job back, or a place in a school or university. Housing was almost impossible to find, and profiteers charged vets shamelessly for quarters that were unlivable but all that was available. This was a far cry from being lauded by a grateful public! The vets felt like hiding their medals, putting away their uniforms in an old trunk in the attic, and just getting on with life. Many of those old uniforms are only showing up now when old homes are cleared out as we lose 300 vets a week to old age! In New Zealand last year, at their military museum, I read and noted a quote from a veteran of WWI, who said “I came home to my parents and my sisters and no one asked me what it was like.

For 70 years, no one asked.” I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anger pent up in that man for all those years. He is not the only one. My Dad refused to ever join the Legion- his comment when I asked why, was that he didn’t want to sit around listening to guys drinking beer and bragging about how they had won the war (when maybe they never got further away from home than Ottawa!) I know we had a family friend who was a POW (Prisoner of War) for 3 ½ years, and we were ALWAYs told to never speak to him about the war. It took until the late 1980s for him to break through, and then to write a book about his experiences. (No Time Off for Good Behaviour)- H.E. ‘Ted’ Woolley. He died just prior to publication so I will never be able to ask the many questions that the book raised for me. He was in the ‘Great Escape Camp’, Stalag Luft 3 and he knew the real participants (not the Hollywood actor versions), and he endured the forced march in dead of winter at the war’s end to escape the advancing Russians. Quite a difference to the things I was doing at 23 years of age. He won a Toronto Star contest put on by Pierre Berton in the sixties about a description from that time of his

‘Most Memorable Meal’- something re-captured in that book. Obviously the details stayed fresh in his mind, even if he couldn’t express them. War keeps on killing long after the last bullet is fired. In recent conflicts we have heard of PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Others have had to deal with being maimed, disfigured, and disabled- in some cases for over 70 years now. Some, like my mother, succumbed to cancer years after the war, cancer that was attributed to her wartime constant daily exposure to unshielded radar cathode ray tubes. The war cost her 30 or 40 years of life, as it has for thousands of others who had counted themselves as ‘survivors’. Her only brother died of alcohol related diseases in 1975, a full 30 years after the war: a victim nonetheless. He did 90 bomber missions, and was the only living member of his pre-war squadron at war’s end. They called him a lucky pilot who always made it back, but the effect the war had on him makes me question that designation. Countless others who turned to booze, or drugs, or other means of forgetting died as a result, both during and after the war, and were war victims nonetheless. Who can question their means of ‘escape’ when they

were willing to fly a bomber called the ‘Flying Coffin’ (Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley) for mission after mission? It was slow, cold, and highly susceptible to enemy fighters. Their next plane, the Handley Page Hampden wasn’t much better, but they kept on flying because it was what was expected of them. It is always tough for people to talk about death, bravery, loss, war . . . Remembrance Day is meant to deliberately get individuals to remember and to keep the memory alive, so it doesn’t have to happen again. In my opinion, it is also part of the healing process. I can personalize this because both my parents served as did 4 of my mother’s 5 siblings, and all of their spouses. My father had no brothers but had 5 cousins in uniform, two of them decorated with the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). Both my parents had uncles serve in WW1, who survived, but not without trauma. My brother was also a 25 year member of our forces, and did socalled peace keeping in several locations. They considered themselves just average Canadians, who felt a duty to serve their country in time of need. I never forget in any of the other 364 days, either. Let none of us forget- ever.

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NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE 19 THE GROWER

MINOR USE

Poast Ultra herbicide for control of weeds in grapes JIM CHAPUT, OMAF/MRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR, GUELPH The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Poast Ultra herbicide (sethoxydim) for control of grassy weeds on grape vines (bearing plantings and non-bearing 1st & 2nd year plantings) in Canada. Poast Ultra Herbicide was already labeled for management of grassy weeds on a wide range of crops in Canada. This minor use submission was originally sponsored by OMAF in 2001 and subsequently taken on by the Agriculture & Agri-Food

Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC) in 2003 in response to minor use priorities identified by grape producers and extension personnel. Access to weed management tools is a priority for grape producers and the label expansion of Poast® Ultra herbicide will provide producers with an helpful weed management and resistance management tool. The following is provided as a general, abbreviated outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using Poast Ultra herbicide. Poast Ultra herbicide can be applied at a rate of 1.1 L product per ha as a single post emergent application banded to the base of the grape vines. The pre-harvest

interval for grapes is 30 days. Poast Ultra herbicide should be used in an integrated weed management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Poast Ultra herbicide is TOXIC to aquatic organisms and non-target terrestrial plants, therefore avoid drift and follow buffer zones. Do not contaminate these habitats when cleaning and rinsing spray equipment or containers. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Poast Ultra herbicide label. For copies of the new minor use label contact Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAF/MRA, Vineland (905) 562-3833 or visit https://agro.basf.ca/basf/agsolutions/SelectRegion.htm

Photo by Denis Cahill

Horticultural strategies for living with SWD MARVIN PRITTS, CORNELL UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE Spotted winged drosophila (SWD) has wreaked havoc on many berry farms across the Northeast. Insecticides may manage this pest. But in addition to killing the pest, there are horticultural methods that can be employed to avoid the pest. Eliminating the crop is clearly an option, and several growers have decided that they want to get out of the berry business rather than deal with this pest. This decision results in the loss of an investment, and while this may make sense in the short term, there are other possibilities for the longer term. One option for summer raspberries and blackberries is to mow the canes to the ground in spring. This will prevent fruiting in the summer while still allowing vegetative canes to grow. Mowing canes in spring can be done for a number of years without harming the plants themselves, allowing time for entomologists to develop solutions. With only vegetative canes, growers will not have to be concerned with fruit pests. Essentially this is a way to put raspberries and blackberries into a holding pattern until better solutions are found. If one decides to keep the summer crop, there are several things to do to reduce SWD pressure. The first and most important is to keep the planting picked clean of overripe fruit. It is true that SWD can infest under ripe fruit, but over ripe fruit is much more attractive and can be a reservoir and nursery for eggs and larvae. Second, regular treatment with insecticide, usually at least once a week, is required to keep the pest at tolerable levels. Labeled pesticides change regularly, so consult the latest updates. Third, for insecticides to be maximally effective, they have

to thoroughly cover the fruit. This can only be accomplished with good pruning and trellising. Excessively thick plantings will prevent even the most effective insecticide from killing adults on the fruit within the canopy. A good rule is to have no more than four or five healthy canes per linear foot of row for summer raspberries, three or four for blackberries, and six to eight canes per hill for black raspberries. Also, floricanes should be held upright with a trellis to facilitate spray coverage. Fruiting canes held to the outside of the row in a Vtrellis will receive better exposure to an insecticide than most other trellis systems where floricanes are internal within the canopy. Fall raspberries are perhaps the most favoured fruit of SWD. To minimize infestation, the fall crop should be encouraged to fruit as early as possible since SWD numbers rise in late summer. One way to bring the crop on early is to place row covers over the rows after they are mowed in spring and to leave the row covers on for about six weeks. Once primocanes are about 18 inches tall, row covers can be removed. Primocanes will flower about two weeks earlier using this method, and a majority of fruit may be harvested before SWD populations become unmanageable. Since the fruit is borne at the tops of canes, thinning canes does not impact spray coverage as much as with summer raspberries where the fruit is borne lower on the canes. Blueberries are not responsive to row covers, so options for them are more limited. We have had some success replacing bird netting with a fabric netting to exclude both birds and SWD. This is an expensive option, but one that shows promise. Planting early cultivars is also a way to avoid infestations. In our limited experience with SWD, early blueberry cultivars are often harvested before levels become

problematic. Earliblue, Bluetta, Spartan, Patriot and Bluejay may be sufficiently early to avoid SWD infestation in your area. As with summer raspberries, good pruning is essential to good spray coverage. Details on pruning blueberries can be found elsewhere. June-bearing strawberries are even earlier than blueberries, so we have not seen high levels of infestations on them. Day neutral strawberries, on the other hand, fruit well into the fall and can be infested with SWD. Strawberries seem to be a less-preferred food source than some other fruits. We have not had significant problems with our day neutral

strawberries, so long as there have been raspberries and blackberries close by which the SWD seem to prefer. We have heard of SWD infestations in day neutral strawberries when other food sources are not close by. This suggests that perhaps a small planting of fall raspberries could serve as a trap crop. Clearly, there is much work to be done before a solution is found. With the state’s cooperation, we have made remarkable headway in getting insecticides labeled for use against SWD. The state has also provided some emergency research money for SWD. But we do not have a

solution that will eliminate SWD entirely. What works is a combination of clean harvesting (no rotten berries in the planting) together with weekly insecticide sprays. In the coming years we hope to have recommendations for netting, for eliminating overwinter sites and wild hosts, and perhaps even for releasing biocontrol agents against SWD. In the meantime, growers should think about whether they want to eliminate their berry crops, postpone fruiting into future years, promote earliness to avoid as much infestation as possible, or go all out to manage the pest.

VEGETABLE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 1 used 18’ potato truck, $6,500. Thomas WR944 4-row windrower, field ready, $24,500. Thomas C91 2-row harvester, field ready, TTT warranty. SOLD. Thomas B2000 Air Vac harvester. Mint condition, $30,000. 2-row Spudnick potato harvester, $30,000. 4-row Spudnick potato windrower. New primary and secondary webs, used one season, $24,000. - 4-row mechanical transplanter with water tank, SOLD. - Lockwood 5000 4-row, windrower, field ready, $20,000. - Lockwood 2-row potato harvester, $12,000. - Grimme GB1700 potato harvester, $16,000. - Grimme DL1500 2-row windrower, $7,500. - Grimme GL1700 potato harvester, $30,000. - Grimme RL3600 4-row windrower. Full width primary, mint cond., $26,000 - NEW 16 ton fertilizer tender box, $19,500. - NEW 1000 gallon, 66’ Farm King sprayer, $30,000. - 12 row Stanhay seeder with microgranular boxes. Nearly new, $39,000 - 1000 gallon FarmKing sprayer, 66ft booms. 2012 model, $ 26,000

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THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK MARKETPLACE

NOVEMBER 2013

CELEBRATING 133 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION

SECTION B

GENETICS

Global seed company sets down local roots Leamington, Ontario -- Not unlike a tropical jungle, visiting the Rijk Zwaan Tomato Trial Centre is a sensory experience. That’s exactly the point as Marleen van der Torre, advisor for tomato and tomato rootstock, guides growers from the U.S. and Canada through a state-of-the-art facility that mimics two others in the Netherlands and Spain. Just opened June 20, the greenhouse is designed to showcase the global capabilities of Rijk Zwaan’s breeding program while company breeders learn the vagaries of local conditions. “In Vancouver, the climate has important similarities to the Netherlands, but in Leamington, the circumstances are different,” says Jacques van Alphen, tomato breeder for Rijk Zwaan. “That’s why it’s good to have the possibility to select varieties in this region. We can test them in high temperatures and high humidity: that’s how we already learned that for the Leamington region we have to focus more on varieties with a generative character.” Head grower Arti Goce agrees that it’s challenging to grow such a wide range of tomato types and varieties in one glasshouse. He’s in charge of extensive crop registration which includes plant growth, production length, head size, flowering truss, fruit setting, fruit load and fruit harvested. Fruit registration involves total kg, fruit weight, kg/m2, brix level in fruits and fruit quality assessment. One of Rijk Zwaan’s early initiatives was to invite three greenhouse growers to see their Endeavour RZ truss tomatoes. Maria Devaere of Cervini Farms, Mario van Logten of Intergrow and Harry Stigter of Nature Fresh Farms participated. In a testimonial Stigter reported: “During summertime, Endeavour RZ shows better quality and better shelf life. Those are certainly its strong points. Unlike most growers, we prune all trusses to four. It makes a perfect crop and all trusses arch nicely. Year round the fruit load curve is very stable due to the varieties consistent setting. We keep 28 to 32 fruits and 12 leaves on a mature plant. I experience Endeavour RZ as a very steady grower.” At Nature Fresh, Stigter chose to graft Endeavour RZ on

“I really enjoy growing here,” says Arti Goce, head grower of the new Rijk Zwaan tomato demonstration greenhouse that opened in Leamington, Ontario last June. The Netherlands-based seed company tests and showcases varieties under the hot and humid growing conditions of southwestern Ontario. Photos by Glenn Lowson. Stallone RZ for rootstock for a well balanced plant. He planted January 16 and 17, 2013 with a stem density of 3.1 stems/m2 in a growing medium of coco peat. With local greenhouse growers sharing their personal experiences, the tide is lifted for everyone’s boat. Each grower works with different stem densities, day/night differentials and grafting methods, but all succeed in maintaining a balanced crop with good quality tomatoes. “The most important reason for this new location was to allow growers, marketers and retailers in North America to actually see our product line in a greenhouse,” says Howard Huy, president of RZH Canada. “They can observe the crop, learn about growing conditions, yields, other technical

information as well as taste the product.” Nearing the end of the production season, now’s the time to evaluate these thoroughbred varieties. Do they have the endurance to push the plant in the back

stretch over the finish line? The demonstration greenhouse in November is a good place to start, with a final lap in the tasting room. That’s where each variety is labeled with highlights as well as QR codes which lead to more

detailed data. It’s time to weigh in on next year’s crop. Editor’s note: For this article, quotes were sourced from the magazine “Seeds and Sharing from Rijk Zwaan.”

PAGE B2 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Unique varieties pique interest at farmers’ markets For market gardeners, the search is never-ending for varieties that will pique consumer interest at farmers’ markets. “Kale is hot,” says Brian

Tregunno, southwestern Ontario sales rep for Seedway. “It’s really taken off in North America.” Parsnips deserve more attention. “Panorama parsnips are

Abay pepper – Abay is a strong producer of smooth, blocky yellow fruit, mostly extra large in size. Plant type is strong with plenty of cover and continuous setting. Adaptable, with high resistance to BLS 12345. Matures in 72 days.

one of my faves after seeing a large trial this past summer,” he says. “It comes from an English seed company and has a smooth skin – not ringy -- with great

Fizz kale – With its beautiful blue green colour and unique shape, Fizz adds to your kale selection. Fizz has a variety of uses from babyleaf to full size ; it can also be bunched or chopped. Leaves are deeply lobed with a mild and sweet flavour.

flavour.” Striped pumpkins are gaining favour with new varieties to add to the traditional mix of orange. Besides that, he highlights four

Caraflex cabbage - We like to call Caraflex “lettage”meaning a blend of all that is good in lettuce and cabbage. Caraflex grows and stores like cabbage, while offering the flesh flavour of lettuce. Enjoy Caraflex’s nutritional benefits and use as a salad green. Heads are two to three pounds in size and grows to 10 – 13” tall. Matures in 68 days.

offerings in the Seedway 2014 catalogue. For more information, go to: www.seedway.com.

Butterkin squash - A sweet specialty that begs to be consumed, Butterkin is a new take on traditional butternut squash with its easy-to-serve smaller size and high sugars. Packs easily in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes and offers a fresh look in a new product that consumers are looking for. Vines are vigorous and strong into late season. Average fruit size is two to four pounds.

What’s new in raspberries? Two varieties of raspberries should be of interest to Ontario growers says Kevin Schooley, Ontario Berry Growers’ Association. “Both of them have merits and should be considered for at least a trial planting for anyone considering planting in 2014,” says Schooley. Pam Fisher, Ontario berry specialist, provides the following descriptions:

‘Meeker.' ‘Glen Ample’ is a lateseason variety, with very large, meaty fruit, with large druplets. It is medium-red in colour, with a dull fruit finish. Canes are spineless. Winter hardiness has not been widely tested but Adam Dale reports it was hardy in both Kemptville and Simcoe, Ontario in observation trials. Glen Ample

will be available from Strawberry Tyme Farms in 2014. Canby raspberry This is an old variety, developed in Oregon from a cross between Viking and Lloyd George. It was popular in the 1950s. Canby was re-discovered

by accident by an Ontario grower and is once again being propagated in the Ontario plant propagation program. Canby is very vigorous, with spineless canes, bright red large fruit and very good flavour. It is probably best suited to pick-your-own and on-farm sales. Information from Oregon in 1953 suggests that Canby is more

sensitive to poor soil conditions than most varieties and should not be planted on heavy or poorly drained soil. Canby was available from Strawberry Tyme Farms in 2013.

Glen Ample raspberry This summer-fruiting red raspberry comes from SCRI in Scotland and was released in 1998. It has complex parentage which includes ‘Glen Prosen’ and

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NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE B3 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

More choices for vegetable seeds

Crofton

Payload - New variety 2013 trials

7002R - New variety 2013 trials

Very uniform root for production of baby carrots. High carotin and brix value. Nice, upright and medium long foliage.

High yielding zucchini: 8-10 per cent higher yields than other Syngenta varieties and darker green color.

This high quality SH2 sweet corn offers exceptional kernel colour contrast and great taste. 72 days.

Good is plentiful.

Camaro Higher root size and uniformity. Excellent vigor. For cello and processing markets.

Solid Gold

Topma - New variety 2013 trials Great addition to the fresh market. Nice wrapping leaves and high performance. Earlier than Bronco. Seminova offers innovative vegetable varieties. This company works closely with seed suppliers and their numerous trials provide great understanding of the different behaviors varieties may have depending on environmental and field conditions. For more information go to www.seminova.ca or call 1-877337-8423.

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Rupp carries a wide range of vegetable seed, literally from A-Z. No matter what you’re looking for – yield, size, convenience, flavor or that perfect dark orange pumpkin with large handles – you’ll find it. And, plentiful applies to more than our selection of seed. Our premium varieties deliver plenty of grower satisfaction as well. We like to say, we deliver unbelievable results made believable. Call us today and a member of our team can help you select the perfect products or request a copy of our 2014 Vegetable Catalog. This season, plant Rupp. See What Good Yields®

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800-700-1199 · ruppseeds.com

PAGE B4 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Siegers promotes new varieties for 2014 Here’s a preview of the 2014 catalogue with vegetable varieties that have excelled in trials. For more information go to www.siegers.com.

Bison Bean – Pop Vriend A main season bean with very dark pods. Bush is sturdy and compact. Pods run 20 per cent 3 sieve, 80 per cent 4 sieve. Highly resistant to Bean Common Mosaic Virus.

Blazing Banana (Hybrid Hot Banana/Hungarian Pepper) – US Agriseeds Early maturing, strong plant with excellent fruit coverage and high yields. One of the few hot banana varieties with BLS 1-3. Ideal for fresh market and processing.

SV9014 Sweet Corn - Seminis Synergistic main season variety with a classy ear, high eating quality, and below ground protection for Corn Rootworm. Proven to have dual modes of action for insect protection against European Corn Borer, Corn Earworm, Fall Armyworm and weed control benefits of Roundup agricultural herbicides.

Supremo Cucumber – US Agriseeds A multi-virus pickle with a vigorous plant habit. High quality, dark green fruit with thick skin and a small seed cavity. Ideal for fresh markets and processing.

Phatso III Pumpkin – Golden Sweet Slightly larger and more uniform than Phatso II with smoother ribbing. Thick handles, 3-4" long. Great color with better PMT tolerance.

Growth predicted in Ontario asparagus industry KAREN DAVIDSON Thanks to its own breeding program, Asparagus Farmers of Ontario (AFO) is optimistic about the future trajectory of Fox Seeds Limited. Just a year ago, the seed business was separated from the association to become a private, for-profit entity. While it was a “tortuous” process, its chair Ken Wall says the new company hopes to provide a distribution to its100 or so members. “We expect about five to 10 per cent increases in revenue per year, breaking into new markets and satisfying old markets,” says Wall. Named Seed of the Year in 2005, Millennium asparagus is still the star, now sparkling brighter than other varieties around the world in climatic

Harvested Area (acres)

Year

regions similar to Ontario’s. Growers won’t switch varieties until they’re sure of the plant hardiness, yield and overall profitability. And for an asparagus bed, that takes 10 to 15 years to evaluate. In the United States, California

Marketed Production ('000 lbs)

Farm Value (a) Average Price ($’ 000) (cents/lb)

2012

2,692

10,905

17,654

161.89

4,051

2011

2,730

11,630

17,443

149.98

4,260

2010

2,995

10,740

16,193

150.77

3,586

Source: OMAF statistics might seem to be the number one destination for seed sales as it produces about 30 per cent of the country’s asparagus. However, Washington and Michigan are more likely candidates with their

similar climate zones. Nearby Michigan is a prime target for seed with its 11,000 acres of asparagus. Overseas, green asparagus is nibbling at the white asparagus

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Approx. 82 days to maturity, uniform, blue green, round 3-5 lb/1.8-2.2 kg head.

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Average Yield (lbs/acre)

Karisma

Approx. 75 days to maturity, large, blocky, smooth dark green skin.

Bowie

Approx. 56 days to maturity, uniform dark green, easy to harvest, straight pods.

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Approx. 74 days to maturity, extra large, uniform, smooth, globe shaped red fruit are very firm.

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market of Germany where young urbanites crave the convenience of ready-to-eat product. That’s where green asparagus may have an edge because it doesn’t need to be peeled like white asparagus. Increased consumer interest is providing cues to growers to switch over to the Millennium variety. According to provincial ag ministry figures, there were 2,692 asparagus acres in 2012. Wall says most of this acreage is planted exclusively to Millennium which has boosted yields dramatically in the last three years to an average of 4,051 pounds per acre. With those statistics in hand, Wall is predicting significant expansion in Ontario production. The industry continues to pursue new end uses for the perishable perennial. While the Individual Quick Frozen market has been explored, other growers are pickling, canning or converting asparagus into a flour. Squeezed into just two months of fresh product in May and June, Ontario growers are heartened by exports to the American East Coast which now considers their product to be local compared to Peru, Mexico or even California. All of this consumer demand is sending signals back through the chain to seed demand. Millennium is expected to stand the test of time, but five or six new cultivars are slated for strip trials. Expect more news on these up-and-comers next winter.

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE B5 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Standard FarMore FI400 treatment on all squash, zucchini Syngenta brand seed now enhances all squash seed with a standard treatment of FarMore FI400 cucurbits technology. FarMore technology is the first comprehensive combination of separately-registered seed protection products, proprietary application technologies, and dedicated seed treatment services that maximize vegetable production value by enhancing performance and quality. "Following the overwhelmingly positive response to the standard treatment of cucumber seed in 2012 and increasingly high demand for FarMore FI400 cucurbits application on our additional cucurbit varieties, offering this standard treatment to our squash seed customers was a clear and necessary next step," said Lisa Moricle, Syngenta cucurbit portfolio manager. Syngenta zucchini varieties, such as Payload and Pascola, as well as golden varieties including Goldprize and Gentry, will be treated with FarMore FI400 cucurbits. The three proven and complementary fungicides protect

against devastating diseases such as Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia while thiamethoxam delivers broad-s pectrum protection against key pests including cucumber

beetles, whiteflies, and leafminers. Source: Syngenta news release

Classic watermelon flavour captured in seedless variety Thanks to investments in watermelon breeding and trialing, Seminis is launching three new

C.O.

seedless watermelon varieties that deliver classic watermelon flavour often associated with

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seeded watermelon varieties. “In our consumer research we learned that consumers want that classic watermelon flavour, said Seminis watermelon breeder Jerome Bernier. With our three new watermelon varieties, we are confident our farmer customers can help consumers rediscover

that classic watermelon flavour in a seedless variety. The new lineup includes watermelon triploids SV0241WA, SV0258WA and WM8317. SV0241WA is a high-quality 45/60 count watermelon triploid with an average of 3-4 fruits set per plant with outstanding fruit

uniformity, fruit shape, and a high quality interior with crisp flesh. With a consistent average Brix sugar content level of 11 degrees or higher, SV0241WA has shown to have exceptional eating quality across all testing locations in the U.S. In addition, it has high resistance to Anthracnose and intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt race 1. Because SV0241WA is a little smaller than a traditional watermelon, this type of watermelon will likely become more popular as people are looking for something more convenient that takes up less space in the refrigerator, explained Bernier, who primarily breeds for seedless watermelon varieties for the United States and Mexico. For the west and northeast U.S. geographies, SV0258WA is a larger type melon in the 36 count range with a crunchy texture, great colour, and great taste. This variety is suited to the Canadian climate.

www.gwallennursery.com Source: Seminis news release

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PAGE B6 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Ontario potato specialist nominates best first-year entries

SPECIALTY MARKET

WHITE FLESH TABLE MARKET

YELLOW FLESH TABLE MARKET

#1: A99-326-1PY • Round tubers, purple skin, yellow flesh • Tubers might be of variable size • Spacing should be managed to avoid the production of jumbos • The dry matter content is similar to that of Yukon Gold Seed source: Mini-tubers from University of Idaho

# 2: Belle d’Aout • Early round variety from Quebec • High yield • Smooth, white skin • Medium specific gravity • Should be grown in fields with low scab Seed source: Centre de Recherche Les Buissons, Quebec

#3: Chopin • Oval tubers, no culls • High yield • Late maturity Seed source: HZPC Americas Corporation, PEI

# 5: Colomba • Round to oval tubers • Sizes well • Maturity similar to that of Yukon Gold • No second growth noticed in Alliston area • Yield was exceptionally high in 2013 • Negligible culls • It appears to have some tolerance to silver scurf Seed source: HZPC Americas Corporation, PEI

RUSSETS #6: Teton Russet • Fresh market and processing • Late maturity • Performed well in the Shelburne area • Resistant to scab • Hollow heart might be a problem Seed source: Pommes de Terre Laurentiennes, Quebec

To select the best first-year entries, I took into consideration the following factors: yield, minimum culls, even set (the tubers of a variety have similar shape and size), no internal or external defects, shallow eyes. For the table market varieties, some tolerance to scab, smooth skin and shallow eyes are a must. It is very important to evaluate new varieties for at least three years. Eugenia Banks is Ontario’s potato specialist.

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#4: Electra • Medium sized, attractive oval tubers • Medium yield • Developed in Ireland where it is promoted for its long storability Seed source: Real Potatoes, PEI

# 7: Tenace • Fresh market • White flesh, netted brown skin • Late maturity • Medium specific gravity Seed Source: Quebec Parmentier, Quebec.

BA0958

57 days, straight, smooth, medium green,

SC1102

74 day synergystic, good husk cover and tip fill, good taste.

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Archimedes

76 days, blocky green to red bell, Improved phytophthora protection.

Lieutenant

80 days, dark green crowns, medium sized beads.

1-800-272-5560 Box 10 Thorold ON L2V 5E9

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE B7 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Stokes Seeds shares results of 2013 trials Stokes Seeds prides itself in the number of vegetable trials it puts out each year. Each variety is “Stokes Tested” in many geographic areas in the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada, even some varieties for multiple years. These trials allow the newest and best products for this year’s Stokes Seeds Commercial Growers Guide. In green beans, the varieties, BA 0999 and Bowie were the varieties that stood the stressful weather of 2013. BA 0999 is a new variety developed for first early plantings and is five to six days earlier with lighter coloured pods than Valentino. This is one of the earliest beans on the market with four-five sieve 5.0-inch pods. It should be harvested on the early side for optimum quality. Bowie, is not new, but has gained so much market share in 2013 because of its heavy yield and high quality. It has excellent uniform dark green pods that are primarily four-sieve in diameter on upright plants with high pod position. Bowie is a 56-day very high quality bean that has 5.5 inch long straight pods. Stokes has two new cabbage varieties Thunderhead and Tekila that looked excellent in our 2013 trials. Thunderhead is a second early blue green cabbage that has a high level of Black Rot tolerance and is

G15N - Bean - BA0999

G123C - Corn - Awesome XR Crop

Tekila

Fusarium Yellows Resistant. It has a 14-16 count head size and seed is now available for sale. Tekila is a very uniform blue green cabbage with a larger 9.8 in/ 24 cm head. This is the first club root tolerant variety offered for fresh markets. In sweet corn, for the Gourmet Sweet line-up, we continue to add varieties with new rust resistance. The new varieties we have added this year are Awesome XR and

XTH 20173. Awesome XR, the next variety, has the same qualities that regular Awesome has with the added rust package of GDJ. Awesome had such a great yield in 2013; the Awesome XR should be the same. Awesome XR has a nice tight husk, excellent husk cover, and outstanding taste. The last variety we have highlighted is XTH 20173. It is now the standard for flavour, tenderness, and eating quality and

is very similar to 277A. It has a 7.5- 8 inch ear, with very good tip fill and blunt tip. It also has the new rust package of GDJ. If you are looking for great eating quality, plant Gourmet Sweet! These are only a few of the new items listed in the 2014 catalogue. For more information on other new varieties go to www.stokeseeds.com

Vegetable grafting resources The Ohio State University/ OARDC-OSUE Tomato Grafting Guide has been updated and the new version can be downloaded at no charge. Version two of the Guide is 27 pages longer than version one; original sections have been enhanced and a commercial tomato rootstock table, a seed-to-grafted plant calculator/ seeding scheduling aid, a stem

diameter chart, an introduction to splice grafting, a section on pepper grafting and additional, highresolution images of the grafting process have been included. To obtain version two of the Guide, please visit http://hcs.osu.edu/ vpslab/grafting-guide and click Request a copy of the Grafting Guide. You will be sent an email that will prompt you to download

the guide. A source for research-based information on vegetable grafting is www.vegetablegrafting.org/. There are sections on cucurbit and solanaceae grafting, with dozens of links to online resources. A vegetable grafting symposium is being held in San Diego, CA on November 6, 2013.

Siegers...more than seed Featuring Over 100 New Varieties

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Information can be found at www.vegetablegrafting.org/2013/

09/2013-vegetable-graftingsymposium/.

PAGE B8 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

FOCUS: SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Seven hazelnut rootstocks now shortlisted ADAM DALE In 2006, several of us from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the University of Guelph, held several meetings to decide how best to develop a hazelnut industry. The conclusion was that we needed to know what varieties to grow, how to propagate them rapidly, and what are the economics. Since then considerable progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. Probably, the biggest stumbling block is that it takes four years for a hazelnut bush to start fruiting and seven years to reach its full crop. So what progress have we made? An initial list of possible varieties has been developed, and great strides have been made into the propagation of the trees. Also preliminary economic analyses have been made. Previous articles have discussed the economics and micropropagation, so here varieties and nursery propagation will be discussed. So that we can develop a list of recommended varieties, a number of characteristics need to be taken into account. The first of these is resistance to eastern filbert blight. This disease is native to eastern North America, and the native filbert trees are at least tolerant to it. However, the European hazelnut is very susceptible to the disease. In Oregon, the main variety ‘Barcelona’ is susceptible to the disease, and only recently has eastern filbert blight reached Oregon. Consequently, the growers in Oregon are systematically replacing ‘Barcelona’ with resistant varieties – a huge undertaking as the varieties have to be bred and then 30,000 acres replaced. Something we do not wish to have happen in Ontario. Secondly, the varieties need to be adapted to our climate. This was shown graphically in 2012 when the frost on 20 April, destroyed the apple crop. In our hazelnut variety trials, about half the varieties were damaged and lost their crop. The other half

Alpine Nurseries (Niagara) Limited SPECIALIZING IN FRUIT TREES & GRAPE VINES & ELDERBERRIES. VARIETY AND PRICE LIST AVAILABLE ON REQUEST Howard A. Colcuc Nursery Manager R.R. #4 Creek Road Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. L0S 1J0 Tel: (905) 262-4971 Fax: (905) 262-4404 howardcolcuc@rogers.com

sailed through with no damage. Finally, the varieties need to have the nut quality that is acceptable for the different markets. The ideal nut should be round, medium-sized, be clean of skin when roasted, and have a good hazelnut flavour. A preliminary list of recommended varieties has been developed. The varieties are Jefferson, Lewis and Yamhill from Oregon, Geneva from New York, C16 and C28 from Ontario, and Tonda di Giffoni from Italy. None have all the characteristics we need. But we need to start somewhere, and we know that the list will change as we gain experience. These recommendations have been made based on three variety trials, one planted at the University of Guelph’s Simcoe Research Station in 2008, and two planted in 2009 at Simcoe and at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. So how did the varieties perform. Jefferson appears to be adapted to Ontario, has acceptable nut quality, but is only tolerant to eastern filbert blight. Lewis has acceptable nut quality, is only recommended in the warmer areas of the province, and is only tolerant to the blight. Yamhill is resistant to the blight and has acceptable nut quality, but we have not yet had enough experience to know just how well it is adapted to Ontario conditions. Geneva, C16 and C28 are blight resistant, high yielding and adapted to Ontario conditions. However, Geneva has an almondlike flavour and both C16 and C28 have oval nuts. Tonda di Giffoni is only tolerant to the blight, adapted to the warmer areas of the province, but is considered the standard for nut quality. As a result of these trials, initial planting of hazelnut trees will probably contain a mix of all these varieties. We do know that we can get two kg per plant, or 0.5 tonne per acre on five-year -

old Geneva. This is considered to be comparable with yields elsewhere in the world. The crop this year is the largest we have had, but we are still recording the data. The challenge now is to get these varieties propagated rapidly. Praveen Saxena and his team at the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation in Guelph have successfully developed micropropagation techniques to produce the number of trees we need rapidly. However, these need to be grown in the nursery so that suitably sized trees are available for the farmer to plant. Over the last three years, Shiman Wu, a graduate student, has been looking at ways to rapidly propagate trees. She has grown seedlings and micropropagated plants in a retractable roof greenhouse, outside and by air root pruning. The results showed that in the retractable roof greenhouse, plants that were 1.5-1.8 m tall could be produced in five months. Properly managed, it should be possible to produce trees from micropropagated plug plants to be planted in the fall within one year. And in the retractable roof greenhouse, it should be possible to grow two crops a year. But at what cost. Shiman also looked at the economics of the retractable roof greenhouse and estimated that if two crops a year were produced in the greenhouse, a plant could be produced for $9. This is within the acceptable range for perennial fruit crops. Many people have been working to ensure that the propagation systems for hazelnuts are working in Ontario. So we are now at the stage where plants will become available. We estimate that there will be enough to plant 100 acres in spring 2014, 400 acres in spring 2015 and over 1000 acres in 2016. Over the next few years the acreage of hazelnuts will expand and the challenges will continue. Once we start to produce large

Strawber Str Stra r awber wber r y & R aspber r y Raspber Plants Pl l ants Established 1939

quantities of nuts, the practicalities of how to harvest them and how to aggregate the nuts will need to be addressed. Fortunately, they can be machine harvested and aggregation facilities are available and can be built. Plus the markets are there and can be developed. Certainly, I see hazelnuts as an exciting addition to our horticultural crops, but only the future will tell us how exciting.

Adam Dale is professor, department of plant agriculture, University of Guelph, Simcoe Research Station, Simcoe, ON Investment in this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). In Ontario, this program is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

More on rootstock “We have practically sold out of all our hazelnut trees for next spring already,” say Ernie Grimo, Grimo Nut Nursery, based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. “There seems to be a lot of interest in growing hazelnuts especially in the tobacco belt,” he says. Oregon cultivars such as ‘Yamhill’ are being introduced to grow in the Niagara peninsula and southwestern Ontario. “We have some varieties that we recommend for the tobacco belt but they are not ones that Ferrero Rocher will buy. On the other hand there are other markets in Canada that would buy them over the imports.”

NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE B9 THE GROWER

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PAGE B10 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER

MARKETPLACE

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REAL ESTATE FARM FOR SALE BY TENDER The owner of Part of Lot 8, Concession 4, West Communication Road Geographic Township of Harwich, designated as Part 1, 24R3940 and Part 1 24R3278, subject to an easement in gross until July 26, 2051 as in CK63666, Chatham-Kent, municipally known as 19277 Gore Road, Blenheim, Ontario, containing 63 acres more or less. The property has beans and grapes planted at present, to be harvested in the fall. The property is suitable for cash crop farming and grape production for the wine industry. There is an easement to Erieau Wind Inc. respecting a wind turbine which is producing power and revenue. This easement goes with title and revenue generated will be assigned to the ultimate buyer. The land is tiled and a tile map is available. Inspection of the property can be arranged with the seller if requested. Grape production equipment and storage tanks are not included in the sale of land and will be sold separately to the buyer of the land or any other interested buyer. The vendor is to be afforded a two month period after closing to store and remove equipment at a rent of $1.00 per month. The transaction will close on February 21, 2014. All tenders must be in writing in a sealed envelope accompanied by a certified cheque in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) payable to “Mark Michael MacKew Professional Corporation in trust”. Price offered must be for cash and not subject to financing. Highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted. Tenders will close at 4:00 p.m. December 20, 2013 and must be delivered to the undersigned law firm prior to the closing time and date. All bidders are required to present their bids on the form provided by the seller’s solicitor, available at the address below. Unsuccessful tenders will be notified in writing and their deposit will be returned to them by mail. Mark Michael MacKew Professional Corporation, Barristers and Solicitors, 4 Talbot Street West, P.O. Box 760, Blenheim, Ontario N0P 1A0, telephone (519) 676-3266. For more information please go to www.farmforsalechathamkent.com

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NOVEMBER 2013 –– PAGE B11 THE GROWER

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The ‘AQUA Wetland System’ “A new breed of constructed wetland” AQUA Treatment Technologies Inc. designs and installs the ‘AQUA Wetland System’ (AWS) for tertiary treatment of many types of waste water including sanitary sewage, landfill leachate, dairy farm & abattoir wastewater, greenhouse irrigation leachate water & mushroom farm leachate water (i.e. manure pile leachate) and high strength winery washwater.

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PAGE B12 –– NOVEMBER 2013 THE GROWER